Cookaholics Bulletin Board

Inspired by a blog from The Kitchn, I wrote an EYB blog today that involved choosing one cookbook to represent each of the last six decades. I thought it was fun to think about, and also that it would be interesting to get your collective opinions, (the first book listed is from the Kitchn's list) Here it is - agree or disagree?

The 60s: Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child. Absolutely no argument with this one.

The 70s: The New York Times' International Cookbook by Craig Claiborne. It's easy to remember how very influential Claiborne was, but I'm not sure his cookbooks were that important - and even then, the original New York Times Cookbook, although it was from the 60's, was more seminal. Instead, i'd vote for the 1975 edition of The Joy of Cooking - it was the best-selling edition, the one truest to Rombauer's original version, and a cookbook everybody owned and learned from. And it solidified the rediscovery of an American way of cooking that included international influences, but got away from the Frenchified aura that defined fine dining at the time.

The 80s: The Silver Palate Cookbooks by Sheila Lukins and Julee Russo. I'd have to agree, if for nothing else than the ubiquity of their Chicken Marbella recipe, plus everybody I knew had a copy of, at least, the first one. A symbol of "gourmet" home cooking that introduced a lot of new flavors to the kitchen.

The 90s: Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison. This was definitely the decade when the crave for eating fresh, locally, and even in a flexitarian style (though it wasn't called that) began. And Madison's book was more popular than anything by Alice Waters - plus more focused on vegetables and fresh produce.

The 00s: The Zuni Cafe Cookbook by Judi Rodgers. While she redefined a roast chicken - no mean feat - I'm at a loss to think of another world-shaking recipe from that book (and I own it). Instead, I'd argue that this was the decade of the celebrity chef - defined by TV. To that end (though it's cheating by one year since it was published in 1999), I'd nominate The Naked Chef by Jamie Oliver as a representation of the genre. Something by Rachael Ray or Emeril Lagasse might also fit, but Oliver reigned strong over the entire decade and represents the move to embracing chefs regardless of which country they call home - just as long as they master social media.

The 10s(so far):Plenty or Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi. It's still early days yet, but I'd have to vote yes so far for any cookbook that can inspire cooking clubs. Indeed, according to The Financial Times, Ottoleng is now a verb, as in "Oh yes … everybody's Ottolenging now and we love it."

Not sure I agree with the 90s...but the others are certainly spot-on from my perspective.

Amy

Julia has no competition. I agree with choosing Joy over NYT. I have both from that period and cooked from both, but reached for Joy first. I refuse to give up my original Joy even though a have the anniversary one as well. I don't have an opinion about the 80's or 90's and realized I didn't do very much cookbook cooking during those decades. For the 00's I would pick Ina over Oliver, but that's just me. I am thinking maybe some of the more reference ones such as McGee, maybe Bourdain or even RLB.

Julia, for sure, and the NYT cookcooks were my first real CBs (bought dirt cheap at school book sales), that got me into cooking, and they are still in my bookcases. Rather than the International, my favorite is the New NYT Cookbook, which I have gotten many recipes from that I still use to this day. This was the first book in which I ever saw the recipe for Old Milwaukee Rye bread! And my favorite chorizo recipe, which I still use to this day (with minor changes). I think the fact that Pierre Franey had joined in writing this one helped. I used the Joy of cooking, though it was more for basics, and I can't think of any recipes from that one off the top of my head that I still use.

I've never been a fan of any of the other books mentioned for the other decades. Again, no recipes I can think of I use from those that became favorites that I still use today. Hard to pick books for these later decades, since there are so many, compared to the earlier times.

I agree about the Joy of Cooking. I still use a few of the versions, Silver palate cookbooks were the first "gourmet" type books I owned and had recipes that I could follow early on in my quest for good food. Not sure about the vegetarian one; I know that Moosewood was quite popular.
Nancy

Linsday,

Based strictly on my mother's cooking, I'd actually pick the Time-Life Foods of the World series for the 70's. Arguably, it's a toss-up between that and the Joy of Cooking; either cookbook represented, and graced the tables of, Boomers who had refused to learn cooking from their mothers and now had to learn it from books. Claiborne simply didn't signify in a popular way. Even BH&G is more of a representative of the 70s than Claiborne was.

Mind you, the 70's was also the launch of "casserole vegetarianism". So the Moosewood Cookbook or Laurel's Kitchen also deserve special mention for this era.

I agree with you for Silver Palate for the 80's. While other cookbooks seized the "high end" of the American post-Novelle movement, it was Silver Palate and its imitators which stocked cookbook shelves everywhere. In vegetarianism, the 80's cookbook was The Vegetarian Epicure, which first attempted to redefine vegetarian food by exalting cuisines which where far less meat-centric than middle American cuisine.

For the 90's, I'd argue that Chez Panisse Vegetables was really the paragon of the decade. This was the cookbook at the forefront of California Cuisine, exemplifying fresh ingredients simply cooked in a pan-European fusion style. That cookbook also symbolized the swing of culinary poles from New York and New England to San Francisco and Los Angeles. I'd agree with you that Madison really dominated for vegetarians, with the idea the vegetarianism didn't have to be rabbit food, but could actually be high cuisine.

For the 00's, I'm less sure. I agree with you that probably something out of the celebrity chef oeuvre is probably warranted, but what? There is, in many ways, too much to choose from. On the other hand, one could argue that the works of molecular gastronomy represented the real vanguard of this decade, but since I don't own any, I can't recommend a particular book.

For the teens? Too soon to tell. Otteleghi could certainly be it ...

For vegetarianism I think of Diet for a Small Planet/Recipes for a Small Planet. Not sure when it was published (70's is what I think of though). I imagine it was fairly influential for the time.