Are the super specialized cookbooks of today really better?
There is absolutely no doubt that as a genre, the cookbook measures up in popularity with any other subject area in print today. Just one look around the cookbook section of your favorite bookseller will confirm that.
If you look closely at those racks you will quickly come to one conclusion. Every possible topic, from meat free to meat-full and everything in between has been given its due. Frankly, it can be more than a bit overwhelming. It wasn’t always this way.
Back before the tidal wave of cooking and cookbook popularity, the selections seemed to be a lot more general and a lot less specialized. Sure, there were cookbooks written on a particular theme, but, it seems like today those old themes have been segmented even further.
Example. “Back in the day”, if you were interested in a book on poultry, you could pick up a cookbook dedicated to art of cooking a proper bird. Easy reading. Now, your head will be swimming as you try and wade through the choices. Just try picking from the following: How to Deep Fry Anything with Wings, Gizzards, Livers and Hearts: The Offal Truth, Poultry Roasting, Broasting and Toasting and the soon to be runaway bestseller, White Meat for Dummy’s. You get the picture.
One of today’s links harkens back to a simpler time. A time when selecting a cookbook meant buying something that could actually help you prepare a delicious multi course meal for your family. And, do it in one volume. The Kansas City Star has a great piece on vintage cookbooks.
As for the rest of this week’s links, there’s lots of good stuff all for your clicking pleasure. Start now…
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