revised cookbooks aren't a good thing

[divawire]

I’m a CL reader since late 2000 – where have you been all my life? – and have recently stumbled across a cookbook conundrum that I wonder if other readers are facing. I’m replacing some older cookbooks I either grew up with (via Mom and Grandmom) or used religiously as a young collegiate 20-something.

But I’m finding that the new and revised editions of the Moosewood Cookbook and, say, the old school Betty Crocker Cookbook are NOT the same. I live to cook (and eat) light, but some of the recipes in my favorite old school cookbooks have been lightened to the point of being flavorless, while other recipes have been chucked altogether – hello! carrot cake and oasted red pepper dip!

Anyone else going through this? As a nosy freelance writer, kitchen warrior and supper clubber, I can’t believe I never noticed this trend before….

~ Yvonne, Flummoxed in Philly

[erin elizabeth]

I had the same problem with Betty Crocker--my mom bought me a new one when I started cooking--we got so many basic recipes out of her edition. Big mistake--lots of convenience foods, so much so the recipes didn't seem like recipes and lots of our old favories weren't included. I bought another Betty Crocker from the 60s at a flea market and am very happy with it. Cookbooks have to keep up with the times I guess (or what they think the times are), and right now the times are low-fat, fast, and easy I haven't really looked into the Moosewood revisions. I suppose I could compare my copy with my mom's.

[JHolcomb]

You can search for the old editions (and probably get a pretty decent price for them) on a place like EBay.

[sarah louise]

I got my first Betty Crocker Cookbook when I got married way back in 1978 and it is worn to shreds! The binding is totally torn off! My thoughtful daughter won a copy of the same version (almost new condition) on ebay for me for Mother's Day. Bidding can get high on these old cookbooks, which says to me that some things just shouldn't be tampered with. I understand that they want to make recipes healthier, but I think they should give the cookbook a new name so they aren't confused with other versions that we know and love. -sarah

[mrswaz]

The cookbook that gets worse with every revision is Joy of Cooking. I remember learning to cook using my Mom's version- it had so much practical info and tips for the novice cook. When my Mom proudly handed me my own copy of Joy- we both became extremely disappointed when we saw all the things that have been left out. I was lucky enough to find an older version at a thrift store.

[Little Bit]

I agree it's a risky proposition!

I never use the newest Fanny Farmer, it seems to get more useless with every incarnation, but I dip into some of the ancient ones from time to time. Wonder who they're writing THAT for?

The much ballyhoo'd newly revised JOC a few years ago was a mess. Blah!

I'd much rather do my own fat/salt reduction than have to rely on them to do it for me.

[Ohioan]

I agree with Mrswaz about the Joy of Cooking cookbook. Thank goodness I had the most recent one out of the library before I decided to chuck my ancient one. The new one is just too "with it" for words (i.e., about to become horribly dated), and doesn't have many of the good ol' basics that once made this cookbook a must-have. My aunt Sylvia of blessed memory would say "feh."

Cheers,
Phoebe

[mbeth]

I have both versions of Moosewood and like being able to check back and forth between the lightened and traditional versions. I guess I don't feel confident enough to create my own lightened version, but some of the old Moosewood recipes were incredibly fat-laden. I've heard the same comments about Joy of Cooking. I only have the new (apparently bad) version.

[mbeth]

I have both versions of Moosewood and like being able to check back and forth between the lightened and traditional versions. I guess I don't feel confident enough to create my own lightened version, but some of the old Moosewood recipes were incredibly fat-laden. I've heard the same comments about Joy of Cooking. I only have the new (apparently bad) version.

[Canice]

Odd woman out, here -- I've generally been pleased with revised cookbooks, especially vegetarian ones such as Laurel's Kitchen, Tassajara Recipe Book, and Anna Thomas's volume. Vegetarian cooking has come sooo far in the past 30 years, and it's great to see how these talented cooks have taken advantage of all the fabulous foods now readily available. I even use the new JoC. I have the previous volume, too, but rarely used it; most recipes were either blah or just not the kinds of things I cook (aspic? squirrel?). I find the new one is much more in keeping with the way I eat. But then, I'm thinking of books that have been revised for reasons other than cutting fat out of the recipes - maybe that makes a difference.

[Kay Henderson]

A good while back, my mother-in-law noted that the unfortunate fact about revisions of favorite cookbooks is that a number of recipes a cook has relied upon may not be included in a revision. She said I would end up keeping both editions.

She was right! That's just the way it is, was in the past, and will be in the future.

That's what happens for EVERY generation of cooks as we get older! The classic book we have learned to cook from is not the same one that will be the treasured "oldie" when our daughters are our age.

[gertdog]

I also have the old and new Moosewoods. I like being able to compare.

It took me ages to figure out that the version of Still Life With Menu I bought was a newer edition than the one my former roommate had. Mollie Katzen eliminated entire recipes when she updated the book. I thought I was nuts because I kept remembering recipes my roommate had made, and then when I looked them up in my book, couldn't find them.