272686 Wed Sep 04 19:03:38 -0700 2002 11 28 Kosher 0 1434990 I'm a big fan of checking out cookbooks from the library, mostly just to read and not cook from. I own a couple of Jewish cookbooks and have checked out quite a lot. The one thing I notice in practically every Jewish cookbook is the lack of photographs of the food. This is pretty consistent across the board. I was wondering, is the omission of photographs of food due to kosher law? Can anyone, Jewish or non-Jewish, please explain this as well as any other laws or rules regarding Jewish cookbooks? Thanks and have a peaceful RoshHashana & Yom Kippur. Wed Sep 04 19:03:38 -0700 2002 0 zapoid 1 1434991 I assure you there is no law in Kashrut against taking color photos of food. In fact, one of my favorite Jewish cookbooks, Raymond Sokolov's "Jewish-American Kitchen" has gorgeous color photos. They even made gribenes (cracklings) look good. And, although it is not 100% Jewish recipes (includes Arabic dishes) "Taste of Israel" by Avi Ganor and Ron Maiberg also has beautiful photography. Thu Sep 05 00:49:29 -0700 2002 1434990 0 jenniferfishwilson 2 1435001 If I may move the topic further...what's your pick for bext Jewish/Kosher cookbook? Meaning, what's the best guide to make your kitchen your mother's? Sun Sep 08 10:48:02 -0700 2002 1434991 0 eatmoreoften 3 1435005 Joan Nathan's Jewish Holiday book is great. Each holiday has sample menus and identifies traditional foods for different areas of the world. Tue Sep 10 10:41:11 -0700 2002 1435001 0 Daisy's 3 1435010 If you can find it, look for "The Original Jewish Cookbook" by Mildred Grosberg Bellin--published in the 50s and updated (a little bit) in the early 80s. Today it may seem a little dated in a few respects, but it remains a great, complete, and very easily understood cookbook--it was intended to be, and for many years was, the Kosher equivalent of "The Joy of Cooking." This book is still theoretically in print from Bloch Publishing but not too easy to find. But worth the effort, or you can find used copies around, and probably in most older synagogue libraries, too. (Full disclosure--the author, now 94 years old and still happily cooking, is my grandmother.) Thu Sep 12 14:09:40 -0700 2002 1435001 0 PayOrPlay 4 1435626 Have used The Jewish Cookbook since it first came out in 1949. Excellent. Still the best. Wed May 28 16:36:02 -0700 2003 1435010 0 Joan Freeman 4 1435627 Wow, that's great. Your grandmother is partly responsible for making my Irish Catholic mom into an amazing Jewish cook. (Second only to my great-grandmother according to my Jewish dad--but who can compete with a woman who fattened up live carp in her bathtub for gefilte fish?) Her cookbook was a real staple in our house and I keep asking my mom to give me her copy, but she always "forgets"! Wed May 28 22:06:48 -0700 2003 1435010 0 butterfly 3 1435011 No question for me - the basic, classic, make your kitchen your mom's cookbook is The Complete American Jewish CookBook by Anne London and Bertha Kahn Bishov. It has absolutely every Jewish recipe you could think of, as well as every basic American recipe you might want. I've never found a Jewish food that wasn't in there. It also has some interesting old-school recipes for every piece of the chicken or cow it's kosher to eat. World's best Hamentaschen (use the hamentashen cookie dough recipe). Look out for the mistake in the Hamentaschen recipe - cook only 15 minutes, not 45! That mistake is in my mom's cookbook she got at her wedding, and still in the one I bought after mine. Link: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0060915900/qid=1031924037/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_1/102-8131840-0174511?v=glance&s=books&n=507846 Fri Sep 13 09:39:00 -0700 2002 1435001 0 Bride of the Juggler 3 1435012 The Kosher Palette is a fantastic cookbook. I believe it was published recently and has some great recipes there. It was published by the Kushner Academy in Livingston, NJ. Fri Sep 13 18:19:42 -0700 2002 1435001 0 Clara 3 1435100 claudia roden's "the book of jewish food: an odyssey from samarkand to new york" for more than 800 recipes from all over the world. Tue Oct 29 00:36:47 -0800 2002 1435001 0 dw 1 1434992 What an interesting question. There's definitely no law against taking pictures of food! Which Jewish cookbooks are you using? I own way too many cookbooks, including a very large number of Jewish/kosher ones. In my informal review (I've got lots of them out because I'm trying to decide what to make for the holidays) I find that there are plenty with beautiful color pictures (e.g., Joan Nathan's recent "The Foods of Israel" or Joyce Goldstein's "Cucina Ebraica") and there are several without any pictures. But when I look through my other cookbooks there are also plenty that don't have pictures. If anything, the pattern seems to be that newer cookbooks put more of an emphasis on photography than the classics did--whether they are Jewish, Thai, or Mexican. Shanah Tovah! Ken Thu Sep 05 04:00:22 -0700 2002 1434990 0 Ken 1 1435101 The reason for not including color photographs in a cookbook is nearly always economic. The publisher needs to hire people to prepare, style, and photograph the dishes. Color photographs need to be separated and color corrected. And it costs signigicantly more to print a book in four color than in black and white. The sales projections for a book with a specialized market probably can't accommodate these additional expenditures. Tue Oct 29 11:26:56 -0800 2002 1434990 0 Joan