Historic ( )

This is my late mother's go-to cookbook. It is where I go when I'm stumped. But oh is it so forties!

I fell in love with this book the moment I picked it up. It's from that delicate era between the generations of "take a peck of flour" and the pristine kitchens that they showed on TV (in black and white, of course). The reviews of this book encompass multiple editions; this concerns the 1955 edition.

It's not just recipes (although there are plenty) that makes it endearing. There's a second on Table-Setting and Serving Ettiquette, and one on Marketing (as in, how to shop at the grocery store). Did you know there are (or were) three different types of baking powder? Double-Acting, Phosphate, and Tartrate Baking Powder. Most sold today is the Double-Acting type (if you're wondering).

I could sing its praises for hours, but it's time to go try out a recipe or two. It's from a different time and place, but it's a welcome guest in my home. ( )

I'm in the process of moving some of my cookbooks to a more remote location (they've been kicked out of the pantry) and thought I'd review some of them. I've had this good basic cookbook since before I was married. Before putting it away, I've copied and printed three favorite recipes for my kitchen notebook: Meat Loaf, Brown Beef Stew, and Chicken Pie. All are from the "Best of Susan" section at the beginning of the book. "Susan" was a department of the magazine where an imaginary teenage cook learned to make some of the basic recipes. I have added an extra egg to the meatloaf, and some extra vegetables to the stew and pie, plus experimenting with seasonings, but the basic rules hold true. This old (1963) cookbook may not have all the trendy new things, but is still quite serviceable for people who want to make good old American food. ( )

This is a great cookbook. It is thorough, with a wide range of recipes from the simple to the complex. It is well organized, with a good index. It suffers slightly from being old and dated but unless you are looking specifically for some new recipe, that should not matter. ( )