Anyone else? 75th Anniversary Joy of Cooking

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maytagbear

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I almost didn't get the recently released 75th Anniversary edition of Joy of Cooking, because besides the fact of being financially fragile, I really despised, loathed, hated, and abhorred the 1997 edition.

However, when I was grocery shopping last week, there was a display with this edition at a good price (22.00, as opposed to the list of 30.00).

When I wasn't paying close attention, a copy leapt into my cart and begged me to take it home.

It's much better than the 1997 travesty. Much. Ethan Becker acknowledged that without acknowledging it in his opening remarks, saying that this was meant as a revision of the great 1975 edition.

The tuna casserole in the 1997 edition said to make a white sauce by scratch. Nonsense.

Irma Rombauer was not above using a canned soup.

What's your favourite edition of Joy?

My all time favourite is the 1963 edition, followed closely by the 1975 and 1931 editions.

Lawrence/Maytagbear
 
My only copy...

is the December 1986 42nd printing of the 1975 edition. It was given to me by my mother-in-law one Christmas. Do you think she was trying to tell me something? ;-)

The Tuna Casserole recipe is the one using the Cream of Mushroom soup; not one of my favs, but hubby likes it. I really only use it if I stumble across an odd ingredient. Otherwise, it sits on the cookbook shelf with lots of company!
 
I really disliked "The Joy of Cooking" - maybe because mine was the '97 edition. It just didn't seem very "joyous" to me. Maybe I should give the new edition a try.

My favorite is "How to Cook Everything" by Mark Bittman.
 
Rice and Beans and Cilantro GALORE!

Da me la comida y no hables.

Not much into the cookbooks, (I hate excess stuff and clutter). But I do like some "reverse" cookbooks on disk, where you type in your available ingredients and they tell you what you can make with it.

If I had to pick one [more]cookbook (sorry not a "Joy of" ) :-( it would be the one in the link. Absolutely the most organized and easy-to-follow one I have seen with step-by-step details.

It made for a great aid to a gringa like me cooking Puerto Rican dishes for the ex spousal-unit.



http://www.amazon.com/Cocina-criolla-Carmen-Valldejuli/dp/0882894293
 
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Sorry to be the party-pooper here, but I prefer local church cookbooks, and I inherited my grandmother's recipe collection, so no need for "Joy of Cooking" for me.
 
We have a J of C but I can't remember what year it is..definitely older than 97. I remember the first time I went to use it I was so disheartened and put it away for years, too complicated I thought. Then later on I needed to know something and I dug it out and since it's been my staple cookbook because it covers basically everything you'd want to know. I don't follow it exactly as I like to improvise, but it's the book that taught me how to make a white sauce from scratch...t'aint that hard.
 
I am sure that more than one person on here perfers the Joy of Sex over the Joy of Cooking. I certainly do since I am a terrible cook (but a really good baker)! ;-)
 
It's just that the 1997

edition complicated things beyond necessity.
Plus, the '97 edition relied far too heavily on an army of outside sources and "recipe developers."

There's more personality and verve in this edition.

It's okay if you don't love the Joy, I'll still talk with you :)

It's just that the earlier editions, from 1931-1963 were full of the spirit of Irma Rombauer, a really smart, fun gal to know.

It was one of Ma's mainstays, especially when she was teaching Home Economics (Domestic Science) in a semi-rural district, and faced questions from "How do you put up bread and butter pickles?" to "How do you field dress hare?"

However, at times, we liked the "narrative" nature of the Joy's recipes, and at times we both preferred the standard method, with all the ingredients at the head of a recipe.

I can, and do, make white sauce from scratch, in fact, I used to cook professionally, but sometimes a dish can be "over-improved," by making it the long way.

I sure as anything would not make tuna casserole with the leftovers of the tuna steak I had last night (that is, if Boristhecat hadn't snagged them first).

Anyway, who's for some of that oyster cracker snack thingie? I like to put the oyster crackers in a dry colander and shake off the loose salt. I also add a can or so of mixed nuts to the mix.

