Rating: 
Summary: I was disappointed.
Review: Before I start, I will say that this is not a BAD cookbook. It has recipes that I use and enjoy. I continue to consult it for many things, but the current editors have made it ordinary by ignoring its strengths, the ingredients that made it a uniquely American cookbook. The difference between this version and my old version (sadly, loaned out and not returned) is that I don't seem to find this one a "bible." I use it to compare with other cookbooks to learn about an ingredient or topic, or before making my final decision on what recipe I'll use or modify, but my old one was THE COOKBOOK. If another cookbook disagreed, well, it was just wrong. I frequently find there isn't even a recipe for whatever it is I'm interested in cooking, and I don't normally look to Joy for exotic recipes. There just seems to be a lot of stuff that I counted on being there that isn't there anymore. I would have used the space now dedicated to international influences, to update the techniques and equipment available to more modern cooks. There may be specific instructions on using food processors and microwave ovens, two innovations in use in most modern kitchens, but I haven't been able to find it. Lastly, like some, I also miss the tone and good nature of the old book. Environmental and practical concerns aside, I'll never forget my laughter the first time I read, "First catch and clean one whale." I'll use this version (the spiral bound), but I'll be haunting used bookstores in hopes of replacing my old books.
Rating: 
Summary: A welcome update to 90's cooking and eating
Review: I frankly do not understand all the griping about this update unless it is nostalgia or retro eating habits. It is filled with great recipes, incorporating the tastes of many cultures; and the advice on cooking is, as usual excellent.
Rating:
Summary: Light years beyond the last Joy of Cooking
Review: Everyone with a consequential cookbook collection has the old version - I virtually never touch that one however. I picked the new one up without much enthusiasm, found the recipe for roasted asparagus and was hooked. Its great, I use it all the time - when you have 300 cookbooks, its hard to be the one used more frequently than others but The new Joy is in my top 4. If you cook, GET IT!
Rating:
Summary: I like it, and have not read or owned any previous"Joy" cook
Review: I originally read the newest edition of "The New Joy of Cooking" when it was available on the shelf of my town library. I have never read any of the previous "Joy of Cooking" books, so there were no expectations on my part. I think this book is wonderful! I especially like the way recipes are made simple and, well, "do-able." For example, even ethnic recipes seem interesting without being next to impossible to accomplish in a kitchen that's not exactly equipped for advanced gourmet meal preparation. I liked the book so much, after I renewed it three times at the library, I went out and bought it!
Rating:
Summary: an improved edition
Review: Although this books departs from the old edition in ways that will bother some, it is refreshing to others. The typefaces are fine, and making them unnecessarily larger would likely have forced the editors to cut some of the good stuff out.One thing not mentioned in all the above negative reviews is how excellent the prose sections are. Although their one weakness is short shrift to nutritional details, the introductions and explanatory sections are highly readable, informative and comprehensive in their scope.
Rating: 
Summary: Hard on the eyes; a chore to read during meal preparation
Review: I am still using the edition I bought before I was married (the 1951 edition of the one copyrighted in 1931 by the original publisher, Bobbs-Merrill). In fact this is my second copy of the same book; the first succumbed to constant use over 40 years. Although the new edition has more and currently fashionable recipes, the book is visually unappealing and hard to read. In my original version, the recipe titles and ingredients are in such bold type that they leap up at you. This new edition is a good book to read and perhaps find some especially tempting recipes, but for everyday usefulness, it is no replacement for the older edition. If you love your old Joy, hang on to it!
Rating:
Summary: Hard on the eyes; a chore to read during preparation
Review: I am still using the edition I bought before I was married (the 1951 edition of the one copyrighted in 1931 by the original publisher, Bobbs-Merrill. In fact this is my second copy of the same book; the first succumbed to constant use over 40 years. Although the new edition has more and currently fashionable recipes, the book is visually unappealing and hard to read. In my original version, the recipe titles and ingredients are in such bold type that they leap up at you. It's a good book to read and perhaps find some especially tempting recipes, but for everyday usefulness, this new one is no replacement for the older edition.
Rating:
Summary: Don't throw out your old edition!
Review: I found that this cookbook holds no joy for me. Poor print for those of us who are not blessed with 20/20 eyesight. I found I had to write out the recipes by hand so I could read them as I cooked. I am disappointed that many basic cooking skills are assumed in this edition, while in previous ones, even the most novice cook could accomplish simple meals. I am glad my old edition is in good shape still. The new edition holds little to offer besides some good asian recipes. While I agree that possum, raccoon and bear are no longer part of the North American Diet, I find som e of the recipes they put in their place to be just as strange, bizarre and totally useless for the every day cook who depended on the earlier editions.
Rating:
Summary: for those who loved the old Joy, some disappointment
Review: I was saddened when I first read the new edition of Joy. The original character of the book, the reasons you ran to the shelf to pick it up, have been brutally edited out of this edition. This was the book that told you how to roast a turkey, make candy or cook preserves. I remember when I was young and I'd picked a huge batch of strawberries, I immediately got out my mother's dog eared copy and made strawberry preserves which were delicious. You can imagine my consternation when I was browsing through my "fancy" new edition, looking for that old recipe for preserves. IT WAS GONE. In it's place were recipes for Pad Thai and Pho. I love Asian food. I have several Thai, Vietnamese, and Indonesian cookbooks which introduce me properly to those cuisines by discussing their ingredients and the character of the food in detail. Exotic cuisines are not the reason I bought Joy. I bought Joy because I want the basics of cooking at my fintertips and I'm afraid some of those basics are gone. My recommendation: the 20 year old edition is still available. Buy that instead.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding; much better than 1975 version!
Review: This is definitely not for people with old-fogey tastes; it provides a refreshing new perspective on American food! The 1975 version was loaded with rich dishes that required hours to complete. I like good food but I don't want to spend my life in the kitchen or gain 50 pounds a year. If you're into healthy entrees with easy recipes, then this book is for you. I especially love the chapter on shellfish (lots of low-fat recipes)and the emphasis on herb-and-spice flavorings instead of fattening sauces. Also appreciated is the treatment of ethnic foods (I've been wanting to work with these for years!) and modern cooking tools like microwaves and breadmakers. It's much more convenient than having to buy dozens of specialty cookbooks (that I'll never use again) to find what I want. By the way, the fonts are perfectly readable and I have no trouble picking out ingredients even though I am over 40, have astigmatism and wear bifocals.
|
