Kitchen design
Cookbook Storage: Shelves, Sizes and Keeping Books Clean
Where to keep cookery books in the kitchen, how deep and tall the shelves need to be, and how to protect them from steam and splashes.
Cookbooks are for using, so they belong in or near the kitchen. They are also big, heavy and easily damaged by steam, which makes where you keep them worth a little thought.
Where to buy
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Size your shelves
| Book | Typical height | Shelf gap to allow |
|---|---|---|
| Paperback cookbook | 20–24 cm | 26 cm |
| Standard hardback | 24–28 cm | 30 cm |
| Large-format hardback | up to about 31 cm | 34 cm |
Most cookbooks are 19–25 cm deep, so a 25–30 cm deep shelf fits nearly all of them. Solid wood or thick shelves avoid sagging: a full metre of cookbooks is very heavy.
Where to put them
- Away from the hob and kettle, where steam curls pages and grease settles.
- Out of direct sun, which fades spines.
- A dresser or open shelf at the dining end of the room: see open shelving and Welsh dresser styling.
- A tall larder cupboard with one shelf spaced for books: see pantry and larder ideas.
Keeping them clean while you cook
- A book stand with a clear plastic shield holds the page open and keeps off splashes.
- Handwritten family recipe books are irreplaceable: photograph or scan them and cook from the copy.
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