This time, I’d like to discuss…
What do you think about eCookbooks?
Disclaimer:
These are my personal opinions. I do not expect anyone to agree with anything here, and in fact, I’m certain that many will disagree and/or even hate many of the things I’ve written below. Sorry about that, but you are always welcome to express your own opinions – be they contrary or comparable – in the comments section. So, with that out of the way… let the controversy begin!
What made me think about this topic?
Recently, I read a review by Deb, aka CurlyGeek of a cookbook that sounded like a one I’d really like to have. However, I noticed that she said that she “found the ARC a bit clunky to work from (I used a mini tablet), because the pages jumped around unpredictably.” Well… that reminded me that I have a few cookbooks on my Kindle, and well… it occurred to me that I’ve never used or looked at any of them. Ever. At all.
My Thoughts…
It is hard for me to admit that way back when, in the early days of my owing a Kindle, I actually went onto Amazon and bought a few eCookbooks. It is even harder to admit that I have yet to break even one of their virtual spines. But that’s the honest truth, and Deb’s review made me think… why was this true?
Well, if I recall correctly, my idea was that I’d use the Kindle app on my tablet to use these books. I guess I figured I could prop my tablet up somewhere in my kitchen and read the recipes while cooking. Why I thought that is totally beyond me; until I moved this past December, I had the tiniest of kitchens, and there was nowhere I could have put my tablet, even if I had a way to hang it up somewhere. What’s more, I’ve never put any of the Kindle apps on my phone, so that was never an option, either. Furthermore, while I do have a Kindle app on my desktop computer, the idea of having to wander back and forth between my kitchen and my study to use a recipe sounds like an exercise in artificially getting extra steps in on some non-existent step counter.
I guess the main reason I got those eCookbooks was because they were vastly less expensive than buying print copies of those same books. But you know, if you spend money and then don’t use the thing you’ve bought is, in and of itself, a waste of money! Furthermore, if you get an eCookbook and really like how the recipes in it look, but you can’t figure out how to use the e-version without huge inconvenience, what’s your solution? Copy out the recipes you want to try onto a recipe card, or a piece of paper? Is that really such a great idea? I’m not so sure, especially because you lose all the beautiful photographs in the process. (Let’s not even discuss how frustrating some of these cooking websites and blogs can be, with their endless irrelevant information such as descriptions of the weather outside, and the health of their cats when they first made the item, that you have to scroll through for ages until you get to the damned recipe itself. GRRR!)
So, the question is, could it be that cookbooks are the one genre of books where there really is no good electronic substitute for the real-life, dead-tree version, despite the additional cost? Well, in my oh, so very, humble opinion, I think so! I guess I’ll just have to save my shekels to get that cookbook in print.
There you have it!
So… what about you?
Do you buy eCookbooks or get ARCs of them for review? Do you find eCookbooks convenient to use? If so, how do you use them – on your tablet, a desktop reader, your phone, or on your regular eReader? If not, why do you think you have never tried reading/using an eCookbook?
This post is my 12th entry in the 2021 Discussion Challenge, hosted by Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction and Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight!
The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog 
I usually just get recipes off the internet and either print them or just have my computer on the counter where I can see it. I suppose I could put an ebook on my computer in the same way. Seems like it would work.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ah, well… I use a desktop computer, not a laptop or tablet, and my books are on my Kindle, so that doesn’t work so well for me. But I see where it might work – if you have the counter space.
LikeLike
Honestly, it’s hard to resist great ebook deals, even if you know you might not pick up the book for a while (if at all). I blame the one click purchase button, haha.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I read a lot of ebooks, but can’t imagine using that format for cooking. I have several cookbooks in print, though I rarely use them. I usually look online for something I want to prepare. If it’s a bit intricate, I print the recipe, if not, I take notes on a paper.
I should take a picture of the paper where I printed my recipe for Tappenade – olive spread. I do that very often, and when you see all the spots on my paper, you can understand why a tablet or phone would not work, lol
LikeLiked by 1 person
Really. I hear you on that!
LikeLike
I get my eCookbooks from my local library. I do love looking through cookbooks. If it turns out to be a really good one, I might buy it, although that happens rarely. I do have some recipes on my tablet and so use it in the kitchen occasionally.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I don’t use eCookbooks at all. And I don’t use physical cookbooks either. I have a recipe app that I use. I find recipes on blogs and the internet and download them to the app (Paprika) and cook that way. Great post Davida!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I did the same Davida. I bought 3 or 4 cookbooks when I started using my kindle app, but besides flipping through them when I downloaded them, I have not gone back to look at them again. I like recipe books that I can prop up on my counter or those favourite recipes in my recipe box. If I find a recipe on a website that I like, I will print it out and put it in my box in case the site takes it down. Recipe books are the one kind of physical book that I refer to or reread over and over.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Glad I’m not alone with this!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It might be my age, but for me a cookery book must be a physical thing that I can flip pages and soak in the photos, if well-used it will have finger marks, splashes of grease, a grain of sugar or two and a dusting of flour on the handful of favourite recipes while the rest remains untouched. I enjoy the experience of flipping through them, but rarely use many of the recipes and even then I may improvise some of the ingredients.
Occasionally I do search online for a specific dish, but I usually find it on pages like Good Foods recipes. Then I write out what I read and keep it in my recipe scrapbook.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sounds much like me. The stains in the book have a whole lot of meaning!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have loads of physical cookbooks which I do use but don’t think I actually have any e-cookbooks. I think I prefer flicking through and checking out the index in real books. Having said that, I do use the BBC Good Food app on my phone a lot. It has a handy facility called cook-mode which means the screen doesn’t lock after the usual 30 seconds or so.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I didn’t know about that… I have a cooking app on my phone as well, but I almost never use it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am a cookbook addict. I have favourite authors for whom I’d always want the physical book but since the UK left the EU, I download more e-books because it’s so expensive to have books sent to Slovenia. Yes, you can google a recipe but a cookbook is inspiration. I find new ideas that I wouldn’t have otherwise. Sitting with a cookbook is a joy, the beautiful photographs – not just the way the food looks but the attention that ‘s been given to the staging, the descriptions of the dish – it’s history, where the inspiration came from, the memories the dish might hold for the author. reading about other cultures or places. And if I buy the book, I’m supporting the author.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, that damned Brexit! And yes, I agree, sitting with a cookbook is fun, even if you don’t make anything from it!
LikeLike
I have bought one e-cookbook – Mary Berry’s Baking Bible – and found it frustrating to use and vowed never to buy another one. I used a mini tablet on my kitchen table. It wasn’t easy, so it’s print cookbooks for me too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Mary Berry is such a lovely woman, I’d enjoy her books.
LikeLike
Nope. Not for me. I rarely use cookbooks anyway… I’m a make-it-up-as-I-go-along type of cook and everything works out fine. But I have been known to follow recipes on websites (the Taste Australia website is excellent) using my iPhone sitting on the kitchen bench! If I am super prepared, I print the recipe out in the office (I don’t have a printer at home) and use that. It’s so much easier to read from something printed than having to use sticky fingers to click a device!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah… the sticky fingers bits bothers me as well.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have a couple physical cookbooks and I rarely look at them. I am fairly certain I would NEVER look at an ebook. Most of them time if I want a recipe, I just Google the dish and see what comes up online.
LikeLiked by 1 person