Rating: 
Summary: Pretty good.
Review: A lot of folks are upset with the new format of JOC. It is a new version, yes. It has removed some aspects, and may not be as easy to read (I don't seem to have that problem, however). But best of all, it overcomes the only fault I saw in the old JOC. The recipes are not bland. The old JOC is a great standby reference, but if you want exciting food, the new JOC is what you want.
Rating: 
Summary: Not an easy read...
Review: If you look at this book as a replacement to you old JOC you are in for a disapointment. This new version should be looked at as an extension to the older versions. In that aspect it is very helpful.
Rating: 
Summary: well, i will not return it
Review: growing up with no less than eight chefs, and several cooks, in the family you learn to appreciate little things. they are, perhaps, best summed up by the term 'care.' care is lacking in this volume. some omissions are noticable. better sources exist for the 'newer' cooking tools and methods, though they do not attempt to include (some) of the classics. the presentation of the text is difficult to use if you are actively consulting it while cooking, as opposed to making your own working copy of the receipe or using it as a starting point. i suspect most users intend to have it open & in use. keep it for reference if you get a copy of it, but use the older edition which is still available. otherwise hope that the spiral edition (when it comes out), or the next printing, corrects the format/style errors. even then, use the old one first. it is more carefully done. despite the title, the reader will not receive more joy from this cookbook.
Rating:
Summary: Perfect for a certified non-cook
Review: Maybe it's because I rate cooking only slightly higher than root canal on the pleasure scale, but I found the new Joy infinitely more "user-friendly" than the labored, occasionally condescending tone of the old yellowed 1976 paperback version rotting on my shelf. For example, just yesterday I was looking up a recipe for Christmas sugar cookies to make with my eleven year old son. Whereas other books either did or did not have a recipe, the old "Joy" provided a pompous disseration on all things concerning sugar cookies...except how to make them. Much as I pored over the cookie section, I could find no plain, simple recipe for plain, simple, Christmas sugar cookies. Perhaps other cooks (more dedicated than I, no doubt) find this type of narrative endearing, but as for me, just cut to the chase, thank you. I'd be curious to see what other readers (preferably those who have forsworn Martha Stewart for meals in seven minutes or less) think of the new version. I, for one, say welcome to the Nineties.
Rating: 
Summary: New "Joy" is unreadable - keep your old copy !
Review: I am a cookbook collector, and looked forward to the latest edition of Joy. I grew up on the 1975 edition, which I consider a model of clarity, readability, and just plain fun to read. Icannot say that for this new edition. The choice of Minion and Penumbra fonts is a very poor one. Because of the way the letters are made, the font looks smaller (even though I believe it is the same size as the 1975 ed) and is more of a strain to read. It gives me a headache to read this book for more than 15 minutes at a time.
In addition, the bold font, meant to show theingredients, is so close to the normal font that the two are barely distinguishable from each other. In the 1975 ed the bold easily stands out.
Also, the chapter heading only appears on the right hand page, with "Joy of Cooking" as the new left hand page header. This makes it inconvienent for a right handed reader to flip thru the book looking for a subject - I constantly have to stop flipping and see where I am. The 1975 edition did not have this problem and topics were easier to scan and locate.
Lastly, only 1 string is provided in the new ed. The 1975 edition had two, and I used them both. Now I have to decide which recipe I really want to mark.
So while I appreciate the work that went into this book, it is not a joy to read. And there's no way I'm going to be able to prop this book up in the kitchen and read it while I cook - the print is far too small and illegible for that.
I cannot recommend this book. I do recommend that readers go out and get the 1975 edition while you still can.
Rating:
Summary: What a disappointment!
Review: Like so many others, I rushed to the bookstore to get the new Joy. In our household, all how-to cooking and recipe discussions are settled by saying, "Let's ask Joy." Unfortunately, the organization, typeface, hodge podge style of the new Joy makes it truly unworkable. If ever a book suffered by being written by a committee, this is it. I'll be sticking with my old version.
Rating:
Summary: THE politically correct cookbook!
Review: This has always been my favorite, basic cookbook of American food. It has been turned into a hodge podge of Foods of All Nations. I don't know where I could shop to find the goat meat or thai spices that are often called for. Hold on tightly to your old Joys or order a new copy of the older edtion now -- before they stop publishing it.
Rating: 
Summary: Comfort and Revised Joy
Review: With all the uproar about different fonts, less chatty asides, and restaurant style recipes, many are overlooking a wonderful, all-purpose cookbook. The chapters on American Fruit Desserts and Seafood are especially well-done. Instructions seem easy to follow. Most important of all, just reading through the book gets one excited about cooking and food. And wasn't that the original author's intent? This would make a great gift!
Rating:
Summary: YUCK! Give me the old book!
Review: I grew up with the bible (aka the second incantation of TJOC)and LOOKED forward to the new edition BUT Come on give me a brake!When I saw the display in the store I was VERY EXCITED! It was like finding the lost scrolls in a cave! AHHH heaven an updated J.O.C. I mean the last edition was updated when I was 6. BUT!!!! Much to my dismay I was VERY disapointed! They replaced Taffy, CANNING ( OF all things), Jams and Jellies (although the display in the store touts new recipes for preserves I could not find them, Pickles, Home made bagels, Sweet and Sour Pork, and Won-ton Soup! And what did they replace them with..."Jamaican curries GOAT", Mongolian hot pot, Emu and Ostrich, and Bagel sandwiches (I guess you can make a sandwich but they will not tell you how to make the bagels). They tout that they have a new and expanded international section BUT the remove the above staples! How smart is that! NOW they did remove some things that in my humble opinion were good to remove... How many people need to know how to cook Raccoon or armadillo and Green turtle soup is just not politically correct anymore. Another interesting tid bit, one a side note... the 1975 edition (the book my mother sent her children into the big wide world) had a offer on its cover...money back of not satisfied the new 1997 edition does not (I know color me a jaded Gen-X but I guess that is business or maybe they knew that there would be a LOT of returns!)I will be going to the used books store to see if there are any 1975 editions out there and I will hord them for my nieces and nephews...Anyway thanks for letting me put my 2 cents in! I would like to know what other cooks think about this...
Rating:
Summary: Readability of fonts in new version
Review: I find the new fonts used in the newest version of Joy of Cooking make it hard to pick out the recipes from the text. I scanned through the book in a bookstore and the recipe titles and ingredients did not "jump out" at me as in previous versions. I'll stick with my old version of the book. It's easier for middle-aged eyes to read.
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