The Cook’s Kitchen

I started cooking by my father’s side at such a young age, that I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t doing something in the kitchen. I had a million questions, of course about the what and the why of how to cook. My dad would inevitably hand me The Joy of Cooking and encourage me to look it up for myself.

I spent alot of hours reading that book. At that time, I didn’t know that there were any other cookbooks, because just about any recipe I was looking for was in the “Joy” with clear, direct instructions and explanations. I’ve since found other books, of course, but few are as packed with information as the “Joy.”

The book has grown from a humble collection of family wisdom influenced recipes to a major reference work for cooks around the world. Over time, the book has undergone some controversial revisions– the 97 edition being the most derisive. That version attempted to ‘modernize’ the “Joy,” ejecting some of the information on Canning and other content that was viewed as ‘folksier,’ in favor of trendier flavors.

The latest version, in honor of the 75th anniversary of the “Joy” rights some of those perceived wrongs and does a job to balance both the old and new lives of the book, returning much of the content that had been removed and jettisoning a few of the trendier notions.

Will it satisfy “Joy” purists? Maybe not, but it remains one of the most comprehensive and user-friendly cookbooks I’ve ever seen for beginning and experienced cooks. And it is still the first book I reach for on the shelf.

There are some videos in Quicktime and Windows Media on the publisher’s website– maybe the Joy of Cooking is getting slick, after all.

The Joy of Cooking 75th Anniversary Edition,
Published by Simon & Schuster, October 2006