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Joy of Cooking Books

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THE JOY OF COOKING: WHOA! A Trial Size!

Jul 26, 2001

by Caprig
posted in Cafe Libri: Reviewing Books & More

Rating:

Pros: inexpensive, small, 2 volumes

Cons: always find the volume I don't want, small, paperback not as durable

The Bottom Line: Instead of purchasing the whole cookbook, this 2-volume paperback is an excellent "trial size" for a lot less investment. Excellent introduction to a must-have cookbook.

All I ever heard about when I was a child was how wonderful that the book JOY OF COOKING was. My mom was always saying how she was going to find a copy of it some day.

It became a quest.

Throughout my childhood and early teens, I was a regular competitor in baking and cooking contests. I won several awards on a local and district level, and even made into a few state competitions.

Through all of that time, I never saw the book, THE JOY OF COOKING.

THE ACQUISITION AT LAST!

One day my mother came home all excited. Somewhere, she found a copy of the "quest". The book that everyone should not be without. The most perfect excellent and fabulous resource on cooking that.....

"......THAT is ALL THE JOY OF COOKING is?!!??"

I stood there in shock. My television raped mind had become intolerant of any cookbook without pictures. No pictures? What a stupid book!

My mother used to rave about the book and how glad she was to have such a treasure in her kitchen.

I thought she was NUTS.

TIMES CHANGE

The ways of a mother are often passed down to children no matter what the children think they will NEVER do.

When I got married, the first thing I did was look for a copy of the BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS cookbook. My mother used that all of the time while I was growing up.

Then one day, as I was perusing the book store, holding my measley $5 in my pocket I saw it. A paperback version of the book that my mother longed for for so many years- THE JOY OF COOKING

The way I ranted and raved about this book being a treasure, you would think that I had alzheimers or something. My husband finally allowed me to spend our last $5 on this book.

TWO VOLUMES MAKE IT MORE PORTABLE

Imagine my shock when I got the book home and found out that there were 2 VOLUMES! I only had purchased 1/2 of the cookbook. No wonder the price had been so low.

VOLUME 1 Main Courses

VOLUME 2 Appetizers Desserts and Baked Goods

There are the little interesting chapters interspersed throughout both books on entertaining, menus, drinks, pastas, and other extras that make this book so special.

The pages were a tiny bit difficult to read when you got toward the center where the binding was, but it was very useable, so I decided to get the other part too.

MOM WAS RIGHT

Once I learned how eating can either keep you running to the doctor's office or liberate you to live a free life, I determined to learn as much about eating as I could. I wanted to make use of all of that wonderful fruits, berries and vegetables that previous generations had used, but are forgotten in most of today's lifeless kitchens.

That is where this book comes in.

There is information in these books that is valuable.

VOLUME CONTENTS

Unfortunately, one of the disadvantages of this cookbook being split into 2 volumes is that it always seems that when I look for a certain half of the book, I always find the half that I do not want at the moment.

Such is the case now.

I will briefly outline Volume 1 as I remember it, and then Volume 2 as it appears in front of me.

VOLUME 1
Salads
The Foods We Heat
Soups
Cereals and Pastas
Eggs Souffles and Timbales
Brunch, Lunch and Supper Dishes
Vegetables
Sauces, Gravies, Marinades, Glazes, and Seasoned Butters
Fish
Shellfish
Meat
Game
Stuffings, Dressings, Farces, or Forcemeat
Poultry and Game Birds

VOLUME 2
Entertaining
Menus
Drinks
Canapes and Tea Sandwiches
Hors d'Oeuvre
Fruits
Pancakes, Waffles, Croquettes, and Fritters
Know Your Ingredients
Yeast and Quick Breads and Coffee Cakes
Pies, Pastes, and Filled Pastries
Cakes, Cup Cakes, Torten, and Filled Cakes
Cookies and Bars
Icings, Toppings, and Glazes
Desserts
Dessert Sauces
Ice Creams, Ices, and Frozen Desserts
Candies and Confections
The Foods We Keep
Canning, Salting and Smoking
Freezing
Jellies, Jams, Preserves and Marmalades
Pickles and Relishes

FEATURES OF THIS 2 VOLUME SET

On each menu or within the recipes, if you are referred to another recipe, the volume number is included along with what page you will find it on. That is a helpful feature.

These volumes were made from the revised JOY OF COOKING that available in 1964. The actual print date of the paperback versions is 1974.

There are symbols throughout the book to call attention to the following

ARROW- pointers to success
SNOWFLAKE- frozen foods
CIRCULAR PARENTHESES- Optional
LIGHTBULB SHAPE WITH X INSIDE- pressure cooking
FAN W/3 BLADES- blender
SQUARE WITH TWO HORIZONTAL LINES- outdoor cooking
STAR- Christmas
TRIANGLE- altitude cooking

CONTENTS OF THIS COOKBOOK SERIES

This series is just like the JOY OF COOKING from the same time period. There is so much information in this book that it is almost impossible begin to cover it all here in this small review.

Each recipe has cross references to informational sections where you can learn about certain ingredients you are about to use.

EXAMPLE:
Baked summer squash
Please read about squashes on page....

When you turn to page .... you are treated to a brief, concise yet highly informational set of paragraphs about different squash. You will learn about growing habits, categories, and how to pick them when you go to the market. You are also told basics of preparation.

HIGHLY INFORMATIONAL

Everything you need to know about entertaining, fixing food, and types of produce is in this book. I have learned valuable preserving, baking and usage information about all kinds of things such as currants, gooseberries, greengage plums, venison, turmeric....the list goes on and on.

MY COMMENTS ON THIS BOOK

No, it does not have pictures. There are some really great illustrations, however. They add charm to the books.

When I am in a hurry, I do like to have photos to motivate me to create a wonderful dinner. However, when it comes to serious information on preparing or learning about strange or unusual ingredients, this book is a must have.

Every kind of basic recipe you can think of is probably contained in this book (I speak of the two volumes here together). One day I needed information on lady fingers (cake) and sally lunn bread. They were here in THE JOY OF COOKING

There is an amazing amount of herb information contained in this cookbook series as well. Sometimes I find myself looking here and locating things I have looked everywhere else for.

THE JOY OF COOKING is one of the most valuable books on my shelf. Whether you are vegetarian or a meat and potatoes type person, you will find something in here that will interest you if you like food at all.

The information is delightfully vintage, yet completely modern at the same time. A rather timeless classic, the JOY OF COOKING is a cookbook that you will be glad to have- even if it IS in 2 volumes and you constantly misplace one like I do.....

In that case, you may find that you enjoy the book so much that you will not mind investing in the large hardbound version which is one volume only.

The paperback series of THE JOY OF COOKING is a great way to test out this cookbook and decide if you want to purchase a more expensive version later. IT is also a great way to purchase only the part of the book that interests you.

You can also find used versions of these volumes at www.amazon.com or www.abebooks.com.

Recommended:
Yes

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