Do you have one of those? A cookbook that has grown dog-eared, sauce splattered, chocolate smeared, and just plain yummy with lots of use? Oh, I do, I do! It is my wonderful Joy of Cooking by Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer and Ethan Becker. It is my total Go-To Cookbook; how to roast a chicken, how to clean a fish, cutting and buying steaks, how to hard boil an egg, making the perfect omelet, What the different types of peppers are and how each one is used best, making flakey pastry dough.... you name it, it is in there. I have said before how much I love cookbooks- I read them like novels and to me a perfect Sunday is flipping through one of my cookbooks with a pack of post-its by my side, selecting each recipe I want to create in my kitchen. The only problem with having so many cookbooks is knowing where to look when an idea strikes of What To Cook For Dinner:
"Will this recipe be located in Rachael Rays 30 Minute Meals? Oh wait, I think I saw it in her Cooking Around the Clock... or maybe it isn't Rachael Ray at all- I remember it uses ginger, I bet it is Cat Cora. Ok, it isn't in there.... Well, maybe Martha has it. Ok, there is something similar in there, but not exactly what I am looking for. A little too fancy. Aghhhhhh. I am just going to look in Joy of Cooking already! .....Oh my goodness, there it is! Of course it is here, they have everything. Why didn't I just look here first?!
Yes... this was a normal late afternoon, time-to-start-thinking-of-dinner-before-the-husband-comes-home-from-work time. (This is also another reason why I wanted to start this blog as a way to have my favorite recipes from each different location to live in just one place). I started figuring out that if I just consoled the Joy of Cooking first I could shortcut myself ten-fold. They weren't always as trendy as Cat Cora, or as fast as Rachael Ray, or as authentic as Jaden Hair- but they were ALWAYS consistently good. And they were always there! Amazing how so many recipes could really be located in one place.
I received this book as a gift from my wonderful Mother-in-law, Sandy and I am forvere grateful for it! What an amazing gift! It has become one of those things that I will love to pass down to Jackson (or at least his wife if he isn't still a big fan of cooking) and make it an heirloom of sorts. It contains notes from successful, or unsuccessful attempts, "Do Again's", handwritten variations, and all those things that make a good family keepsake. And i am only 30. Can you imagine the notes it will have when I am 50? So in other words- BUY. THIS. BOOK. if you don't own it already. And if you do but don't utilize it as much as you should, it is time to dust it off and give it a whirl! I give this cookbook a full 5 stars.
"I like a cook who smiles out loud when he tastes his own work. Let God worry about your modesty: I want to see your enthusiasm." -Robert Faarar Capon
Amie...My go to cookbook is the Better Homes and Garden one... Funny, my MIL gave it to me too... Also, a GREAT one is called, "Vegetarian" by Linda Fraser... Awesome Vegetarian selections from apps to dinners...The Joy of Cooking is the classic creme de le creme of cookbooks though, I should invest in one.
ReplyDeleteTera Pepper
Tera, I don't have either of those cookbooks you mentioned- yay, two more to add to my list! And yes, you SHOULD invest in Joy of Cooking- you won't be disappointed!
ReplyDeleteIs it terrible I don't have a favorite cookbook?! I really don't. I mean I also own the Better Homes & Garden, handed down from my mom and I do like that one a lot but I don't find myself needing to run to it for everything. I have awesome recipes in different cookbooks that I run to when I need something, like Mary Englebrights Holidays Cookbook for preparing my turkey for Thanksgiving or my Cooking Light for my Cinnamon Rolls and the list goes on and on. I also look to the internet for quick fixs on things because..."it's quick!" Maybe if I had the Joy of Cooking I would be singing a different tune. I do like your comment, Amie about how you make notes in your books for various things, which reminds me that the one Rachel Ray cookbook I have has boxes to check off it you like a recipe and want to remember that you tried it and it was a "keeper." I love that, more cookbooks should do that. I will have to start making notes all over mine too, I mean that's what makes a loved, well-used book and one to be proud of.
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