Everything Cookbooks
Everything Cookbooks
Andrea Nguyen, Molly Stevens, Kate Leahy, Kristin Donnelly
163: Before the Recipes: Cookbook Introductions and Front Matter
46 minutes Posted Apr 8, 2026 at 10:00 am.
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Show notes
To kick off Season 9 Molly, Andrea, Kate and Kristin discuss e-cookbooks vs physical editions before diving into front matter; all of the sections of a cookbook that come before the recipes. They talk about the purpose, process and planning that goes into the preface, prologue, forward, introduction and pantry section and ask whether these are even necessary. Each of them talk about their own experiences and approach to front matter as well as the unique ways other books have utilized these sections. They speak about the differences between the sections, their frustrations and rejections, how front matter has evolved and the importance of being creative and (sometimes) going rogue to keep readers interested and not intimidated to dive into the rest of the book.