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Save These Books
Classic cookbooks from America’s food icons
Although these vintage cookbooks were deemed dated by their publishing companies long ago, collectors and cooks still ask for them, says bookshop owner Bonnie Slotnick. Cooking trends come and go, but reliable recipes and comprehensive how-tos are evergreen. Here are Slotnick’s 10 most requested kitchen classics (we’ve linked to current editions, in some cases; for the vintage versions, contact Slotnick or someone who specializes in out-of-print books).
1. Betty Crocker’s Picture Cook Book
(McGraw-Hill, 1950)
This was the model for the heavily illustrated cookbooks of today. Step-by-step photographs and illustrations of skills, like how to brew a good cup of coffee or frost a cake, make this book the gold standard for the self-taught cook.
2. Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book
(Wiley, 1963)
The 1963 edition of this cookie-baking authority has more than 450 recipes, with an entire section devoted to holiday treats. Favorites include the ginger almond cookies, the Norwegian kringla, and the lemon bars.
3. Craig Claiborne’s New York Times Cook Book
(Harper & Row, 1961)
Full of worldly recipes for dishes like feijoada and cassoulet, Claiborne’s book also has helpful reference guides, including a timetable for roasting meats and a conversion chart for foreign equivalents.
4. Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book
(Meredith Press, 1965)
A beginner cook’s wonderland, thanks to detailed guides to canning, baking bread, and rolling pie dough.
5. Maida Heatter’s Book of Great Cookies
(Alfred A. Knopf, 1977)
Heatter was one of the first food writers to take a more professional approach to baking, providing clear, concise recipes. This book is full of cookie recipes like homemade fig bars (she calls them “Big Newtons”) and rugalach.
6. Good Housekeeping Cookbook
(Hearst, 1949)
This is a great gift for both new and experienced cooks. The dessert chapter is especially tempting, with treasures such as crumbly topped rhubarb and custard bread pudding.
7. Woman’s Home Companion Cook Book
(P. F. Collier and Son, 1951)
Known as a “mother book,” an all-inclusive homemaking guide from the first half of the 20th century, this cookbook by Dorothy Kirk may be sought after more for nostalgia reasons than for its detailed instructions on how to train servants or raise children.
8. Antoinette Pope School Cookbook
(Macmillan, 1948)
A book from a series of courses in Chicago on “fancy cookery.” Full of postwar charm, and particularly loved by Chicagoans who remember the baked Alaska.
9. Time-Life Foods of the World Series
(Time-Life, 1968)
This collection is broken into countries of origin, each edition featuring one book of background information, photos, and a few recipes, and a spiral-bound recipe book. The American installment includes icons from M. F. K. Fisher to James Beard.
10. The Settlement Cook Book
(Applewood, 1903)
An early American classic. Cooks still reach for their copies for basic tips on table settings and a recipe for good Kuchen (though you’ll have to determine for yourself how much “one cent’s worth of yeast” is).
Kate Ramos is the assistant food editor at CHOW.
Just last Saturday I cooked ratatouille out of Craig Claiborne's NYT Cookbook - very good! One thing I like about the cookbook is that the ingredients lists are not overwhelming, so the recipes tend to be a bit more economical.
The reason I have collected Betty Crocker Cookbooks (I collect all kinds of cookbooks but I have 5 or six different Betty Crocker Cookbooks) is for all the stuff you find in them when you pick them up at used bookstores, garage sales and estate sales. The interesting thing isn't the books. It's all of grandma's recipes stuck in the binder. I've found some amazing things in there. Anyway. I have...+READ
The reason I have collected Betty Crocker Cookbooks (I collect all kinds of cookbooks but I have 5 or six different Betty Crocker Cookbooks) is for all the stuff you find in them when you pick them up at used bookstores, garage sales and estate sales. The interesting thing isn't the books. It's all of grandma's recipes stuck in the binder. I've found some amazing things in there. Anyway. I have about 1500 cookbooks so this is a pretty small percentage of my collection, but my heart always quickens a little when I come upon another BC.-COLLAPSE
My Number One Cookbook is James Beard's "American Cookery". I wore out one copy and bought a second to take when we moved to Mexico. It's classic, it's calorie laden, and it's terrific.
Much less mainstream, but highly valued is my second copy of Anna Thomas' "The Vegetarian Epicure, Book Two". It's a cookbook that would appeal to carnivores as well as vegetarians.
You mention the '49 edition of the Good Housekeeping Cookbook but show the jacket of the '86 edition. They're two entirely different cookbooks.
Only one I own is the NY Times cookbook. Good selection of recipes - is probably one of my more used cookbooks.
What about Edna Staebler's Food That Really Schmecks? Or is that only a favourite in Canada?
