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[sarraceniaceae]

You know, it occurs to me that my collection of cookbooks absolutely fails.

My problem's two-fold. One is that the type of cookbook I like isn't all that common. I like cookbooks that are as much about the why as they are about the how. One of my favorite cookbooks of all time is On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen. I

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[sister_coyote]

I'm addicted to cookbooks, but anymore I can only justify buying them if they're in some way unusual. Just having recipes isn't enough, because I don't cook from recipes. So novelty cookbooks are okay, as they have other entertainment value (the Star Wars one illustrated with action figures fell into that category), as are historical cookbooks, and cookbooks with a lot of supplemental information about a particular cuisine or food science or whatever are good, too. But just recipes, even really good recipes? No.

(I really like the food writer MFK Fisher. Her stuff is a bit old -- I think she was writing in the forties through sixties, mostly -- but has a high ratio of interesting food information and anecdotes and just interesting historical insights, with comparatively few recipes.)

[sarraceniaceae]

...The Star Wars one illustrated with action figures sounds awesome. Although sadly I'm guessing that my mental image of Darth Vader standing in a little Barbie kitchen and wearing a pink apron next to a recipe for Dark Side Dark Chocolate Cake is somewhat off the mark. My favorite series based cookbook ever though has to be Nanny Ogg's Cookbook. Threatening to make the recipe for toffee rat will never stop entertaining me.

But yeah, I agree. Unless you use recipe cookbooks, they really aren't worth buying. Oddly enough, though, I make an (occasional) exception for ice cream cookbooks. Trying to find recipes for ice cream online is an excercise in frustration, and I'm not good enough to improvise with that. Although there's no cookbook for alcoholic ice cream, which is a shame because I love that. And adding alcohol to ice cream is annoyingly difficult because of the way it screws up the freezing point. Er, I'm rambling on at length, aren't I?

(I'll look her up then - she sounds interesting. Thanks!~)

[sister_coyote]

Nanny Ogg's cookbook is awesome.

The Star Wars one has such brilliant things as Princess Leia Cinnamon Buns and a hamburger illustrated with Han Solo 'shooting' ketchup onto it with a blaster. And Yoda in a swamp made of milkshake. ♥ Plus, it's called 'Wookie Cookies," and I just gotta love that.

[sarraceniaceae]

Princess Leia Cinnamon Buns made me laugh. I desperately want this cookbook now.