101 Classic Cookbooks: 501 Classic Recipes

by Marion Nestle (Foreword), Judith Jones (Contributor), Florence Fabricant (Contributor)

Like a hall of fame for cookbooks, this is a food lover’s dream collection, featuring 501 recipes from favorite authors. Any cook will tell you that in every cookbook there are a handful of recipes that rise to the top—the earmarked and most-stained pages. In this marvelous collection, 501 of these signature recipes have been carefully selected from 101 great cookbooks of the twentieth century—beloved tomes passed down through generations. The list of masterworks was chosen by an expert advisory committee that includes Jonathan Gold, Michael Pollan, and Ruth Reichl. It is like having a library of culinary classics condensed into one volume. You’ll discover so many timeless gems, such as Julia Child’s Boeuf Bourguignon, Elizabeth David’s Bouillabaisse, Marcella Hazan’s Bolognese Ragu, Jacques Pepin’s Brioche, James Beard’s Pig Hamburgers, and Irma Rombauer’s Devil’s Food Cake Cockaigne. But you’ll also read about how these books and recipes revolutionized the way we eat. Interspersed throughout are nostalgic images from the vintage first editions. It is a fascinating culinary tour that in whole tells much of the story of American culture at large.

Genres: Cookbooks, Food, Cooking, Nonfiction

688 pages, Hardcover

First published October 9, 2012

About the author

Marion Nestle, Ph.D, M.P.H., is the Paulette Goddard Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University. She is also a professor of Sociology at NYU and a visiting professor of Nutritional Sciences at Cornell University.

Nestle received her BA from UC Berkeley, Phi Beta Kappa, after attending school there from 1954-1959. Her degrees include a Ph.D in molecular biology and an M.P.H. in public health nutrition, both from the University of California, Berkeley.

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book. I learn so much from it every time I pick it up.

[M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Before you plunk down your money for this hefty (almost five pounds) book, it might help to know what you are buying.

Above all, this book is a work of culinary history, which accounts for why the title in bold on the cover is “101 Classic Cookbooks,” with “501 Classic Recipes” in smaller print beneath. The food history part of the volume is very attractive, with full color reproductions and facsimile pages from each cookbook, along with an introduction for each and several longer essays by famous food persons like Alice Waters and Laura Shapiro. The cookbooks span the 20th century, from Fannie Farmer and Sarah Tyson Rorer to Thomas Keller and Mark Bittman. Recommended recipes from each appear in a box on the page, with page references to those that are actually incorporated into the “501” section of the book. This section offers hours of pleasurable browsing.

What the book is not---at least not exactly---is a proper cookbook. Of the 501 recipes, some are (as the editor notes) primarily of historical interest. Others are just plain interesting and create a fine record of changing culinary tastes. There is one problem. Always wanted to try something from, say, The French Laundry Cookbook, a book that you don’t happen to own? There are recipes, all right, but they are not complete. Take his “Macaroni and Cheese,” the one with “Butter-Poached Maine Lobster with Creamy Lobster Broth and Mascarpone-Enriched Orzo.” The main recipe is there, but not recipes for three essential components, the creamy lobster broth, the beurre monté, and the coral oil. So forget it, or plunk down some more money for the French Laundry Cookbook. To be fair, most of the included recipes are not like this, but a cook will want to look carefully at a recipe before getting out the knives and bowls.

The best place for this book may be the nightstand, if you are a cookbook-reader-in-bed person like me. You can’t actually make Rose Levy Beranbaum’s “Blueberry Swan Cake” (p. 627) from this book, but you’ll have sweet dreams.

M. Feldman

[Judith Kerr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Showcase of the best 101 cookbooks and then 501 recipes culled from them. Lots of interesting info about the origins and authors of these books. I treasure this book!!

[Judi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't like to cook but I do like cookbooks. This one is a compilation of many classic cookbooks that are worth exploring. While I already owned some of the books reviewed I did buy one based on the description provided. And the recipes at the back are varied.

[Courtney Hoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! I have not cooked that many recipes from the book but the historical information is so interesting. This book introduced me to food history and I have fallen in love!

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a cool book. The front half is the famous/noteworthy cookbook of their era. It runs from the 1890s to 1999. It shows the pictures and primary topics of each book, and some recipe snippets. And there are some interesting ones!!! It then tells you several of the popular/defining recipes from each book. Several of those are in the back of this book. It's interesting to see how American diet and food tastes changed over the years, and that in the 20s they were complaining about new-found convenience foods, but by the 50s cooks were totally into it. Then there is the microwave book (microwaved chicken - EW!) and another backlash against convenience food with the ethnic and vegetarian cookbooks of the 70s.

As for the recipes in the back, some of the very old ones are amusing, if not something I would eat. The newer ones are so-so. I wouldn't necessarily buy the book for the recipes, but it is very cool book.

[Eden · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're interested in both recipes and the chefs that made them famous, this one is for you. The whole first section simply breaks down famous chefs and their most well known dishes. Everyone from Julia Child and Alice Waters to Fannie Merritt Farmer and Marthe Distel (the founder of Le Corden Bleu) is featured.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating look at the history of eating in America. All 101 cook books are discussed and it gives you so much context into what your parents ate and what they fed you and why.

[Abbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating book. I've used it as a guide to the cookbook section of my used book stores and it has led me to several treasures I would otherwise have overlooked.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the historical aspect of this book, and learning a bit more about American food trends through the years. I've also tried and liked several of the recipes included in the book.

[Susie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the historical aspect of the 101 choices