I live in Milwaukee, home of The Settlement Cookbook, which was my grandmother's favorite. My sister and I inherited her 1930's edition, much-thumbed but with complete index (yay!) so we can find my g-mom's favorites. Simple, wholesome, some of the cooking instructions are old-fashioned, or not-too-specific, but my grandmother showed us some of the family faves, like potato pancakes, that are...+READ
I live in Milwaukee, home of The Settlement Cookbook, which was my grandmother's favorite. My sister and I inherited her 1930's edition, much-thumbed but with complete index (yay!) so we can find my g-mom's favorites. Simple, wholesome, some of the cooking instructions are old-fashioned, or not-too-specific, but my grandmother showed us some of the family faves, like potato pancakes, that are well worth the old-fashioned processes (hand grated fresh potatoes, etc.) Newer versions (newer than 1940's or so) are not worth the effort.-COLLAPSE
Some of Jeff Smith's (The Frugal Gourmet) cookbooks should be on the list, especially for beginning to intermediate cooks:
Frugal Gourmet
Frugal Gourmet on Your Immigrant Ancestors
Frugal Gourmet Cooks American
Frugal Gourmet Cooks Three Ancient Cuisines
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for west coast baby boomer heritage:
Sunset Cooking With A Foreign Accent (amazing for 1952)
Sunset Cooking With Casseroles
Sunset...+READ
Some of Jeff Smith's (The Frugal Gourmet) cookbooks should be on the list, especially for beginning to intermediate cooks:
Frugal Gourmet
Frugal Gourmet on Your Immigrant Ancestors
Frugal Gourmet Cooks American
Frugal Gourmet Cooks Three Ancient Cuisines
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for west coast baby boomer heritage:
Sunset Cooking With A Foreign Accent (amazing for 1952)
Sunset Cooking With Casseroles
Sunset Favorite Recipes (many 1950s classics)
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eventually, the current Fannie Farmer cookbook (a much better reference than my 1965 edition.-COLLAPSE
Such an open ended list. But If it's what people request that how they got the list. Every one will have there own preferences.
FYI if you every need a book Bonnie Slotnick is the one to ask she has never failed to come through.
Add Cooking Downeast to the list for great regional recipes done simply. Great, simple crab cakes, baked not fried.....
I know from reading other food groups that any time a new edition of Joy comes out, everyone mourns for the older versions and many comments have been made about seeking out those older editions. I think many feel that the 1975 edition is the last decent one and much coveted.
Interesting list - especially considering it's the most-requested (not, as some folks seem to think, somebody's idea of best). Does this mean that most people secretly wish food was just like it was in the 1950s and 1960s?
I don't know about top 10, my current 5 faves:
1. 1975 Joy of Cooking (always and forever)
2. Baker's Illustrated from the Cook's Illustrated magazine (everything always turns out great, even here at 6,250 feet!)
3. It's All American Food by David Rosengarten (Ethnic, Regional and Classic dishes)
4. Chez Panisse Desserts by Lindsay Remolif Shere (rich choc. mousse to DIE for)
5. Process This! by...+READ
I don't know about top 10, my current 5 faves:
1. 1975 Joy of Cooking (always and forever)
2. Baker's Illustrated from the Cook's Illustrated magazine (everything always turns out great, even here at 6,250 feet!)
3. It's All American Food by David Rosengarten (Ethnic, Regional and Classic dishes)
4. Chez Panisse Desserts by Lindsay Remolif Shere (rich choc. mousse to DIE for)
5. Process This! by Jean Anderson (I am in love with my food processor)
Though I am nosalgic for the tomes of the past, without a staff to train or children to rear, my first resource is always the almighty internet.-COLLAPSE
I am not at all impressed with much of this list, considering the headline (though the Claiborne book is a perfect choice)... At least you didn't include "Rachael Ray's 30-Minute Messes" or "Molto Mario Rides the Nascar Gravy Train" (btw, I like Batali, I just think he's overdoing quite a bit). WHY do I need TWO Betty Crocker books along with a Time-Life title?
I'm stunned that the 1975 edition of the "Joy of Cooking" wasn't on that list. It is my food bible!
I love Betty Crocker cookbooks, especially the ones from between 1950 and 1970, They are wonderful views into idealized perceptions of cooking and homekeeping.
And yes, some of the recipes are either goofy or bland, but I've found some great ideas in those books. A lot of their more out-there recipes are distillations of classic preparations from the previous generation (like tomato aspic,...+READ
I love Betty Crocker cookbooks, especially the ones from between 1950 and 1970, They are wonderful views into idealized perceptions of cooking and homekeeping.
And yes, some of the recipes are either goofy or bland, but I've found some great ideas in those books. A lot of their more out-there recipes are distillations of classic preparations from the previous generation (like tomato aspic, which is yummy).
The recent Betty Crocker releases are not as interesting to me--like vorpal says above, I would not recommend them for newcomers to cooking--but in twenty years, I bet they will be enightening to thumb through.-COLLAPSE
I agree with the previous writer's comments on Betty Crocker and would suggest that The Joy of Cooking Original edition and Fannie Farmer about 1910 would be bettre options.
One of the best books is the not well known Gold Cookbook, by Louis deGouy.
I've never been particularly impressed with the Betty Crocker cookbooks. I find that they're good "first" tomes for those that don't have much experience in the kitchen as they're quite diverse in what they cover, but they don't really do anything very well.
I also dislike how they typically follow trends. My mom has a much older BC edition. Back then, the focus was on low-cost meals, and there...+READ
I've never been particularly impressed with the Betty Crocker cookbooks. I find that they're good "first" tomes for those that don't have much experience in the kitchen as they're quite diverse in what they cover, but they don't really do anything very well.
I also dislike how they typically follow trends. My mom has a much older BC edition. Back then, the focus was on low-cost meals, and there were some reasonably decent recipes. I bought a more recent edition a few years ago just to have the basic recipes for everything imaginable and the focus was on low-fat or low-carb meals. (I'm 6' and weigh 140 lbs. I need high-fat, high-carb recipes, thank you.) They both had the same basic poultry stuffing recipe with the exact same ingredients, but my mother's was much better in terms of flavour because it didn't skimp out on butter content.-COLLAPSE