Irma S. Rombauer (1877–1962)

This review is of the 1973 edition, and should not be extended to later versions.

If this book isn't in your kitchen, you shouldn't be either.

This is *the* definitive cookery bible. It may seem a little daunting in places, but it's without doubt the most reliable book on food. The commentary is quaintly charming and sometimes insightful, the observations on food and preparation are excellent, and the name Irma Rombauer rightly belongs alongside other great culinary popularizers like Julia show more Child and Alton Brown.

If you care about food, get this book -- I particularly recommend an older edition, before panels of professional chefs got their hands on it. show less

Yes, it's (sort of) middle-brow, but it's really good. If you want to start cooking but are scared of the kitchen, this book is probably the place to start. It is chock-full of digestible-sized bits of good advice. It's true, there's a great deal of information which may be extraneous, too, but after all, there are few other resources to turn to for hints on preparing opossum (a recipe I am pleased to see restored to the new 75th Anniversary edition). It speaks in plain language about dozens show more of matters you wouldn't think to ask until it's too late ("But I'm going to need twice that much..." "Oh no! I don't have any corn starch...!"); it's full of course of fine recipes and menus; it is democratic in the best sense, referencing most of the regional cuisine of the U.S.A., and best of all, speaking to the general reader in a commonsensical, non-mystifying and familiar way about the kitchen and what goes on there. At least fifty percent of cooking is not being intimidated; TJoC is a perfect Dumbo's-magic-feather to give you confidence, and a companionable guide along the way. Once you know that it isn't a disaster if the pasta overcooks a little bit, or that you can always make another batch of cookies, you can start to have fun. The great quality of TJoC is that it clearly savors its topic, and communicates this savor, all the while demystifying it. There are passages of real pleasure about the snappiness of snap peas or raw root vegetables, the succulence of seafood, the goodness of gravy, and why and how not to skip dessert. But before the pleasures of the table come those of the stove- and counter-top: Stirring, chopping, measuring, and yes, tasting. These are things everyone knows how to do, already; and aside from ingredients and heat, they are really all anyone needs to be able cook. TJoC is the perfect teacher of the secret recipe, an only apparently paradoxical blend of adventurousness with a modicum of garden-variety discipline. Cuisine is more than a matter of munching. It's a matter of consciousness-- of paying heed to what and how one takes into one's body. Which is to say, at bottom, it's a question of joy. show less

This was a staple of my mother's kitchen when I was growing up. It sits on a shelf in my childhood home. Still. It is grease stained, dog-eared and a little worse for wear (I think I took a crayon to it when I was two) and yet my mother would never dream of getting rid of it or updating it for a newer edition. Her reason? This is the ultimate cookbook for every occasion, every season and every reason. With Rombauer and Becker you can't go wrong. On ever page there is a wealth of information show more from entertaining to grilling. From setting the table to eating lobster. Soup to nuts as they would say. Even though the methods are a little dated and the illustrations are a little cheesy it's a classic. show less

This is easily the bible of cookbooks, even for vegans. The Joy of Cooking doesn't merely have recipes, it also tells you how to buy ripe fruit and vegetables, how to cut them, and how to prepare them in many ways. It has chapters on pretty much everything from soup to breads to appetizers to preserving food to meat stuff to fruits and veggies and everywhere in between. The last section is a wonderful reference guide to ingredients and, of course, includes food substitutions and conversion show more charts.

The JOC is my go-to guide for recipes for things like tortillas, pancakes, bread, soy milk, baked/mashed potatoes and baked french fries, risotto (which you can veganize by using nutritional yeast instead of parmesan), coconut rice, and many, many other things. I always check with the JOC first when I'm using a new grain or piece of produce, and it has never done me wrong. show less