Cookbook+Analysis

**Cookbook Analysis**  In just about every average American home, there are a variety of cookbooks easily accessible. Some cookbooks are used daily, while others just sit around and look pretty. Cookbooks are all unique and they differ from one another. Martha Stewarts’ cookbook, __Entertaining__ and Rick Rodgers __365 Ways to Cook Hamburger and Other Ground Meats,__ are a prime example of contrasting cook books. Of course, the first thing that anyone does when looking at a book is read the title. A book entitled __Entertaining__ and a book entitled __365 Ways to Cook Hamburger and Other Ground Meats,__ are clearly going to attract very different audiences. When thinking of entertaining, one thinks of company, inviting friends and family over, and parties! Therefore, it can be implied that the recipes in this cookbook will be geared towards cooking for much larger groups of people. The title is very vague and does not specify what type of food recipes will be found inside, it’s inferred that there will be a lot of meal variety within the recipes. On the other hand, __365 Ways to Cook Hamburger and Other Ground Meats__ does not beat around the bush. The title lets you know exactly what type of recipes will be in the cookbook. There is neither right nor wrong way to title a book. Another element that is drastically different between these two cookbooks is the cover image. The cover of Martha Stewarts’ cookbook is a professionally taken photograph that looks almost too perfect. Stewart is the focal point of the photo, with her black suit contrasting the perfectly set dining room around her. From looking at the fine dishes, centerpieces, and the absence of food, it becomes clear that the book will be more about the appearance of the food and setting rather than the actual taste of the food. The cover of Rick Rodgers book appears to be the polar opposite of Stewarts’ cover. It is very plain and simple. There is a cartoon image of a hamburger and a few other meat products. By the simplicity of the cover, it’s inferred that this cookbook is not trying to be fancy, because it is strictly about the food. A cover of a book can reveal what audience the book was made for. Since the cover of //Entertaining// was so over-the-top and fancy, it’s evident that the book was geared towards mainly woman of higher class who are willing to take a lot of time to prepare for this meal. On the contrary, by looking at a simply drawn out cartoon meal on the cover of __365 Ways to Cook Hamburger and Other Ground Meats,__ it becomes clear that people, typically men who want to spend as little prep time as possible on their meals will be the buyers of this book. Once you get past the cover, the authors of the cookbooks are not done trying to appeal to their audiences. The next thing buyers notice is the different features of the book. Stewart’s book is filled with glossy pages and professional photography of beautiful arrangements, whilst Rodger’s book is simple paper, spirally bounded with no internal images, and plain black font. The next thing a reader will notice in a book is the diction. How does the author convey his or her recipes? Stewart focuses on elite occasions such as the “At Home Wedding” (263) while Rodgers simply numbers the recipes in his book. Stewart also uses cooking jargon in her text. Most average people would not understand what she meant by “carrots, peeled and julienned” (Stewart 111). Since Rodgers is writing to a more simple audience, he chose to say “finely chopped” (254). When appealing to a more sophisticated audience, it’s fine to call for specialized ingredients that most would not normally find at their local supermarket, such as “New Zealand star fruits” (Stewart 157) but when appealing to an audience of “average Joe’s” it’s expected to call for typical ingredients that most always have in their homes like “ketchup” and “hamburger buns” (Rodgers 209). Also while Rodgers states that “prep” is only necessary for “5 minutes” and the cooking will only take “5 to 8 minutes” (8) Stewart focuses on “Cocktails for Twenty-Five” (43) which would clearly take much more prep time. The authors kept their audiences in mind when choosing the diction of their recipes. Though both cookbooks are drastically different, neither is superior to the other. __Entertaining__ has an overall claim that appearance is key and if you want to be a proper entertainer it will require a lot of hard work. __365 Ways to Cook Hamburger and Other Ground Meats,__ claims that food is food and it was meant simply to be eaten and enjoyed without a big show.

Work Cited

Rodgers, Rick. //365 Ways to Cook Hamburger: And Other Ground Meats.// 1st ed. New York:

 HarperCollins Publishers Inc., 1991. Print.

Stewart, Martha. //Entertaining.// 2nd ed. New York: Clarkson N. Potter, Inc., 1892. Print.