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3rd out of 696 books
—
665 voters
Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book
More than 900 new recipesa1,200 in allareflect current eating habits and lifestyles.500 new photosamore than 700 in allaincluding 60 percent more of finished food than the last edition.
Dozens of new recipes offer ethnic flavors, fresh ingredients, or vegetarian appeal.
Many recipes feature make-ahead directions or quick-to-the-table meals.
New chapter provides recipes for cr...more
Dozens of new recipes offer ethnic flavors, fresh ingredients, or vegetarian appeal.
Many recipes feature make-ahead directions or quick-to-the-table meals.
New chapter provides recipes for cr...more
Hardcover, 576 pages
Published
September 1st 2003
by Better Homes and Gardens Books
(first published January 1st 1965)
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I think My Mom gave me this one as a graduation present. It's not quite as good as having her in the kitchen with me, but the recipes remind me of childhood: 3-bean salad, cowboy coffee cake, corn chowder, snickerdoodles, spanish rice and all the candy and canning recipes My Mom has a knack for and I usually don't have the guts to try on my own.
I love how they keep coming out with new versions of the "New Cookbook" and this version is extra special because of the section with "All-Time Favorite...more
I love how they keep coming out with new versions of the "New Cookbook" and this version is extra special because of the section with "All-Time Favorite...more
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I don't know if perhaps it's me, but I there are a number of recipes in this book that I have had to tweak to make *ahem* BETTER. I am not a chef, but I do consider myself an amateur foodie of sorts. I had to adjust the muffin recipe (maybe I am just used to the super fabulousness of Gingerbread Muffin Company muffins, but anyways...), I had to work on the pizza dough recipe to get it to rise just so and become the correct consistency of pizza dough and not so crunchy at it kept turning out with...more
This is my go to book for baking, it has the best recipes for peanut butter cookies, ginger snaps, and fruit crisps. It also is a great cook book to have if you don't want to have 10 cook books (like I do) and it has enough of a variety to be your "only" cookbook, as these are tried and true recipes. The one downfall is that it doesn't have many ethnic or alternative (non-meat) recipes, so you'll have to go elsewhere for that.
Great for a beginner with explanations of techniques and terms at the beginning. The book has been in family for ages though I have a later edition than the one my mother used.
Very simple and easy to follow. General over all.
Very simple and easy to follow. General over all.
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I have finally decided to get rid of this book. For the last month I've been using it to hold down the lid of my dog's dry food container so she won't get into it because the latch is broken. I kept wanting this to be a good, useful go-to book like our old Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook that we've had all my life (and that got used so much it's completely falling apart), but everytime I try to use this book I'm disappointed. It's got good ideas, but the recipes are NOT good imo. So final...more
Feb 04, 2008
Janine
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Everyone who eats
Best cookbook for beginners. It has all the classic instructions and recipes that a new cook needs. A MUST have in any kitchen. The 3-ring binder version is by far the best.
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This cookbook is excellent for a beginner cook. It explains the basics. I also have to admit that I love my 1970 edition better than the newer version.
These recipes remind you of good times spent with family and friends. For me they were the beginning of cooking on my own. I now have many cookbooks and have evolved in my culinary skills. Just like fashion in clothes, fashion in food evolves constantly. But it's nice to hang on to our roots. I still refer to the Better Homes and Gardens Cook Boo...more
These recipes remind you of good times spent with family and friends. For me they were the beginning of cooking on my own. I now have many cookbooks and have evolved in my culinary skills. Just like fashion in clothes, fashion in food evolves constantly. But it's nice to hang on to our roots. I still refer to the Better Homes and Gardens Cook Boo...more
One of the single best cookbooks ever set to print -- My Mother grew tired of me swiping hers (which I've been using since I first began my culinary journey in the late 80s) and purchased me one of my own about 5-10 years so. It covers everything from the most basic of basics (hard boiled eggs to roasts) and has some "fancier" standards in there, too. It also includes pictures that explain how batters should look, and breaks down introductory cooking knowledge, like terminology, cuts, etc. Even...more
I've found the majority of recipes in this new edition bland and flavorless, totally unlike my mom's edition from the late 60's. The low-fat, low-salt movement has taken its toll on this classic kitchen staple.
For what it's worth, I cook with as little salt as I can get away with, but when you don't put any salt at all into a pie crust - eww.
