Cookbook question for the Pro's.

They look for ideas to steal. :eek: Er, I mean, to adapt. :lol: If you're writing specifically for professional chefs, you'd better have a lot of good pictures; some are functionally illiterate.

No, seriously: I used to cook in restaurants, and now I edit cookbooks. I kind of feel that if you have to ask that question, you shouldn't be trying to write such a book. Sorry to be brutal, but. :(

I have to agree with Suzanne. If you need to ask what your audience wants, then you aren't the right person for the job.

But don't feel put down. Anybody who's every stepped into a kitchen wants to write a cookbook. And woefully few are qualified to do so.

A cookbook is, or should be, more than merely a compilation of recipes. It should have a point of view. It should have a specific targeted audience. We should come away from it knowing something about the author's cooking style, and approach to cookery, and food philosophy . We should be inspired not to slavishly reproduce the recipes, but to adapt them in ways that make them our own.

Beyond that, we should expect accuracy. Any statements about food, technique, or procedures should be correct, and explained clearly if necessary. Recipes should be kitchen tested, and carefully proofread. Anything not your own work should be duely credited to the original source, and permissions to do so obtained.

>They look for ideas to steal. :eek: Er, I mean, to adapt. :lol:<

Suzanne, doncha remember what Tom Leher instructed? If you steal from one person, it's plagerism. If you steal from everyone, it's research. :D

What matters isn't what chefs want; it's what your prospective readers want. You said that you know what you look for -- that's a lot more important. If you, as a user of cookbooks, want a certain level of instruction, or a certain degree of description, it's a pretty safe bet that people like you want that, too.

Have you looked at any of the other books that do what you want to? I can't say I love Your Shirt Is Not an Oven Mitt! (even though I worked on it -- some of the recipes are just not my type :eek: ), but it is meant for young people clueless in the kitchen. Another book I love for beginning cooks is The New Cook, by Mary Berry and Marlena Spieler. What's great about that one is that it is chockfull of pictures to show the reader what everything is supposed to look like -- not just the finished dish, but the steps along the way. I hope your publisher will be willing to put a lot of money into photos, because your readers will really need them.

Of course, unless you just want to self-publish and sell (or give) the book to a small number of folks whom you know, you'll need to tell your story -- because yes, a good cookbook tells a compelling story, and, as KYHeirloomer points out, isn't just a bunch of recipe -- with a distinct voice, and offer something that no one else offers.

So what you really want to know is: What do the folks here who are just learning their way around the kitchen want to see in a book? Quite the other end of the spectrum from your original question, don't you think? :D (If you want to change the title of this thread to something more in line with that, just let me or one of the other moderators know, and we'll do it for you. :) )

I think its a good question to ask. Cook book tastes, I suspect, are very personal. What might seem like a waste of trees to me might be an essential to some. As a former Librarian who had to deal dailly with book recommendations for patrons to read and Libraries to purchase asking people what they look for is fundamental. While you have to stay true to your vision you never know what insights you can get from talking to people and asking questions.

My collection is pretty much divided into three catagories:
1)reference books
2) "Food Porn." Overly priced, high format with insane full page photography with each recipe requiring two days of preparation, at least six speciallized food suppliers (for the garnish), and equipment borrowed from NASA. Thank you Ten-Speed Press.
3) Specialized, regional cuisine and history.

I can't stand these "every recipe works" type of omnibus tomes. Just a series of unrealated, boring, dishing in a parade. Boring, boring, boring.

No matter what type of cookbook you create the most important thing you can do is have a very complete and functional index. Don't skimp on this. Index by product, garnish, sauce, anything you can think of. I can't count the time that I've wanted to refer to a sauce that sounded appealing but couldn't recall the recipe it was paired with. Without a good index you're stuck flipping through the book again, hoping for the best.

I hardly ever read cookbooks. I look at pictures and descriptions.

And I talk to people. Once you know how to cook, you can learn to cook from anyone.