Five reasons to check out your library's cookbook collection

Submitted by Stuart Broz on Tue, 02/03/2009 - 8:26am

Yes, you're supposed to give the books back (but if you find one you love, you can always get your own copy...)

  1. Public libraries are generally free. Less money spent on cookbooks means more money to spend on cheese.
  2. You can be adventurous without risking an investment. I sometimes pick up cheap cookbooks. Sometimes I find that they are cheap for a reason and I've bought a cookbook that hasn't been worth its cost to me. Other times, I've had my eye on a cookbook that is a significant investment. It is always nice to be able to try before you buy.
  3. Borrowing library books instead of building up your own, private library reduces clutter. Keeping your own collection down to the books you use most often increases efficiency.
  4. Many libraries have large cookbook collections. Browsing can introduce you to things you might not have otherwise run into.
  5. Libraries are awesome! I have to appreciate public repositories of free information. Patronizing them is good for society.
Frugality
Recipe organization

Comments

Submitted by Jenn (not verified) on Wed, 02/04/2009 - 9:38am.

Just try not to splatter on them when you're cooking. If you're like me, and you will splatter no matter how hard you try not to, then peruse the book while you're at the library, Xerox a few interesting recipes while you're there, and then put it back. You can grab a lot of recipes from a bunch of books that way, and you won't have to worry about returning an armload of books, which is good if you're a library deadbeat like me.

Stuart Broz's picture

Submitted by Stuart Broz on Wed, 02/04/2009 - 11:31pm.

Yeah, if you use them while cooking, it is best to be careful. A sheet of plastic wrap would probably help prevent spills.