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Books: Joy of Cooking (75th Anniversary Edition; 2006)

 
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Cooking For Engineers



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PostPosted: Sun Jul 22, 2007 7:42 am    Post subject: Books: Joy of Cooking (75th Anniversary Edition; 2006) Reply with quote

It is hard to say whether or not there has been a book that has made a greater impact to American home cooking as the Joy of Cooking. This extraordinary cookbook that the New York Times has called "the Swiss Army knife of cookbooks" received a face lift late last year as the 75th Anniversary Edition was published. Does everyone need a copy of Joy of Cooking in their kitchen? Should you buy this edition if you have a previous one? The answer to both questions is a resounding "yes"!

There have been a total of eight versions of Joy of Cooking published since Irma Rombauer self-published her book of recipes collected from family, friends, and neighbors in 1931. Joy of Cooking was then picked up by a publisher and Irma expanded it from over 1,000 to over 2,500 recipes. By 1975, when the most successful and famous version of Joy of Cooking was published, over 4,500 recipes (and 1,000 illustrations) were part of the package. (Compare the number of recipes to the 1,000 that The New Best Recipe has or the 100-150 recipes that a Rachael Ray cookbook contains.)



In 1997, a completely revised version of Joy of Cooking was released that was more like a re-imagining of the original than an updated edition. There were both good and bad things about this version. A lot of topics were dropped from the previous edition while microwave ovens, food processors, and "exotic" ingredients were given appropriate attention. Unfortunately, the tone of the cookbook also changed. A multitude of authors contributed to the content and the personal voice of the prior editions had almost completely disappeared. Although it contains a great deal of information beyond recipes, it reads like a recipe book instead of the great all purpose resource on learning to cook that the Joy of Cooking name represents to so many. Another problem that I found with the 1997 edition is that some of the recipes were unreliable (such as the 14-in-1 master cookie recipe) -- a problem others have attributed to insufficient testing and relatively low standards of quality when preparing the 1997 edition (small wonder, with so many recipes to revise and test and a team that already spent over three years on the material). (My copy of the 1997 edition also had a weak binding causing pages to start becoming partially detached.)

The introduction of last year's 75th Anniversary Edition of Joy of Cooking has brought back the magic of the pre-1997 editions. This 2006 edition keeps the good parts of the 1997, but ditches a lot of the bad. Entire chapters that were missing from the previous edition have returned such as the section on canning and homemade ice cream. Gone is the 14-in-1 cookie recipe, replaced with a collection of individually tailored cookie recipes (which are hopefully better). Also new is a section on "cook for a day, eat for a week" (although only 2 half-pages are spent on this topic), sushi (1997 had one recipe for Japanese rice that mentions sushi, but doesn't tell you how to blend the vinegar; 2007 has expanded to cover sushi rice as well as maki sushi), extensive high-altitude discussions, and slow cooker recipes. The tone of the cookbook is also greatly improved making it much more readable than the 1997 version. Updated ingredient information and health and diet recommendations bring the Joy of Cooking up to the current prevailing theories.

As compared to the 1997 edition, the layout and font have been modernized. Making the book easier to reference while in the kitchen, a clean, crisp sans serif font replaces the old serifed ones. As a result, the signature method of listing ingredients (within the recipe procedures, indented, and bold) is much easier to spot and read. In addition, the introduction of symbols to highlight important principles and high-altitude tips makes it easier to find helpful pointers. The image shows the same recipe from both the 1997 (on the left) and the 2006 (on the right) editions to demonstrate the updated recipe style as well as typography design.


Naturally, if you don't have a copy of Joy of Cooking, you should pick up a copy of the 75th Anniversary Edition - it'll soon become your go to cookbook for finding the "standard" recipe for just about any dish you'd expect to be prepared in an American home. If you already have a previous edition, then this new edition is a great replacement/update (especially if you have the 1997 version).

Also, be sure to check Simon & Schuster's errata page for any misprints.

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PostPosted: Sun Jul 22, 2007 6:19 pm    Post subject: Link to the book Reply with quote

Since you gave the book a good review, you should put a link to the book in the article; I don't see any.
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Michael Chu



Joined: 10 May 2005
Posts: 1654
Location: Austin, TX (USA)

PostPosted: Sun Jul 22, 2007 6:46 pm    Post subject: Re: Link to the book Reply with quote

Anonymous wrote:
Since you gave the book a good review, you should put a link to the book in the article; I don't see any.

