Despite the avalanche of cookbooks dumped on us every year, you will still find the Joy of Cooking on the top of many people's most used, most loved cookbook lists. While the Betty Crocker and Better Homes and Gardens cookbooks have perhaps sold more copies, it's Joy that's the most beloved, handed down from generation to generation. I myself have three versions on my book shelf (1963, 1975, and the controversial 1997 editions.) How about you? What's your favorite edition of the Joy of Cooking?
There are currently two editions of the Joy of Cooking still in print: the 75th Anniversary 8th Edition, published in 2006, and the 7th Edition, published in 1997. The 8th edition is seen by many as a correction to the 1997 edition, which modernized the Joy, but not to everyone's liking. I personally like the 7th Edition and am not at all offended by the addition of ingredients and recipes from Asia or to find a recipe for Grilled Fish Tacos. Both editions have their place, in my opinion.
The 6th Edition was published in 1975 and was the last to be edited by Marion Rombauer Becker, the book's original illustrator and daughter of its original author, Irma Rombauer. The 6th Edition is the bestselling edition of all time. The "Know Your Ingredients" section was a godsend to those of us who starting cooking in the days before the internet.
The 5th Edition was published in 1963, but not before a rouge edition full of errors had been released behind the authors' backs in 1962. (While the 1962 edition is probably a collector's item, its many errors mean it's not a very useful cookbook.) The 1963 Edition established Joy as America's kitchen bible and was seen as an essential cookbook for home cooks and professionals alike.
The Fourth Edition was published in 1951, the Third in 1945/1946, the Second in 1936, and the original was published in 1931.
The Joy of Cooking has a very nice website with lots of history, photographs, and new content, such as posts on buying organic and how to buy and use kumquats. The site is really lovely and easy to navigate. It's nice to see this venerable institution represented so well on the swift and sparkling internets. Way to go, Joy!
Do own a copy of the Joy of Cooking? Did it come to you from your mother? Do you own more than one? How often do you use it these days?
Related: Dana's 5 Essential Cookbooks
→ Visit the Website: The Joy of Cooking
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June 1980 edition is the one that is on my shelf right beside the kitchen entryway - vanilla stained, dough crusted, ribbon-bookmarked, hand-written notes and all.
I do have another version packed in a box with other less used books- an extra I picked up at a second hand store just-in-case.
June 1980 edition is the one that is on my shelf right beside the kitchen entryway - vanilla stained, dough crusted, ribbon-bookmarked, hand-written notes and all.
I do have another version packed in a box with other less used books- an extra I picked up at a second hand store just-in-case.
I was given my mother's by my older sister. It is, I think, a reprint of the 1936, but updated for wartime (meat substitutes and the like), and its last date is 1943. There is a preface to the 1943 edition. The family stories (of the Rombauers, I mean) are so charming, and my mother explained to me that the recipes marked "Cockaigne" were particular favorites of theirs.
I don't really cook from it, but it's a family heirloom as far as I'm concerned.
Of the sort of general "classic" cookbooks I think that the best one I own and use the most is a 1970s Marion Cunningham re-write of Fannie Farmer. Nothing in there ever fails or disappoints. I think she must have tested them an infinite number of times. I really need to find another copy--mine no longer has a cover and is in pieces. I use Alice Waters The Art of Simple Food much more these days, but if I want to make something basic (like lasagna last weekend) FF is the one!
I have the 6th edition and the 7th edition. I cherish my copy of the 6th edition. It taught me to cook and I still use it all the time. The 7th edition is ehh. The issue for me isn't the content. It is the more commercial approach to cookbook writing. Instead of recipes written by real women cooking for their families and friends, the recipes are from professional chefs and often read more like formulas. Technically sound, but without the soul of the previous version. The 7th edition also removed whole sections that are still very relevant today, like jams, jellies and preserves.
I was given the 8th edition when I graduated college. Of my 20+ cookbooks, it is probably the only one I consult on a regular basis. There is no kitchen crisis Joy can't explain, instruct or solve with a substitution.
I cherish my mom's 1975 copy. The binding is falling apart, so I don't use it too much for reference anymore, but I always turn to it for certain recipes. It wouldn't be Christmas without turning to the recipe for Rich Roll Cookies and seeing annotations in my mom's handwriting. I also have the 7th edition (meh) and the 8th edition (my go-to for basic techniques, etc.)
Thanks for mentioning us! We believe the book is still very important for home cooks, even with the burgeoning glossy, trendy cookbook scene. We welcome all comments, suggestions, and questions on our website. We're also working on a pdf of our favorite JOY recipes, since there are so many good ones that are easy to overlook. Stay in touch!
My mom and I both have copies of the '46 edition. When my mom was living in Algeria in the '70s, she needed a cookbook whose recipes didn't include any convenience items, so her mother sent it to her, and it's the version I grew up with. I still use it all the time and find it full of useful tidbits. What other cookbook will show you how to butcher a squirrel?
I just used mine this morning for waffles. I think mine must be the 7th edition, I got it for Christmas in 2004 right before graduating college. I generally use the internet for recipes and ideas these days, but I can always flip to the quick breads/pancakes section in Joy on the first try! I bought a copy for a friend a few years ago, too.
I have the 7th edition and I like the asian recipes. I grew up in Portland eating a lot of different kinds of asian food and I enjoy cooking it at home.
I love the way recipes are laid out with ingredients listed in the step where they are used. I often get annoyed with my Best Recipes when I'm trying to measure out ingredients beforehand and they split up the salt/sugar/etc and you have to hunt through the recipe to figure out how much goes in each step. Or I lose my place flipping from instructions to ingredients and back.
