Rating: 
Summary: Don't waste your money
Review: I received this book as a wedding gift 20 years ago which is the only reason I still have it. Although there is good information to be found on a variety of foods I can't think of how many times I might need to know how to clean and cook a turtle or any of the other creatures they seem to think are edible. It is very entertaining to read about these things and that is why I give it three stars. If you just want a plain old recipie you probably won't find it here.
Rating: 
Summary: Best All-purpose Cookbook
Review: The Joy of Cooking (this original, authentic version) is an indisposable book, a titan among cookbooks for sure. If glowing reviews from world-famous chefs is not enough, just listen to us novices. This book will not teach you every fundamental about cooking (learn from your mother) but it will teach you how to cook and how to understand cooking. This is one cookbook that is more than recipes: its the art and science of cooking.The thousands of recipes are mostly things you've seen before (lemonade and baked chicken) and some you probably haven't (see Baked Brains in the Beef section). It covers the use of most any ingredient you will see in cooking any dish - vegetable, poultry, or meat - and it will show you how to properly apply heat, add seasonings, and most importantly, how to modify the recipe. Diagrams are few (they aren't generally helpful in my opinion) and explanations can sometimes be short, but the book covers a lot of territory. That said, it is best not to consider the the "only" cookbook - rather, it should be the central one. Complement it with a cooking encyclopedia and a collection of cookbooks from specific regions or styles for a complete cooking set. No shelf of cookbooks is complete without this book; I would be lost without it. Also, this makes an excellent wedding or birthday gift. Avoid the spiral-bound version, the book needs to be hardcover and well bound because of constant use in the combat zone (kitchen).
Rating:
Summary: The best cookbook ever!
Review: On my 16th birthday, I received a copy of this cookbook from my father. The book is now missing a front cover and is beginning to show some serious wear and tear. It is rife with highlighting and some pages are stained, but I COULD NOT LIVE WITHOUT IT! I use it at least once a week, sometimes just to get suggestions for the week's menus. I have learned everything from this book, from making delicious hash browns to creating cuinary masterpeices like Plum Pudding. I have learned a lot about the basics of cooking, like spices and ingredients, and also simple things like the difference between poaching and blanching. The team of Rombauer and Becker have thoroughly researched their recepies and I like knowing that they have tried every one of them. If you are just starting out in the cooking realm, this is the one book I would reccommend for purchase. In fact, it is the gift I usually give for wedding presents, along with a slection of spices and some good quality wooden spoons. If I were on that Survivor show, this would be one of the items that I would take with me, along with the Boy Scout handbook.
Rating:
Summary: Forget how to cook it? Find it here...
Review: Remember when your mom used to make pot roast? Now you are out on your own and can't remember what temperature, how long, what spices, veggies, etc. goes with this meat...where do you turn? HERE! This book is so classic. It even has how to set your table with all those forks, knives and spoons that you've received as wedding gifts and don't know how to use.
Rating:
Summary: The bible of any good kitchen.
Review: I was given the Joy of Cooking by a friend that hated to cook. I put it up on my kitchen shelf and didn't open it for three years. Finally, when I was ready to become a better cook I pulled it out. That was the beginning of my "gourmet" days. This book is truly the staple of any kitchen. I don't know what I would do without it. It's an encyclopedia/dictionary for cooking. I've never had a bad meal out of it yet. I have been able to master the art of a souffle thanks to this book. I also have a Ceasar salad made from scratch down. It's great to pull out when you want to improve a meal. I make eggplant parmesan during Lent and depend on the summer tomatoe sauce recipe in here. This is one cook book that every kitchen should have.
Rating:
Summary: The perfect gift for newlyweds
Review: I have owned my own copy since I was first married, some 20 years ago. The book has taught me a lot, and still does. I ordered the New Joy of Cooking recently, so you know I recommend this one.
It is the perfect wedding gift. (where i got mine!)
Rating:
Summary: Unbeatable!
Review: The best thing about the Joy of Cooking is that it has remained, throughout the years, as THE most complete cookbook ever to be written in the history of cooking.
If I was asked to keep only one cookbook, this is the one I would choose.
Rating:
Summary: Great cookbook
Review: My mother used a Joy of cooking book and passed it on to me. I used it till the pages were falling out, time to get a new one. I love the spiral bound, the one I had originally was hard to turn pages and keep open.
Rating:
Summary: Sprial bound lays FLAT
Review: Thats the difference that makes this version the best.
Rating: 
Summary: Not for Everyday
Review: This book is great if you're a gourmet. If you're just a plain old mom (or plain old anybody), it's not so good. Most of the recipes require too many ingredients, odd/gourmet ingredients, and far too much preparation time for those of us with busy lives who don't love to spend all our spare time cooking. I much prefer a more down-to-earth cookbook which uses fewer ingredients per recipe, more "standard" ingredients - the things we almost all keep our refrigerators and pantries stocked with (think Cheddar cheese instead of Gruyere) - and which doesn't expect me to spend all evening in the kitchen. Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything is much better in this respect.
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