VICKI: Cookbooks are invaluable sources of information on everyday life for historical writers. But not just writers love them, some people collect them, many still use much-loved recipes from them or keep them for sentimental reasons. On the other hand, lots of people throw old cookbooks away when they become outdated.
The oldest cookbook in my house is Nellie Lyle Pattinson's CANADIAN COOK BOOK (simple name) published in 1969. It was given to me as a wedding present. It's the only older book I still have as I fall in the looking for new and shiny category. Plus I like pictures with my recipes and most old books don't have many. I think the only thing I still make from that book is Yorkshire Pudding, on the rare occasion I make a roast. My copy is heavily marked, and I sometimes enjoy flicking though it, remembering what I used to make and the good times we had eating those dishes. Fondue parties anyone?
Do you love old cookbooks? Do you still use them, or just collect them? Or do you throw away (or donate) them the minute something newer comes in?
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PEG: I have tons of cookbooks--I don't think I've ever thrown one away. One of my Marcella Hazan's cookbooks was falling apart and when I scored a new, barely used copy at a book sale, I snapped it up and gave my daughter the old one! I don't know when my Joy of Cooking was published, but I got it for a wedding present in 1974! And the James Beard cookbook I got around the same time is held together with a rubber band.
I have a Pepperidge Farm cookbook that had been my mother's
from 1965 and a Good Housekeeping cookbook she gave me that is missing
its cover. At work we would bring in books we didn't want and put them
out for other people to enjoy. I snagged a Second Edition, first
printing Betty Crocker cookbook from 1956. Just a bit younger than I am!
I love reading through it--how our palates have expanded and grown
since then! It has instructions on how to set the table, meal planning, suggested menus and charming pictures such as these!
DARYL: Writing about a culinary bookshop in my Cookbook Nook Mysteries, I've gotten truly into cookbooks. My very first that i purchased with allowance money was the Gourmet Cookbook. I've used it extensively. No pictures! But at the time, I'd also ordered the Gourmet Magazine and tried to cook all sorts of things out of it. That was during high school and college. Recently, I have to say I've gotten away from using many of my cookbooks because I search the internet for interesting ideas. Bad me. Must go back to my cookbooks. Love looking at pictures and getting inspired. My favorite recipes from gourmet are the beef bourguignon, basic bisquites, pie pastry, and so much more!
Click here or on the image above for Cleo's recipe |
LESLIE B: I can never decide whether I'm a cookbook collector or not. My shelves appear to say yes, and so do friends who give me cookbooks, some when culling their own collections! The oldest cookbook I've got is a 4" thick copy of Meta Given's Modern Encyclopedia of Cooking (1953), which a friend spotted in a bookshop and decided I had to have. (Need to cook a woodchuck? Call me.) Like Daryl, I've still got---and use---the first cookbook I bought with my own money, as a Teenage Bookseller, Laurel's Kitchen (1976) by Laurel Robertson, along with The Vegetarian Epicure by Anna Thomas. I particularly love community cookbooks, less for the recipes and more for the history. My fave is Butte's Heritage Cookbook, published in 1976 to celebrate the nation's bicentennial. Butte, Montana is an old mining city settled by immigrants from around the world, and each group, from American Indians to what were then called Yugoslavians, contributed a section on their history in Butte as well as representative recipes. It's a cultural heritage maintained by women, and I treasure the first edition I gave my late mother.
Like Mary Jane, I have my mom's old Julia Child cookbooks. We must have grown up in similar households because I have my mom's full series of the International Time Life Cookbooks, too! They really ought to reissue them. Such classic recipes.
I have a few sad-looking specimens that are actually treasures: scrawled notebooks, reproduced booklets and recipe books from flour companies with hand-written comments by my mother, grandmother, aunties and indecipherable instructions from my mother-in-law. My MIL’s recipes are impossible to duplicate or even interpret, but we never give up trying. Our local library had her give Italian cooking classes many years back and produced a small booklet to commemorate this. Naturally, I have that. Years ago I gave away some sixties and seventies cookbooks during a moving purge and then spent years trying to find them again. I was able to locate copies of three Peg Bracken books and also the Time Life book on Italian cooking that has the most magnificent almond cake. It was my first baking success. Hmm. I think I’ll make that for MLK some day!
What fun to read about the treasured heritage cookbooks that many of you have. I still have my mother’s Julia Child books: The Art of French Cooking, volumes 1 and 2, my auntie’s NYTimes International Cookbook with Craig Clayborne in the driver’s seat. Most of these covers are too faded to photograph. My Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook has been mended with duct-tape and I’m on my third Joy of Cooking. I treasure my battered copy of Out of Old Nova Scotia Kitchens, a unique compilation of traditional recipes, that would have been lost to history without the cookbook editor, Marie Nightingale's efforts. It includes fifty years of spotches, as my effort.
I also enjoy new trends in food and, like Vicki, I love photos of food so my latest find is the fantastic 30-Minute Low-Carb Dinners, by Toronto blogger and caterer Valerie Azinge.Have I mentioned I love this topic? Hope you like to talk cookbooks too. Come over and chat.
GIVEAWAY
I collect cookbooks. I love looking at recipes and reading the notes about the recipes. I had subscribed to the Gourmet magazine and always looked forward to reading it. I was so sad when it suddenly folded. I have a very, heavy Gourmet Magazine cookbook edited by Ruth Reichl. I would love to get the originally published copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I have one very worn copy of Better Homes & Gardens cookbook.I have used this one the most. bluedawn95864 at gmail dot com
ReplyDeleteThese books sound fun
DeleteAggiegleason@gmail.com
I loved Gourmet mag. I was so disappointed when it folded. I also loved Ricardo magazine (a Canadian publication). Yup, it folded too in English, although I think they are still bringing it out in French. No way is my French good enough to follow a recipe.
