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which is better: old cookbooks or new ones?

Iron Woode

Iron Woode

Elite Member
Super Moderator
I inherited some old cookbooks dating back to the early 1960's. 3 of them are from Better Homes & Gardens: Meat Cook Book, Casserole Cook Book and New Cook Book. These books have tons of awesome recipes including how-to's for various cooking and preparation techniques.

So, would you prefer the old books to the new ones? why?
 
I would think (hope) that new cookbooks - not ones that are just rehashes of older books - would have somewhat healthier recipes.

Of course, you can always make your own health-conscious ingredient substitutions.
 
I don't think there's anything inherently advantageous about old or new except that new cookbooks may utilize new techniques like sous vide or new equipment.
 
For "American" food the old cookbooks tend to list ingredients like flour, bread crumbs, butter, other generic staples. The modern versions seem to list more brand-name processed items like "Keebler pie shell." Which makes sense because most of us are now too lazy to really make a pie from scratch 🙂
 
Originally posted by: Newbian
Old ones since 90% of the new ones are trying to get you to eat healthy cardboard. 😉
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This. The simple test to see if a cookbook is worth buying is to flip through the recipes. If margarine, canola oil, or soy anything are mentioned, put it back on the shelf.
 
Originally posted by: loki8481
I use both and haven't really noticed a difference.

I will say, though, that the best cookbook I own is a relatively new one (The New Best Recipe by Cook's Illustrated)
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Cook's Illustrated and America's Test Kitchen are awesome. Love the TV show, too 🙂
 
Best cookbook I have is from the 60's. Thing has anything you can imagine in it and is great for learning just how to do something, not necessarily for a recipe.

If what I'm looking for isnt in there I usually just go on foodtv.com and find something and modify to my tastes.

Havn't found any new ones I've liked.
 
best cookbook I have is one from my grandma's church in texas and the other is one put together by the Kauai historical society
 
I just use Allrecipes.com. They have a huge selection with member ratings so it's easy to get good new recipes all the time.
 
Old. The best are family recipes that have been handed down for generations. These are the recipes that have been fine-tuned for decades to have the tastiest food. Modern cookbooks often can't use the exact recipes because there could be copyright issues after they publish the book. i.e. 30 years ago, all of the best Italian recipes were gathered from Italian families in the city where I used to live. They published them all together in one book for everyone. The book only cost a dollar or two. It was a nice way of sharing all those family recipes with each other. If Betty Crocker or someone else decided to use old family recipes, they'd have to research to make sure those recipes haven't already been published in another book.

Of course, there are plenty of new recipe books like "1000 great recipes for your crock pot." - basically recipes for people who don't give a shit about the quality of the food that they eat & will sacrifice great taste for time.
 
I was going through my Meat Cook Book and it made me hungry. LOL.

Swiss Steak looks really good. So does Chicken-fried Steak.

even a recipe for Sauerbraten.
 
Originally posted by: Iron Woode
I was going through my Meat Cook Book and it made me hungry. LOL.

Swiss Steak looks really good. So does Chicken-fried Steak.

even a recipe for Sauerbraten.
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You really can't go wrong with better homes and gardens cookbooks. I'd hang onto those. Also agree that the old one are much better because they didn't care about fat, just taste.
 
Originally posted by: spidey07
Originally posted by: Iron Woode
I was going through my Meat Cook Book and it made me hungry. LOL.

Swiss Steak looks really good. So does Chicken-fried Steak.

even a recipe for Sauerbraten.
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You really can't go wrong with better homes and gardens cookbooks. I'd hang onto those. Also agree that the old one are much better because they didn't care about fat, just taste.
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I intend to hold on to them.

here is my main cookbook: http://www.catalogfavorites.com/itemdy00.asp?T1=V32720

that's a reproduction. I have the original.

and here is a pic of the Meat Cookbook (not my pic): http://farm4.static.flickr.com...591_2f67ecf000.jpg?v=0

 
To dress a Beef-Stake, sufficient for two Gentlemen, with a fire made of two newspapers.

Let the beef be cut in slices, and laid in a pewter platter, pour on water just sufficient to cover them, salt and pepper well cover with another platter inverted; then place your dish upon a stool bottom upwards, the legs of such length as to raise the platter three inches from the board; cut your newspapers into samll strips, light with a candle and apply them gradually, so as to keep a live fire under the whole dish, till the whole are expended when the stake will be done; butter may then be applied, so as to render it grateful. p.11

Amelia Simmons. American Cookery. Second Edition, Albany 1796.

.
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My wife has cookbooks that date back into the 1950's and include Roast haunch of brontosaurus and T-Rex steaks...

None of her newer cookbooks even mention those prime ingredients...😛



Lots of the newer cookbooks use "pre-made" ingredients instead of everything being made from scratch.

They're ok as timesavers, but the quality isn't always as good.
 
It's a mix. We have both. The new ones are healthier and if you're picky about which ones you get they can be very tasty. Our crock pot cook book is pretty new, as is our ones for different types of foreign foods. For baking and things though our older ones are better. My wife bakes from scratch for everything except pie crusts so the old ones work better for her. I'm going to try and find her an older copy of Joy of Cooking because the new one is terrible.
 
I have the betty crocker picture cookbook. Its the first edition from 1950. A lot of great make it from scratch recipes. In addition to that I use a book called "Get Saucy" it is full of many sauces and marinades.
 
Originally posted by: sdifox
old cookbook = tasty

new cookbook = cut everything tasty out
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unless you're specifically buying a healthy cooking cookbook, I've never really seen that to be the case.
 
Old give you more of the "unhealthy" good tasting food, done in more traditional ways. It's your grandmas style of cooking.

New usually gives "healthier" food, and will use new techniques/foods (that may have not been known in the states, or too expensive to use)/etc.

So it depends. If I am more in a mood for "comfort" type foods, I'll go to an old cookbook. If I am in an "experimental" mood, I'll either make something up or get a new cookbook. Most of the time though, I go online and search by what the main ingredient is.
 
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