October 14, 2007

Cookbook Monday: The New York Times Cookbook

The very first cookbook I ever owned was a dog-eared copy of the New York Times Cookbook, one of the best 'basic' cookbooks for people who are new to cooking or have more enthusiasm than skill. My mother had worn out the binding of her copy as she made her way through the chapters over the years of my childhood. She gave me a copy - my own pre-Molly O'Neill-edited version, circa 1961 - when I went to college.

Originally published in 1961, The New York Times Cookbook  was compiled by Craig Claiborne, who, along with Julia Child, James Beard, and Richard Olney, was the vanguard of American food in the 1950s and 1960s and 1970s. The 1961 edition features recipes that represent childhood to anyone raised in the 70s and 80s - there are 'international' dishes like Tempura and Sukiyaki and Gazpacho, cocktail fare like Rumaki, pate, and step by step instructions for baking break, making croissant, and mixing cocktails. It is as much lifestyle tome as it is a how-to for curious cooks.

I don't know how much there is to say about The New York Times Cookbook, but, like Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child and Simone Beck, it has had a profound influence on my generation - either because our parents used the book or it was one of the first books we owned. It is a classic cookbook that everyone should own, much like the Joy of Cooking or any of James Beard's cookbooks.

The 1990 updated New York Times Cookbook includes more contemporary recipes, though fans of nostalgia will miss some of the 'old fashioned' dishes our moms prepared for holidays during childhood. I won't be updating my 1961 edition anytime soon.

Oct 14, 2007 5:08:57 PM | Cookbooks

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