DeleteYes, so very sad about Gourmet! But I love Ruth Reichl's memoirs, which she's still publishing.
DeleteI collect cookbooks and use many of them for cooking..I was able to find an old Home Economics cookbook from the 60's in a thrift store.My favorites are the ones churches put out.vadershepardatembarqmaildotcom
ReplyDeleteThose church cookbooks are wonderful! Such a fabulous way of preserving our nation's history! I love to pick them up when I'm spending time in different part of the country to learn more about the area--by its food!
DeleteI have a small collection of cookbooks that are old and new. I love going through them, looking a the beautiful and delicious pictures, reading the recipes, and trying each recipe out. The oldest cookbook I have is a Betty Crocker cookbook from the 70s.
ReplyDeleteKitten143 (at) Verizon (dot) net
I love looking at the pictures!
DeleteI love my cookbooks! Each one brings back certain memories as I peruse the pages! One of my faves & most well-worn is the Betty Crocker that was a wedding gift 43 years ago! �� judyengell@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteAw, always a great gift for a new bride.
DeleteI had a large collection of cookbooks but I regularly cull them when I go through a decluttering phase. I do pick one up sometimes when I am on vacation. I agree that looking through them brings back memories! pbfl21@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteCulling is required but so hard, don't you think? I've moved around the country. I donated books every time.
Deleteone of my fave hobbies is collecting vintage cookbooks, but i do love getting new ones all the time. i need another big bookcase! aelinderman (at) sbcglobal (dot) net
ReplyDeleteHow fabulous. Vintage cookbooks are a peek into the past.
DeleteWow! What an awesome opportunity . I have a few cookbooks. My favorite is one based off a series of books that I loved!
ReplyDeletecupcakesannie@yahoo.com
Tell us the name!
DeleteWhat a fantastic giveaway. I still occasionally use my Betty Crocker cookbook that I got 55 years ago. suefoster109 at gmail dot com
ReplyDeleteThe man in my life swears by his Betty Crocker!
DeleteI have a few cookbooks but nothing really old. Most of the recipes I use regularly are in three ring binders
ReplyDeletesgiden at verizon(.)net
That works, too!
DeleteI have three ring binders too, Sandy! I used clear plastic sleeves in them and clippings or printouts of favorite recipes. I love that system!
DeleteI have a fat ring binder filled with recipes as well! If I ever had to grab something in a fire, I would take that. It contains recipes from my mother and mother-in-law plus the dishes I've traditionally made for holidays.
DeleteAnother fan of the 3-ring binders! We print out so many recipes from websites; if we want to keep them, that's where they go! Although I admit, sometimes I have to grab one of my own novels for a recipe I included and didn't print for myself!
DeleteI'm lucky enough that my mother is still alive and still living in her home. When the day comes, I will cherish the cookbooks she used and enjoyed.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you will, Vicki. Lucky you to still have her. :)
DeleteCookbooks are fun to read, especially the ones with personal stories included. We have four editions of The Joy of Cooking, which was written within a couple miles of where I sit right now. The Rombauers and Beckers lived, and may still live, in my community.
ReplyDeleteEven though I got rid of some two dozen cookbooks when we moved last year I still have three full shelves of the ones I couldn't bear to part with. You'd think I made a different dish every five minutes! LOL
k maslowski at fuse dot net
Four editions of Joy! That's amazing. Thanks for commenting.
DeleteThey're all so different.
DeleteCookbooks are treasures. I don't have many but cherish the ones which are like old friends. Interesting and great reading. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteI enjoy cookbooks! My oldest is a copy of Fannie Farmer.
ReplyDeleteJess
maceoindo(at)yahoo(com)
Fannie Farmer was my second go-to cookbook when I first started cooking, after Joy of Cooking. As with Joy, I had to buy a new copy when FF fell apart. Thanks for commenting.
DeleteCookbooks which tell stories are fascinating and wonderful. I have one when I was engaged. I use it frequently. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful post! It always amazes me when people say food is just fuel. To most of us, it is family and love and our history and memories. ckmbeg (at) gmail (dot) com
ReplyDeleteYou are so right, Riley! Family, love, history, and memories. Spot on.
DeleteI dont collect cook books. I keep and use the ones that I really like. But my mom would collect cook books from the family. I have cook books from my family going back to the 1800's Now these have some interesting ingredients in some of them. quilting dash lady at comcast dot net
ReplyDeleteHa! I bet some of those ingredients are hard to find these days.
DeleteI have my Grandmothers “Betty Crockers” 1961 cookbook. After she passed, I saw it amongst her things and so happy I have it! Her writing is all over the place with notes. She also stuck some hand-written recipes in the book. I treasure her cookbook.
ReplyDeleteThose hand-written notes truly are a treasure, Nancy!
Deleteis this the big green one? One of my favorite recipes is there- Sea-food salad
DeleteAt least a decade or more ago, I solicited recipes from my extended family and friends and put together OUT OF EVANSTON, in a three-ring-binder. Now, when nieces/nephews get married, I schlep my copy to the copier and they get a copy as part of their wedding present. It's about time somebody in that generation did Volume 11, I think. I've sold a few to friends, as well, for the cost of copying and a notebook. Used to run about $20. Not bad. pjcoldren[at]tm[dot]net
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea!
DeleteGreat idea!
