Joy of Cooking

by Irma S. Rombauer
Joy of Cooking
book data
2,372 ratings, 4.35 average rating, 415 reviews (more data...)
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published
October 31st 2006 (first published 1973) by Scribner

binding
Hardcover, 1152 pages

isbn
0743246268    (isbn13: 9780743246262)

description
The much anticipated 75th anniversary edition of Irma Rombauer's kitchen classic Joy of Cooking promises to be as indispensable as past editions of th...more




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Katie
12/21/07
Katie rated it: 5 of 5 stars (review of isbn 0672518317)

bookshelves: cooking-or-cookbooks
Read in January, 1991
The day I found out my grandmother was dying was the day I got this book.

She was sick and we were both very hopeful that she would get better. She was lying on the couch in the living room and asked me to boil her a potato. I, being 19, had NO idea how to boil a potato! But I did not want to bother her about it - so I went into the kitchen and started up the pot of water.

Not only did I ruin that cute little potato ... but I saw my grandmother lose it!! She came into the k...more
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Carey
03/04/08
Carey rated it: 5 of 5 stars

The 1997 edition is infallible.

The pre-1997 editions are good if you want to can or pickle your own veg, cook opossum, and make aspic.

The fifth edition, ie the 75th Anniversary edition shown in the picture above, contains too much retro-inspired nonsense and does not continue the practical and innovative approach laid out in the 1997 edition.

Basically, the 1997 edition took the heart of the Joy of Cooking, that is, that it is a book that contains all th...more
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Rob
10/14/07
Rob rated it: 4 of 5 stars (review of isbn 0684818701)

bookshelves: cookbook, own
Read in July, 2001
recommends it for: knife and spatula wielding omnivores
I would not consider this my "everyday" cookbook but the The Joy of Cooking is a definite must for anyone that takes their cooking seriously, enjoys spending a bit of time in the kitchen, and needs a good all-purpose reference that covers everything from emergency substitutions to complete banquet spreads.

What do I like most about The Joy of Cooking? It is fairly encyclopedic, covering about as broad a range of cooking topics as it can; while most of the recipes are from the...more
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Dianne
08/29/07
Dianne rated it: 4 of 5 stars (review of isbn 0684818701)

bookshelves: food
In their attempt to modernize the book, the authors omitted many recipes and techniques that are still relevant. Where is Sole Florentine, for heavens sake? And while not many families routinely can or freeze food as a winter survival strategy, there are still times when I would like to know how to do it - when my CSA gives me more corn than we can manage, or when local strawberries are beautiful, fresh, plentiful, and cheap. The lack of ice cream recipes is frustrating, especially given that...more
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Betty
02/06/09
Betty rated it: 5 of 5 stars (review of isbn 0684818701)

All good kitchen require this book. The older verions are better, but you can't find those to buy mostly, they are passed down in familys beacuse they are just so useful. But this version is still good. Although it reduses the fat in everything and has fewer good recipes for bread that don't require a bread machine. I find it very comprehencive. If I need to know how to braise, boil, or roast, this book will tell me. If I want to find a substiute ingredent, this is the place to look. If I wan...more
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Ivy
06/21/07
Ivy rated it: 5 of 5 stars

bookshelves: cookbooks
recommends it for: all cooks
Started as a project for my church back in the 1930s here in St. Louis, The Joy of Cooking is now an American classic. It is encyclopedic in scope. If you just want to know how to boil an egg...it's in there. If a friend brings you rudabaga...there's a recipe for that, eel....there's a recipe for that, wild game...there's a recipe for that, triple layer chocolate cake...it's in there too. Want to know which wine glass to use...where to place the forks...or how to do practically anything in t...more
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Jennifer
recommends it for: historians and zookeepers
i love this old 1973 edition rescued from my mom's basement. the writing style is awesome: you can hear them chiding you for your awkward kitchen skills. heavily uses ingredients that are out of fashion now, so that's historically interesting: lots of parsley, livers, anchovies, tarragon.

the recipes are not all so daunting: some of them are forward-looking to today's minimal cooking in their simplicity and flexibility. saved me many times when my fridge was sadly understocked.
...more
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Rhonda
01/07/09
Rhonda rated it: 4 of 5 stars (review of isbn 0684818701)

bookshelves: food-and-cooking
Read in October, 1990
I inherited this cookbook, an ancient edition, and have treasured it immensely. At first when I looked through it, all I coud find was things I thought were either icky or dishes I knew I would never make. like the different editions of this book, I marvel at how things and people change.
My old copy is well stained from many a night frantically reaching for ingredients on the other side of its pages, despreately trying to make a better impression with something delicious. I can still re...more
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Jennifer
bookshelves: cookbooks
Read in January, 1996
The first serious cookbook I've ever owned. After trolling the early internet for recipes in college, I picked up this little gem and off I went! So much of what I learned about appropriate preparation of vegetables, basic cuts of meat, the benefits of browning before braising, etc. I learned from this very book. My basic understanding of cuisine and food preparation stems from this book. Outside of an embarrassing attempt to entertain in college (start with family), this book has never let ...more
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Kim
06/17/07
Kim rated it: 5 of 5 stars

