Do cookbooks work?

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I didn’t realise there was such a large difference between American cookbooks and European ones. According to Slate in its review of G, Americans don’t have scales so I presume they measure everything by volume. It doesn’t really matter as most cookbooks apparently don’t work, as Laura Shapiro says:

“Cookbook writers are different from you and me, even the ones who look oh so domestic on their book covers. They’re professionals, which means they’re in the habit of working efficiently. Speed is part of their batterie de cuisine, just like sharp knives. And while they’re constantly telling you the best way to chop an onion, or why you should always keep canned tomatoes around, the ones who write 15-minute recipes are never going to tell you the single most crucial thing about quick cooking, which is that 15-minute recipes are irrelevant.”

I must admit I have more than a few books with recipes that don’t work and Ramsay’s is one of them.