Joy of Cooking
2019 Edition Fully Revised and Updated
by Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker, Ethan Becker, John Becker, Megan Scott
The all-purpose American cookbook reference, originally written by Irma Rombauer in 1931 and continually expanded by four generations of her family. The 2019 edition adds 600 new recipes and updates classic recipes with modern technique while keeping the character of the original. 1,200 pages of conversational, competent, comprehensive home cooking.
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Jim's Review
The Joy of Cooking has been the default American cookbook for nearly a century, and the 2019 edition is the best one yet. Irma Rombauer's voice — warm, witty, unintimidated by anything in the kitchen — survives through every revision, but John Becker and Megan Scott have brought the technique up to modern standards without losing the soul. Generations of home cooks grew up with earlier editions, and the new one feels like coming home with better lighting. This is the book you reach for when you need to know how to truss a chicken, reduce a sauce, scale a yeast recipe, or fix a curdled custard. The "Know Your Ingredients" sections are the secret weapon — terse, practical, encyclopedic. Need to substitute? In here. Need to convert? In here. Need to translate a recipe written in 1965? In here. Yes, it's the size of a small dictionary. Yes, that's the point. Pair this with The Food Lab and Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat and you have the holy trinity of American home cooking references. Five worms. The classic move-out gift, and the kind of cookbook that gets handed down.
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