In Defense of Cookbooks

The actual book is better than a digital one, notes the Stranger.

From the article...

I'll stop mocking the entire internet in just a moment and get on to cookbooks, but first, more internet ridicule because I'VE DONE THIS SEARCH-AND-COOK ROUTINE HUNDREDS OF TIMES AND IT'S STUPID. Consider searching for chili and clicking the high-ranking sites like Allrecipes.com, which offers even more choices: easy chili, lean chili, "Our Top 20 Chili Recipes," and, I shit you not, "Easy Chili for Men."

I'm not sure whether having a penis makes it possible to cook this gender-oriented chili or to eat it, but I do have a suggestion for Allrecipes.com: Go screw yourself and put that online.

Whether you're venturing out into unfamiliar cuisine (like beef Wellington) or trying to nail home-style classics (like mac and cheese), the correct technique can make or break the finished meal—and you have to eat this stuff, so you don't want to screw it up. You want a concise recipe that takes your hand and guides you. You want cuisine that turns out with finesse, in which the flavors are balanced yet robust. Moreover, you want to know why it turned out well, so you can do it again without the recipe. An archaic cookbook, curated and edited by someone you can trust, can do this reliably.