The New Joy of Cooking

Rating:
Summary: Much better than I anticipated
Review: I believed the hype about this new edition being cold, not complete, not "true" to the old Joy.I was wrong. I bought this book off Amazon used, thinking that if I hated it I wouldn't have wasted too much money. The 1975 edition was my bible; I took it overseas where for 12 years I was able to make American recipes from scratch (no such thing as American canned goods where we lived) using the methods and techniques within. I really like the new Joy. Will it replace the old one? No, I'll use them together. But this new one -- I like the new style and don't find it cold. So far I've been able to find most things I've been looking for. I've been cooking world food for 20 years, and find it refreshing to finally find international recipes in a "mainline" American book. And most of the staples that I found so useful in my 1975 edition have remained; specifically the "about" sections (about chocolate, about fats, about raw shellfish, etc.). There are still directions for the simple things, for instance how to scramble eggs. There's also a useful section on cooking methods that would be useful for newer cooks. There are useful line drawings illustrating basics, such as utensils, cooking methods, placement of silverware, etc. throughout. The are a plethora of new recipes too, replacing the often stogy old-style of cooking. Frankly I like that. What's disappointing? The old "substitutions" section is gone. The still-rotten method to writing the recipes remains (I much prefer to see all the ingredients first so I can remember what I need rather than wading all the way through the recipe). The print is rather small, not an issue now but I know it will be. The type for the ingredients isn't bold enough. As a footnote, the complaints about deleting preservation methods don't hold water for me. "Joy" was always weak in that area and there are much better publications for preservation such as the Ball Blue Book or any U.S. Extension Service bulletin on preservation. But....overall this is a good cookbook and I recommend it to both new and experienced cooks as a useful adjunct to anyone's shelf.

Rating:
Summary: Negative reviews must be about some other book
Review: I rarely write reviews, but I feel the need to defend this really great general cookbook from some of the negative reviews on the site. From reading these, you'd think all character, soul, and advice had been exorcised from the book. It has not. Here's a sample from "Yeast Breads": "Bread is as old as the Stone Age. Yeast-risen bread dates back almost four thousand years to ancient Egypt, whose bakers discovered the secret of yeast and learned how to control it ... in medieval England, the term for "dough kneader" developed gradually into the word "lady" -- an indication of the justified respect, we have always thought, with which bread bakers have long been regarded" (p. 735). There are nine pages of advice on everything from equipment to mixing to kneading to rising to baking (I've left lots out) before the recipes begin. The entire book is like this.

For me, it is indispensible as my "basic" cookbook.

Rating:
Summary: The first cook book I reach for
Review: This book manages to be broad and deep. It gives you the "bullet" on just about any food item you might consider cooking and concise directions on getting the job done. Good index and appendices.

Rating:
Summary: The Kitchen Bible
Review: When all else fails, this book will be there to bail you out. If you only want one book, this is the one to have. My Mother, Grand Mother, and even occasionally my Great Grandmother (though she would never admit it) use this book for any special occasion.

Rating:
Summary: An Essential Book for Home Cooks Everywhere
Review: I fell in love with this book the first time I sat down to read it. As an enthusiastic, curious, and somewhat uninformed home cook, I've longed for basic instructions on how to do things like bake a whole chicken, or prepare fresh soup stock. It abounds in recipes for staple dishes which my family has come to love (meatloaf, chili, fajitas, apple crisp), and relies on the use of fresh ingredients. As someone who loves Vietnamese beef noodle soup (Pho), the book even had a recipe for preparing this comfort food (warning: the stock takes hours to prepare, so its something to tackle when you can let the stock simmer and go off and take care of other things). The new Joy (1997 edition) is an encyclopedic, helpful resource that should be in everyone's kitchen who loves to cook and cares about food. I find myself consulting it often when graced with an abundance of certain foods (e.g. tomatoes or peaches in summer), or want to explore a different way of preparing beef or chicken for dinner.

Rating:
Summary: Every cook should have this one
Review: I had the original and still kept it after I got this one. I love them both and although I have over 200 cookbooks I constantly refer to this one for the basics. This is a good all round reference to basic cooking information and is chocked full of excellent recipes with easy to follow instructions. There are no photogaphs but if you have a idea of what you want to prepare, this book will guide you through. The meat section is my bible on meat preparation.