To become a better cook, start scribbling

May 31, 2023 by
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We’ve discussed the practice of writing notes in your cookbooks before, and most EYB Members agreed that it was a good practice. There were some naysayers, however, who argued that messing up a gorgeous book with notes (or splotches and splashes) was a bad idea. Today in The Washington Post, Becky Krystal set out to change the latter group’s mind. She makes the case that writing in your cookbooks can make you a better cook (gift link, no subscription required).

Krystal notes that it has been a struggle to overcome the urge to be ultra-protective of her books and keep them in pristine shape, but she continues to work on it. After all, she says, “Perhaps more than any other kinds of books you buy, cookbooks demand to be used, even messed up a little (or a lot). Every stain or dog-eared page should be a badge of honor.” Krystal relies on her notes to remember tweaks or tasting notes in a recipe.

Her friend and cookbook author Olga Massov is also a notetaker.  “It’s beautiful, because you see that recipes are living, breathing things,” she says. Your notes can be useful not only to you, but to successive owners of the books whenever it’s time to pass them along. While I used to revel in finding a pristine edition from a favorite author in a used bookstore or thrift shop, I now seek out the more well-used volumes. I flip through the pages to see if there are notes accompanying the recipes. It’s fascinating to see what someone else thought of the dish.

Category: Cookbook Lovers

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23 Comments

  • ellabee  on  May 31, 2023

    Absolutely agree that taking notes and writing about what you prepare can make you a better cook. I just find it a lot easier to use a notebook for that. The notes reference the recipe and its location/page number; sometime I’ll add the location of the recipe notes to the recipe in the book.

  • Rinshin  on  June 1, 2023

    I rely on all the notes I make here with books, magazines and blogs. Others, I use copymethat. Taking associated photos keeps the dates.

  • Kag2020  on  June 1, 2023

    I love a pristine book (splatters don’t count…much) and I love helpful notes so I write all my notes on a sheet of paper or post-it and keep them in the book next to the recipe. A happy compromise that works for me.

  • Jane  on  June 1, 2023

    It took me a long time to get over my resistance to writing in books but now I often do it when I think I will be making the recipe again and my note would help e.g. F temp when my book is in C, bake time that worked when the recipe has a range, a reminder such as “Allow 4 hours from start to finish”.

  • lkgrover  on  June 1, 2023

    I write the date that I first make a recipe at the top of the recipe. I also write substitutions (or underline the author’s suggestions), and write conversions (Celsius to Fahrenheit; centimeters to inches for baking pans). Also any unusual advice. Everything is in pencil — I just can’t write in a book in ink!

    I also use EYB notes for recipes, and I am grateful to other members’ helpful notes & advice.

  • Lsblackburn1  on  June 1, 2023

    My cookbook notes are the closest thing to a journal that I keep. I make notes of practical stuff, but also occasions a dish was made for or what I served it with. Love my messy books!

  • gamulholland  on  June 2, 2023

    Just tonight I found my notes on a recipe I use often (tortilla soup from Mexican Today by Pati Jinich)— more cilantro, extra garlic for my Irish-Italian husband, less stock so it’s thicker, how much chipotle to use for my spice-averse family (not much)— I don’t write much in cookbooks, but now I think I should.

  • Aggie92  on  June 2, 2023

    I’m incorrigible about changing recipes and adding my own touch. So whoever gets my cookbooks after me will have lots of notes in pencil to read. I even make a happy face next to the title if the recipe turns out yummy. Scribble away my friends, I’m sure other people will one day love to read what worked and what did not.

  • franniepie  on  June 2, 2023

    Erasable pens! Pencil erasers do damage & make a mess. I’m forever having to adjust my notes so erasable pens liberated me. Great tips from everyone here, too. I’m also thankful for everyone who posts recipe notes on EYB. Many times it’s the deciding factor on which recipe I’ll make. The more comments, the more confidence it gives in accomplishing the desired outcome.

  • averythingcooks  on  June 2, 2023

    I am a confirmed note writer in my books (in ink!) and often include the notation “see EYB” which means other useful comments & tips! I have included info about making it for a dinner party / how it was received but I also like the idea from Ikgrover re: always noting the 1st date I make something…I’m going to start doing this today.

