Post Punk Kitchen Forum

I've got a huge stack of cookbooks, it got me thinking about how often people use them! I also put an option in if you just use the internet to find recipes, you can click that then click another option.

I used to use them a lot more! I'm kind of just having fun experimenting with my own stuff these days, but my ideas are definitely based off of recipes I've read and/or used, so I wouldn't claim pretty much any of those creations as my own. Also, ingredients are really expensive here in the winter, so I've had to become confident adapting recipes when I do use them.

But I still want every single book that appeals to me, and I read them voraciously.

I generally don't use web recipes unless they are from an author I already know and trust.

It's pretty close to every day. I've only been cooking vegan for about a year and a half and I feel like I still have a million things to explore before I start branching out on my own. I do change recipes up fairly often, but as far as general method goes, I do typically follow a recipe.

I selected the 1-4 times a month and the hoarding option. I read them way more than I cook from them. I don't cook as much as I'd like, but I always use a recipe or cookbook when I do cook.

When I first get a cookbook, I sometimes read it from start to finish like a novel. After that, I pretty much use the recipes as inspiration. Sometimes I try to actually follow recipes, but it's really hard for me.

I don't have many cookbooks anyway, because I get a lot of inspiration from the internet.

When I first went vegan, I had no idea how to cook so everything I cooked came from a recipe. Now I mostly wing it, but I love reading cookbooks for ideas and techniques.

I use a cookbook for pretty much everything unless it's crazy simple (rice, mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli. Okay, sometimes I check AFR for steaming advice.) I honestly just don't have the funds to screw up food or the time to play and experiment, so I need a guide laid out. I pretend that one day I'll have more time but I know I'm lying to me.

eta: I also hoard them up and read them over and over again, but didn't check that option.

I read them all the time and constantly have one open on the table, but I usually don't follow a recipe. If I want to make something I'm unfamiliar with I'll gather up all the cookbooks I have that have a recipe similar to what I want and then combine from a variety of sources.

This is me exactly.

I use them when I am making a MEAL. But for daily feeding myself, no.

i use one pretty much every time i cook. i like making new things every day.

This pretty much sums me up.

Pretty much every day. I might change some things, but I like having a template to start with.

I said everyday and 2-3 times a week because it is between them. I don't feel confident cooking "on my own" and when I don't I am normally throwing together something easy like a sandwhich or a quick stir fry.

Me too.

When I'm really busy, probably only 25% of my meals are from cookbooks. When I have more time to cook, it's closer to 75%. I love trying out new foods, but it does take longer when you're unfamiliar with a recipe.

Unless I am making the same old recipes I know by heart (like veggie soup or salad), then I use a cookbook, also be cause I like to try new things.

I chose 1-4 times a month and use them for inspiration. Some months I don't use recipes at all and other times I might try ten new recipes so it's hard to say for sure, but a few times a month on average sounds about right. Mostly I don't use recipes in my daily cooking and when I do I tend to deviate from the recipe as written. I wish I used my cookbooks more, though. If I got a third option I'd probably say that my current situation prevents me from using them more. I share a kitchen with others and I absolutely hate that so I spend as little time as possible there.

Probably for everything I cook. I make up some stuff, but I love cookbooks/recipes/ingredients lists and making new stuff all the time. We don't have a repertoire of dishes we make, it changes every week depending on what I find in one of my cookbooks!

Same here.

Mostly I use them for inspiration, but my new year's resolution was to actually cook out of them and so far I've really been enjoying that. I have a tendency to reach for a certain few spices and using my cookbooks pushes me to use some new ones, or to use old ones in new ways. And I have a LOT of cookbooks. It's the only real self-indulgence I allow myself these days!

Me too. I don't feel confident enough to cook awesome things on my own, so if I am making something new or special or fancy, I follow the cookbook to the letter. Same for baking, but I can be a little less strict with baking because I think I'm better at it than cooking.
Thank goodness the boyfriend is a fantastic cook.

I go through cookbook phases, sometimes when I use recipes several times a week (sometimes daily), and then other times when I only open one up every once in a while. But the latter usually happens because I'm super busy/lazy or don't have enough ingredients to make stuff.

I'm almost embarrassed to say this, but I've been vegan for over 7 years and only have a handful of cookbooks, mainly by Isa and Terry (loyalty, much?). I would love to invest in a larger cookbook collection, though.

I LOVE reading cookbooks over and over again, but I pretty much just use them for inspiration. If I end up adding 2 recipes to my regular/occasional rotation, the book's a success.

Almost never!
But when I do is mostly to make pizza dough, seitan, cupcakes or other desserts.