The Joy of Cooking, reviewed

In addition to being a cooking magazine junkie, I'm a cookbook addict. I have hundreds of cookbooks. My collection includes Jewish cooking, Indian, Thai, vegetarian, baking, family cooking, kids cooking, entertaining, and make ahead cooking. I hoard cookbooks, and can't get rid of any of them, even books that are full of failed recipes or food I don't like. But there's one cookbook that is falling apart from use, with pages that are stained and soiled and a spine that is broken. That's my 1997 edition of The Joy of Cooking.

If I had to live with only 1 cookbook, The Joy of Cooking, 1997 Edition is the one. I love that this book is a combination of cooking basics and sophisticated recipes. Need to know how to boil an egg? How to roast a chicken? Joy has the answer. Want to know how to make traditional German Christmas cookies? Joy. Need to understand the differences between real buttercream and powdered sugar buttercream? Joy can tell you everything you need to know.

Joy is a dense, thick book. It has a ton of information, including basics on how to plan a menu, set a table, stock a kitchen, and purchase cooking equipment. Each section has an introductory "About" description that tells you about the technique or item. Basics of roasting, how to choose broccoli, how to decorate a cake, it's all in there. There are few cooking questions I've had that can't be answered by Joy.

The 1997 edition got a lot of flak in the press because it included more gourmet recipes than traditional recipes, but that's part of what I like about it. It has a nice range of Americanized ethnic recipes, fancy recipes for entertaining, and basics. It is the best basic resource for baking that I've found. I've been able to use the recipes as starting points for my own creations.

The 2006 edition was released in part to address complaints about the 1997 edition. The things that upset readers in 1997 - lack of bad 50s recipes like mushroom soup casserole, lower-fat dishes - are exactly the things I love about it, so I have no interest in the 2006 edition. Slate magazine says that the 2006 75th Anniversary Edition restores Rombauer's voice but adds way too much retro nonsense , and suggests Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything instead. I'll check out Bittman's book another time, but until the 1997 Joy is pulled from the shelves, it's my go-to cookbook.

The Joy of Cooking, 1997 Edition : Favorite Recipes

• 1-2-3-4 Yellow Cake
• Buttercream
• Blueberry Cobbler
• Pancakes
• Minestrone
• Blender Hollandaise
• The entire vegetable section
• Baked Stuffed Chicken Breasts
• Chicken Kiev
• Chicken Piccata
• Beef Bourgignon
• Roasted Chicken
• Heck, most anything. I love this book.