Lawrence/Maytagbear
 
Church cookbooks

I have had a cookbook from the 50's that was published by Christ the King Catholic Church in Omaha. I keep it mostly because it has an interesting history of that parish (which was formed after WWII and has a church that is a FABULOUS piece of Mid-Century architecture that has remained pretty much intact to this day) but also because some of the recipes are hillarious. It was, and is, a pretty affluent parish, and the gals at CTK were not farm girls - or, if they were, they didn't claim it. Every recipe has all sorts of low-rent ingredients like MSG and Kitchen Bouquet. And none of the ladies seem to have had a first name: Everything is Mrs John Doe or Mrs. Ted Smith. It's a hoot.
 
You'd change your mind

about the 1997 edition if you made the Hungarian Goulash recipe in there, or the turkey tetrazzini recipe in there.

The newest edition took out all the special touches that made those recipes so astoundingly good.

If I could only have one cookbook, it would be the 1997 Joy. I've never been disappointed with any recipe from any edition of Joy.

OH! Almost forgot. Make the Grand Marnier souffle with orange liqueur sauce. It is absolutely awesome.
 
IIRC mine is a JoC copy from the 1970's or maybe 1960's. Prefer ingredients listed up front ,so can have everything ready at the start. Also like Mrs. and Miss. Romback's (sp?)banter as they go about things. Oh yes, the section on game is a hoot, not that one will be dressing a rabbit or making oppossum stew anytime soon! *LOL*

Launderess
 
If you're into JOC, there's an excellent book which is probably now out of print: Stand Facing The Stove which is the story of the creation of the Joy of Cooking by Irma (in the 20s-50s) and Marion (50s-80s). In brief, Irma was an affluent German clubwoman in St. Louis who's husband killed himself in the early part of the Depression. She was a bit at loose ends, and was involved with a charity cookbook, decided she could do better, then started up the JoC series.

1997 version was parceled out to various developers as earlier poster said, new one (on my Christmas list...) was brought back together under a single compilator. 1997 version is kind of uneven---gourmet in some places, retro in others.
 
I own a paperback JOC, but only because it's one of those things that needs to be in every home. Can't remember what edition it is, but I remember not being very impressed with it. And I got totally annoyed with the constant use of cockaigne. I mean, really. How pretentious can you be?

My all-time favorite has to be the Mary Margaret McBride Encyclopedia of Cooking. This is a 12-volume set that my parents got when they were first married. I'm pretty sure they got one volume a month at the supermarket.

If it's not in there, you don't need to know it!

veg
 
I didn't know there was a new edition. I got into cooking in the early 70's and bought the '75 edition then. It got a bit fried on an electric stove coil element (I hate electric stoves!!!), which left its tell-tale spiral tatoo on the cover. So I updated to the '97 edition when it came out, but was a bit disappointed as well. Then, a few years ago, I found a mint condition new '75 edition (printed in 1995) at a bookstore bargain counter, which I snapped up.

The one thing I noticed right off is that the '97 edition omitted all the recipes and preparation instructions for wild game - including raccoon and possum. Now, I wouldn't want to eat any of the raccoons and possums that live in this town, but... it's always nice to know how it could be done... lol...
 
You Catch/Kill Them - You Clean Them

That goes for fish, rabbit, deer, oppossum, squirell, or any of the other varmints in the JOC. You can add pheasant, water fowl, and the lot as well. Pity the poor 1950's or so housewife whose husband hunted.

Oh and those recipies for brains, tripe, and all that lot as well. Do like that my vintage version of JOC gives the traditional way of doing a clam bake.

While JofC is good for cakes and bread, prefer my copy of "the Cake Bible" for that.

L.
 
For hunters-usually its you catch it or shoot it-you clean it and cook it!That also includes removing bullets and shot pellets before cooking.No lead in your meal!Otherwise hunted creatures are better and better for you than the steriod and chemical enhaunced stuff you buy from the store.I don't know what date the Joy of Cooking book my mother gave me some time ago-was one of hers.And yes had recipes for game.
 
Cooking game

If you like game cooking, check out eBay for any of the cookbooks published by the Storz Beer company. They were a brewery based out of Omaha that is long gone, but their owner was a big sportsman, and had a huge ranch out in western Nebraska, and he hosted big hunting parties for celeberities and politicians. This was REAL hunting, not the Cheney-esque caged game hunting that all the kids are doing these days ;-)

He was good friends with Gene Eppley, who owned the Fontenelle Hotel (Omaha's Swankiest Hotel) and with a hotel chef named "Bernardo" (one name. Just like Cher!) they developed and published these cookbooks, which are still thought of as great game cooking books.
 

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