"Joy of Cooking" cookbook

Sweet Tatorman's picture

The "Joy of Cooking" cookbook was recently mentioned in another thread. I like books in general and this classic is not in my collection. The original author has been dead since before half the folks on this forum were born. Still, new editions have continued to come out. Where possible, with books I will buy used and often newer is not better. For those who have, or at least have used, multiple editions of this book (up to nine now) which would you recommend and why? I believe it was the 6th edition (1975) which at six million sold the most copies.

Blueberry's picture

Mrs B has her mothers edition of 1951. I am forbidden from picking up that book. Does have some good info on fixing bush tucker. If one is going to eat bush tucker a handy product to have. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XMZ0XZW?tag=duckduckgo-d-20&linkCode=osi&th... Also have the 1975 copy purchased new that one I can touch!!!!!

I have three volumes of 'Joy'; 1953, 1975, and 1997.

They are wildly different in tone, emphasis, and recipes. There are a few recipes that are repeated from volume to volume; these are usually titled 'food item cockaigne'. 'Cockaigne' means a mythical land of plenty so the recipe is so good, it didn't need to be updated.

Otherwise, you quickly discover if you cook regularly that 'Joy' is just as susceptible to food trends and fads as any magazine. So, 1975 'Joy' has the best cornbread recipe whereas the oatmeal cookie in 1997 is far superior. Older versions use fewer expensive, trendy ingredients but they are also emphasize foods no one eats any more (stuffed beef heart and the like).

Each volume is different enough that they can be considered separate cookbooks despite sharing the same name. They're all big, fat, general cookbooks so they each cover a huge range of recipes.
The newer versions are generally more food-safe when it comes to home-canning. That said, if you do a lot of food preserving at home, you'll be able to use the interesting old-timey food combination and adjust the processing to modern requirements.

I recommend you get several. I like 1975 the best and use it the most but 1997 has more 'modern' food. 1953 (there was an edition in-between that I don't have) assumes you already know how to cook well.

Look for the various versions at library sales or go to alibris.com or abe.com to buy second-hand copies.

Blueberry's picture

Another one that is for camping cooking a meal in one pot. So as we go down the long descent One pot meals could be the new norm. https://www.amazon.com/Gourmet-Campers-Boaters-Backpackers-Canoeists/dp/... The stove on the front cover is a Coleman model 502. My 502 is over 50 + years lots of use. Another camp stove https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007TJ65TU?tag=duckduckgo-d-20&linkCode=osi&th... Also look at Alacrates wok cooking http://greenwizards.com/node/1159

Sweet Tatorman's picture

I very much appreciate your input and have taken your advice of purchasing several editions. These are essentially available for free. Paid about $5 each with "Free Shipping" which I suspect cost the seller about $5. I now have the 1975 and 1997 editions. I have had them for over a week now but due to being busy it was just today that I made time to evaluate them critically. I mostly spot checked their entries on things I am well acquainted with. My everyday persona is definitely not that of a cranky curmudgeon but reading some of their claptrap definitely brings out my latent curmudgeon tendencies. I will spare you my long rant and just cite a few examples. 1975 edition, page 627, cornbread: "We can assure you that without stone-ground cornmeal and a heavy, hot pan, the end product will be pale and lifeless". While I am a fan of using a hot cast iron pan for cornbread I find the implication that a cook without one should just move on is ridiculous. The meme of stone-ground meal as superior to steel burr ground is often repeated but is pure BS. I doubt that anyone repeating this meme has ever done a blind side by side comparison of the two methods. The 1997 edition only slightly toned down this BS with "Real Southern corn bread is made only with stone-ground cornmeal". I suspect in both cases they are conflating "stone-ground" with whole grain cornmeal which in fact is significantly different from the degermed version found in a grocery store. In the 1975 edition the cornbread recipes include addition of other grain flours without recognition of the fact that many here in the Southern US would refuse to call it cornbread if adulterated with other flours. The 1997 edition corrects this omission.
The 1975 edition despite many pages of things to due with tomatoes has no mention of fried green tomatoes. WTF!! Corrected in the 1997 edition.
1975 edition page 324, sweet potatoes, "Buy only enough for immediate use as they do not store well". Again, WTF! I am eating them now in late June that I dug last September.
Borsch, 1975: sorry recipe, 1997 somewhat better but neither include potatoes.
Armadillo, 1975 edition, no mention in 1997: totally clueless. I doubt any of the authors has ever cooked one.
Despite the above Readers' Digest version of my rant I am happy to have added each edition to my cookbook collection.

Cooking is so subjective.

We love the cornbread from the 1975 Joy and I have a Griswald cast iron frying pan whose sole use is for making that cornbread. I've never gotten a crust like I do with my Griswald with any other pan. Use bacon grease (drippings is what the recipe calls it but bacon grease is what they mean) and that cornbread sings. It sings even more with a big lump of bacon grease in the sizzling hot cast iron pan that you pour the batter into. Shortening works but bacon grease is better. Grease from pepper bacon is superb.

That said, comparing the 'Joy's' side by side makes the differences and food fads and trends really obvious.
One of the stranger areas is alcohol. Older editions assume you have a home bar but the 1997 doesn't address your home bar at all. The concept doesn't exist.

Yes, the Joy's are very idiosyncratic but I have to say, their recipes work (at least the ones we've used) and I can't say that for more highly regarded cookbooks (Cookwise stands out here) where I have to wonder if anyone ever actually prepared and served and ate that particular recipe.

Keep exploring the 'Joy's' and you'll find a world of recipes that no one cooks anymore.

Sweet Tatorman's picture

Yes, I am keeping both close at hand and perusing in spare moments. I did my first cuke pickles of the season today. My Ball "Blue Book" is my go to mainly as it has my notes in the margins I've make over the years. Took a look at both Joys while things were heating and was surprised that the 1997 no longer even addresses canning.

alice's picture

It may be a climatic thing, as I can't store sweet potatoes here. I sometimes buy some as they are so delicious but have to strictly observe a five day limit from buying otherwise they start melting into brown goo. I assume some kind of primitive fungal or bacterial pathogen. Carrots do a similar thing a bit further along the timeline if left in a plastic bag.

Sweet Tatorman's picture

Weird. What are the storage conditions?

alice's picture

In a dark cupboard in the kitchen. Ambient is 24 C currently. As low as 14 C in parts of the house sometimes in winter. Humidity 65 % by the hygrometer on my barometer, no idea how accurate that is. Maybe the commercial sweet potatoes are not cured in the way homegrown would be?

Sweet Tatorman's picture

Alice, your storage conditions are clearly not the problem. 14C is right in the sweet spot for commercial storage of up to 12 months. 24C should be good for a month or two. It appears that the sweet potatoes that you are buying have been mishandled at some stage before you buy them. In response to a question I raised in a different thread you indicated that these are a bit of an exotic vegetable in the UK. I am suspecting that because of this that somewhere in the wholesale/retail chain there is a lack of understanding of proper handling. The most likely possibility is that somewhere in that chain they were refrigerated. While they can stand some exposure down to 10C, the pros tend to try to maintain 12C as the lower limit. I don't know if the ones you are buying are from a large chain like Tesco who I would hope would know better or a local green grocer. If the later, perhaps you could have a chat with them about what you are experiencing. You might try buying some from an alternate source and see if they store better.

alice's picture

Thanks for the information Sweet Tatorman. I love learning more about the food chain. =D