bookshelves: cooking, health
recommends it for: everyone who has a kitchen!
Goodness gracious, this book could be called "The Kitchen Bible". It has contains information on anything and everything you could ever want to know about preparing food. I don't understand how anyone can possibly know this much (I think writing this book would be more difficult than writing a dictionary) but I'm sure glad that they do!
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Joelle
01/14/08
Joelle rated it: 5 of 5 stars (review of isbn 0684818701)

recommends it for: all people, great and small
I've never looked in the Joy of Cooking and not found what I was looking up. It contains everything I would call my mom to ask and more. Classic.
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Katie
01/26/08
Katie rated it: 5 of 5 stars (review of isbn 0672518317)

Read in January, 2008
This is the best cookbook for idiots like myself, who don't know at what temperature to cook a baked potato.
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Rebecca
My major complaint with the "All New" version of The Joy of Cooking, is that there are many recipes that give microwave-only instructions. I am an old-fashioned girl, I don't own a microwave and even if I did, I prefer slow-cooking, no short-cut, real food. This version doesn't even offer an alternative recipe for those without a microwave in some cases. I went out and bought the original Joy of Cooking and have been much happier with that one. This one does have a few newer recipe...more
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Julie
03/19/09
Julie rated it: 5 of 5 stars (review of isbn 0684818701)

It takes a lot of effort for me to experience joy in the kitchen, unless we are talking about sipping coffee. This is a great cookbook, however, with thorough background information about selecting foods, basic to advanced preparation techniques, and yummy recipes. This is a classic, for good reason. I have my grandmother's earlier edition and I recommend the more recent ones (more recent editions, for example, assume that the eggs are cold and out of the refrigerator rather than room tempera...more
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Louise
03/04/09
Louise rated it: 5 of 5 stars (review of isbn 0684818701)

There is just something so awesome about a cookbook that is thorough enough to tell you that you can figure out the freshness of an egg by performing a water test. I love this book for the simple fact that it tells you how to do all the basic simple things (that you don't want to admit you never new) and also complicated things. I think it has such a redeeming quality to it because it holds on to the tried and true old-school and yet it is so ridiculously right about things that sometimes the in...more
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Christy
bookshelves: cookery
I believe it was in the hot buttered rum entry that the authors cheekily said the drink had been known to "make a man see double and feel single." How can you not love that?

This really is a must-have cookbook for anyone interested in the nostalgia of fifties-era dinner parties. All it takes is a few episodes of Bewitched and I find myself in the kitchen, reading this cookbook and dreaming of coq au vin preceded by Martinis and canapes. I use this book more in the winter, wh...more
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Mary
06/19/09
Mary rated it: 5 of 5 stars

bookshelves: reference
This is not a cookbook. This is a kitchen bible. Not only does it have a version of about every single recipe you could ever think of--it also has cocktail recipes, information on dried and fresh ingredients, possible menus (e.g., what to take on a picnic), wines, entertaining... EVERYTHING. I am a beginner, so many recipes are out of my league, but this book explains how to do everything, so there isn't anything I can't at least try.
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Catherine
bookshelves: currently-reading
Jeremy got me this book for Christmas. I have wanted it for awhile because I want to learn how to cook. For real cook, not just follow recipes. It is really cool so far. I read it before I go to bed. The print is a little small. Or I am just gettng old. I like that it isn't just a cookbook, it is a book about entertaining and the art of cooking. I think it is really going to help me take my cooking to th next level.
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Kristen
bookshelves: cook-books
Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in January, 1975
This is the cooking catch-all. Whether you need to skin a rabbit, or cook a standing rib roast ... but who doesn't know this? This has my all-time favorite pancake recipe. I also use this to make Springerle, stollen, figure out weights and measurements and just about everything else. My grandmother gave me the 1975 edition, I went out and bought the 1953 edition, which my mother had. It has the cocoa sponge recipe.
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Missy
02/19/09
Missy rated it: 5 of 5 stars (review of isbn 0684818701)

bookshelves: cookbooks
Read in January, 2003
Obviously I haven't read the ENTIRE thing, but I should note that I use this as a reference monthly, be it for confirming what temperature my chicken needs to be before coming out of the oven, making hash browns, trying to find the inspiration to cook more fish vs. go out for sushi all the time... If you like cooking, this is a fabulous addition to your kitchen.
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