  • demomcook  on  June 2, 2023

    I always make notes, and love when I find them later. I’m a post-it user, too. I have sooo many cookbooks, the post-its help me find the recipes (especially in a non-indexed book.) I also love to get a used cookbook and find others notes. Such treasures!

  • AlineLorieri  on  June 3, 2023

    I love this! I write on all my cookbooks with a pen. I write if the recipe worked, if I changed anything, if I noticed something was missing and if I would make it again. I also don’t mind little splashes and flour dust here and there (I try to avoid it of course, but if it happens I am kind to myself). YOLO! 🙂

    A “marked” booked is a well lived one!

  • hibeez  on  June 3, 2023

    Totally agree with note taking in cookbooks! I have long written in my cookbooks, a habit I learned from my mother. Now, when I look at the cookbooks I inherited from her, I see a bit of my past and can reconnect with her – the inimitable handwriting, the humor (“good company dish- Dad didn’t like”). As was said, it makes the recipes seem more alive.
    I have also put post-it notes in library books, where things were notably off, like baking times were doubled.

  • TeresaRenee  on  June 4, 2023

    I like to try new recipes and adding notes and check marks on the ones I’ve tried is the only way to keep track of what I’ve tried over the last 30 years and how it worked out.

    Mine are in pencil. I cross out obsolete comments (like “next time try double the garlic” instead of erasing them so I might as well use pen.

    I also annotate my e-cookbooks but it’s not the same. It’s just a flag that requires extra clicks. I like it when the important changes are obvious not just an underline or little flag in the corner.

  • CapeCodCook  on  June 4, 2023

    I love this thread! I started annotating my cookbook recipes —in ink—as a bride when I was learning to cook (thank you, Julia) from Mastering the Art and the French Chef Cookbook. I dated my entries, with comments about timing and how the recipe worked and if people liked it. A priceless record of my cooking progress. Now I continue the practice in pencil even if it’s just me. Stickies help me find the recipes and I can’t stop writing the annotations.

  • DKennedy  on  June 5, 2023

    I use my EYB notes as virtual notes in the margin of books. I try to keep my note taking in actual hard bound book to a minimum bcuz my POV changes over time.

  • KarinaFrancis  on  June 5, 2023

    Academically I agree but I just can’t bring myself to mark up a cookbook or even expose it to splashes. I’ve even been known to photocopy (yes, I’m that old) the page in a cookbook if I’m cooking with friends to protect my original from harm. Thank heavens for EYB, its the solution to note taking and keeping books unmarked

  • valente347  on  June 8, 2023

    My most loved it books are filled with conversions, comments, additions, and creative license notes. A little math here and there, some pairings I quite liked, reviews with dates. A few have charred edges, and many have spatters, rings, cracked spines, and slightly torn pages from becoming stuck together. Pens or pencils are frequently used as long as they’re waterproof. I love my books, and I hope anyone interested in using them after I’m gone will be able to tell my favorites simply by looking at them.

  • Leo  on  June 9, 2023

    Can’t do it. My cookbooks are pristine. However, I do keep a handwritten book containing most loved recipes which are covered in notes and dates. I do love finding other people’s notes in second hand books though.

  • ldyndiuk  on  June 10, 2023

    I hate the idea of writing in books (I am a librarian!) but I write my notes on post-its and just stick them on the page with the recipe.

  • bittrette  on  June 11, 2023

    Same here, ldyndiuk. I’m a retired librarian. I’m still conscience-stricken about letting a young man write in a library book.
    I don’t use Post-Its because I was told in library school that there’d be a reckoning for the adhesive on Post-It notes. I use simple paper bookmarks or copy a recipe to an index card. So the ability to make electronic notes in ebooks is a plus for ebooks among the many pros and cons of print vs. ebooks

  • DKennedy  on  June 21, 2023

    The gift part of the article expired. It is no longer possible to read the WSJ article unless you subscribe.

  • VickiePNW  on  August 21, 2024

    I cherish the notes my mother made in her cookbooks. And then there are all the scribbled down recipes on whatever scraps of paper handy to her.

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