Customer Reviews

Joy of Cooking

5 star:		(92)
4 star:		(31)
3 star:		(19)
2 star:		(24)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

I am a cookbook collector, and looked forward to the latest edition of Joy. I grew up on the 1975 edition, which I consider a model of clarity, readability, and just plain fun to read.

Icannot say that for this new edition. The choice of Minion and Penumbra fonts is a very poor one. Because of the way the letters are made, the font looks smaller (even though I believe it is the same size as the 1975 ed) and is more of a strain to read. It gives me a headache to read this book for more than 15 minutes at a time.

In addition, the bold font, meant to show theingredients, is so close to the normal font that the two are barely distinguishable from each other. In the 1975 ed the bold easily stands out.

Also, the chapter heading only appears on the right hand page, with "Joy of Cooking" as the new left hand page header. This makes it inconvienent for a right handed reader to flip thru the book looking for a subject - I constantly have to stop flipping and see where I am. The 1975 edition did not have this problem and topics were easier to scan and locate.

Lastly, only 1 string is provided in the new ed. The 1975 edition had two, and I used them both. Now I have to decide which recipe I really want to mark.

So while I appreciate the work that went into this book, it is not a joy to read. And there's no way I'm going to be able to prop this book up in the kitchen and read it while I cook - the print is far too small and illegible for that.

I cannot recommend this book. I do recommend that readers go out and get the 1975 edition while you still can.  

This book is exactly what I needed: it's straightforward, broad in scope, and explains WHY---not just how--to cook a certain way(or not to;-) It's what a beginner cook needs. I opened it and went,"wow, it's basically a text book!" I have never read the older Joy books so I can't compare, but for me (a young cook who never had cooking "explained" to me, beyond how to boil; microwave; or make a log of cookie dough) this book is the first to ever satisfy me in know how to make something, why I need to make it in such a way, AND end up with something good to eat. Also, I love how the book offers ways to change recipes to suit one's tastes or fit one's diet better. Great section on vegetables, including lesser-known ones, and (thankfully) plenty of recipes beyond traditional North American grub (which I grew up with but find many of our dishes too fatty/sugary to eat in good conscience. Having said that, I am now confident I could whip up some "good ol' potato salad" when my grandpa visits...and tweak the recipe so I can have a share, too. I had been thinking I should take some cooking classes just to have a professional answer my "why?" questions (like, why do I need high heat, why do I need to add this ingredient? Why can't these ingredients cook together?) but this book answers my questions, bang. Ultimately, I foresee my stacks of other colorful but below-the-mark cookbooks gathering dust from now on, and Joy will be spattered and dog-eared. Loving it and I've only had it a week.I will be giving copies to all my friends next Xmas/birthday.

As a student and someone still learning all the ins and outs of cooking, I decided that a comprehensive book was what I needed. The older JOY was a book that even had instructions on butchering animals. Thankfully, this has been omitted in this newer version, but it seems the new Joy lacks some of the older one's soul. Here are my main criticisms.

(1) Many of the recipes are not very good. Adequate at best. It's very hit or miss. I thought the older Joy was more reliable, although usually much less healthy.

(2) The older Joy had much more instruction in general. It was more than just recipes. It had commentary on various subjects, lessons, and the like. The new Joy lacks much of this comprehensiveness.

That being said, the new Joy is much more healthy. The recipes are more varied and more reflective of the modern diet. It is very functional in that respect. However, in doing so, it's lost a lot of its charm. It's also dated itself. The recipes are not of the timeless variety, but very much representative of 1997. It's also not something you'll keep by your side in the kitchen. I reference it every now and then if I'm trying something new, but for the most part, it sits on my shelf.

It's still a useful book, don't get me wrong. And many of the recipes are excellent. It's just not the old Joy.

I bought this book for a friend. She considers it a must have for anyone who likes to cook and wanted a hard cover edition.

Great for the beginner to the more experienced. Wonderful as an all-around reference, from guacamole to hummus, with a great deal of detailed explanation. :) Happy cooking!

The New Joy of Cooking is a must for new or soon-to-be brides, or anyone that wants a comprehensive cook book. Personally I use this all the time, and when I am looking for a recipe this is the first place that I look. Actually I give this 4.5 stars, but still this is an excellent book to start off anyone's cookbook collection.

The NJofC not only has tons of recipes, but also diagrams many cooking techniques like how to transfer pie dough to the pan and diagrams of where different cuts of meat come from beef cattle. This cook book gives plently of detail, however this book does try to cover everything, and I think that in so doing it has lost some attention certain recipe sections not giving enough variety. For instance I was disappointed in the section on turkey, it is okay if you want to roast a whole bird but if you want a ground turkey recipe (besides just substituting ground turkey for ground beef) there are only two, and the one for turkey meat balls is not much different from the loaf recipe.

The New Joy of Cooking covers everything and anything you can imagine; for abalone to zucchini (except camel; although I don't think it is available in the US). So whatever the recipe, whatever the occassion more than likely you'll be able to find it in this book. I definitely recommend this book to any cook book collection.

I received The New Joy of Cooking as a birthday present about half a year ago, and I've been using it consistently since then. It contains reliable and well-tested recipes, and employs a recipe format that would, in a perfect world, be adopted by all cookbook writers to come.

Of course, this is not the original Joy of Cooking, and it differs considerably from that volume. Opinions vary on the matter, but I feel that many of the complaints about this revised edition have more to do with sentimentality than with the quality of the book itself. The sections that have been sacrificed - though I'm sure they contained perfectly good recipes - are the ones for which the vast majority of Americans would find little use. The chapter on canning was not eliminated out of spite for the old ways; it was eliminated because the ubiquity of the refrigerator in America has made home canning all but obsolete.

The Joy of Cooking has not sold out, but merely continued to do what it has always done: provide Americans with high quality recipes that reflect the way America eats. That means dishes with east Asian, Indian, African, Caribbean, European, Latin American and Middle Eastern influences, holding their own beside standard "American" fare - quite an arbitrary designation, really - without replacing it.

I wholeheartedly recommend The New Joy of Cooking both for beginning cooks and for experienced ones who would like a single-volume reference for every night of the week. Or for that matter, every night of the year.

I never learned to cook growing up, and I still would not know how to cook had I never read this book. After trying a few easy recipes, I tackled the bouillabaise. This was such a hit that I'm now obligated to prepare it every Christmas.
The point is, the book is so well-written that you could just as easily prepare tuna salad as you could roast suckling pig. The recipes are easy to read, very well explained, and very precise. The book also details the basics of great food preparation, storage, and buying. You will learn how to store soup as well as how to pick the best fresh pineapple.
I'm also very impressed by the inclusion of so many multi-cultural dishes. Indian dishes, Morroccan dishes, Mexican, Chinese, Italian--it's all in here.
Now, if they'd just make a separate edition for each of the cultures mentioned above, I would die happy (or at the very least, well fed).

This is the greatest cookbook ever!!!!!. I have only had my copy for 3 years and it is falling apart. I USE IT ALL THE TIME!!! This is the 1st book I look into before I search all my other cookbooks. I wouls definately reccommend this book for beginners in the kitchen.

This cookbook belongs in every kitchen! Whenever I'm planning a dinner party or I'd like to try something new, I can always count on the new Joy of Cooking to carry the day. Evidence of its frequent use can be seen by the stains on my copy's pages.

This is well worth the money, although a soft cover would probably be nicer to save a few dollars.

I highly recommend the penne with vodka sauce recipe on page 309 - it's excellent! Try it with a little more heavy cream to create a creamy assault-on-the-senses delight.

By this book, and pass it on to your kids and grandchildren.