The Joy of Cooking

If you are an American woman of a certain age, you probably have a copy of Joy of Cooking by Irma Rombauer, first published in 1931. Last year marked this book's 75th anniversary and a new edition. It's been revised several times, as this Wikipedia article explains. I think I heard it mentioned in passing on some radio show last week. For whatever reason, I got to thinking about it. What an achievement that first edition was, and talk about a book with staying power!


The one I have (which looks just like this picture) was my mother's, copyright 1946 -- the year she got married. It's yellowed, fragile, grease-stained, annotated in her handwriting, and held together with cloth tape. I still cook out of it sometimes and tend to start there if I'm going to tackle something I've never made before. It's a cookbook with a very particular voice. The recipes are "rules." In her direct, no-nonsense way, Irma explained how to pluck a chicken (though not how to catch or butcher one) or hang venison. Joy will tell you how to make a mint julep or roast a suckling pig, give you suggestions for using leftovers (coffee jelly with marshmallows, anyone?), suggest menus, and show you how to set a table, complete with diagrams. I wonder how much that 1946 version sold for, and whether Mom received it as a wedding present or bought it for herself.

Do you have this cookbook, and if so, which edition? Have a favorite recipe? Please tell!