Red Beans And Advice for Monday, March 13

Weeding out your cookbook library

A year ago, I was beginning to sort through things for my move to New Orleans. I have dozens, probably hundreds of cookbooks, and I knew that I couldn’t take all of them. My office here is about half a bedroom size — what’s commonly called a “bonus room” — and I faced the task of condensing.

It was hard. I had cookbooks that were my mothers, cookbooks that belonged to my friend’s mother, and of course, everything I’d bought or received as a review copies over the years. I really didn’t know where to start.

But, as I sorted, I figured out some guidelines.