Achtung: Newlyweds in the kitchen
I’m of the opinion that everyone ought to know how to cook, even if all they can do is whip up a bit of pasta or fry an omelet. What it comes down to is this: Everyone who is old enough to be capable of operating a stove without burning down the house should be able to feed themselves in a pinch. This is essentially why I’m always a little suspicious of cookbooks that are geared specifically toward the bride and groom set.
That said, I am currently holed up with a friend of mine who had a bit of surgery. As it happens, she and her hubby are foodies and have eight hundred bazillion cookbooks stacked willy-nilly throughout their house. While lying in bed yesterday morning contemplating what I’d opine about today, my eye auspiciously settled upon The Bride & Groom Cookbook: Recipes for Cooking Together from Williams-Sonoma.
From what I read, the book seems to be a good primer for those who can feed themselves in a most basic sense but want to learn to navigate their kitchens more competently. It covers kitchen organization, the art of cooking side-by-side, entertaining for beginners, cooking for two, ingredient assumptions, and a whole lot more. Plus, unlike certain cookbooks, it does not assume that the groom will be off watching Monday Night Football while the bride is slaving away over a hot stove. Plus, some of the recipes are just to die for. Pear and vanilla muffins, anyone?
Williams-Sonoma isn’t the only one to try to capitalize on this genre of apparently egalitarian cookbook. There are a great many more, both in print and out of print. Observe…
- The Bride & Groom First and Forever Cookbook
- The Bride and Groom’s First Cookbook
- The I Do Cookbook for the Bride and Groom
- The Bride & Groom’s Menu Cookbook
So there you have it — there is no shortage of cookbooks that claim to have the best interest of brides and grooms in mind. I cannot vouch for those on the list, but I do rather like The Bride & Groom Cookbook: Recipes for Cooking Together from Williams-Sonoma because it’s nice to look at and has down to earth tips everyone can understand. That said, if I was buying a cookbook for a soon to be married couple, I’d probably gift them with The Joy of Cooking…preferably the oldest copy I could find. It has been my kitchen bible for as long as I can remember!
At a wedding I was coordinating, the designated family member repeatedly forgot the guestbook. On the day, I nabbed “The Newlyweds Cookbook” from the winery giftshop and used it instead. In one of those happy accidents, I think it worked out much better than a traditional, boring guestbook — guests felt free to write more extensive, personal messages and the bridal couple will certainly use a cookbook more than they might take down their guestbook to read the names of attendees.
Things like that are definitely getting more popular, Belle. A lot of couples are using coffee table photo books and things like that. The best part is it’s a guestbook that won’t be relegated to a closet shelf!
I’d definitely vote for an old copy of the Joy of Cooking – I inherited my Nana’s copy and boy, it’s a wonderful edition! I’ve got a more recent copy too, but it doesn’t have the same charm
The Fannie Farmer cookbook is another must-have in my kitchen – it’s been around for something like 80 years now!
You might also like the More With Less Cookbook, Chloe. I absolutely adore it!