Rating: 
Summary: Can't cook without it!
Review: Coming from a "cook as little as possible" upbringing, I was clueless on all the basics (roast chicken, really good baked potatoes). This book is my bible of cooking! I have made so many recipes for friends & they love them all. They actually offer some low-fat alternatives, which is refreshing. I have a lot of other cookbooks, but this is by far the one I rely on!
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding Resource for Basic Recipes!
Review: I have used this book time and again. More and more it's the first cookbook I turn to and the one most often used. Concidering I have an extensive library of cookbooks, many of which are cooking school text books, I feel that's saying a lot for "Joy".
Rating: 
Summary: Boar's head, anyone?
Review: "Someone once defined eternity as a ham and two people" is one of my favorite phrases from earlier additions to THE JOY OF COOKING, as well as the lively recipes for porcupine, squirrel, turtle, and boar's head (just right for those impromptu Viking-style feasts). The quote about the ham made it into the new edition of THE JOY OF COOKING, but not the recipe for boar's head. Still, this has been a useful cookbook for me. A novice cook would do well with this edition due to the fact that it retains sound and basic recipes, as well as many more international recipes. To my delight, I found recipes for bread made in a bread machine, thus insuring that my own (secondhand) bread machine becomes more than the kitchen-counter equivalent of a lawn ornament. I gave the new JOY four stars because the writing seems rather far from the consistent charm of the older editions of the JOY OF COOKING. Otherwise, this is a more-than-decent cookbook which gets a great deal of use in my kitchen.
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Summary: Wake up and smell the rest of the world
Review: I recently got a chance to peruse this book at a friend's house (my friend LOVES this book). I found it to be quite helpful to someone who does not know all that much about cooking techniques. there are explanations of all kinds of fruits and vegetables with nice line drawings, tons of interesting recipes, and just all around great information, especially for beginners. I think the reviewers who are griping about the "international" flair of the book and the "exotic" cuisine need to step back and take a look at their narrow-minded culinary traditions. Maybe you should TRY to look for some of these "exotic" spices--you may be surprised at how easy they are to come by--and how delicious you'll think they are. If you hope that All-American cooking will stay All-White-1950s, then maybe you SHOULD hibernate with your Old Joy. OTOH, if you want to open up your mind and life to all the wonderful foods and traditions that are in this HUGE world, then the New Joy just may be your passport.
Rating: 
Summary: disappointment with new version
Review: My mother was given a Joy of Cooking cookbook one year as a Christmas present. I absolutely loved it! It had unusual recipes for making such things as butter, sauerkraut, cooking porcupines, etc. (Not that I did all those things.) I do have a vegetable garden and raise my own cabbage and make my own sauerkraut every year. The New Joy of Cooking didn't have the ratio of salt to cabbage for sauerkraut. Additionally, the new version does not have nearly the amount of "scratch" recipes the older version has. Honestly, I am seriously considering using the book as a footrest, or as the base for starting my heating stove. I am definitely not pleased with this version at all.
Rating: 
Summary: The 'Bible' turned into microwave cliff notes
Review: While I have dozens of cookbooks with exotic recipes, I've always relied on 'Joy' for those basics (like canning, preserving, freezing, substituting) and tips you can't find anywhere else. Sure, the new 'Joy' has discovered the food processor and microwave, but has discarded many of those tried and true basics along the way. If you want to replace your worn out, dog earred old copy, get the regular 'Joy', not the new, 'enhanced' one.
Rating: 
Summary: very thorough-no guesswork or interpretation required
Review: Literally covers everything from soup to nuts. Answers all of the questions a beginning cook might have.
Rating:
Summary: A Workhorse but Just a Good Cookbook
Review: In our household, we use this book everyday. If we want to do a cheesecake, a roast, a bruschetta, this Joy gets opened. It's got solid recipes that are useful for the beginner. That said, if you prefer a reference with more charm, more insightful writing, and better recipes, this Joy doesn't add up. It doesn't inform the reader about the current lifestyle that previous editions did. This one is more antiseptic. I'm not sure if that reflects the time we live in or the various writers' vision of the late 90s. In any case, this edition is great for a novice and has a place in all kitchens.
Rating:
Summary: Not as good as the Original
Review: The Joy of Cooking will always be a classic, but this new edition has many old recipies that have been changed. While it's still a useful cookbook, I prefer the original.
Rating:
Summary: All serious cooks need this book!
Review: This is a fabulous book. I strongly disagree with those who stated that the recipies are "difficult to understand." I use this book for at least 50% of my meals. My mother and sister also have this book and agree with me completely. I have used it for everything from basic marinades to complicated pastries, etc. If you really want grandma's beef stew, use the old Joy. That's not what this is. I also appreciate all the expert advice that the author sought.
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