A Note About Cookbooks

A person I know once said "cookbooks are for housewives". Maybe I am special because, I look to them as inspiration. When I made my risotto, I looked at all three recipes, and combined the process. Am I still a housewife? I don't care. There are plenty of us that have not been to cooking school, that use the recipes and techniques in books to help us create.

If a person is looking for cookbooks, I always suggest used, if available. I doubt only the bad ones make it to used book stores. But, with the internet a someone can find so many available it can be rediculous. ABEBooks.com is a network of independent booksellers with their inventories consolidated. Thats how I got two copies of the Larousse (one for me and one for a gift) as well as two of "The Professional Chef" a cooking school textbook. I have had no problems buying through them, although it can be cumbersome if you find multiple books from multiple sellers. Amazon.com also allows independent booksellers to sell through their site. I have bought books that way too. With that service you pay Amazon, which in turn pays them. I have also had no problem with that process. See examples below for new and used at Amazon.com. With abebooks, the prices seem to fluctuate more, and lean toward the super low side for cookbooks, not so with literature. I found my Larousse Gastronomique for $10, and as of today abebooks has it at $10, while amazon has it at $30 (used - new is $51)

Eating Healthy Since Feb, 2004