My suggestion is to search Goodwill or second-hand book stores for one of those earlier editions. You can always adjust the ingredients to suit a special d...more
For what it's worth, I cook with as little salt as I can get away with, but when you don't put any salt at all into a pie crust - eww.
My suggestion is to search Goodwill or second-hand book stores for one of those earlier editions. You can always adjust the ingredients to suit a special d...more
I heartily dislike cooking. It is tempting to rate this five stars. After all, it has fantastic step-by-step recipes, helpful hints, and special instructions (aka Cooking for Dummies 101: What your mother and your grandmother SHOULD have taught you long before now). Unfortunately, mine is this ring-bound version. I dislike it mostly because the pages get caught and ripped. It's a pain in the patootie to keep repairing the book, so sometimes I say, "To heck with it!" and toss it on the cookbook s...more
I actually have the Souvenir Edition (Fall 1964) that I inherited from my grandmother. This was my first basic cookbook. The section on muffins is particularly helpful to new bakers. It includes a basic recipe for both the "standard" method and "biscuit" method and then several good variations. The Peanut-butter Crisscross Cookies are the ones my mom made every Saturday (baking day in our house) to pack into all those weekday lunches right from the 60s! Also the Stuffed Pepper Cups are the stuff...more
Of all my cookbooks - and I LOVE cookbooks!! - I would have thought this would be one of my favorites. Not even close. There are very few recipes in this book that I have made more than once. For example, don't even bother with the banana muffins. They tasted like a big lump of baking soda. Way too salty and no flavor at all. I won't bother making them again. All in all, I don't recommend this one, particularly to beginner cooks. You'll never want to learn to cook if you try these crappy recipes...more
Hands down, my most-used cookbook. It was the first cookbook I bought when I got my first apartment. I was poor and opted for the mass-market paperback version and over the past 30 years it has disintegrated. I recently decided to replace it with a fancy, shiny new spiral bound copy. It looks pretty and it's okay but in my opinion, it's not as good as my old one. Many of my favorite recipes are missing so it sits on the shelf. I take down my battered old faithful, held together with packing tape...more
My family has been using this cookbook in one version or another since I was a child in the 1970s. My mom's copy is old and tattered around the edges, with dots of sugar and flour on the pages of our favorite recipes. My new copy looks almost pristine in comparison, a testament to the fact that I can't read print and use a copy of the book scanned into my computer. I've kept my print copy to give to my daughter when she gets her first apartment. Hmm. Maybe I need to put some sugar dots on our fa...more
I had a Better Homes & Gardens cookbook for about 35 years and it was stained & dog eared and my bible for roasting meats & poultry. I finally decided to treat myself to a brand new edition. So I went out and bought a new copy and tossed old faithful away. BIG MISTAKE! The new book didn't have my old favorite recipes and to add insult to injury, the cover's rivets promptly fell out and the whole thing fell apart. I just wanted a nice clean copy of my old friend and now I just wish I...more
The Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook by Jennifer Darling is my "go-to" cookbook at the moment. It is the cookbook I keep on my wrought iron cookbook stand right next to my stove. It is very easy to use, informative, and it is simple to turn to needed information during the cooking process.
I recommend this cookbook as the basic cookbook everyone should own; from the new, inexperienced cook, to the seasoned home chef, it is a great cooking reference to have handy.
I recommend this cookbook as the basic cookbook everyone should own; from the new, inexperienced cook, to the seasoned home chef, it is a great cooking reference to have handy.
I'm kind of picky when it comes to cook books, mostly because I hate eating what I cook so it has to be exceptional. I bought this book because I happened on a cookbook back in 1974 when I was engaged to be married to my first husband. It was a Better Homes and Gareden one so I got the real McCoy. I found this one to not be up to par with the little spin off one that I got. So I was disappointed and I still had to eat the food I cooked from this one.
This is the best gift I received at my wedding shower over 14 years ago. My copy is now dog-eared and stained, but it has always been my go-to book for instructions on the most common recipes. The step-by-step directions and information were very helpful when I was starting married life and later as I learned to take care of a family. I intend to give all of our children the most current copy as a gift when they embark on their adult lives.
I absolutely love to cook and explore new territory in the kitchen so I was initially a little nonplussed by this wedding gift--especially since I was raised on Betty Crocker. However, I quickly discovered that these recipes tended to be more flavorful than the Betty Crocker equivalents, and the cookbook itself more likely to contain a recipe I was looking for. This is my top recommendation for your basic, general, and go-to cookbook.