DeleteI am so very much a cookbook collector and I love going through them occasionally just to pay a visit to old favorites, if not to actually use any of the recipes. The oldest one I have belonged to my mother. It is called Granddaughter's Inglenook Cookbook and was published in 1942! (This book was obviously gifted to her since she did not arrive in the U.S. until the mid-1950s.) It is a relatively slim volume by today's standards, with tiny black and white photos at the beginning of each chapter, but it is jam-packed full of recipes for just about everything, and includes charts for recommended baking times and temperatures, a food computing list to determine how much of any ingredient you will need for various servings, weights and measure of common foods, a section on basic cookery, and much more. Back in its day it probably really was the only cookbook you would ever need to own!
ReplyDeleteI recently went rummaging through my cookbook shelves to find a regional cookbook I bought years ago called Bru's Buns and Other High Altitude Delights, put together by a Jackson Hole bakery called Bru's Buns and Breads. This little gem is such a delight, full of unique black and white artwork and starting off with a very unique poetic tribute by an employee (it begins with "Having sharpened the knife for the seventeenth time, I see I've committed a sweetie bun crime..." and ends with "...Good morning, bru." I wish I could print the whole thing but I don't want to commit a copyright crime!) I was looking for a specific recipe I vaguely remembered called Armadillos' Esctacies because it uses an avocado and I had one that I thought I might use in said recipe. However, I did not have all the requisite ingredients and I did not make it after all. Even so, it was a delight just flipping through the pages and remembering those years long past when my husband and I spent summers in Montana and Wyoming, visiting way too many bakeries and eating way too much pie and cinnamon rolls! My cookbooks are almost like a diary of my life for me, and as I get older it is fun to revisit my past through their pages.
My mother was the cookbook collector in the family. My husband and I have moved so many times that we finally decided to hone the collection to only the books we use. My oldest is my mother's McCall's Cookbook from 1964, I also have her Good Housekeeping Cookbook from 1965 and all of the spiral bound Time-Life Foods of the World collection. I kept Gourmet's 50th anniversary magazine for old time's sake. The cookbooks I wish I still had - Moosewood cookbooks. They were wonderful!
ReplyDeleteThey still are, Kait!
DeleteWhat fun to read about all these cookbooks and their stories. I love recipes and cookbooks. The oldest one I had was something called "Delineator Recipes" and published in 1922. Just great reading for a history lesson. My daughter wanted it so badly I gave it to her so I know it has a good home. When I got married in 1969 my grandmother gave me 100 Ways to Cook Ground Beef. My small paperback Betty Crocker cookbook was my go-to for years (I did win the Better Crocker award in HS after all ;-) ). I have community cookbooks, those published by companies like Domino Sugar, Crisco, Pace, special books, several editions of the Better Homes & Gardens cookbooks (because something might be added but also removed), it goes on and on. I even bought cookbooks to make food for Pug Pep. I have gifted some of them (and almost regretted that) and gotten rid of very few. I can hardly make myself throw out clipped recipes, much less a BOOK. :-) My most treasured are the spiral notebooks and index cards my mom copied recipes in and the old brown 3-ring binder I started writing recipes in when I was about 12. Memories are wonderful, aren't they?
ReplyDeletesallycootie(at)gmail(dot)com
Grandma, I did too! Won the Betty Crocker award that is. I think I still have the charm someplace. The funny thing was I couldn't cook at all. We had no home ec in my high school so we took a written test. More than 50 years later, my family has still not let me live that down - but I have become a decent cook.
DeleteExactly, Kait! I could cook but it was just a written test which seemed like a lot of common sense. We didn't have home ec in my HS either until my senior year and by then I already knew how to make a salad or whatever they were teaching ;-)
DeleteI wouldn't say I collect cookbooks, but I do have a good stash of them on my shelves. I have my mother's vintage Betty Crocker cookbook - that's probably the oldest. I also have her recipe box with recipes written or typed on index cards. I treasure those recipes! bunkielisa (at) gmail (dot) com
ReplyDeleteFamily recipes are something to treasure.
DeleteI collect cookbooks! I have a large selection. My favorite are church cookbooks!
ReplyDeletebmedrano34@yahoo.com
I am a cookbook collector.I think the oldest one is the "Rumford Complete Cook Book" by the Rumford Chemical Works makers of Rumford baking powder. It was first published in 1908 and mine was a 1946 edition. Another oldie and odd one is the "Good Housekeeping's Cookery Compendium" London Edition first published in 1952 and mine was reprinted in 1964. If you need to fix kippers, just ask me! LOL I use its recipe for pancakes though they call them "girdle cakes". I thought that was a typo, but on another page they show a "girdle" which looks just like my Mama's Diamondware griddle which she got around 1950 in Texas! Yes, we are separated by a common language. I have a lot of church and club cookbooks with those plastic binders. It makes me sad when I see a used cookbook with notations saying "Bob's favorite birthday cake", because I figure Bob may not be having birthdays anymore or no one knows that is/was his favorite. I NEVER throw away cookbooks, sometimes gift them away, and on rare occasions had to sell some when funds were needed elsewhere. Love this conversation. Cookbooks are my crack. sssusieqAThotmailDOTcom
ReplyDeleteSusie, those "back of the box" recipes from ingredient makers are so great. I've got quite a collection of those booklets. And we still use Rumford Baking Powder!
DeleteI love old cookbooks. Those are my favorite to cook from. My grandmother gave me a bunch of her old cookbooks. Ones I remember from childhood that we have cooked from together. So special as my grandmother ha written I those books. ❤
ReplyDeleteThanks for the chance!
jarjm1980@hotmail.com
I used to have that Peg Bracken "I Hate to Cook" book. I guess it got recycled when we moved. I had about 100 cookbooks and had to downsize a bit! I haven't downsized my mystery book collection, however, and would love to win these books. cwr(at)withdispatch(dot)com
ReplyDeleteLOL! Good luck ad you can borrow my Peg Bracken if you need it.
