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Rachel's avatar

For me, it really depends on who wrote the cookbook. In general, I'm a visual learner and appreciate photos of both process and product. And I don't know if this really has a name, but I'm also a "work-backwards" learner who needs to understand where I'm trying to get to, in order for the process steps to fall into place. But some writers - like Melissa Clark - write great descriptions of the process that I find simple and easy to follow, while others (too many to name) will never make sense to me no matter how many photos go along with the text.

p.s. I'm so excited about your book coming out in paperback! My budget and space limitations don't allow for a lot of hardcover purchases.

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Denise Alden's avatar

Nigella Lawson once said that she reads cookbooks like novels :) I'm not quite like that, but I am a profligate user of the library for cookbooks. Your mention of Dirt Candy has reminded me that I should just buy the damned thing; I loved it so much. Though I don't really cook from them anymore, I found Mollie Katzen's books charming with their illustrations. They're probably the reason I liked Yvette von Boven's "Homemade" cookbooks so much; that, and the fact we got to eat at her tiny, gorgeous (now gone) restaurant in Amsterdam many years ago.

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