Designing a new book

[Danilea]

Hello ers ...
My name is Daniela, i am designing a new cookbook as part of my graphic design studies... i would love some help from you guyz...

i figured out that what many cooking loves do is look at several books for the same dish/recipe, understand the basics of it... and then improvise...
so, maybe combining a few books into one, while including the essential of the dish and its diff. ways to change it (according to other book) might be a good idea.

Nevertheless, i am not sure this is going to be useful.
i am wondering:
Are there things in cook books that bother you, and you wish they were different?
What makes a good cook book good?
Do you have any cool ideas that you think will make the book more convenient, useful and free for interpretation.

For example, there were some msg's here about old, nostalgic recipes... would you like to have a book that will combine in a way old and contemporary cooking?

Thanks
Cheers
Daniela

 

[Claire]

Lots of beautiful photography would be my husbands #1 requirement. We have an extensive cookbook collection, and whenever we acquire one (people know I love them, so old ones often appear in my life). Whenever we get a cookbook without a lot of photography, he is disappointed in it. He absolutely wants to know what a dish should look like when it is done correctly.

As a reader, I like stories about the food interspersed with the recipes.

 

[GB]

I agree with Clair about photos. I find that very important, especially when you are dealing with ingredients you may never have heard of before.

I also find an easy to read layout to be very important. When using a cookbook a lot of people are using it while cooking. this means looking at the book them looking at something else then coming back to the book. It needs to be a good enough layout that it is easy to find your place after looking away.

 

[The Z]

I would suggest a spiral binding to allow for the book to remain open without the need to weigh down the sides to keep it open to your page.

I agree with what others have said about photography, logical layout and stories. Jeff Smith's book The Frugal Gourmet has just a few lines of background or serving suggestions written with each recipe. I found that to be a particularly interesting style. That book, however, had NO pictures and was fine.

In terms of ARTISTIC layout, different designs appeal to different people... but if your book has a 'target' population like "Basic Cooking for Budget-conscious College Students" or "A Manly Man's Guide to Quiche" you can kinda target your artwork to appeal to your target group.

 

[jennyema]

i figured out that what many cooking loves do is look at several books for the same dish/recipe, understand the basics of it... and then improvise...

I do this all the time. For people like me, a discussion of the recipe and ingredients is key to spending $$ on a cookbook. I want to learn, not just have a set of instructions on how to make food. I don't need that.

I have about 300 cookbooks and love to add to my collection, but I'll only add a book that increases my knowledge base.

And yes, photos are very important, IMO.

 

[mudbug]

I really like an index as well.

 

[Danilea]

This is Great!!! another !?

Thank you a lot guys... you are very helpful.
I am going to take the photo tips for sure.
I have another Question though, i find that there are many different books about cheese, wine, sugar and so on... explaining which is for what and when... nevertheless, i couldn’t find a book that will combine all those together and connect them to each other, for example: which wine goes with which cheese or meat, what time… and what kind of dish can use those... or even which alcohol to what kind of food... which spice to what dish (like the usage of different kinds of sugar or pepper)...

Would you find a book like this useful?
Do u already have a book similar to this???
Will you buy a book like this?

Thank you so much you are absolutely great!

Daniela

 

[jennyema]

I have a number of wine books that pair wine with food. Many, many good wine books have chapters devoted to this or discuss throughout.

Likewise, cheese primers often suggest flights of cheese with wine pairings.

I have a few books on spices and herbs and they, too, discuss them with reference to the foods they compliment and offer recipes.

Sugar, pepper and salt don't have a whole lot of specific uses. Not enough for a cookbook, at least.

But .... these are the types of books I really enjoy.

 

[Danilea]

martinibook?

are there books like that for any type of alcohol??? books that explain which food will go well with martini? vodka? malibu???

 

[GB]

Most alcohols dull the taste bugs so it is not recommended that you drink a martini with a meal. Wine and beer are the exception as their flavors can compliment food and generally the alcohol content is low enough as to not interfere with the taste buds as much as the hard stuff.

 

[Danilea]

yes, i agree about this and i have experienced it by myself
but what i know ... is that diff sorts of alcohol are served with "snaks" or some sort of food that eases the drinling and compliments to the tastes... for example, one would like to drink Grappa and have a nice salad ... or some sort of fish (i am talking about "dressing" to the drink and not a meal...) i am wondering if there is the same idea for other alcohols too... like beer goes nice with fries... u know. so would it be useful tooo... have a book with tips about extraordinary or more special "dressings" to diff kinda of alcohol???

hmmm

(i have to thank u guyz u r amazing!)
Daniela

 

[cara]

I think that depends on what you personally like...
I would never ever drink a cognac and I don't mind if it fits...
and I drink redwine with fish, because I don't like white wine...

 

[The Z]

I think that the 'drink pairing' could go along with the comments with each recipe's serving suggestions.

Another thing I like in cookbooks (that I didn't mention before) is a per serving nutritional breakdown.

 

[jennyema]

Martinis and other cocktails, grappas, apertifs, digestifs are usually consumed without food (save small hand snacks).

You wouldn't want to pair grappa with fish or salad. Wine yes, but grappa, cognac, etc. are not really to be drunk while eating, but rather after a meal.

Wines, primarily, and beers are consumed with food. IMO wines are more complicated to pair with food but there is a lot of literature already out there on how to do that.