10 Attributes of a Great Cookbook

Kitchen magic begins as an image of taste.

I think there is a series of 10 attributes that go into a well-designed recipe book, or “cook- or uncook-book”. I’m inspired to describe why I would be partial to one cookbook and not another by the experience of examining and reading a wide variety of cookbooks for vegan or vegetarian food.

See rating a cookbook for omnivore, vegetarian or vegan meals, here.

I asked, “What makes a cookbook great?” I found it depends on what you are seeking—is it the promise of the title? —A genuinely interesting treatment of the general subject? —A new way to portray food in all its stages, from prep to final dish? I think a great cookbook is all these things and more.

In the not-so-distant past, cookbooks were basically lists: ingredients lists and sets of instructions. Mostly text, these cookbooks were pretty boring. If not, you were looking for variations on ideas you already had in your head! And cookbooks got away with a very few photographs showing the end result of a recipe or three from the whole book. Recently, an explosion of interest in conquering the kitchen with our new-found cooking expertise has changed all that—guessing is not required.

But a new-found interest in cooking is.

A cookbook (recipe book) is a mirror of its readers, because there’s always a silent dialogue going on between us and the food we envision. We are pursuing a kind of perfection, and we might think, “Wouldn’t that be scrumptious!”, and the like. And then we’re committed to trying it. –Lotus, Lady & Verse

And cookbooks appeal to a much wider audience of readers than they would without pictures!

For one thing, illustrations infuse a book with meaning. In the same way, recipe texts have materialized as mini-journal excerpts from the author, especially when their passion for the food is really energized. Realistic illustrations serve to explain a recipe and are essential if there’s any question about the end result.

It’s not only the illustrations but also the name of the recipe that grabs your attention. And during the process of selecting a recipe, it’s so helpful if the author shares tips or variations, why they were inspired to create the perfect recipe for that particular dish, or other interesting details.

A final note—although this isn’t exactly coded into the 10 Attributes of a Great Vegan or Vegetarian Cookbook—it comes down to vision, or the story behind the cookbook. Since the cookbook concept springs from the combined efforts of author and publisher, it becomes a work of art; so my 10 Attributes of a Great Vegan or Vegetarian Cookbook are focused on the best features of the book’s pages themselves. The rest, the fine quality of the book as an idea or concept, has no choice but to come through breathlessly, awaiting the reader’s participation.

Here then is my list of 10 Attributes of a Great Vegan or Vegetarian Cookbook, at least the ones recently published for vegans and vegetarians:

1) Artful presentation for the cover. A stunning title, photograph, color, quality paper and binding.

2) Truthful author biography that includes a personal commitment to the vegan or vegetarian lifestyle.

3) Lovely, enticing and well-executed color photography to accompany each recipe.

4) Number of servings and noted variations, or pairings where appropriate.

5) Recipe biographies, or the back-story to how the taste is achieved, why the recipe was chosen for inclusion perhaps to explain the method of preparation, describe the end result, or a particular ingredient that makes the dish special.

6) Index, complete and really thorough. It just makes sense, especially if your book is set up by theme or meal type. People want to look at food from all the angles, and not everyone is queued onto one particular kind of information organization. Sources, bibliography if appropriate. A glossary if the ingredients are unusual.

7) Clarity. This means simplicity, but it also means text is precise and easy to follow.

8) Thematic interpretation of the food being featured, focus on types of food, culinary traditions, or cultures where this food is popular.

9) Nutritional information, healthful aspects, and how this information was arrived at. If this is not possible, at least include an introductory section describing the selected, un-processed food type and why it is featured in the book.

10) Menus, additional methods and preparation tips to round out the experience of the book.

There you have it, a list of 10 items that are the hallmarks of a great vegetarian or vegan recipe book, 2016, revised from the original, c2013.

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