The All New All Purpose: Joy of Cooking

by Irma S. Rombauer

Hardcover, 1997

Genres

Food & Cooking

General Nonfiction

Nonfiction

All Topics

Status

Available

Call number

641.5973

Series

Joy of Cooking (1997)

Collection

Your library

Publication

Scribner (1997), Edition: Revised ed., 1152 pages

Description

Since its original publication, Joy of Cooking has been the most authoritative cookbook in America - the one upon which millions of cooks have confidently relied for more than sixty-five years. This, the first revision in more than twenty years, is better than ever. Here's why:. Every chapter has been rethought with an emphasis on freshness, convenience, and health. All the recipes have been reconceived and tested with an eye to modern taste, and the cooking knowledge imparted with each subject enriched to the point where everyone from a beginning to an experienced cook will feel completely supported. The new Joy provides more thorough descriptions of ingredients, from the familiar to the most exotic. An all-new "RULES" section in many chapters gives essential cooking basics at a glance. Separate new chapters on grains, beans, and pasta include recipes for grits, polenta, pilafs, risottos, vegetarian chilis, bean casseroles, and make-ahead lasagnes. New baking and dessert chapters promise to enhance Joy of Cooking's reputation as a bible for bakers. Little Dishes showcases foods from around the world: hummus, baba ghanoush, bruschetta, tacos, empanadas, and fried wontons. All new drawings of techniques, ingredients, and equipment, integrated throughout an elegant new design, and over 300 more pages round out the new Joy. Among this book's other unique features: microwave instructions for preparing beans, grains, and vegetables; dozens of new recipes for people who are lactose intolerant and allergic to gluten; expanded ingredients chart now features calories, essential vitamins, and levels of fats and cholesterol. There are ideas for substitutions to lower fat in recipes and reduced-fat recipes in the baking sections.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member mschuyler

This would be valuable even if it had no recipes at all. Need a conversion? It's here. Need to learn how to do a basic white sauce? It's here. Wanna get fancy? It's here, too. At a certain point you begin to get the "feel" for cooking from this book. It's one thing to follow a recipe, but it's

quite another to understand what's going to happen if you use corn starch here or baking powder there. This book helps you get beyond the strict following of recipes so you can do your own innovations. My Mom gave me Betty Crocker when I left home. I gave my kids Joy of Cooking.

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LibraryThing member joxn

This book and Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything" are my two standard references, and the most-creased books on my cookbook shelves. When you need to know all about an ingredient, or about a cooking technique, or if you need a standard, well-tested recipe from the repertoire of American

cuisine, this book should be your first stop. Highly recommended for anyone who needs a comprehensive guide to cooking.

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LibraryThing member bilbette

Even though I'm vegetarian (and this book is really heavy on the meat) I still find there are a few jems throughout this book. With more than 1000 pages, I keep thinking I'll find more, but the meat emphasis is pretty strong.

All that being said, the unsweetened dried fruit and nut granola is my all

time favorite cereal. I've yet to find anything in a store or in any other cookbook that comes close to this granola. Other areas I've got bookmarked include the muffins, quiche and eggs.

There's some very nice technique discussions in each section and a lot of variations. After I've read the technique information and the variations, I can usually make an educated guess on whether one of my own variations needs any special changes to the recipe.

Several years ago I got so fed up with seeing meat stuck everywhere in most omnivore cookbooks, I stopped buying anything that wasn't intended to be vegetarian (a little chicken stock here, a little bacon there). This is one of the rare cookbooks I've bought knowing that meat is a large focus and I don't regret it.

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LibraryThing member ceilmary

I have always had a Joy of Cooking cookbook in my library. One of my go-to reference books. The recipes are sometimes a bit dated, and many of them are too complex (but very good) for a quick after dinner meal. But there are charts for substitutions, descriptions of ingredients, and basic cooking

knowledge that is very helpful to both novice and expert cooks.

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LibraryThing member eeminy

After much use of both, I have to admit I don't like Ethan Becker's recently revised edition as well as the elder Rombauer generation's old standby. The new _Joy_ has more international cuisine and fancy stuff, and I'm glad for a few of the healthier/updated recipes, but there are just as many new

or updated recipes that don't work as well, and there are too many missing classics. I find the new edition just isn't a kitchen bible the way the old _Joy_ has always been. The new _Joy_ is a very good cookbook, but if I could only have one, I'd choose the earlier edition in a heartbeat.

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LibraryThing member heidialice

The Joy is a classic that I turn to when I need basic cooking information (e.g. How long do I cook an egg to hard-boil it?) or inspiration (e.g. What vegetables should I roast?). I also tend to use the Joy for baking, since I don't do a ton of it and their recipes are tried and true. I can't

comment on how this edition compares to others, but mine is well-loved.

