I love making pickled ginger. The pinkness comes from how young the ginger is -- you were so lucky to find it! Fun fact, the older the ginger is, it won't turn pink but it will be spicier. And I am with you on the cookbooks, I think you'll appreciate my recent post about "Why we need cookbooks more than ever"!
Love the pickled ginger deep dive! The mystery around whether the pink transformation is linked to cooler temps or the original skin pinkness is fascinating, I've noticed similar inconsistencies when pickling at home and never figured out hte pattern. Also really apprecaite Peter Franklin's approach to cultural reclamation thru food, taking Viet street food to fine dining heights without losing the roots. Gonna look for young ginger at my local Asian market this weekend.
Some nubs of ginger I got this time bordered on being fibrous so I think they were borderline. Youth has something to do with it but it may also be the type of ginger, I think. I’ve pickled very young nearly white ginger that didn’t turn pink at all. This batch had a nice heat. Who knows but it’s precious stuff to be able to make at home. Cheers!
Your mention of reading cookbooks for reasons other than finding a great recipe struck a chord with me. It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a long time.
I have three large bookcases filled with cookbooks. Yes, I recently purged more than 100 of them for a Les Dames fundraiser—but as a culinary instructor, cookbooks are tools of my trade.
I’m an avid reader, though I no longer keep thousands of books the way I once did. Most have been released back into the world. But cookbooks? Those are much harder for me to let go of. I read most of them the way other people read best-selling novels. Some I’ve never cooked from at all, yet I’ve read them with great pleasure.
Which brings me to something I’ve long been pondering: why are there no cookbooks in audiobook form?
I listen to audiobooks often, and I’m especially fond of Joanne Fluke’s cozy mystery series featuring Hannah Swensen, a bakery owner. Her books include recipes, and the narrator reads them right along with the story. I love that. It feels natural, comforting—like being invited into the kitchen.
I would love to listen to a cookbook read by its author, complete with tips and suggestions woven into the recipes as they unfold. Imagine it: the author cooking alongside you, guiding you step by step, as if they were right there in your kitchen.
Karen, I wholeheartedly agree. I read cookbooks to learn something and to escape. Sometimes I cook from them, sometimes not. But I get so much out of them. They are also art projects too, with the design and illustrations and photography.
I read my intros and headnotes aloud before we publish. I read the instructions with less verve. If I did an audio book I would adlib all kinds of things to liven the instructions! Or maybe it would change my writing?!!!
Karen, I am with you on the cookbooks. I read them like books too and I although I don't normally listen to audiobooks myself, I am now wondering the same thing! I know Diana Henry did her own audiobook of her most recent book but it is more essays than recipes. I know I'd like to hear Diana's voice in my head when I'm cooking her recipes!
I think it’s an untapped market opportunity. Audiobooks are very popular and I think people would love to hear their favorite chefs reading their recipes and commenting on their ingredient recommendations, best practices, funny anecdotes, etc.
I did not know this about young ginger being pinkish! How pretty 🤩
It’s a cool magic trick! 🫚
I love making pickled ginger. The pinkness comes from how young the ginger is -- you were so lucky to find it! Fun fact, the older the ginger is, it won't turn pink but it will be spicier. And I am with you on the cookbooks, I think you'll appreciate my recent post about "Why we need cookbooks more than ever"!
Thanks for the tip on your post, Emiko! We appreciate having you on the Everything Cookbooks podcast too. Great episode last December!
Thank you so much, Andrea, it was such an honour!
Love the pickled ginger deep dive! The mystery around whether the pink transformation is linked to cooler temps or the original skin pinkness is fascinating, I've noticed similar inconsistencies when pickling at home and never figured out hte pattern. Also really apprecaite Peter Franklin's approach to cultural reclamation thru food, taking Viet street food to fine dining heights without losing the roots. Gonna look for young ginger at my local Asian market this weekend.
Pickled ginger turning pink will remain a mystery to us for now! We can just eat it and ponder the reasons why.
The younger the ginger, the pinker it is when pickled!
Some nubs of ginger I got this time bordered on being fibrous so I think they were borderline. Youth has something to do with it but it may also be the type of ginger, I think. I’ve pickled very young nearly white ginger that didn’t turn pink at all. This batch had a nice heat. Who knows but it’s precious stuff to be able to make at home. Cheers!
Thank you, Andrea, for highlighting the many reasons to read cookbooks. 📕 ❤️
I could go on more but controlled myself. I bet you can too, Jolene!
😆❤️
Your mention of reading cookbooks for reasons other than finding a great recipe struck a chord with me. It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a long time.
I have three large bookcases filled with cookbooks. Yes, I recently purged more than 100 of them for a Les Dames fundraiser—but as a culinary instructor, cookbooks are tools of my trade.
I’m an avid reader, though I no longer keep thousands of books the way I once did. Most have been released back into the world. But cookbooks? Those are much harder for me to let go of. I read most of them the way other people read best-selling novels. Some I’ve never cooked from at all, yet I’ve read them with great pleasure.
Which brings me to something I’ve long been pondering: why are there no cookbooks in audiobook form?
I listen to audiobooks often, and I’m especially fond of Joanne Fluke’s cozy mystery series featuring Hannah Swensen, a bakery owner. Her books include recipes, and the narrator reads them right along with the story. I love that. It feels natural, comforting—like being invited into the kitchen.
I would love to listen to a cookbook read by its author, complete with tips and suggestions woven into the recipes as they unfold. Imagine it: the author cooking alongside you, guiding you step by step, as if they were right there in your kitchen.
I can’t help but wonder—why doesn’t this exist?
Karen, I wholeheartedly agree. I read cookbooks to learn something and to escape. Sometimes I cook from them, sometimes not. But I get so much out of them. They are also art projects too, with the design and illustrations and photography.
I read my intros and headnotes aloud before we publish. I read the instructions with less verve. If I did an audio book I would adlib all kinds of things to liven the instructions! Or maybe it would change my writing?!!!
Karen, I am with you on the cookbooks. I read them like books too and I although I don't normally listen to audiobooks myself, I am now wondering the same thing! I know Diana Henry did her own audiobook of her most recent book but it is more essays than recipes. I know I'd like to hear Diana's voice in my head when I'm cooking her recipes!
I think it’s an untapped market opportunity. Audiobooks are very popular and I think people would love to hear their favorite chefs reading their recipes and commenting on their ingredient recommendations, best practices, funny anecdotes, etc.
It may very well be, Karen. The authors have to be able to speak extemporaneously along with read. It may not be for everyone.
Andrea, thank you for your wonderfully kind words about my book. It means so much to hear that it resonated with you. Would love a catch-up soon!