Deletethe name Peg Bracken is a blast from m6 past😊
DeleteI have one from the 1800's which was my grandmother's. It is in storage so I can't tell you the title for sure but I think it was the White House Cookbook. Thank you for the chance to win these great books. seboggs(at)comcast(dot)com
ReplyDeleteI grabbed a few of my Mom's old cookbooks especially a few that were gifts from a friend from Prince Edward Island and I wish I had taken her handwritten one but my brother took it. My oven is dead so everything is cooked in my air fryer
ReplyDeleteI love reading cookbooks. I often get them from the library just to peruse them! I don't have any really old ones, but I do have The Joy of Cooking! Great topic and thanks for a chance to win! ljbonkoski@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteI loved reading this post and all the comments. Vicki - I have the identical Canadian Cookbook as your illustration. I also have (Mary Jane's) Out of Old Nova Scotia Kitchens; my husband enjoys so many recipes similar to what his Mum made. Probably the most used cookbook in my collection is the 1959 edition of the Fannie Farmer Boston Cookbook. Versions of it have been in print since 1896! Would love a chance to win - thanks for the opportunity. Hugs and stay safe all; from the ever anonymous Nancy Reid jw.nl.reid@sympatico.ca
ReplyDeleteI love that you have those two, Nancy! Good luck and you stay safe too. Hugs.
DeleteCookbook aholic here!! I have so many my grandma made notes in to make the recipe better! So fun to see how cooking has changed over the years!! So exciting jsenap@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteI don’t do a lot of cooking.But I love cookbook’s.Thank you for the chance.Gogo2007@rocketmail.com
ReplyDeleteI have an old Good Housekeeping cook book I refer to a lot :-)
ReplyDeleteroswita.hildebrandt (at) gmail.com
My go to cookbook was Mother's In the Kitchen, but now my husband does most of the cooking.Lucky me! cheers@MarjimManor.com
ReplyDeleteMine can barely boil water!
DeleteI stumbled upon this website by accident. Absolutely a great find. I just got done moving my 2 storage units into 1 with my boyfriend of a year. All of my books drive him nuts. About 90% of them are food related. I don't have a lot of books, I have A LOT of books. I told him anything that has to do with food I am keeping. That included cookbooks, health books, dishes, baking misc, etc. He commented, "so you are keeping everything then."
ReplyDeletePoor guy! Sounds like my husband. Sadly all my books are in cartons waiting for bookshelves to be built. I packed my cookbooks separately though and those are on shelves in the pantry.
DeleteI have a lot of cookbooks. Only my Betty Crocker cookbook is old though. Quite a few are from churches and one was from my workplace with everyone contributing recipes. I love reading recipes, my mom thinks I'm crazy. She never liked to cook. All of the books sound interesting.
ReplyDeleteI love cookbooks! I can read them almost like novels, tasting my way (mentally) from recipe to recipe.
ReplyDeleteI don't buy many new ones now days, relying on the internet more.
But I have a wonderful collection. All Of Julia Child's books. Some Moosewood. The Frugal Gourmet. 1975 Whole Earth Cook Book by Sharon Cadwallader. The Findhorn Cookbook An Approach to Cooking with Consciousness 1976
I used to browse used bookstores with my husband. While he looked for Golden Age illustrator (1880-1920ish) books, I checked out the cookbooks. With the internet he does little bookstore browsing anymore. I don't think I'm suffering, though!
I have a wall of cookbooks in my kitchen. One of my vintage favorites is Desserts by Sunset Magazine editors. It includes the cake that my mom maid for my birthday, orange chocolate marble cake.
ReplyDeleteKaren B
ReplyDeleteI'd love to win if they are print books! The type has gotten so small on your site that I have a hard time reading it even with my magnifying glass!
kpbarnett1941(at)aol(dot)com
Karen, if you're using a PC, hit Control and the + sign on the numeral bar to enlarge the print on any webpage.
DeleteKaren B
DeleteThank you so much! The print is now readable on the daily newsletter, too!
My oldest cookbooks are from the late 60s and early 70s. I have a lot of regional cookbooks, mainly the South, women’s clubs compilations, a few foreign cookbooks. Tons of clipped out recipes. I weeded out my cookbook collection a few years ago. I need to do the same with those clippings!
ReplyDeletepatdupuy@yahoo.com
Those old Betty crocker cookbook from the 70s the red and white checkered ones those were cool
ReplyDeletePyrosmatches69@gmail.com
I'm not really a cookbook collector, so it was interesting to read all your comments about the different cookbooks that you have used. When I think cookbook, I automatically think of Betty Crocker! I do like to get the local cookbooks that different organizations put together usually as a fundraiser for their group. It seems like those types of recipes aren't usually too complicated and are very tasty. It's especially good if I recognize the name of the contributor! Thanks for the contest! mlduffer(at)att(dot)net
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, my mother had Peg Bracken's "The I Hate To Cook Book"! And because she really did hate to cook, I wound up having to learn. I love my old Vegetarian Epicure books (lovely soups and German Apple Pancake), the Silver Palate books and their offshoots, and on and on. Only recently acquired a Joy of Cooking, which I have yet to cook from. I still have a newspaper clipping of duelling recipes by Mrs. McGovern and Pat Nixon from a 1972 newspaper when we lived in Buffalo. monika@web.ca
ReplyDeleteWow! What an awesome giveaway! I collect cookbooks(mostly from a company called Gooseberry Patch). I also have a LOT of very old cookbooks and recipes that belonged to my grandmother and mother. SO many tried and true recipes! They are very sentimental to me. I love seeing my grandmother's handwriting :) Thanks for the chance to win! ladyofshalott03(at)yahoo(dot)com
ReplyDeleteEnjoying this post so much! My oldest cookbook is The Everyday Cake Book: A Recipe for Every Day of the Year Including February 29th, by G. P. It was published in 1921 and I believe my mother must have bought it at a used book sale sometime in the 50s or 60s.
