Friday Question #179
By kilax, January 20, 2012 5:21 am
Where do you like to search for new recipes? Are you able to read a recipe and tell if you will like it or not?
We have a ton of favorite recipes but are always on the lookout for new ones. Surprisingly, we do not peruse any of the cookbooks we have (two shelves full!):
We mostly tend to run across recipes online or get recommendations from friends. Steven can usually read a recipe and tell if he will like it or not. I am somewhat decent at it. Somewhat.
What I am wondering is how the heck I got so many cookbooks. I doubt I bought more than 10% of those. People really like to give cookbooks as gifts (and I did ask for some of them). But they just sit there. On our shelf. Looking nice (I hope). Hey, that’s what books do, right?
Themocracy
I’m not usually one to follow a recipe these days but I do on occasion. I mostly get inspiration from the internet but a few months ago I got a good deal on Bon Appetit magazine so we’ve been using that for inspiration. Usually we’ll look at the photos and read through the recipe and then create our own version roughly based on the original. It’s fun. 🙂 I did put that Better Homes & Gardens cookbook (the red plaid one) on our wedding registry. I like to use it for basic recipes like cherry pie and waffles but I haven’t had a copy in my kitchen since I moved to my new house (it was my old roomies).
I love trying new recipes – some have turned out good and some have not. I just like trying new foods and flavors but I usually stick to recipes that have ingredients that I keep on hand all the time. I don’t like having to buy something just for one recipe (like spices) if I wont ever use it again.
I tend to do that too – look for recipes with ingredients I know we have and love!
Most of the recipes I know are the ones I look up online or in this tiny magazine thingy the supermarket hands out. But I often improvise and add some random spices. works out most of the time.
I get a lot of inspiration from blogs, but I also have a lot of cookbooks. I try my best to use them, and I have to really put a lid on buying too many. I also try to ditch cookbooks that I haven’t used in a really long time, to make room for new ones on my shelf!
I usually get new recipes either online or from magazines. Or I’ll rip one out of the newspaper. But very rarely from cookbooks! I never really thought about that before – it’s interesting…
A mix. I like Epicurious because they have user reviews that let you know if a recipe is good. But I also got two Nigella Lawson cookbooks recently, and they are so fun to look through. Beautiful pictures and witty writing. But not healthy at all!
I feel the same! I have so many great cookbooks that I always forget to take off the shelf. Usually, I find all my new recipes online and in magazines. I either rip them out of the magazine or print out the recipe. I have a big magnet clip on our fridge where I keep the recipes and when I am meal planning for the week I grab the clip and use the recipes as ideas! It works, but I need to remember all my cookbooks!
Mostly on line, but I do like to grab some from a cook book from time to time.
I go through my cookbooks when I have something out thawing or need to use up and wanting to try something different.
I look at recipes and can tell if I am going to like the base. I always tweak! Pinterist has opened me up to so many more to try though—I will be a cooking fiend for the near future.
I always look things recipes on Pinterest. It is my favorite website ever. I am very lazy when it comes to cooking so if I don’t have 90% of the ingredients already, I am not making it. This was really hard when my husband was vegan. I had all this stuff around to use (egg substitute, giant jars of apple sauce, daiya) and most of it went bad before we could use all of it.
I really do not understand how to search for recipes (or do anything) on Pinterest. Any tips?
There is a “search” field up at the top. All you do is type in what you’re looking for and a bunch of “pins” will appear. To get to the recipe, you click on the pin (it takes you to the pin’s own page), and then you click on the pin again to be taken to the actual website. There will be repeat photos and pins so just look for the one(s) that are most appealing to you!
You don’t have to be a member to search, but let me know if you like the site and are interested in becoming a member. I can send you an invite email!
Thanks for the explanation. I am actually a member. I just could not figure out how to search for things. I don’t think I realized it took you outside of the site. Thanks!
It took me a little while to figure it out. I’m totally addicted these days!!!!
I have a few cookbooks but, like you, I rarely use them. I’m much more likely to turn to my binder of things I know I like. I’m not very good at reading a recipe and know if it will work out since cooking is so very trial and error. At least to me. So I prefer recipe websites that have reviews. I also like looking things up online because you can search by specific ingredients. It’s kind of hard to do that in a book!
Although, I’ve thought about doing a challenge where I choose a cookbook and only pick recipes out of it for a week or a month. I figure I might discover some new recipes that way!
That challenge sounds like it could be really fun. For me to listen to you talk about. LOL.
I just got a recipe binder for Christmas. I tend to print them out from on line and then I have this unruly stack of paper in my kitchen. The notebook is helpful. I tend to find my recipes from cooking blogs I follow or on Pinterest. Pinterest is so full of great stuff!
I have a lot of cookbooks too, but I really only go to them for old standbys. I get recipes from a lot of places online, and now I have folders in my bookmarks titled “Recipes – healthy”, “Recipes – party” and “Recipes – treats”. (one of my resolutions for 2012 was to cook from scratch a lot more, and specifically to try one new recipe every week). Although today I found a yummy crockpot oatmeal recipe on the back of the oatmeal canister!
Other than that, I either follow links on blogs (like the Paleo lasagna!) and then comb through the site for ideas, or friends of mine will post recipes or sites on Facebook. (Do you guys go to Post Punk kitchen? They have a lot of good vegan stuff.)
I have been thinking about starting an online recipe exchange because I love sharing this stuff, but haven’t figured out the logistics yet of how to make it work.
Sorry to go on, this is something I’ve really been really excited about lately!!
I have noticed you have been posting a lot of recipes on Facebook lately and I think that is really cool! I love seeing them there 🙂
I am not sure if I follow Post Punk! I am going to add them if I don’t!
Pinterest is the greatest source for recipes, from my perspective. I may not like the actual recipe, but I can find great ideas and starting points there
I love to try new recipes, but I wish I had more of an audience. If it ain’t meat and potatoes, my husband won’t eat it. I’m a vegetarian/aspiring vegan and I’ve got a gazillion recipes I want to try, but I hate cooking for just me. I got Veganomican and Color Me Vegan for Christmas, and they’re FULL of things I want to make!
Will your husband eat something if it has fake meat in it? (like gardein, for example)
I can usually tell from a recipe if I will like it. Unless of course it’s a recipe for something I’ve never tried before. Then I have no idea, but I don’t think that counts.
I have a book of recipes that I use most of the time, but there’s a few dishes I have that I searched for on the web and have printed off copies of them and put them in a plastic holder (to keep spills happening). I also have them stored on my Evernote in case I lose the paper and need to reprint them.
I often find my recipes from blogs/magazines I read, but I do regularly reference my cookbooks. Sometimes just for the same 1-2 recipes. But I love them and don’t agree with teh idea of printing the recipe and not using the cookbook. Maybe it’s because I grew up with reading cookbooks in the kitchen when my mom cooked or while eating breakfast.
I tagged you in a post on my blog. I was bored, but feel free to ignore it if you’re not interested. 😉
All my favorite recipes come from the farmer john cook book, which is all vegetarian and deals with seasonal vegetables…I also steal a lot of party/appetizer style recipes from pinterest 😀