Too Many Cookbooks...What To Do?

I like to cook, and I own lots of cookbooks. I know I can get many recipes online, and I often do, but I also love sitting down with a good 'physical' cookbook, flipping through the pages and enjoying the photos. So, even though I can access recipes online, my cookbooks are here to stay, never mind those that I'll surely accumulate in the future.

I currently am storing these cookbooks in my home office in my bookcase, but the volume is beginning to exceed the space--cookbooks are not the only genre I'm storing in my present bookcase.

So, I had an epiphany today. Why not get an additional bookcase--and put it in my kitchen? I mentioned the idea to my husband, Joe, and he grabbed his nifty tape measure and told me it was completely feasible.

So, I stopped at Keck Furniture, our local furniture store, and found an excellent bookcase, 24 inches wide, by 13 inches deep, by 84 inches tall--available to order. The wood grain is medium maple, which is nearly an exact match of my kitchen cabinets. I placed my deposit, and will have my new bookcase in 8 weeks flat. I can't wait!

I'll have plenty of space for my cookbooks, and best yet, they'll be stored right in the kitchen where I cook!

I know having a bookcase in the kitchen is not necessarily conventional, but sometimes you have to jump out of the box and do something that you know will work for you, your family, your space and your needs!

Comments

[Emma Sue Stroud]

Maria; This is an ecellent idea. I also collect cookbooks. And I have my mother's after she passed away. I was the only daughter. As I flip pages & decide to try a recipe, I also put comments on the page as to easy to make or not & how it went over with the people I served. That way as I look for a recipe, I already have the information from the previous time I made it & then it will be passed to my daughter & hopefully onto my granddaughter some day. I will be looking into a bookcase for my cookbooks in the near future.

[Carolyn L. Stoddard]

I have always stored my cookbooks in the kitchen, since moving to this house 26 years ago.
It seems so logical -- but was not possible when I was living in mobile homes with much smaller kitchens.
Thanks for reminding of one of the blessings of owning this Victorian house!

[Sheila]

I have a cookbook bookcase in the kitchen. I love it, it is easy to get to, means I use my cookbooks more and plus I get to enjoy them sitting there (neatly) on the shelf. I try and purge them every now and then and put the ones I haven't used for a year on the bookshelves in the guest bedroom. If I return for one, it goes back on the original shelf. I still have too many, but really, who can have too many cookbooks!

[Ann Freitas]

I just yesterday moved my bookshelf into the kitchen to make room for the Christmas tree in the parlor! Aloha, Ann

[Magdalen Bray]

A lot depends on your kitchen.Mine is small and tends to be steamy in the Winter. Books can get damp and stained. Sadly my favourite recipes show the evidence of my enthusiastic cooking. Then I realised that if I put them in a clear plastic bag........

[Audrey]

I did something along the same lines about 3 or 4 years ago. I was in a furniture store in Morgantown, PA. They have a wonderful store run by an Amish family. I found a cabinet that I had them revamp (since their style tends to be more country that I like) to create a more contemporary cabinet with shelves inside that measure perfectly to fit all of my cookbooks along with a shorter top shelf for my placemats and napkins. It's about 4 feet high. I love that the cabinet doors close and it is a nice addition to my dining room furniture which is right next to my kitchen and easily accessible. This is a great option if you are looking to conceal your cookbooks behind closed doors.

[Janet M]

I have a glass door hutch in the kitchen that I use to store fancy glasses and pretty bowls. I use one of the shelves to store my cookbooks.