Cookbook classics and must-haves

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I received my Joy Of Cooking cookbook in the mail today. I think I got a very good deal at $.75 plus $2.95 shipping. There are a few pages that look like they got wet and are a little wrinkled, but otherwise, it's in great condition. I'm going to have to find a very big spot on my bookshelf for it.
 
CarolPa said:
I received my Joy Of Cooking cookbook in the mail today. I think I got a very good deal at $.75 plus $2.95 shipping. There are a few pages that look like they got wet and are a little wrinkled, but otherwise, it's in great condition. I'm going to have to find a very big spot on my bookshelf for it.
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I'm glad you didn't pay more for it than that. I was so disappointed when I got that one. It sits right next to the previous, 1975 edition and doesn't get used nearly as often. It does have some more modern stuff, which is nice, but it's missing stuff. It doesn't have the wonderful "Know Your Ingredients" section, with loads of useful info. I refer to the 1975 edition as a cooking encyclopedia. The one thing I liked in the 1997 edition is the instructions for roasting poultry. Made the juiciest chicken I ever roasted. Worked well on a turkey at my m-i-l's house too. My b-i-l complained that the breast meat wasn't dry enough. :ermm::LOL:

I don't think most people needed to know how to skin a rabbit, back in 1975, but I was glad of that section when I lived in a log cabin in the late '70s/early '80s. It also has great pix of what the parts of beef or pig are called, as meat, in the US.

I have read that the 2006, 75th Anniversary edition put back some of the missing stuff and is quite good. I haven't had a chance to look at it and decide for myself.
 
I didn't know which edition I wanted, but only ordered this one because of the price. I always buy used and never pay much for my cookbooks. I didn't spend so much on this one that it would bother me to shell out money for a different version in the future.
 
I think you'll be happy with any edition as long as it's a hard cover, just because it will last longer.

Back before the Internet this book was my Bible. I still value it very much, it's a resource I can go to when I have no more ideas and get tired of Googling and getting too many questions (people asking the same question, usually in forums, usually with no useful answer) and I can go to JOC and look it up and get it right away.

And do not forget Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child. I sure wish I could get a nice copy of Volume 2, but they are very scarce and I'm not even sure what's in it. AFAIK they published very few copies of volume 2.
 
Greg Who Cooks said:
I think you'll be happy with any edition as long as it's a hard cover, just because it will last longer.
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It is a hard cover and I'm very happy with it, since I've never seen any other edition and have nothing to compare it to. I would buy other editions if the price was right like this one was.
 
salt and pepper said:
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Sorry the pic was removed, "The Professional Chef" was my pick.
 
I would appreciate feedback from anyone that has read these two cooking books. I have seen them on the web and am not sure if they have enough useful information in them to deserve a spot on the shelf, Thanks!

An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy and Grace by Tamar Adler

The Frugal Cook by Fiona Beckett
 
Aunt Bea said:
I would appreciate feedback from anyone that has read these two cooking books. I have seen them on the web and am not sure if they have enough useful information in them to deserve a spot on the shelf, Thanks!

An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy and Grace by Tamar Adler

The Frugal Cook by Fiona Beckett
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While I don't know these cookbooks, I would like to recommend my favorite economical, resource conserving cookbook, "More with Less". It was put out by the Mennonites.

http://www.amazon.com/More---Less-C...1539&sr=8-1&keywords=more+with++less+cookbook
 
This turned out to be a highly informative thread on cookbooks. I've added several to my list of "to-get" books. My mom has old copies of The Joy of Cooking and The Fanny Farmer Cookbook, both of which she swears by. I can't wait for the day when these worn-out copies make their way onto my bookshelf... but I think she's holding out for grandchildren.
 
