Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site decwrl.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!ucbvax!decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-tonto!withrow From: withrow@tonto.DEC (Robert Withrow) Newsgroups: net.cooks Subject: Re: cookbook suggestions... Message-ID: <1034@decwrl.UUCP> Date: Thu, 24-Oct-85 12:51:44 EDT Article-I.D.: decwrl.1034 Posted: Thu Oct 24 12:51:44 1985 Date-Received: Sat, 26-Oct-85 03:43:55 EDT Sender: daemon@decwrl.UUCP Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation Lines: 23 >Probably the ultimate "safe" cookebook is the (in)famous "Joy >of Cooking". It has taken many lumps over the years for being >"bland", "uninteresting", "overratted", but it is safe, safe, SAFE. I disagree!!! I have a love-hate relationship with that cookbook, because while it has many excellent features (the `about' sections and the `foods we eat' and `foods we heat' sections) I've found that it has quite a few errors (both typographical and other) that can destroy a dish. And many of these errors seem to persist from edition to edition. Therefore I wouldn't recommend serving anything from it to anyone important unless you have cooked it once before. Not long ago, late one night after a long session of programming, I was making a pate brisee from the recipe in Joy, and (while it seems dumb now) I followed the instructions and added 3 cups water to 3 cups flour (look it up, it was still in the editions I saw in a book store recently). After surveying the mess I calmly ripped the beautiful hard bound book into several pieces, threw them away, and went to the local tavern. Strictly from the criterion of `safety' I have found vintage '55-'65 Betty Crocker books to be the best, although they always seem to over cook things by 20%.