HOW COOKBOOK FAVORITES CHANGE WITH TIME

My preferred cookbooks have shifted over the years as my life has progressed. Back in the day, when I was a new mother and wife, I had two cookbooks that were all-purpose. My mother gave me the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook, and I used the Joy of Cooking by Irma Rombauer and Marion Rombauer Becker, which was a gift from a close friend. I also used the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook. I moved to Guatemala when I was 20 years old, and the Better Homes and Gardens was lovely and all-purpose, but it was fairly general, and it did not address all of my requirements completely. Despite the fact that I was living a great distance away from my mother, the pleasure of cooking became my constant friend and guide, and I went to it whenever I needed guidance. There is a great deal more to an excellent cookbook than just a collection of recipes it contains. It not only provides counsel and sympathy, but it also entertains and tells tales. When I was in Guatemala, I read the book “The Joy of Cooking” from beginning to end. This was done until I was able to speak the language. I had the impression that each dish was being conveyed to me by a cherished aunt or maybe my mother, and that she was doing it with fun throughout. It taught me how to properly clean and prepare a chicken that had just been slaughtered, and later on, I learned how to do the same with a rabbit. I had to learn how to utilize a lot of different fruits and veggies in a strange country, and the book covered a lot of them. That time period is already a distant memory. In the process of relocating to the United States with my young family of four children, I developed an interest in the lifestyle of the southern states. I discovered that the Southern Living yearly cookbooks were my constant friends during that time period, when spending money was limited and I had little time on my hands. I could find anything I need there. The items that they utilized were straightforward, and there was always a recipe that could be adapted to fit the supplies that I had on hand. Those cookbooks have been on my shelf for at least ten years, and I still have them. At that time, they were of great service. As time went on, I began to develop an interest in recipes that were more gourmet in nature. I began purchasing subscriptions to several magazines. Later on, I subscribed to gourmet, bon appetit, saveur, cuisine at home, and excellent cookery magazines. I also subscribed to food and wine magazine. Following that, I attempted to read Cook’s Illustrated. despite the fact that I tried each and every one of them, I kept going back to food and wine, which has been my favorite for the last twenty years. It is not over the top, but it has a sufficient amount of gourmet flavor to satisfy my taste buds. Every person has their own preferences when it comes to publications and culinary styles, and we all discover various ones that are the most suitable for us. Bon appetit is a favorite of one of my many sisters. At one point in time, I was getting three different magazines at the same time, and I discovered that each of the publications seemed to have at least two or three primary emphasis items that were consistent throughout all three magazines. I came to the realization that it was time to further restrict my focus. That competition was won by the food and wine magazine. Over the course of all these years, I have been a regular reader of that magazine, and at the end of each year, I purchase the yearly cookbook subscription. In addition to providing me with exciting new recipes and ideas, they have kept me on my toes. I also became interested in Indian cuisine, and I started purchasing cookbooks to satisfy my cravings for Indian cuisine. To this day, the Bombay Palace Cookbook by Stendahl is my most cherished and most valuable possession. Although it seems to be out of print, I was able to get a copy of it when I was living in Louisiana. It is a true gem, since it is packed with not only wonderful knowledge but also wonderful recipes. Charmaine Solomon’s The Complete Asian Cookbook is another resource that I utilize for the Indian section of the book. The reason I use her recipes more than any other is because they seem to be easier to prepare. When I look back over the years that I have spent cooking, I can see the patterns that have emerged as my life has progressed from being a newlywed who did not know how to cook to being somewhat experienced but busy with jobs and family to letting go of the constraints of cooking for children and exploring the new while putting all of my skills to the test. To this day, I am still on this adventure, and I am continuously experimenting with new dishes and checking out new books. On the other hand, there are always a select handful that hold up throughout the course of time. In the process of preparing my Thanksgiving turkey, I once again rediscovered my old favorite pleasure, which is cooking. Even while the temperatures at which meats are cooked on the inside have varied in recent years, the processes have remained the same. My life is shaped by the book in some way. My possession of it dates back forty-two years. It is my sincere gratitude that you have chosen to read this essay. It is my hope that you found it to be helpful and that it assisted you in your own culinary journey. Please check out my website for a symphony of tastes. You may find my blog at a symphony of tastes blog, my marketplace at a harmony of flavors marketplace, or my facebook page at a harmony of flavors. I am looking forward to seeing you there!