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I love cookbooks! I have the 1975 JoC edition and it is falling apart - one quick glance and you can tell what recipes I use it the most for (a marinade, pancakes, biscuits, crepes). I asked for a replacement for Christmas this year, but I want the same 1975 version.
One change that I have noticed with more recent editions is the simplifying of measurements. Instead of 3/4 tsp of baking powder, it calls for 1 tsp or instead of 1 3/4 cup flour, something will call for 2 cups (fine by me because 1 3/4 cups is my least favorite measurement as it dirties 3 measuring cups!)
There was an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal a couple of weeks ago about Joy of Cooking and how it has remained in the family and what sort of revisions and updates have been made through the years. As others have pointed out, this recent edition focuses more on the inclusion of global cuisine.
I guess I'm "Old School" since I still love cookbooks too. I bought the new 2019 edition of Joy on Friday. Through the years I have collected every edition of Joy from 1953 to 2019. (It's been updated every decade.)
I thumbed through the new edition over the weekend and tried a couple of recipes. They all turned out great. One of the biggest changes in this new edition is the use of of the metric system in the baking recipes. The ingredients are listed in both volume (cups) and weight (grams).
On Sunday morning I made the classic Joy waffles for breakfast. They're terrific. (It's the same recipe from the last edition.) Later in the day I decided to get in the Christmas spirit by baking gingerbread. I was disappointed with the 2019 recipe since it was formulated for high-altitude baking and would only work if you live above 5,000 feet. No other recipe was given. So I pulled out the last edition, which has a regular recipe for gingerbread, and melded the two recipes together. It was fantastic because the 2019 recipe contains more spices (ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and white pepper). The older recipe was practically bland.
All in all, I am happy with the new edition of Joy. They haven't strayed too far from the classic formula that works.
I started with the 2nd edition of Joy Of Cooking, and learned a lot by reading it. As far as I'm concerned, the recipes are not as important as the tips on how to handle ingredients.
I love cookbooks! I have the 1975 JoC edition and it is falling apart - one quick glance and you can tell what recipes I use it the most for (a marinade, pancakes, biscuits, crepes). I asked for a replacement for Christmas this year, but I want the same 1975 version.
Good luck with that. I have the paperback 1973 edition. After many years of use, it too starting falling apart. I bought the newest JoC at the time, a 1997 hardcover edition. I was all set to pitch the first one when I discovered that the 1997 JoC no longer included some of the recipes I use most often. My family threatened dire things if I could no longer make the chocolate mousse they fight over at Christmas. I spent a lot of time searching for a new 1973 edition, found they were out of print, publisher said they couldn't help, blah, blah. Tell your family to start looking on eBay now for a 1975 copy.
I find that so many online recipes do not turn out well. It is as though they are made up by some blogger who doesn’t know what they are doing. I try plenty of online recipes, but when I’m making classic things, I like to follow my old cookbooks.
I have had that problem too. Often the proportions of the ingredients are all off, and the recipe comes out terribly. It's another example of information found online being untrustworthy. It's a lot safer to go with a classic cookbook.
You should be able to replace older editions of JOC. I did this several years ago. Look on Amazon, and try to find an entry for the edition you want. The publisher was Bobbs-Merrill fior decades. Then go to the used site for the edition. For editions after the 1950s, there should be offerings from used book dealers.
I used JOC recipes for piecrust and pumpkin pie today. The all butter piecrust went together in the food processor easily, and it became a lovely pie shell. I’ve never put vinegar in a piecrust before!
I take issue with JOC’s insistence on blind baking, however. A pumpkin pie is in the oven for about an hour. If you blind bake the shell, it is likely to have burnt edges before the filling is set.
I compromised and prebaked the shell while the oven preheated. The pie recipe specifies cool filling should be poured into warm shell.
I tasted the sour cream pumpkin filling before filling the shell, and it was delicious!
JOC pumpkin pie is very good. But I will bake the three egg version next time, instead of the two egg version.
JOC all butter Piecrust turned out well.
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