The How Not To Cookbook
 

 
By Aleksandra Mir for the Collective Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland, 2009

While the typical cookbook format gives you a recipe for obvious success it does not take into account the many ways in which its execution can fail due to the cook's lack of experience. Based on Aleksandra's personal history of cooking disasters, the project invites 1000 people from all around the world to give their advice of how NOT to cook. With this volume, any reader will be more than well equipped to avoid making the same mistakes in their kitchen.

Aleksandra is interested in how we are taught or teach ourselves through trial and error. By making our guilty failures public we may even be creating an original and subversive form of art, rather than simply be aspiring to obvious and repetitive results.

—Kate Gray, Collective Gallery, Edinburgh


Download a sample HERE.

Send your contribution to the next edition HERE.

Order hardcopies HERE.



texts on The How Not To Cookbook:

Muthalaly, Shonali, Lessons on how not to cook, www.thehindu.com, Dehli, Jan 15, 2010.
James, Nola, The way to good cooking may be learning what not to do, www.thepunch.com.au, Sydney, Oct 14, 2009.
Elser, Daniela, Meals you don't read about, www.theage.com.au, Melbourne, October 13, 2009.
Healey, Luke, Artist in Focus: Aleksandra Mir, www.studentnewspaper.org, Edinburgh, Oct 2, 2009.
McLean-Ferris, Laura, The How Not to Cookbook: Lessons Learned the Hard Way, ArtReview, #35, London, Oct 2009.
Mei, Book #2: the how not to cookbook, www.familystyles.wordpress.com, Sept 8, 2009.
de Waal, Caro, How NOT to cook. Chef Caro has a moment of clarity, www.food24.com, Green Point, Septr 2009.
Santopietro, Jill, The Art of Eating | Don’t Cook This Book, www.themoment.blogs.nytimes.com, NYC, Sept 4, 2009.
Nicola, The How Not To Cookbook, www.ediblegeography.com, London, Sept 3, 2009.
Doubal, Rosalie, Aleksandra Mir's The How Not To Cookbook, www.publicartscotland.com, Glasgow, Sept 3, 2009.
Rebecca, The How Not To Cookbook, www.quirkycooking.com, London, Aug 28, 2009.
Forbes, Paula, the Anti-Cookbook, www.eatmedaily.com, NYC, Aug 24, 2009.
Renton, Alex, The how not to Cookbook, www.guardian.co.uk, London, Aug 24, 2009.
Scotsman, Arts Review: Aleksandra Mir, Scotland on Sunday, Edinburgh, Aug 23, 2009.
Renton, Alex, Never boil an avocado, and other handy tips, www.timesonline.co.uk, London, Aug 20, 2009.
Saunderson, Hazel, Lessons learned the hard way, www.hazelsa.blogspot.com, Glasgow, Aug 16, 2009.
Francis, Mary Anne, Toast, www.maryannefrancis.org, Edinburgh, Aug 5, 2009.
Mir, Aleksandra, First Edition Project Notes, www.hownnottocook.co.uk, Spring 2009.