We used to have a copy of this growing up and used it all the time for family meals and snacks. When I moved to the UK and realized I'd have to cook on my own I immediately ordered this cookbook from Amazon. I use it at least once a week!
The recipes are easy to follow and the ingredients are easy to find. I especially like when the pictures are present, but I know that anything I make from here will turn out right.
The recipes are easy to follow and the ingredients are easy to find. I especially like when the pictures are present, but I know that anything I make from here will turn out right.
I received mine as a Christmas gift in 1993 so it is a tad outdated. I'm not likely to find pad thai. I'm vegetarian and like to take traditional recipes from my childhood and adapt them to my veggie diet. This is my go-to cookbook for that. I don't know how much my copy differs from the latest versions. For anyone who wants just one cookbook that covers the basics to the gourmet, this one should keep you pretty happy.
I have friends in the states who raved about this so I managed to get one when I was visiting. I was shocked at how many of the ingredients were processed and how lacking in real cooking and baking techniques most of the recipies were This book made me proud of the cooking and baking that Britain and Ireland are clearly far more superior at. My jamie Oliver cookbook and avoca cookbook are easily a 10 beside this!
This was my mom’s go-to cookbook when I was growing up. From it, I baked all of my first pies and quick breads when I was learning to cook as a young adult. It has some useful references (like how long to cook meat, measuring conversions, etc.). While I don’t cook these recipes all that frequently now, my cookbook collection wouldn’t feel complete without the trademark white and red checkered cover.
Sep 04, 2009
Noel M.
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Those new to cooking
Recommended to Noel by:
My mom
I couldn't live without this book!
It was my starter cookbook, first introducing me to the ease and rewards of cooking. Yet over the years I have learned there are some things that just can't be improved. For instance, the pecan pie, lemon tart, and pie crust recipes are perfect and simple. Also, when I need a taste of home (the Midwest) I can find a navy bean soup recipe, or such, close by.
It was my starter cookbook, first introducing me to the ease and rewards of cooking. Yet over the years I have learned there are some things that just can't be improved. For instance, the pecan pie, lemon tart, and pie crust recipes are perfect and simple. Also, when I need a taste of home (the Midwest) I can find a navy bean soup recipe, or such, close by.
I received this as a wedding present. It was a great gift! This is one of my favorite references for cooking times, measurement equilvalents, and a wide-range of recipes. This is a teaching cookbook with definitions and pictures. It pictures & explains everything from different cuts of meat to all kinds of beans, herbs & mushrooms. It even tells me how to properly set the table...with pictures.
My favorite basic cookbook. I go to this book when I want to know exactly how many minutes to boil an egg (to avoid the greenish ring that sometimes forms around the yolk) and at what degree and for how many minutes to bake the perfect baked potato (soft on the inside with a crisp skin). Also, the Old Fashioned Beef Stew recipe in this book is one of my favorites.
Oct 23, 2010
Megan
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
cookbooks,
favorite-cookbooks
There's a reason this one is a classic! Some of my favorite "go to" recipes are in this one. I love the clear explanations & use this as a reference when I'm experimenting, like tonight when I cooked spaghetti squash for the first time. Plus, it reminds me of my Mom when I use this one since it was on her cookbook shelf when I was growing up. And one she still has today! :-)
Another basic kitchen staple. Some folks swear by it - I do like the pictures (which Joy of Cooking does not have, using only illustrations).
If you're looking for one of these, go for the 3 ring binder edition rather than paperback. Mine fell apart, so it isn't pulled out too often.
Culinary Skill Level: kitchen basics cookbook, perfect for beginner to moderate.
If you're looking for one of these, go for the 3 ring binder edition rather than paperback. Mine fell apart, so it isn't pulled out too often.
Culinary Skill Level: kitchen basics cookbook, perfect for beginner to moderate.
"A great basic cookbook. This is the one I turn to when I need a basic recipe for baked goods, family favorites, and general American foods like pizza, pasta, muffins, cakes, cookies, ground beef presentations, fish dishes and so on. Nothing innovative, but a lot of family foods. Nutrition info is provided. The ring binding is appreciated in the kitchen."
This is a good "starter" cookbook since it's got all the classics and instructions on all the cooking basics. It's still my go-to book when I need to look up things like roasting temperatures for chicken, etc. But now that I use Epicurious.com I don't rely on this book like I once did.
This isn't a five star cookbook in my estimation - just because it's so basic.
This isn't a five star cookbook in my estimation - just because it's so basic.
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