I'm not sure which edition I have (bought it in the '90s, I think), and I've only used it for butterscotch brownies and buttermilk waffles, but those two recipes have been worth the purchase price.
Wozlig, those roll cookies are legendary in my family! I pulled Joy down just Sunday to make some Easter cookies. Everyone asks me for my recipe, as if it were some family secret, and I freely admit it's the Joy recipe (I have the 1975 edition) with some lemon zest added in. My great niece recently told me (via Facebook!) that these are the most awesome cookies ever and it's not a holiday without them.
I have the 7th edition (I think, I lost the jacket), which came out in 1997. By default, I guess this is my choice...it's the only on I have.
I've made many, many recipes; most of them repetitively.
I have the blue with white diamonds cover- 1943. Happened to be Dad's Aunt's (the one I liked rather than one of the others) cookbook. I have begun trying the marinade and salad dressings for grilling items. The variations on tartar sauce are our favorite. I should try the Aunt's favorite pea soup recipe in there next week.
I have my mom's copy of the 1964 edition (although a 1972 printing). It has her notes, as well as mine. I love it both for the recipes I use (peanut butter cookies) and the ones I don't (boudin noir, possum). I love it most of all because of the stains on so many pages from the early years of parents marriage.
I have five different editions, and the 1997 version is by far my favorite. The tuna noodle casserole alone is worth the price of admission.
I have the 5th (1964) edition, which my Mum gave me when I moved into my first apartment in 1972. It is in a VERY-well-used state - though it saw most of its use back then - and is well-traveled, too. I still use it, though not as much as I did years ago, and I treasure it: it is one of the few things that I have owned for such a long time....
I have two: 1963 and 1975. The former was a wedding gift in 1964; the latter came with the second husband. :-) Still use them as references. And for my coveted hazelnut "toffee," actually JoC's "Nut Crunch," and the oh-so-delicious Vanilla Cream Caramels.
The waffle recipe from my parents' edition is the best! They got it as wedding gift in 1980, not sure of the edition. I got mine in college, and the waffle recipe isn't as good. Beaten egg whites make all the difference! The later edition is still a wonderful reference, though.
My mom had the 6th edition and it was well loved in our house. I got the 8th edition as a Christmas gift when I got my own apartment and it has pride of place in my kitchen, while the rest of my cookbooks are relegated to the living room.
1975 edition was a present from my mom when I moved out. About the only think I think I've ever made from it was pancakes, but goodness gracious were they yummy ones.
I think the Joy of Cooking is the most overrated and awful cookbook I have ever seen. I was given one years ago and was very happy to 'regift' it as soon as I could.
I cherish my mother's 1953 edition but mainly for all the handwritten quips written in the margins, some of which are still quite humorous.
I was given a 6th edition (1975) as a high school graduation gift and I have my mom's 4th edition (1951) which she was given when she married. I cook from the 6th edition but when I want to pick up a cook book just to read, it's always Joy from 1951!
I have the last 3 editions, just because I am obsessed with cookbooks. Saying that, I rarely look at any of them and almost never cook from them. Honestly, I have tried HARD to love Joy like seemingly everyone else.
Why can't I get into Joy? Because the format of all of them really turns me OFF in a big way. I dislike the cheap paper, but mainly it is the format. I would say the lack of photos is not encouraging, except that I LOVE, and use a lot, the Fannie Farmer (Cunningham) cookbooks, and others like the Moosewood cookbook that have no color photos. So it's not that.
What it is, is the Double Column format that turns me off in a big way. Perhaps it reminds me of being a kid sitting in Church trying to make out the double column Bible in King James, the one with no notes at the bottom explaining anything. Bibles have moved on to modern language, and one column formats with larger fonts. Why can't Joy? I have no doubt the recipes are, by now, pretty great, and I love the hand drawn illustrations.
I know, publishers want to save space, and how may pages they print. But when I open a cookbook whose format is boring, ugly, and gives me claustrophobia, the last thing I want to do is cook from it, because I don't want to sit in an armchair and read it! And reading it to find recipes is where it starts for me.....unless of course it pops up doing a recipe search for something specific in Eat Your Books! But cookbooks are great when they lead you to make something NEW that you might not have even heard of before!
I have the last 3 editions, just because I am obsessed with cookbooks. Saying that, I rarely look at any of them and almost never cook from them. Honestly, I have tried HARD to love Joy like seemingly everyone else.
Why can't I get into Joy? Because the format of all of them really turns me OFF in a big way. I dislike the cheap paper, but mainly it is the format. I would say the lack of photos is not encouraging, except that I LOVE, and use a lot, the Fannie Farmer (Cunningham) cookbooks, and others like the Moosewood cookbook that have no color photos. So it's not that.
What it is, is the Double Column format that turns me off in a big way. Perhaps it reminds me of being a kid sitting in Church trying to make out the double column Bible in King James, the one with no notes at the bottom explaining anything. Bibles have moved on to modern language, and one column formats with larger fonts. Why can't Joy? I have no doubt the recipes are, by now, pretty great, and I love the hand drawn illustrations.
I know, publishers want to save space, and how may pages they print. But when I open a cookbook whose format is boring, ugly, and gives me claustrophobia, the last thing I want to do is cook from it, because I don't want to sit in an armchair and read it! And reading it to find recipes is where it starts for me.....unless of course it pops up doing a recipe search for something specific in Eat Your Books! But cookbooks are great when they lead you to make something NEW that you might not have even heard of before!