ReplyDeleteJust for fun, here's the recipe for today's date as close as I can make it look the way it's set up in the book. I've never made it, so you're on your own if you try it:
OCTOBER 5
Cake #279
Crosby Cake (No explanation for the name)
Material
Flour....................1 lb.
Butter...................6 ozs.
Currants.................6 ozs.
Eggs.....................4
Salt.....................a pinch
Borwick's Baking P.......2 teas'ful
Sugar....................4 ozs.
Candied Peel.............2 ozs.
Milk.....................a little
Method
- Well mix the butter and flour, add the sugar, currants, peel, baking powder, and salt. Beat well, then add the eggs and enough milk to form a batter, and mix thoroughly. Bake in a greased tin about one hour and a quarter.
Irma, WOW! What a find! Instructions were a lot more minimalistic in those older books, weren't they? (Be sure to leave us your email address to enter the giveaway.)
Deletethanks for the chance. I love the cute covers. jlb12563@sbcglobal.net
ReplyDeleteHave lots of cook books but most of the have to makes are on cards in a special box.
ReplyDeleteI have a Betty Crocker cookbook that was my husband’s grandmother’s. Sine he’s in his 70’s it’s pretty old. I love that she’s written in it.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, this day the blog really touched me. I have had or seen every cookbook you girls mentioned today.
ReplyDeleteI cooked for fifteen years at the local grocery store, lovingly preparing dishes for people in our community.
Cooking prevents me from being depressed, angry, and generally hateful!
Reading and watching British Murder Mysteries are helping since I retired!
Thank you all for a great read, and the chance to win these amazing books!
Thanks for joining the conversation, Stephanie. Cooking is so valuable in so many ways.
DeleteI do love a good used cookbook, especially with things written in the margins because then you know it was used and a good recipe! sticklerba (at) gmail (dot) com
ReplyDeleteLove the marginalia! My cookbooks are scribbled in, stuck with post-it notes, and heavily bookmarked!
DeleteI love seeing those old cookbooks! I have most of my mom’s (the ones she’ll part with! Lol!) and one of my grandmother’s. I also collect antique cookbooks. It’s so much fun and like a treasure hunt whenever I’m out at an old bookstore or antiquing. I love the handwritten notes in the margins or little extra recipe cards tucked inside.
ReplyDeleteI love cookbooks and I have a whole bookcase full of them. I really like the older cookbooks and find lots of good recipes in them. I also use the box of recipes from my Mom, she had some awesome pie and cookie recipes. Thanks for the wonderful giveaway.
ReplyDeletediannekc8(at)gmail(dot)com
I really enjoyed this post and looking at all the old cookbooks. Thanks for the chance to win. doward1952(at)yahoo(dot)com
ReplyDeleteI love old cookbooks & keep them whenever I'm lucky enough to acquire one. I also try any of the recipes that sound good to me
ReplyDeleteCarsonsmum@gmail.com
I love old cookbooks and especially the hand written notes in the margins. I inherited my husband's step mother's book which is not a published book but a hand-written collection of recipes. I also have an old recipe card holder with recipes that I hand wrote for myself before I went to college. I still make some of the recipes, too! Thanks for the delightful post and the great giveaway! aut1063(at)gmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteWhat treasures, Autumn! I've got my old recipe box and my mother's, too, and like you, I still cook from them.
DeleteI love looking at cookbooks, but I don't collect them. I mostly just use recipes from friends/family or ones found online.
ReplyDeleteturtle6422 at gmail dot com
I love to look at cookbooks even though I’m not the best cook in the world. I have some newer cookbooks that I’ve collected because I like to see pictures of what I’m making. I also have my mom’s cookbooks that she collected, as well as a small notebook and a box of her handwritten recipes. cking78503(at)aol(dot)com
ReplyDeleteMy mother gave me a copy of cooking for 2 when I got married. My family and friends made me 3x5 cards with their favorite recipes. I have used both for over 50 years.
ReplyDeleteMy mother has tons of cookbooks and I seem to have inherited the habit. I have stacks of cookbooks and lots of cards or printouts. My mom wrote down her go-to recipes when we were kids and made us each a recipe box of family favorites. The old cookbooks are some of the best- simple ingredients and classic dishes. I love to try out new-to-me recipes as well.
ReplyDeletekozo8989(at)hotmail(dot)com
This was an interesting read and brought back memories. Most of my cookbooks are fairly new but I do have The Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook that I was gifted 50 years ago. I had an old one of my mothers with notes and some handwritten recipes in the margin and I gave that to my youngest daughter who likes to cook. I do have a cookbook titled Dishes Children Love and it contains 264 recipes and was published in 1954. I have no idea how or where I got this book but I do know when my girls were little they would look though this and choose recipes to try. I have a 4 year old grandson and I want to sit with him sometime soon and let him look this and pick out recipes to try. Thanks for sharing this.
ReplyDeleteWhat lovely memories, Holly! I've got both my early 1980s BHG and my mother's copy from the early 50s.
DeleteWow I thought I missed it! Love all these authors and all of their book! I would give them a loving home!
ReplyDeleteI've started to cull out some of my cookbooks. Thanks for the chance on a wonderful assortment of books. A great blog!
ReplyDeletekckendler at gmail dot com
Fantastic discussion and giveaway!! Legallyblonde1961@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteI collect cookbooks and would love to win all these books to read!!!
ReplyDeleteRemember to leave us your email address for a chance to win.
