Cookbooks Are Making a Comeback

The new Joy of Cooking

Recently, I’ve been seeing a lot of content on various social platforms about numerous wild recipes, a lack of organization, and frustration among home cooks. It’s stemming from influencers trying to re-create and complicate basic recipes. I’m all for enhancing flavors and trying new combinations, but sometimes getting back to the basics is the easiest and most flavorful way to cook. And, the other pinch point is finding a way to organize and sort through all those saved posts to make a menu. 

If you want to host, don’t know where to start, or need to have recipes in one spot, get a copy of The Joy of Cooking. This cookbook was first published in 1931, and I have an early copy that has a recipe for squirrel in it! This cookbook lays it all out for you: how to set a table, what recipes to make for holidays, for a lunch, how to set up a buffet, want to host an afternoon tea, it can tell you how. I use this cookbook for many of my recipes for holidays. They always work the way they are supposed to, the research is done for you, and they are easy to follow. It’s nearly impossible to make a mistake on these recipes (please read any new recipe all the way through at least 2 or 3 times before you start cooking) because they have been tested so thoroughly.

I am a huge proponent of understanding the basics before you head off into the wilds of the kitchen. And, if you can master the basics, then when you want to riff in a recipe, you have the knowledge and tools to do so. Cooking doesn't need to be this complicated. You want to put gojuchang on your Brussels Sprouts, knock yourself out. But first, know and understand how to clean and cook them first! 

If you don’t have a copy of Joy, get one from the library. My copy is from when I got married, so it’s a 1997 edition. There is a new, updated version available here. I do this with a lot of new cookbooks, especially if they are from influencers. I’m not going to name names, but there are a lot of bad books out there.