Talking about cook books

[kevin313]

Recently while under the shelter-in-place order here in Michigan, my sister and I spent a few hours putting together a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle that featured covers of vintage cook books. The puzzle was a gift received from my brother a few years ago, and with extra time at home it seemed like a good time to put it together. This puzzle really got me thinking more about cook books and the impact they have had on how and what we cook, and on our culture. It inspired today’s episode of Cavalcade of Food.

I know there are many cook book collectors here and home cooks who reference cook books even if they don’t have a large collection of them.

Share your three favorite cook books of all time!

 

[oliger]

I don't have 3 favorites.

I have only one favorite. The Betty Crocker picture cookbook. It's what my mom used when I was little, so it has a special magic to it. It has many good ways to make cheap meats into something spectacular. My copy is one of the early ones from 1950, the later years have many recipes that don't exist in mine. I think everybody should have one.

 

[combo52]

Cavalcade Of Cookbooks

What a great show Kevin, I have always had a soft spot for cookbooks and there must be at least a hundred of them on the book shelves around me here in my study.

 

My Favorites are

 

#1 Better Homes & Gardens new Cook book

 

#2 Cooking from Quilt Country, By Marcia Adams, These are Amish and Mennonite recipes, these food are very familiar to me as both parents and grand parents are all from Pennsylvania 

 

#3 The Way To Cook, By Julia Child, by the time she did this book and series in the late 80s she had really hit her stride, I think it is her best work.

 

 

And of corse I have at least 75 Microwave Oven CBs mostly by the manufactures of MWOs , I don't cook from them much but they are an interesting part of the history of cooking and marketing of a new appliance that everybody has and use everyday. As with many new appliances that came into homes the makes of MWOs did not initially market them for the way they would be used, the first big mistake was calling them an oven, they tried to get people to cook traditional foods in them with very mixed results.

 

John L.

 

[norgeway]

As you know

I have a truck load of old cook books, Of course my Betty Feezor cookbooks are my favorites , I would say my 3 favorites are, Betty Feezors Carolina Recipes 1964, The original 1950 Betty Crocker cookbook, and the Centenary United Methodist Church Cookbook from Winston Salem NC 1968.

 

[paulg]

Golly, that is a tough one

I too love to read cookbooks. Always have. And I too have a large collection of cookbooks.
I am a terrible cook. I can OPERATE an appliance, but I cannot cook. Give me a recipe and an appliance I understand and I am ok. Ask me to just put something together and I fall flat.
Back to cookbooks.... My favorite to read would be the Ford Times cookbooks. I love the art that accompanies recipes from notable restaurants. I love the Hotpoint cookbook shown as I think it is really well done. However my all-time favorite cookbook is the Dinah Shore Cookbook. I have always had success with her recipes.

 

[vacerator]

Awesome collection Kevin!

I began with a Betty Crocker one in 1979. It was simple for beginners.
We've got quite a selection also, not more than a half book case full though.
Sometimes I cook without a recipe, just love, like Marie Barone.-smirk^_^

 

[parunner58]

I love collecting cookbooks. My first was Betty Crockers Boys and Girls cookbook.

 

[norgeway]

RE Dinah Shore

I found a autographed Dinah Shore cook book at a local Habitat store It really is a good book

 

[hobbyapocalypse]

3 of my favorites

I picked 2 old ones from the 1930's and 1 old one from the 1950's, which I think is the only Betty Crocker I have. I love the illustrations in it and picked just 2 samples to give you some idea.

 

[gyrafoam]

All About Home Baking------

Yours is in great shape. Mine is a 1933 model, high mileage and completely worn out. A good book.
I agree with Hans, the Betty Feezor series are good. Old reliable Joy of Cooking and Southern Cooking by Mrs. Dull. The River Road series. My Grandma's old Crisco's Cooking for the Jewish Housewife. Two Fat Ladies series.

I find I tend to use more and more newer books although thanks to the Internet, I haven't bought many books in recent years.
Oh yeah, three.
Currently, until I move to something else-----
I thoroughly enjoy my newish The Complete America's Test a Kitchen 2001-2019.
The Silver Palate.
Maida Heaters Book of Great Desserts.

 

[circlew]

The ones I like are:

 

Household Searchlight (1943)

Culinary Arts Institute set (1956)

Hershey's 1934 (80's reprint)

 

My mom received the first one as a wedding gift in 1943. 

 

I didn't know Dinah had a cookbook, but I'm sure it's full of good recipes. I had the good fortune to meet her in 1978, when she did her tv show at Kings Island. She was a lovely lady to talk with.

 

[frigilux]

I donated my collection of cookbooks (75 or so) to the local library during The Great Downsizing of 2017. Figured that way I'd be able to get recipes from them as needed. The library is only a block-and-a-half from my apartment.

Thought I'd kept a few church/civic local/regional cookbooks and 'Carolina Recipes', but a perusal through a couple of as-yet unpacked boxes in the closet of my home office has yielded nothing.

Found photos of my favorites online, and along with Hans, I love Betty Feezor's 'Carolina Recipes.' Had that and one called 'The Best of Betty Feezor,' both purchased used online. Her (admittedly very Americanized) recipe for spaghetti sauce alone was worth the price of both books.

Quite honestly, the internet has been my cookbook for quite awhile now: Allrecipes, Taste Of Home, Betty Crocker, and a dozen or so others. Lots of cooks' blogs, as well.

#1: America's Test Kitchen Best Recipes
#2: America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook
#3: Betty Feezor's Carolina Recipes
#4: Culinary Institute Of America's 'The Professional Chef'
#5: Mastering The Art Of French Cooking

 

[vacerator]

Ah yes, the "Best Recipoe"

I have the first publication.

 

[ea56]

I Have Given This Question A Lot of Thought

and its difficult to narrow it down to only three favorite cookbooks.  I have over two shelves of cookbooks collected for almost 50 years now.  

 

When I first learned to cook my Mom had the 1957 edition of the Betty Crocker Picture Cookbook and thats the one I learned my basic skills from.  I have a copy of the first edition from 1950 that belonged to my aunt and the re released 1998 version, which I still use.

 

If I had to narrow it down to only three they would be:

1. Betty Crocker Picture Cookbook, 1998 edition

2.Pillsbury Kitchen’s Cookbook

3.Kitchen Keepsakes, a collection of home cookin’ recipes

 

I use these three as references mainly.  But in reality, I use the 47 years of a collection of handwritten recipes that I’ve come up with over the years more than any cookbook, and a lot of my recipes are just in my head, and I cook from memory.  I keep these handwritten recipes 

in various cookbooks, fastened with a rubber band.  They are on a collection of scraps of paper, and only I know my “filing” system, but when I’m looking for a particular recipe, I always know just where to look.

 

And like Eugene, with the advent of the internet I look for recipes online, will review several, and often pick and choose what I like from several and come up with my own version, hence all the scraps of paper.  If I find the attempt successful, I write it down so I don’t forget and have it for future reference.

 

Both David and I prefer simple, plain food, but prepared meticulously.  I believe that good technique is just as important as good ingredients.  And most important, I want an attractive presentation, we eat with our eyes first.  A delicious dish or meal can be completely ruined by a sloppy, hap hazard presentation.

 

The first photo is of the three top cookbooks I use most, the second is of one of my stacks of handwritten recipes.  

 

I really believe that cooking should be a pleasure, not a chore.  When you enjoy cooking the finished product will always be better.

 

Eddie

 

 

 

[vacerator]

Family and friends

heorloom recipes are often amazingly delicious! History, traditions!