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Vanitas said:
This turned out to be a highly informative thread on cookbooks. I've added several to my list of "to-get" books. My mom has old copies of The Joy of Cooking and The Fanny Farmer Cookbook, both of which she swears by. I can't wait for the day when these worn-out copies make their way onto my bookshelf... but I think she's holding out for grandchildren.
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We know where my first husband's copy of JOC is and it is a safe place. My son will take possession of it when he is ready. Right now he doesn't feel the need. I just hope there isn't a fight between him and his brother for it. :angel:
 
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Who would ever think 2 guys would fight over a cookbook? LOL

I have to go through my cookbooks and donate some of the ones I no longer want. When I first started collecting them I was buying indiscriminately. Now a cookbook has to have a special reason to be part of my collection.
 
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I have a problem when it comes to cookbooks...I have more than 1000. When you realize I rarely cook using recipes, that seems a bit ridiculous. I do, however, consult them on a regular basis. Right now, my favourite reference is Professional Cooking by Wayne Gisslen. I picked it up for $2 at a thrift store. I've learned so much from it, not so much about how to cook something, but rather about ingredients, etc. Highly recommend snagging it if you see it at a used book store or thrift store. Prices on the Internet are all over the map.
 
Y'know, I can't imagine any amateur chef without a copy of JOC, partially because it was THE BOOK TO HAVE before the Internet.

My personal quest, volume 2 of Julia Child's French Cooking cookbook. Expensive, probably not any essential information, but worth having just for the satisfaction of having both.
 
Greg Who Cooks said:
Y'know, I can't imagine any amateur chef without a copy of JOC, partially because it was THE BOOK TO HAVE before the Internet.

My personal quest, volume 2 of Julia Child's French Cooking cookbook. Expensive, probably not any essential information, but worth having just for the satisfaction of having both.
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Those two are on my shelves. I took JOC a step further--I have two editions--one set is paperback, the other hardback. I do admit I have more cookbooks than a person needs, and I don't count my electronic cookbooks in my collection. I do refer to Julia Child's cookbooks and I like Bittman's "How to Cook Everything." I would be hardpressed to whittle the collection down to 10 or 12 cookbooks. I guess I could do that if I were going to live on a deserted island and could only bring 10-12, but then, if the island were deserted, why would I need cookbooks?:LOL:
 
Greg Who Cooks said:
Y'know, I can't imagine any amateur chef without a copy of JOC, partially because it was THE BOOK TO HAVE before the Internet.

My personal quest, volume 2 of Julia Child's French Cooking cookbook. Expensive, probably not any essential information, but worth having just for the satisfaction of having both.
Click to expand...


Greg, there are quite a few copies for sale on Half.com in varying condition from new to good, at varying prices.
 
PrincessFiona60 said:
Never found the need for JOC, didn't want it to take up real estate on my shelves.
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Same here, growing up we had a Fanny Farmer cookbook and a dilapidated 1940's Culinary Arts Institute Encyclopedic Cookbook, with the thumb hole index in the side. When I started collecting cookbooks I went in search of more interesting and obscure cookbooks. I wish someone in my family would take an interest in my collection. I hate culling it out and giving it to the Salvation Army or the Rescue Mission. I guess if I'm patient the problem will eventually solve itself! :ermm::ohmy::LOL:
 
**The Illustrated Escoffier
*Dim Sum The Art of Chinese Tea Lunch
*Cooking class Japanese
The French Farmhouse Kitchen
The French Laundry Cook Book
Stir-Fry (Old ‘Sunset’ book)
ZUPPE Soups From The Kitchen of The American Academy In Rome
Between Meals An Appetite For Paris
Julia Child The French Chef Cookbook
The Food Of France by Waverley Root
The Joy of Cooking
Mastering The Art of French Cooking Julia Child
Far Flung Floyd Guide To South-East Asian Food
*The Kitchen Book, The Cook Book by Nicolas Freeling
A Tuscan In The Kitchen by Pino Luongo
TWELVE A Tuscan Cook Book by Tessa Kiros
Food Festivals Of Italy
The Old World Kitchen by Elisabeth Luard
Sicilian Home Cooking by Wanda and Giovanna Tornabene
These are some of the cookbooks I refer to constantly.
The ones with the asterisks are the most challenging.
 
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