DeleteI have quite a collection of my grandmother’s cookbooks, and since I have celiac disease my collection of gluten-free cookbooks has grown quite a bit! Thanks for the opportunity!
ReplyDeleteJwhite410(at)yahoo(dot)com
I love finding fun recipes. I enjoy the recipes shared in my cozy mysteries and quirky cookbooks.
ReplyDeleteI have quite a few cookbooks. I think the oldest is a cookbook from an organization my mom belonged to. It is from the late 50s or early 60s
ReplyDeletelaurie(dot)anismom2(at)gmail(dot)com
I do love old cookbooks. One of my favorites is the Betty Crocker's Cook Book for Boys and Girls that was originally published in 1957. I used it to learn how to cook as a child. I have my original cookbook with the cover off. I was able to find a reprint of the original cookbook several years ago.
ReplyDeleteNancy
allibrary (at) aol (dot) com
I do love old cookbooks. I finally found a reprint of the Betty Crocker cookbook my mom had from the fifties. I have a few from when I first got married and some from my mother in law as well. I love to try new recipes.Thanks for this chance to win. 1cow0993(at)gmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteAlthough my mother collected cookbooks I never have. I think I have about five. I still check out new release cookbooks from the library because I love looking through them, thinking of all the recipes I want to make (but never did/do).
ReplyDeleteSo now I look a recipe up on the interwebs whenever I'm in the mood to make something. I do follow a few cooking blogs which gives me the coziness that cookbooks give me, but I have more room on my shelves for other books. ;)
kimheniadis at gmail dot com
I like looking at cookbooks, but I need pictures. Both to salivate over and to get an idea of what the dish is supposed to look like.
ReplyDeletewskwared(at)yahoo(dot)com
I LOVE cookbooks, especially ones with photos. I'd be embarrassed to admit just how may I actually own, but, let's just say, I have very little bookshelf space remaining. However, I ALWAYS have room for more mysteries! mgshepherd2003@yahoo.ca
ReplyDeleteI have collected some cookbooks over the years. The one I like most is "Cora's Country Cookbook". Cora is the one who use to advertise Maxwell House way back when. mountainsr4me@hotmail.com
ReplyDeleteI love cookbooks. I have a good size collection usually adding to it yearly. But the one I love the most is really just a bunch of recipes my mom wrote down in a notebook for us when we all got married. Family favorite, some just explaining the best way to make a pie or pot roast. I love looking at it. mommyoz53@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteI love old cookbooks and cookbooks put out by local groups/organizations. I live the history. bella_ringer@hotmail.com
ReplyDeleteawesome giveaway
ReplyDeletesome of the pages in my betty crocker cook book have more ingredients droppings and batter then words on them. meracyg@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteI have three cabinets filled with cookbooks! Yeah I’m kinda obsessed with them. It’s hard to pass up a good cookbook. Thanks for the chance!
ReplyDeleteedtercross7304 (at) yahoo (dot) com
I love cooking and cookbooks. I do have a fave cookbook- by Vincent Price.I also enjoy church cookbooks and cookbooks published for a cause. ddeville14 (at) yahoo (dot) com
ReplyDeleteI am indeed a cookbook junkie. I just have to have every new one that comes out. Besides that I copy all the great recipes on line. My son once said I'd never live long enough to try all my recipes if I cook a new one each day. LOL 6186pep(at)msn(dot)com
ReplyDeleteI love to collect cookbooks and have several bookcases filled with cookbooks. I like church and community cookbooks. I also have several editions of the Joy of Cooking. nancy.farm102@comcast.net
ReplyDeleteI learned how to cook while helping my Mom by doing the food prep. No written recipes - just what she learned helping her Mom. I enjoy reading cookbooks for new ideas of food and spice combinations.
ReplyDeletejtcgc at yahoo dot com
I'm not much of a cook, but love looking at old cookbooks and learning old family recipes! Ajf95@aol.com
ReplyDeleteThis is an awesome giveaway! Thanks for the chance! lindaherold999(at)gmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteMy very first cookbook (I was 10 years old) was the Betty Crocker Cook Book for Boys and Girls; my younger sister and I had to share it. It's long gone, but a few years ago, when I was doing a special middle school class combining fairy tales and cooking, I ordered a used copy of that book. Starting in college, I started buying more cookbooks. Probably why I love mysteries that feature food. These books look wonderful, thank you for the chance to win!
ReplyDeleteI must admit that I am a cookbook collector to the nth degree with almost every cuisine you can imagine! I love my signed Julia, Ina, Lidia, Sara, and Jacques cooks, but I do treasure my mom's James Beard Fireside Cookbook (1949) and those that belonged to my dear Uncle Frankie as well as recipes from all your marvelous mysteries! sharonrizzo@hotmail.com
ReplyDeleteNot a collector but would love to try some of the old receipes. cheetahthecat1986ATgmailDOTcom
ReplyDeleteNot sure if I'm a collector or saver. I have some of my mom's cookbooks and "church" cookbooks. They have the best recipes. I also have some handwritten one's from my Aunt's (great stuff). When I bought my daughter the Better Homes and Gardens book we found it didn't have the recipes my mom's old one did. They grew up on those and copied them. That book will stay with me as long as I can get to the stove! bobntoni@aol.com
ReplyDeleteI have a cookbook that belonged to my grandmother. It is a pie cookbook. cindystamps(at)juno(dot)com.
ReplyDeleteOne of the few things I buy in hard copy are cookbooks. I have 3 versions of The Joy of Cooking, one from my great aunt, one from my mom, and one I bought.
