Rating: 
Summary: Buy the prior edition, not this one
Review: They try to cover every food trend which has evolved since the 1972 edition in the same number of pages. Can't be done. You get lots of information about food and ingredients, but not many recipies. Stick to the 1972 version,
Rating: 
Summary: The Workhorse of My Kitchen
Review: Having grown up in a cooking family and having my mom's dog-eared copy of the old Joy of Cooking always at my fingertips, I was skeptical of this updated version - until I tried it. This book has a recipe for virtually everything that up-to-date cooks want to make. From the trusty information on different types of produce, cuts of meat and cooking temperatures for poultry and pork to cooking methods and procedures to terrific recipes for grilled swordfish tacos with a corn-cherry tomato salsa, a cinnamon cream-cheese strata that kids go ape over for brunch, a perfect (and easy) way to make a homemade fruit cup, braised lamb shanks, the best fried rice I've ever made, etc. etc. This is a great book for people who are learning to cook (ALWAYS read the entire recipe through before you begin!) or people who already know how to cook and just want new ideas or a refresher for the basic ingredients for an old stand-by. I highly recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: My absolute favorite...
Review: I love this book. I have cooked everything from appetizers to desserts from this cookbook. The Potato Skins were a huge hit last New Year's Eve. I love the mix of traditional and ethnic recipes, as well as the easy to follow ingredient lists and instructions. Whether I'm serving guests or my own picky kids, this is where I look first.
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Summary: Old (er...New) Reliable
Review: I always "consult with" my New Joy of Cooking when I want a reliable recipe or ingredient information (in fact its the most worn cookbook in my collection - the others have perfect covers because I don't open and use them nearly as much). It never fails me. I never hesitate to try something new because in the almost two years I've had the book - I've had great success. You'll find simple to complex, basic to gourmet recipes and great supplemental information. While there are no color pictures of the end product (there are black and white "pencil" drawings in a lot of cases), the instructions, notes and tips are so explicit, that you can't go wrong. The presentation of recipes is unique. The entire process is mapped out as you need to proceed. Unlike other cookbooks that list all ingredients and follow with instructions so that if you are like me, you are constantly revisiting the list and trying to find where you left off. The New Joy lists each step with the ingredients you need and moves on, organizing steps with ingredients as you go. I really like that and find it very helpful. The book is broken down by different types of foods, not just courses of a meal. Each chapter begins with an informative background on the group, e.g., before presenting salad recipes, they provide information on every type of lettuce/leafy greens you can imagine, and special notes along the way for specific recipes. Its a wonderful collection of good recipes and good/helpful information. Like one of the other reviewers, I read the book like a novel and learn so much! I don't have experience with the old Joy, but I'm pretty impressed with this book.
Rating:
Summary: Curl up to a Great Book!!!
Review: I bought this book when i moved out, finally in my own kitchen, and I use it for reference, for recipes, for ideas and, yes, for curling up to in my bed to indulge, to dream, and to learn! If you are like me and love cookbooks for getting lost in and just "reading", then get this book! Even though the book contains no pictures, i still loved it!
Rating:
Summary: Really wanted to like this edition/ Get the 1975 edition
Review: My late mother taught Home Economics for many years, and I have cooked professionally.Between Mother and I, we have all the editions of Joy of Cooking, but our 1931 is the reprint.We were both looking forward to this edition of a beloved book, but this is a major downer. Yes, the nutrition information is up-to-date, and processor and microwave information has been included where appropriate.Irma is gone, and so is Marion. Instead of being a personal, quirky, very likable book, this is a cold, efficient book without much soul or wit.Do not get me wrong. We wanted to like this edition. We wanted to like it very much. Mother did not, and neither do I.Joy's place as a reference remains secure, but some of the revisions/deletions are not in the spirit of the previous editions. The recipes may be "better" in this edition, but some of them have been reworked in silly ways. One example, the tuna casserole now has directions for making a white sauce from scratch. Irma would have hooted in derision.Irma may have also welomed a bread machine, but the people who wrote the bread chapter all but dismiss the bread machine.I think that this is the last edition of Joy Of Cooking I will use.I really wanted to like this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Mediocre recipes
Review: I expected more from "Joy"--I bought it based on what I'd heard, and I suggest both new and experienced cooks stick with "How to Cook Everything" or any of the Cook's Illustrated books. Almost every recipe I've tried turned out disappointing. A marinade for grilled scallops turned the dish an unpleasant brown and overpowered the delicate flavor of the seafood. The oven-fried parmesian chicken was simple but tasted bland--nothing like fried chicken. A stir-fry turned out flavorless and soggy. I agree that the print is difficult to read, and an illustrated glossary is needed--beginning cooks will need to search page by page to find what a food mill looks like.
Rating:
Summary: Very helpful
Review: Wonderful for the beginner or pro, but I love it for the basic instruction on how to cook anything...I refer to it often as I create my own recipes.
Rating:
Summary: A Good All-Around Cookbook
Review: Many of criticized the "New Joy of Cooking" for being, well, new. But let's face facts, Irma Rombaur's original, first published in 1931, is hardly relevant to today's taste buds. (And, if you don't believe me, you can still get a word-for-word copy of that first edition and see for yourself. Anyone need a good recipe for squirrel?) The updated version is simply "Joy" with a 90s take. "Joy of Cooking" is synonymous with good, old-fashioned practical cooking--no nouvelle cuisine here--and the updated version simply keeps with the times, adding new techniques which take into account modern equipment and food mores (things like fat, cholesterol and sodium are, at last, taken into consideration). Every good cook I know owns at least one copy of this book--many have two or three.
For example, if you're really offended by the 1997 edition, the 1975 edition, the last written by Rombaur's daughter and still available for sale, is a good compromise between old and new. I have, and use, both, as well as the reprint of the 1931 edition, which has some great, old-fashioned baking tips and recipes. (The "New Joy" was written by Irma's grandson.)
All in all, the "New Joy of Cooking" is a super all-purpose cookbook, offering well-tested, straight-forward recipes for just about any food you can think of. Alongside the classic "Betty Crocker Cookbook," the "Fannie Farmer Cookbook" and something new from Martha Stewart (I like the "Martha Stewart Living Cookbook," which is a compilation of recipes from her magazine) and/or Cook's Illustrated (either "The Best Recipe" or the "Cook's Bible"), "The New Joy of Cooking" will create a perfectly balanced recipe collection for the experienced cook or novice baker.
On a final note, I'd recommend the hardcover edition, as the softcover model I saw in a bookstore was not very sturdy. Cookbooks get a lot of use and abuse, so I'd recommend spending a bit extra to get the hardcover edition.
Rating:
Summary: My Favorite Kitchen Companion
Review: I LOVE this book! My Mother gave this to me when I moved out on my own and it has been one of the greatest, and most used, gifts I have ever received! For example, this book will give you an education about the different cuts of meat, why they may be more or less tender, and tips about cooking meats. As well as a list of substitutions for various ingredients. A must have for any kitchen, whether novice or expert.
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