Rating: 
Summary: Give me the old Joy!!
Review: I learned to cook with the old 1964 Joy of Cooking, and still consult it regularly. I looked forward to the new one, and bought it for my son, promising him that if he would read it he could perform wonders in the kitchen. Then I spent some time with it. Give me the old Devil's Food cake cockaigne! etc., etc. Marion Becker and her mother would be horrified by this new book. Thank goodness I found an old one at a garage sale for my son.
Rating: 
Summary: Side by Side Comparison
Review: I have owned the 1975 edition of the Joy of Cooking since it was published, and have had a love/hate relationship with it ever since. It is the encyclopedia I consult when I want to know about a new herb, a cooking method, or for equivalents and substitutions. But sadly, for all it's thousand plus recipes, I found very few I could really use. Just look up the recipe for a "roast beef sandwich", and you'll see what I mean. The closest thing to a basic beef stew is "Beef Stew Gaston" which starts out whith salt pork. I was not going to cook with salt pork in 1975, and I'm sure glad it has been left out of the new edition. I really like the new edition. It is the one I wish I had when I was starting out. Some of the criticisms I have read here are unfounded. Like the one claiming there is no entry for "potatoes" in the index. There are nearly two columns! Perhaps it is the fault of the type face, which I agree is a little more difficult to read. But then, I now need reading glasses to read just about anything these days. The only recommendations I would give to earn that last star: Make the ingredients bolder so they stand out. And please be sure it will hold up to many years of use.
Rating:
Summary: Bring back the Old Edition!
Review: I was raised on The Joy of Cooking as my Bible for cooking. I was so anxious to receive my new (1997) edition as my 1975 edition was falling apart. To my dismay none of the recipes I depend upon were there, or if they were, were completely altered. Where is the Persimmon pudding? The basic cornbread? The bran muffins(the old version)? Gone. And I detect a trendiness at the cost of taste in the guise of low-fat, etc. (this should be a separate section only). I am now faced with a dilemma of what to do. I only use my 1975 edition but it is falling apart. Will the Joy of Cooking people please reconsider reissuing it? How about renaming this edition as Joy II for those who actually like it? Thanks, Karen in Santa Cruz
Rating: 
Summary: Don't believe the negative reviews
Review: I can't believe these people, though I know - I know - I have to let people have their opinions (and though my copy's holding together fine, I am a little alarmed by the person who says it's constructed shoddily). But THIS IS BY FAR THE SINGLE BEST COOKBOOK IN THE WORLD. (And I, for one, LOVE the format of the recipes, always have...other recipe formats are a waste of words and space).EVERY single recipe I've tried is better than the recipe for the same item in other cookbooks. I almost NEVER use other 'basic' cookbooks like 'New Basics,' Bittman, Martha Stewart, James Beard, Rosengarten's Dean & DeLuca, etc. (I DO like 'The Best Recipe,' though). The updating of recipes is fantastic, incorporating all the "new classics" without dilettantism; it's things the American cook really does eat - hummus, paella, tiramisu, jerk chicken, pad thai, muffaletta, etc. At the same time, it's not horribly basic; there's also stuff like Doro Wat (an Ethiopian stew), Pho Bo (a Vietnamese soup), cotechino with lentils, and stuffed squash blossoms. I have maybe 100 cookbooks, but I really think I honestly could get by with just this one (though of course I'd be sacrificing any single cuisine in depth).
Rating:
Summary: Still My Go-To Cookbook
Review: I grew up with the earlier editions of Joy, but I do love the new edition. It's informative about basic cooking methods and ingredients but fits the more modern tastes in cooking. If you can't part with the old edition, keep it and get this edition to keep it company. P.S. The penne pasta salad with feta and olives is wonderful!
Rating: 
Summary: Maybe if they changed the format ...
Review: How much easier these recipes would be to read if they would list all the ingredients and their quantities at the BEGINNING of each recipe, rather than sprinkling them through. The classic JOY is the same format, I realize. Sometimes tradition needs to be rethought. This is one of those times.
Rating:
Summary: Consulting JOY
Review: I received Joy a few years back from my mother in law in response to my request for a "basic" cook book. Joy is more than just a cook book, it ("she" as we refer to the book here at home) is more of a cooking encyclopedia. I have friends who are much more gourmet than I. Frequently they will call me and ask me to "consult with Joy" regarding some recipe or new cooking method they are trying for the first time. The Joy of cooking gives clear information on how to do all the basics and most of the advanced cooking techniques as well as a wide variety of recipes from simple to ultra gourmet. Joy of cooking is the quintessential cookbook.
Rating:
Summary: Save Your Money
Review: To save you time in reading these reviews, let me just say that if you loved the '75 edition and valued it as a cooking reference, don't bother to buy this edition. The index does not even contain an entry for "potato". I wanted to see if the best and most basic recipes and information were still included, so I looked in the index under "potato" to find all the information on different types of potatoes, how to store them, how to prepare them, mashed potatoes, etc. etc.; nothing! I can't tell you whether this information is in the book or not because I never found it. In the old edition this kind of basic information can be found in seconds. To me this fault sums up everything (too much to list here) that is wrong with this new edition.
Rating: 
Summary: The sadness of shoddiness.
Review: Shoddy, shoddy construction. Our now over 28 year old copy of "JOY" has been used three or four times a week, and lugged abroad for many stays. It still holds together and is in very good shape. The new version, less than a year old, is falling apart -- pages are falling out and the spine is cracked. It will not last another year. Shameful! And it is not used nearly so often -- the whole feeling is that the book is intended less for people that actually cook, than for people who dabble.
Rating:
Summary: So Many Great Recipes
Review: Out of my vast culinary library this book ranks with my Julia Child, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" volumes, the old Joy of Cooking and "Lidia's Italian Table" as a primary resource. I have made Sour Cream Pumpkin Pie, Vietnamese Summer Rolls with Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce, Turket Pot Pie, and a delicious tomato sauce. Each recipe was easy to follow and the results were amazing. I have to get this book for my mother for Christmas since I have so often said to her, "I made this wonderful recipe out of the new Joy of Cooking."
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