James Beard’s American Cookery {Cookbook Review}

If you’re looking for a cookbook to add to your collection or give as a gift, consider James Beard’s American Cookery!

I’m embarrassed to admit I had never heard of James Beard before, but apparently I should have. From the publisher’s website:

James Beard was the “dean of American cookery” (New York Times), and he put practically everything he learned about cooking into this single magnificent–now classic–cookbook. JAMES BEARD’S AMERICAN COOKERY includes more than fifteen hundred of his favorite and most successful recipes, as well as advice on dozens of cooking questions, from choosing meats and vegetables to preserving fruit and making real cheeseburgers. A celebration of the roots of cooking in the American style, this repackaged edition features the original text and color illustrations, and a new foreword by Tom Colicchio.

I have already marked several recipes that I want to try thanks to eatyourbooks.com! I love how comprehensive it is, and how it also provides background information on recipes. For example, I was looking for a recipe for pasties and sure enough, it’s in there–along with a brief history of how they were used by Cornish miners. Which would explain why they are so popular in the U.P. (Upper Peninsula of Michigan).

The recipes are divided by type (salads, soups, game, beef, vegetables, etc.) and there is a comprehensive index. There are no photographs, only a few scattered line drawings of various cooking images, but I really didn’t miss them as most of the recipes are classic and things our great-grandmothers would have made.

Although I received this copy free for review from the publisher, I will be treasuring it for years to come.