We've discussed the practice of writing notes in your cookbooks before, and most EYB Members agreed that it was a good practice. There were some naysayers, however, who argued that messing up a gorgeous book with notes (or splotches and splashes) was a bad idea. Today in The Washington Post, Becky Krystal set out to change the latter group's mind. She makes the case that writing in your cookbooks can make you a better cook (gift link, no subscription required).

Krystal notes that it has been a struggle to overcome the urge to be ultra-protective of her books and keep them in pristine shape, but she continues to work on it. After all, she says, "Perhaps more than any other kinds of books you buy, cookbooks demand to be used, even messed up a little (or a lot). Every stain or dog-eared page should be a badge of honor." Krystal relies on her notes to remember tweaks or tasting notes in a recipe.

Her friend and cookbook author Olga Massov is also a notetaker.  “It’s beautiful, because you see that recipes are living, breathing things,” she says. Your notes can be useful not only to you, but to successive owners of the books whenever it's time to pass them along. While I used to revel in finding a pristine edition from a favorite author in a used bookstore or thrift shop, I now seek out the more well-used volumes. I flip through the pages to see if there are notes accompanying the recipes. It's fascinating to see what someone else thought of the dish.