I can't believe I forgot to link to the books. I put in links to both the 2006 edition and the 1997 edition (don't buy this one, just look at the picture to help you identify if you own it...) into the article.

75th Anniversary Joy of Cooking (2006)
The All New, All Purpose Joy of Cooking (1997)
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Michael R. Bernstein
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 22, 2007 9:25 pm    Post subject: Typography Reply with quote

I have a spiral-bound facsimile edition of the '75 version. It's worth noting that the '97 version crappy typography was another gratuitous change, and that the 2006 typography seems a reinterpretation of the better '75 version.
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Miss K
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 26, 2007 3:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Great article. Do you know where I can buy the 1975 edition? I actually have one, but it is falling apart and some pages are missing.
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dvchurch



Joined: 26 Jul 2007
Posts: 4

PostPosted: Thu Jul 26, 2007 9:44 pm    Post subject: Re: 1975 Edition Reply with quote

http://product.half.ebay.com/Joy-of-Cooking_W0QQprZ13156QQtgZinfo

Try that link...

Dominic
the zen kitchen
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Good Cook
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 14, 2007 7:04 pm    Post subject: The Joy Kitchen Reply with quote

I suggest that all check out the website for the JOY family www.thejoykitchen.com. It has a great review of JOY history, recipes, a forum and much more.
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David
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PostPosted: Mon Sep 10, 2007 4:50 pm    Post subject: Oh, Joy! Reply with quote

My wife and I got Joy of Cooking as a wedding gift (quite a few years ago now), and it's always been a great help. The peanut butter cookie recipe is perfect! I still remember that it says something like, "For those who dote on peanut butter cookies...." That's me!
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 04, 2007 9:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I recently purchased the new edition of Joy of Cooking. Getting somewhat sick of most typical cookbooks which, while good, tend to present very specific versions of recipes. A simple beef stew? Nah the typical cookbook gives you beef stew with glazed carrots and ginger (okay not really, that sounds not so tasty). I haven't actually had a chance to make anything from Joy of Cooking yet but reading through it, it seems to provide plenty of 'general' recipes. Recipes that are simple enough to provide a cook with a base recipe that can easily be customized once the basic recipe is understood. Yeah. I'm going to keep this one handy.
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BchrisL



Joined: 05 Sep 2006
Posts: 5

PostPosted: Fri Dec 07, 2007 12:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

We have had the Joy of Cooking for a long time. It is a touchstone of cookbooks. A standard reference. I reccomend it to anyone who wants to learn to cook from scratch. I have made many things from its pages, and have never been disappointed.
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jeremyll33



Joined: 15 Nov 2007
Posts: 2
Location: Germany

PostPosted: Mon Dec 10, 2007 4:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wow, by coincidence I have started to buy organiy meat from a nearby Bavarian farm, and the lady who runs it is American who has been in Germany since 1953. She lent me her original 1954 edition which I fin fascinating. Although a Brit I find many recipes in common with us in Britain so am reading lots of it at the moment.
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mtreadwell
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 3:24 pm    Post subject: stand? Reply with quote

Any suggestion on where to find a cookbook stand that can hold this monster? I'm tired of propping it up in an unused loaf pan (and spattering on the pages)...
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MADCookie



Joined: 13 Feb 2008
Posts: 1

PostPosted: Wed Feb 13, 2008 9:03 pm    Post subject: Make a copy Reply with quote

Regarding the stand, I always make a copy of the recipe before I create the dish. I am fortunate to have a photo copied printer at home, so it is easy enough to stick a magazine or book on the machine and copy the recipe.
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vivalaleta
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 06, 2009 11:09 pm    Post subject: Joy of Cooking Reply with quote

For those of you who DOTE on peanut butter cookies....try these rich and crumbly ones! THE best p.b. cookies ever and so many great American recipes. So many of my old cookbooks went out of fashion but not this one!
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Dilbert



Joined: 19 Oct 2007
Posts: 1304
Location: central PA

PostPosted: Wed Jan 07, 2009 2:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I found a neat design for a kitchen bookholder - mine is wood, but the design is essentially the same as:

http://www.kaboodle.com/reviews/cabinet-fold-down-acrylic-cookbook-rack

if your layout permits a "good spot" it a boon - works for JOC - but the "oversized" formats don't fit on the platform.
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