by Kathy Deutsch

Created on: August 11, 2008   Last Updated: September 01, 2011

"The Joy of Cooking" has been my faithful kitchen companion for over twenty years. My best friend (now husband) gave me a copy as a gift when I was starting out in cooking. His mother swore by one. And I soon learned to rely on "Joy" for information, recipes, and food combining suggestions. It became a valuable reference for me when I was making a dish and it just needed "a dash of something". "Joy" told me what I needed. Even my talented-cooking mother took an occasional glance at my "Joy of Cooking". The book has gone through several revisions. This newest edition is a delight to read and use.

The index is the soul of a book. "Joy of Cooking" has an easy-to-read index, alphabetized, and listing ingredients, techniques, and dish names. For example: "Pasta" is referenced by dish (pasta primavera), ingredients (make your own), and technique (how to cook), plus a dictionary-style explanation of what pasta is.

As with most other editions of "Joy", it is a veritable encyclopedia of food lore. I use it to look up exotic fruits and spices. It is the ultimate argument-settler between food fanciers. "What does Joy say?" is my battle cry when my husband and I disagree on a dish. This edition has a great reference area on herb growing in the "Know Your Ingredients" section.

"Know Your Ingredients" is a highlight of this edition. The pages are tipped in grey for easy location. There is information on fats, grains, leavenings, and even measurement conversion. It the very end is a stain-removal guide.

This is the most modern edition of "Joy". It has expanded sections on cooking outdoors, including smoking. There are "quick cook" meals, new sections on healthy eating, even new high-altitude recipes. I never knew how different cooking was on top of a mountain until I spent some time in a cabin in the Rockies. Wow! There are many additions to this book, all to the better.

What returned to this edition of "Joy of Cooking" is the friendly tone and readability. My 1950's era "Joy" is well thumbed because it is so much fun to read. Most recipes have a small forward with information or a story about the dish. This is back. This edition can be read like a novel.

"Joy of Cooking" is the kitchen Bible. This edition is a worthy successor to the 1970's era editions of the book. It has all the most modern techniques and ingredients, while keeping the folksy attitude of the older editions. I have four older editions of "Joy of Cooking". This one is so good; I have already started writing my own recipes in it.

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