ReplyDeleteI hardly ever use cookbooks. My mother had one with a dark green cover that belonged to her mother. It was from the 40's. I prefer newer recipes. Older ones might call for ingredients that are hard to find now. I think one old recipe used cake flour. We have a cookbook that came with our first microwave that we got in 1982. Other cookbooks I have that belonged to my mother include one with dump cakes and Family Circle All-Time Favorite Recipes (heavy! - 512 pages - hardcover).
ReplyDeleteCatbooks72(at)gmail(dot)com
What can I say I was a cook-book-aholic. I used them all the time but when we remodeled our kitchen last year I needed to purge. I kept all the sentimental and vintage books and donated the rest. At the moment if I'm looking for ideas I check Pinterest. I found one today for pork loin with burboun and apples--yummy. Thank you for this opportunity. email: lsum1258 (at) aol (dot) com
ReplyDeleteLove cookbooks! Can never have too many. Thank you for the opportunity!!📚📚📚 lindalou64(@)live(dot)com
ReplyDeleteI have too many cookbooks but cannot part with any. My first was The Betty Crocker Children's Cookbook given to me by my fourth grade teacher. My love of cookbooks is why I love cozy mysteries related to food so much! Debbie(dot)Erickson14@gmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteI love cookbooks! I have older copies of Betty Crocker and the Joy of a Cooking which I still use. I also buy new ones - Instantpot and different cuisines & cultures. My email is booksnpugs(at)gmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteI inherited both of my grandmothers cookbooks. 1950 Berry Crocker illustrated and my favorite 1951 Fannie Farmer. Fannie Farmer has covers the basics really well but the food can be on bland side and is perfect for adding more spices.
ReplyDeleteI still have my set of Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery. And my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. I have a huge collection. Now, if I only liked to cook. lkish77123 at gmail dot com
ReplyDeleteI love cookbooks. Especially baking ones. My favorite is 1001 cookie recipes. I've had that for years and it's my go to during the holidays
ReplyDeleteI’m a cookbook collector and like someone mentioned, when I had to move and pack and find storage in my new home, it was overwhelming and I ended up parting ways with cookbooks that I now wish I hadn’t. Love this post! Carter.karen@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteMy favorite cookbooks are compilations of recipes submitted by individuals for churches,schools, civic organizations and communities. My oldest one goes back to 1973. bskts4unme(at)hotmail(for)com
ReplyDeleteI love cookbooks, thank you for the chance at such an amazing giveaway! mafyelton@msn.com
ReplyDeleteI have an app on my computer that I use to collect recipes I get online. And yes, I have a slowly growing cookbook collection. I've been picking up cookbooks on low carb / keto diets. It's quite addicting.
ReplyDeletejourneybound2010 at gmail.com
Ok, I typed and entered earlier today, but I don't see me listed in the comments. Since I definitely want to be entered in the contest, I'm going to try to enter my answer again. If it's a repeat, I'm sorry and delete this one.
ReplyDeleteLove to cook/bake as does hubby which means we spend a lot of time in the kitchen together. Love cookbooks, both new and old. My oldest is one from the late 1800's given to me by an elderly friend before she died. Evidently it had spent some time in storage showing signs of maybe having been nibbled on, but I love to look through it to see what ingredients were used and what recipes were popular during that time. I do have two that have very special meaning to me.
The first one is a cookbook I made. After our daughter went to here heavenly home, I had to have something to keep me busy. I decided to take all the tried and true recipes of my Mom and my Granny which were given to them by friends or passed down through the generations and put them in a written orderly form. This took some doing since a lot of them were not written down at the time. Spent a lot of time standing beside my Mom measuring what she put in her hand before it went into the pot or bowl. Then I'd made the dish from my recipe and see if it passed Mom's taste test. I went so far as to have a section of emergency substitutions, measurement conversion charts, household hints, details about herbs, and even some old wife's tales. I put the recipes into clear sleeves and then into a large 3 ring binder. I made three giving one to Mom, one to hubby's Mom and one for me. I'm very grateful that I did this before the memory stealing Alzheimer hit my Mom or many of the recipes would have been lost forever. After Mom's passing, I gave her copy to my best friend who was my lifeline during Mom's illness.
The second one is an Army mess hall cookbook with no recipe for less than 100 people. My Dad was a career military man very proud of his service to his country. This cookbook not only brings a smile to my face because of my Army brat days, but also sweet memories of my Dad.
Love trying new recipes and if they cut the mustard they find a place in my cookbook.
Thank you for the fabulous opportunity to win some wonderful books by amazing authors! Shared and hoping to be the extremely fortunate one selected.
2clowns at arkansas dot net
I still have my mother’s high school cookbook from the year 1953 or 1955. She has been passed for 2 years now. Love to read mysteries and collect cookbooks. Thanks for the chance to win.
ReplyDeleteI collect cookbooks - modern ones. However I have a coverless one from my mom, who passed away several years ago. I have been trying so hard to figure out what the cookbook actually is! I have an early '60s version of the Joy of Cooking and that's not it. I'm now wondering if it's the coverless Joy of Cooking shown in the photo, or possibly that Betty Crocker Picture Cookbook? Peg and Maddie, if you'd be willing to compare a few pages with me, I'd be so incredibly grateful!
ReplyDeleteI was so excited about possibly finally figuring out the mystery of my mom's cookbook, I forgot to add my email! lol CindyLouwho67 at gmail dot com
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, Cindy. You win! I'll be sending you an email shortly.
DeleteWow! Thank you so much!
DeleteMy first amd only big cookbook is a 1987 Spouthern Living Cookbook. It has dog earred pages and the dust jacket is not in the best shape but it is my starting point for most recipes and then I look to the internet for tweaks. I also have a subscription to Food and Wine, if for nothing other than the pictures. Since I have started reading cozys I have decided to go old school and write the recipes on index cards to keep in a box on the counter. So many great stories with amazing recipes and descriptive meals. My cozy books have become like my new set of cookbooks. tracy.condie@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteHi Tracy, Thank you for your comment. How great that you can enjoy a mystery and also add to your recipe collection with one book!
