What Can We Conclude?

In General:

• Cookbooks can be read just as any other book.
• The visuals attached to a cookbook are very important! I judge books by the cover and an aesthetically pleasing book cover is always appreciated. Pictures in a cookbook are also important, especially when replicating a recipe. I prefer colorized HD photographs, which we see in Christina Tosi's cookbook, for example. Outside of a physically bound book, the concept of a video cookbook can be very helpful for chefs and homecooks, alike. We can find examples on many YouTube channels, and be able to see, hear, and follow along to a recipe rather than just read through one.
• Not every cookbook is equal. Not every cookbook is "good". Cookbooks have positive and negative traits and it is up to the user to determine how well a cookbook works for them. We can rely on experts, like other chefs, to review and offer their opinions.

What Now?

You should visit a library! Libraries always have collections of cookbooks, and with your library card are free to check out and bring home. You should check out a book and try to apply some of what I wrote in this guide to a book of your choosing.

NYU has their own cookbook collection. If you are an NYU student, or have access to the NYU libraries, make time for a visit! Talk to your librarians, they are more than happy to help.