Is anyone else guilty of buying recipe books and not making anything from them?

[DustOnTheWind]

I usually buy mine in Kindle form and almost always when offer so at least they don't take up much room, but I still keep doing it even when I don't use most of the ones I currently own.

I often like the idea of the recipes but want someone to make it for me or there are too many ingredients.

I'm trying to change this and I'm going through them now but I wondered if anyone else has the same issue?

Ha I'm always picking up those free recipe cards at the supermarket. Once I was with my daughter and I said 'oh that looks nice. I'll add it to the collection of other recipes I never make' and the cashier burst out laughing.
I'd only buy a cookbook if I intended to use it though - Nigella's Express is my favourite.

You need to pick one book and turn it into a challenge. Try to cook a certain percentage of the recipes so you can give it a fair review. I’m aiming for 70% (my friend told me 80% was too ambitious). I keep a spreadsheet with comments. Think Julie & Julia. Or there’s a guy blogging about his attempt to cook all the recipes from “The Prawn Cocktail Year’s”.

Yes I'm guilty. My last book was some kind of curry bible. I found all the ingredients had different names and have struggled to use it.
Probably need to sell as worth a bit. I just Google everything now

Yes I’m guilty of that! I never buy on kindle, I need colour and pictures. Part of the reason some books languish is that they don’t have pictures in them. Sad I know!

Yes. I've also copied or tore out recipes from publications and not used them.

I have a vegetarian cookery book which I have barely glanced at.

Oh yes! My latest is Nadya Hussain Time To Eat. Watched the series and thought I would cook loads of the recipes, but they all look weird now written down in front of me! Not sure I will actually cook any of them, but I like her theories in the introduction. Probably didn't need to have bought the book for that though. She is the latest in a long line, I have groaning shelves of cook books.

I love cookery books, but I’m a good cook anyway so I tend to use them for inspiration rather than following particular recipes. I like reading them though and love the food photography - my food never usually looks like that. I have loads of print cookery books and I’m loathe to get rid, I like flicking through them and they bring me pleasure.

Oh dear, guilty as charged!

Guilty.

Yup and I still buy more!!

Guilty! I love cookbooks and read them for pleasure.

Yes. I tend to look up recipes online now. Hardly ever use books.

@JackieTheFart

Yes I’m guilty of that! I never buy on kindle, I need colour and pictures. Part of the reason some books languish is that they don’t have pictures in them. Sad I know!

This is me. Unless a cookery book has pictures I'm not interested.

@AlfonsoTheTerrible

Guilty! I love cookbooks and read them for pleasure.

Me too. :)

I buy to read, not do. I can't really follow a recipe, so I use them for entertainment & inspiration. 😁

Yes, banned myself from buying any more cookbooks - in physical or digital form - and use Pinterest instead, rarely cook any of those recipes either!

Did/do enjoy flicking through cookbooks while eating cheese on toast though!

Yes - I have books from which I've cooked many of the recipes, some from which I've cooked one or two things which have been brilliant, but somehow I've not got around to trying other things, and loads just to read. Eg I have a facsimile Mrs Beeton, which is fascinating, but I have no intention of trying Pig's Face or Mock Turtle Soup.

Dozens. They're very nice to flick through, though.

I may charity shop my nigella books, though, as I picked them up, recently, and they didn't appeal at all. Even the pictures aren't inspiring because I find all the sunken cakes rather off-putting.

Same. My shelves are groaning under the weight of recipe books I’ve barely glanced at. But I can’t resist them!

I was given my first cook book as a gift for my birthday. Still haven't used it but the pictures are nice to look at!

I have loads but stick with my trusty M&S and Good Housekeeping cookery books that my mum gave me when I left home.

Yup. I got Ottolenghi's Plenty 2 months ago and ive not made a single recipe from it

I've got some purely decorative ones!

I almost exclusively use BBC Good Food and A Pinch Of Nom (despite the awful website).

Yes, most of the ones I've bought!
I now have an app for storing recipes and I can just import from websites or photos, so when I see one I like I save it. Easy to sort by dish, ingredient etc and I use it all the time. I plan to go through the recipe books I have, take photos of any I would actually cook and save them to my app and then give the books away!

I actually do use my cookery books for their intended purpose, any that don't inspire me get given away. I buy far too many though!

I read them for pleasure too. I find cookery and gardening books and TV shows so relaxing.