“I think it’s necessary to start seriously reviewing cookbooks on here, and I’ll tell you why.
In recent history I feel like I’ve become this sort of anti-Pinterest evangelist. The whole thing is a bit precious and clearly not focused on me, but where I have the true problem is the food. Pinterest has failed me on a couple occasions when it comes to recipes, and let me give you three very good reasons why:
1. Unlike a cookbook, Pinterest has no united voice or theme to the cooking. Now, I know that chefs will often pay for recipes to include in cookbooks, and I’m not saying that cookbooks are 100% consistent. But I’ve had a lot better luck making a couple things from the same book and finding a certain level of consistency there.
2. Pinterest is very visually based. Which means you’ll see something that looks great and then read that the recipe calls for hamburger helper. Fuck that shit. It sure seems like people are spending a lot of time photographing food when they should be working on the recipes. Don’t get me wrong, I think that presentation counts for something, and a visual can help someone know whether things are turning out right. But taste should always come first when we’re talking food.
3. I don’t find that the popularity of a dish on Pinterest is often related to its TASTE. It’s usually a visual combined with something that sounds good, but what sounds good is oftentimes overly-complicated stunt cooking. The way recipes spread on Pinterst doesn’t even require that those recipes ever be cooked. Complete bullshit can make the rounds dozens of times without anyone actually picking up a measuring spoon.
So what I’m saying, amongst this Pinterest bash-fest, is that there’s a need to identify good cookbooks and tools.
The above book is one of my absolute favorites.
First, let me reassure you that I have no interest in football whatsoever. Just in case you didn’t already know based on the fact that I have such a strong opinion of and so much to say about Pinterest. But I’m being very serious when I say that this book’s relation to the NFL has absolutely no cachet as far as I’m concerned.
What this books is in reality is a clever regional cookbook disguised as something for football idiots. A sheep in wolf’s clothing.
Each section is arranged by team, so there’s a section for the New England Patriots, for instance, but what you find is more information about the kind of food people eat in New England and how they eat it.
I can’t speak for all the regions. I will say that the section for Colorado with its simple, beef-based dishes is just about right on. And the Chicago section, the real tell of a Chicago cookbook isn’t about deep dish pizza. It’s about Italian beef. This is one of the few cookbooks I’ve seen to get that one right.
I can’t speak for every recipe, but the pork and rice is excellent, the beef and barley soup is awesome, the chili recipes kick ass, and there are some great recipes for sauces and marinades too.
If this is the kind of food you like, this is an excellent book to choose. If you like going to a region and eating their specialty, the thing that the region is known for, this book is just about perfect.
The things that miss the mark, for me, are the ones that get a little too fancy. Stuffed burgers and mac and cheese soup haven’t turned out great when I took a run at them.
Oh, and one other flaw. This is a cookbook, but it is impossible to get this motherfucker to lay flat. “