DeleteI also still use my box of recipes on dog-eared index cards.
Thank you so much. What a lovely read on this chilly morning... now off to the kitchen I go to dabble in my favorite love language.
ReplyDeleteMy first cookbook was Betty Crocker’s Cookbook for Children. I didn’t keep it so had to rebuy as an adult! I wish someone would do a “decades” cookbook with those recipes that everyone brought to showers, potlucks, parties. With historical context, that would be so fun!
ReplyDeleteHi Cindy, A "decades" cookbook is a great idea. Thanks for your comment!
DeleteI love cookbooks and would never part with mine...well, when my daughter is older I'll pass them on to her. I still have my recipe card box, back when they sent packets of cards each month. I was so excited when a new set showed up, I couldn't wait to try the new recipes. Thank you for sharing, it's been a joy reading all of the responses. Konecny7(at)gmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteLove cookbooks. Love looking at and collecting recipes from whatever source. Have a box full of recipes clipped from newspapers and magazines. My oldest is the Joy of Cooking 1959. It was my Mom's. My oldest, new when I got it, is a Betty Crocker 1964. It was a gift from my Grams. She made the best baking powder biscuits. Warm from the oven we would slather it with fresh made butter and add a slice of honey with the comb. bessdeepotter84 at gmail dot com
ReplyDeleteI love cookbooks! I do collect them! I love just looking at them and reading the recipes oh and I cook from them too! Thanks for the chance! I love all my cozies that have recipes in the back too! almaj80(at)suddenlink(dot)net
ReplyDeleteI must collect cookbooks, I have a few hundred. I think the oldest one I’ve ever bought was from the turn of the last century, but I do have some facsimile versions of earlier ones.
ReplyDeleteSara (annefitza (at) yahoo (dot) com )
I have many cookbooks. Oldest is a worn (electric tape holding together..lol) out American Women's Cookbook dated 1968. Another go to Betty Crocker Recipe Card Library. I have a folder holding cut recipes & printout of my Mom's favorite Christmas Cookies..most cherished.
ReplyDeleteLinda.ehle@yahoo.com.
I love cookbooks where the previous owner wrote her own notes in the margin. Sometimes it is just a comment on the recipe, other times the person made a note tweaking the recipe. I have made notes in many of my cookbooks. Janie.harrison52@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteI wish I was good at cooking. I come from a long line of amazing cooks. I got the sewing and book lover gene. I unfortunately missed the cooking gene.
ReplyDeleteI wish I was good at cooking. I come from a long line of amazing cooks. I got the sewing and book lover gene. I unfortunately missed the cooking gene.
ReplyDeleteI love old cookbooks. I have a Pillsbury Kitchen Cookbook.
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of the I Hate to Cook Book. That sounds very interesting to me. A few of my favorite cookbooks are The Ritzy Rhubarb Secrets Cookbook, the Betty Crocker reprint I have, and my mom's cookbook that is a collection of recipes my family has used for generations that is handwritten.
ReplyDeleteI have a pretty good selection of cookbooks. I got one from a girlfriend of mine a few years ago. She put it together with recipes she's tested on her family and it had pics of her kids and family. it was really fun to read through. I also found two old cookbooks that I think were my grandmothers and a box of recipes that also belonged to her. kkcochran (at) hotmail (dot) com
ReplyDeleteI love cookbooks. My husband has one from when he was a child and my kids love it now! My husband loves to grill and smoke meat so he has a lot of them. I've tried canning and have many cookbooks on that (but still haven't seemed to master it). Love my Betty Crocker cookbooks. Pages are falling out and stained but it's the best.
ReplyDeletetami.norman@gmail.com
I love your post/share I have a lot of older cookbooks of my grandmother Some are from companies that no longer are around, they were ones that I think you got by sending in proof of purchase to get I also have a lot the collection ones that I have got from schools and church programs peace4ever1983@att.net
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed the post and I have a few cookbooks, thanks for the opportunity! tWarner419(at)aol(dot)com
ReplyDeleteI don't usually use cookbooks, but the library has a bunch and some are older. Would love to win!
ReplyDeleteJessica
Jwilhoite211@gmail.com
This is such a wonderful opportunity. Thank you and God Bless.
ReplyDeleteDenise
dlc1228@gmail.com
would like to win. i have some old metropolitan life cookbook booklets but i have one cookbook from the mystery chef from the radio days and two or 3 old 20'-30's booklets on cooking. i also have an older 60's or 70's joy of cooking. love the refrig. pinwheel cookies using two different color dough. hideyhide47@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteI have hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of cookbooks. Four recipe boxes full. Three binders. And 3+ book boxes filled with community cookbooks. I keep forty or so cookbooks here in the bookcase next to the dining table. I rotate books in and out of storage.
ReplyDeleteBut wouldn't you know? I can't find my copy of an old San Francisco community cookbook I've been looking for. I must have moved it.
I have a depression era one called Searchlight, one from the sixties, and the Better Homes one from the 70's. jasblue0324 (at) yahoo (dot) com
ReplyDeleteAt one time, my collection of cookbooks was so overgrown that I had to let some of them go. Now the only ones I keep are vintage, and I have probably too many. One time, living in an old house, I hit the jackpot: I found a paper recipe file, packed and bulging with recipes clipped and hand-written, mostly from the 30s to the 50s, but with some from as far back as the 1890s. Of course I still have that, and treasure it.
ReplyDelete