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The prodigious number of cookbooks published each year would belie the fact that the internet has in any way superseded them, in fact it could even be said that it has gone the other way, by increasing awareness of celebrity chefs and restaurants and thus encouraging ever more books. It is, perhaps, a two-way mutual development; despite its accessibility and cost, the internet has not yet rendered cookbooks obsolete. On the other hand, nor would any right-minded person wish to cook solely from his computer screen, the choice being to dash hastily to and fro from bedroom to kitchen or to risk splashing hot fat over an expensive machine.

The only time I can see a change detrimental to cookbooks, would be if there existed a website of the sort everyone would love key in the ingredients you have and hey presto, a customised recipe for a gourmet meal. I have found a very substandard version of this, but almost irrespective of the food you have, the only idea it comes up with appears to be stuffed jacket potatoes.

But the internet is great if you have a vague recollection of a meal you had in a restaurant in Spain you put in turkey', chocolate', recipe' and instantly you are given a choice of several recipes for Spanish Turkey with Chocolate Sauce. If your cookbooks are rather staid (no mention of Delia here, of course) and you fancy whipping up a little something special with lamb's testicles, then what better place to start your search than the internet? Similarly, if you have a mere smattering of Spanish or French then you can attempt to look up the truly authentic recipes for Gigot d'agneau and Patatas Bravas and translate them using Babelfish, whereas you wouldn't dream of buying a cookbook in a language you can't speak.

Cookbooks have something extra to offer, however, a more holistic approach. There is often advice on how and where to buy the best produce, and a little bit of background to each recipe. Madhur Jaffrey's Curry Bible is fascinating did you know that Vindaloo curry was originated by the Portuguese? There is also the fact that online recipes may be a bit hit or miss. I found a recipe for Pork with Milk, now clearly I can't have been firing on all cylinders to think that this was anything other than an atrocious idea and indeed it was quite one of the most disgusting things I'd eaten. But if you buy a Jamie Oliver book, then you know that the recipe is going to work. You also know and presumably like the style of his food and so have a bit of a head start. It's also great to use your favourite cookbooks as a sort of scrapbook writing advice or rating recipes, adding relevant newspaper cuttings, ripping out a page with the recipe that made the family sick....

The practical difficulties with the internet and its recipes means, happily, that the day of the grease-spattered, dog-eared old cookbook isn't quite over. Though who wouldn't be without the internet to check out obscure recipes, to compare ingredients, to look at restaurant menus and of course to buy cookbooks!

Learn more about this author, Sarah Mettam.
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