Crack open Eric Gower’s new vook

Or, watch it if you prefer

By Culinate staff

November 9, 2009

Not quite a book, not quite a video, and a lot like a really nice website (albeit not a free one), a vook is online content that combines text from a published book with professional video. Here’s the explanation from vook.com:

A vook is a new innovation in reading that blends a well-written book, high-quality video, and the power of the Internet into a single, complete story.

You can read your book, watch videos that enhance the story, and connect with authors and your friends through social media all on one screen, without switching between platforms.

Although vooks have been around for a few months, the news today is that there’s now a cookvook available. Written by/starring Eric Gower (who wrote about better and easier cooking at home on Culinate), the vook is called “The Breakaway Japanese Kitchen” — a title that evokes Eric’s book, The Breakaway Cook.

You can buy Gower’s cookvook for $5.99, or download a modified version as an iPhone app for the same price (the online version is a better deal, if not as portable: 16 videos and 23 recipes, as compared to 14 each for the app).

And wine lovers, there’s good news, bad news for you: Gary Vaynerchuk has his own vook, “Crush It,” but it’s more about biz-building that pinot-sipping.