Cookbooks all tend to have the same look: the list of ingredients on one side, the explanation of how to mix them together, and a beautiful photo of the end result, quality print, glossy paper. The new cookbook by Ikea entitled Hembakat är Bäst comes with a very different approach, and in English it should sound something like Homemade is Best. What has Ikea got to do with recipes and food? The combination is less risky than you may think, just start by thinking of a cake as though it were a piece of furniture, with its pieces to be assembled, tools to be used, following a precise procedure. An extension of the do-it-yourself philosophy that decreed the success of the Swedish brand. This is what was done by the photographer Carl Kleiner and Evelina Bratell, who is a food stylist by profession: for every recipe there are two images (and that’s all): a “before” version with the ingredients on show, and an “after” version with the finished recipe. The result is something never seen before, closer to design than cuisine: minimal, detailed, accurate, and colourful. That’s enough words; we’ll let the images speak for themselves.
