You’ve never seen us like this before: Introducing the California Cookbook

The Los Angeles Times began publishing cookbooks in the early 1900s. The covers were hard-bound, recipes were no more than a single paragraph, quantities were vague and directions were open to interpretation.

Now, 100 years later, we give you the Holiday Edition of the California Cookbook, 638 delicious recipes from The Times Test Kitchen that have been optimized to display perfectly on your smartphone, your tablet and your desktop computer.

We’re offering free, unlimited use of the California Cookbook. All you have to do is register -- just plug in your email address -- and then make the best Thanksgiving dinner ever with the perfect turkey recipe, a comforting midweek meal (halibut and shimeji baked in parchment) or a cookie they won’t stop talking about (the chocolate sparkle cookie).

Use our new recipes database at the grocery store, in the kitchen or just for inspiration. You will not want to stop searching, as each gorgeous photo and trusted recipe takes you to the next.

You can get an easy-to-read view of the ingredients list when you’re shopping. In the kitchen, check off ingredients as you use them and mark the step you’re on. You can rate recipes as you go, save your favorites and share them on Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter.

As we roll out future editions in the next few months, we’ll give you the opportunity to comment on each recipe, rate the ease of each recipe and evaluate other features we’re sure you’ll find valuable.

We hope you find this database as useful and as absorbing as we do.

After New Year’s Day, we’ll update the collection with more recipes -- you know, the kind that will help you keep your resolutions. And we’ll help you throw a great Super Bowl party. Until then, knock ‘em out with recipes from the Holiday Edition.

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