Why Your Cookbook Collection Should Probably Stay Out Of Your Kitchen

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If you're even a little bit of a home chef, chances are, you've got at least a small, if not large, collection of cookbooks. Maybe you have some of the classic cookbooks every home should have. Maybe you lean into a certain celebrity chef by collecting everything Ina Garten or Alton Brown writes, or into a particular niche with all the best cookbooks for cake baking. Whatever shapes your own unique library, you probably treasure it and turn it to multiple times a week. It's only natural, then, to think to store these books in your kitchen within easy reach of where you'll be following their steps. As it turns out, though, displaying cookbooks where you actually cook could be one of the worst kitchen organizations mistakes to make.

There are plenty of things we store all wrong in our kitchens, because different items need different protections from the temperatures, moisture levels, and processes happening in this room. With cookbooks, in particular, their vulnerable covers and paper pages are prone to splashes and spills. In the humidity and temperature changes happening around them, they can discolor, and grease and oil buildup can permanently alter their texture — stains may even cover those precious recipes. Plus, storage space is at a premium in your kitchen, and cookbooks may be using counter real estate needed for actual cookware. Stacks of them can make the space look cluttered, and worse, make it feel cluttered when you're trying to prep a meal.

The most important consideration for your cookbooks is protecting their condition. This is especially vital if some of your cookbooks were gifts or passed down from family members, or if you enjoy old school recipes from vintage cookbooks, which are extra delicate. But with a fresh approach to storing and organizing them, you can not only keep them in good shape, you can also still keep them handy for mealtime, open up counter space in your kitchen, and create a stylish, un-cluttered look.

If you have shelves behind glass or the wall space to add one or two, that can give cookbooks their own proudly-displayed area plus closed-in protection. If you care more about keeping them handy than displaying them, try clearing a shelf in your pantry for them. Similarly, anywhere in your kitchen that's away from the cooking action could work, even for display — think, a shelf over your breakfast nook, or shelves or glass cabinets built into the end of your kitchen island.

If you don't have that particular space, think about kitchen-adjacent areas, like floating shelves in your dining room. Perhaps the most flexible solution is a mobile one, like this OtterOasis kitchen island cart with storage and wheels. You can store your cookbooks there, move them by your workspace when using them — the cart even provides extra workspace with its own surface — and then roll it into another corner when you're through.