What your cookbook organization says about you

October 2, 2015 by
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How do you organize your cookbooks? The answer to that question can say a lot about your personality, according to the cookbook personality test at The Kitchn. They provide 10 different personality types that correspond to how you organize the cookbooks on your bookshelves.

If your bookshelves are color-coordinated, for instance, you probably “have a joyful, illustrious soul. You prefer to live a thoughtful, beautiful life rather than one of pure reason. Experimenting in the kitchen is your strength, and you especially love cooking new things for the people you love.” However, if you organize more classically by the author’s last name, you might be “the A+ student who sticks to the books. You’ve dabbled in library sciences and once considered a career as an archivist. You just like things neat and orderly, and there’s nothing wrong with that.”

Other organization methods explored are subject matter, frequency of use, geographic specialty, and organizing by date of publication, and more. They even have you covered if you don’t own any cookbooks (gasp!). If you use only online resources instead of books, they explain that you “are a minimalist that insists on purpose in all aspects of life. You probably live in a smaller apartment with your significant other and a cat. Your home is high-tech, with internet speeds that make your neighbors jealous.”

If, like me, you have a combination of methods (I organize my books into three categories–baking, cocktails, and everything else–and then go by author’s last name), perhaps you are free to choose which attributes for those methods that you like the most. Does the quiz reflect your personality based on your cookbook organization?

Category: Cookbook Lovers
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6 Comments

  • FuzzyChef  on  October 3, 2015

    They don't seem to have a category for "piled on the kitchen chair".

  • manycookbooks  on  October 3, 2015

    The bulk of my collection is organized geographically, by continent, starting with Africa (and countries within), etc. Then I have shelves for baking, grilling, pasta, breads, master chefs, restaurants and celebrities, etc. I even have a shelf labeled "Sex and Marriage", which begins with books like "The Playboy Gourmet", "Venus in the Kitchen", and follows a progression to "How to Keep Him After You've Caught Him", Bride and Groom and Newlywed cookbooks and finally, "Kids in the Kitchen Cookbook". Rapidly approaching 5,000 cookbooks (I need about 15 more), sorting and organizing is becoming more challenging, without having to make major shifts. I like the idea of FuzzyChef…piled on the kitchen chair, but I don't have enough chairs!

  • Cubangirl  on  October 3, 2015

    As usual I don't fit. I have two bookshelves in my bedroom (closest bookshelf to the kitchen) with the books I would like to use most. Top one has mostly baking and Cuban food, 2nd standards like JOC, Julia, some ATK, etc. Within the shelves they are organized by subject, then height, with same authors together. The rest in the back bedroom are organized by what fits height-wise in each shelf, then a mishmash of subject and author. The shelves in the back bedroom are going to go as soon as I can make myself get rid of books (5 other bookshelves going to go too.) I've given myself till next summer to get rid of most books, including generally unused cookbooks.

  • lkgrover  on  October 3, 2015

    My cookbooks are organized by subject matter (#2). However, I consider geographic specialty a subject, and many of my books are ethnic/regional. The personality traits for both subject matter (#2) and geographic spec (#6) fit me. … It is interesting that the survey thinks librarians would naturally organize their books by the author's last name. Most libraries are by subject matter for cookbooks and all other nonfiction! (Author name for fiction.) I am a librarian.

  • Rinshin  on  October 6, 2015

    I'm with lkgrover. By subject matter which includes geographic specialty as well. I can locate my books very, very quickly this way. I do this with Japanese language books as well.

  • Foodycat  on  October 7, 2015

    Also with LKgrover – by cuisine and subject matter.

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