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LibraryThing member amyfaerie

This is my fail-safe, go-to guide for cooking. My husband is a chef, and he can be a little picky, but these recipes never fail to meet his approval.

LibraryThing member LeHack

This isn't just a cookbook. It is an encylopedia of cooking and food. A reliable reference book. It is the basic cookbook you reach for all the time. A great gift for the gourmet and the basic cook.

LibraryThing member sugarmag

I have a lot of cookbooks but this is the one I use everyday. This is "how to cook."

LibraryThing member lilysea

I have only been teaching myself to cook for about five years. This revised version of the classic is my encyclopedia of all things kitchen. I can't live without it.

LibraryThing member sagermk

Good all-around cookbook. I use it as a reference when I need a recipe for something basic since I know it will be in this book and I know it will be good!

LibraryThing member refashionista

Overall, this is a good American-style cooking resource. It covers the basics and is sectioned in an easy-to-navigate layout. I find it somewhat lacking, however, in a few areas: proper cooking of grains, ethnic cookery, and vegetarian cookery.

LibraryThing member GoofyOcean110

The classic must have cookbook. It's got *everything* in it. And it explains how to do basic, building block techniques, includes diagrams and pictures, useful nutritional information, food storage and safety information, and zillions of useful recipes. For example, we never buy Bisquick any more

because the pancake recipe in here only contains common ingredients, is easy to make, and is pretty robust turning out great each time. I have given copies to family members, and encourage everyone to get a copy.

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LibraryThing member msmalnick

The king (or perhaps queen) of them all. A must have if you want to know how to make all the basics with little fuss.

LibraryThing member Julie_Brock

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 temperature from the chicken's nest!).

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LibraryThing member amhalter

The 'bible' of anything to do with cooking. If you own one cookbook, it should be this one.

LibraryThing member AbigailAdams26

Aptly described by other reviewers as an American classic, The Joy of Cooking has been in "my" kitchen for as long as I can remember. My own personal copy, which I still own, came to me as part of a prize that I won in a book raffle during college. I somehow managed to misplace the other four

cookbooks that were also part of the prize (lost in a move, I believe), but this volume is still around.

More than just an extensive and thorough cookbook, this is a culinary reference work, containing all sorts of basic information about food preparation. Wondering how long you should soak those dried beans or legumes before cooking? Hoping to discover how to blanche nuts? Look no further... I find that this is a helpful book to have around, even if I don't use the recipes that often.

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LibraryThing member Juleswf

Use this book all the time for basic recipes, info on cuts of meat, basic cooking and prep for all foods.

LibraryThing member steadfastreader

Haven't cooked anything out of here yet... but it's a classic. I have high hopes.

LibraryThing member KVHardy

This book is a must-have for any kitchen. From how to boil an egg, to preparing the fanciest roast turkey, freezing food, nutrition, excellent conversion charts (essential), and even how to make a cup of coffee. When my kids leave for their own apartments or homes, this is THE book I'll be giving

each of them in hopes they continue cooking. Or in my son's case, START cooking. This is a very easy to read book, step-by-step recipes that are simple to follow, I can't recommend this book enough.

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LibraryThing member Nikki210

Anything that you need to know is in this book. From baking to specialty dishes.

LibraryThing member Greymowser

A good book on cooking.

LibraryThing member OptimisticCautiously

This may not be my go-to reference for the kitchen, as I have other ones I appreciate much more, I cannot deny the solid explanations and breadth of this book. I do use it on a frequent basis, usually to cross-reference information in another book. As I said, the information in the book is solid

and it has a great coverage of the basic techniques one needs; the place where I find it does not compare to others is certain recipes, particularly when going beyond the basics. Of course, everything I have tried is passable, some even good, I just don't think the recipes are necessarily great and are not the first place I look.

I have and will continue to buy this book as a reference for new cooks, largely because my favourite is not always there and this "classic" is in every bookstore. Every kitchen needs a book like this and you cannot go wrong having this book on your shelf, but there are just references I like better.

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LibraryThing member OptimisticCautiously

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LibraryThing member nbmars

This cookbook is considered “authoritative” for good reason. It is a comprehensive compendium not only of recipes, but of all sorts of basic kitchen skills. For example, in the chapter “Shellfish,” you learn about shellfish safety, different varieties of shellfish, how to prepare it - from

how to peel shrimp to how to kill a lobster to how to clean crabs, and so on. The chapter “Meat” goes through all the basic cuts, and all the various methods for cooking and storing it before getting into the recipes themselves. “Candy” teaches you about melting, tempering, and molding chocolate, all about fondant, and the difference between praline, almond paste, and marzipan. All of this background and instructions are accompanied by drawn illustrations. A large appendix provides a thorough selection of charts on measurements, conversions, substitutions, and nutritional data.

The recipes are good, but "standard fare." There is certainly value in having access to them. But the real value of the book is in the extensive supplemental matter.

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