Customer Reviews

The Blue Ribbon Country Cookbook: The New Standard of American Cooking

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Maybe I am the only wife who ever experienced this, but after 16 years of marriage, I was still not to make some of the dishes his mom did. Every son loves their mothers cooking and I wanted to be able to cook him some of those meals, but never quite got it right. I can now! In her book, Diane taught me the basic of midwestern cooking from scratch and now I receive the highest complimemnt - "As Good as Moms and Grandmas". Thanks Diane

I have had this book for some time and while there are some very good recipes in here - it is neither earth shatteringly wonderful nor terribly disappointing. I just made the raspberry cheese pie and my family couldn't get enough of it. I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in some really good recipes but doesn't mind wading through pages to find them.

What A Book the "Blue Ribbon Country Cookbook" by Diane Roupe is! The Iowa State Fair Food Department is the largest in the nation and we use Diane's "Blue Ribbon Country Cookbook" for resource material and information. The most important use is the diverse wealth of recipes it offers. It is a "know all-tell all recipe book. Large quantities are sold each year as more and more people discover its value. Diane is one of our top canning judges because of her expertise in modern safe canning methodology. We refer to the "Blue Ribbon Country Cookbook" many times during the fair.

I was very disappointed in this book. It is very complete and nicely done, but seems to have little connection with its title -- which was what prompted me to buy it. There aren't many recipes that even won ribbons (and not all of them were even blue ribbons). I'd probably be very enthusiastic if this had had a general title, but IMHO, the title indicated that it would contain blue ribbon winners -- not 1% red or blue ribbon winners <sigh>.

I normally do not begin a review with any negative comments, but in this case I feel some notes, which could be construed as negative should be made. First, while I feel this is a very fine cookbook (more about that later), is ii indeed "The New Standard of American Cooking" which the dust jacket so boldly exclaims? I don't think so! Is this work a complete compilation of "Mid-Western" cooking? Good grief folk, the definition of "Mid-Western cooking" is so broad and vague that it would be impossible to answer that question; I am not at all even sure what sort of cooking that would be!

And of course is this the beginning and end all cookbooks, the only cookbook you will ever need or want? Don't be silly. On last checking I have well over 400 cookbooks in my home alone, and that is only a very small fraction of those that exist out there.

Then we have the terms "Country Cooking" and "American Cooking" to deal with. With out going off on a multiple page rant, it should be noted that there was not one recipe in this book that I have not eaten and has not cooked in a city some where. The concept of "country cooking" is a complete myth; or at the very least, wishful thinking and of course an important component of nostalgic country and western songs. As to "American," it would be difficult to come up with a dish or recipe that is truly American. We are fortunate to live in a country whose culinary past can be traced to every continent and every other country in the world. I suppose you could say that a nondescript furry critter roasted over a fire made from dried American Bison chips could be considered truly American, but then you cannot help but think of a nondescript furry critter roasted over a fire made of dried Yak chips somewhere in Mongolia for the past several thousand years.

Now, that is all the whining I will do. Once you get past all the hoopla on the dust cover, you will find that you have a very fine cookbook here featuring over 1,000 very workable recipes. This work covers just about every category of dish you can imagine, eggs, beef, pork, poultry, breads, rolls, cookies, cakes, pies, vegetables, fruits, sandwiches, sauces and gravies, garnishes and decorations, tarts, frostings, desserts, ice cream, canning and more. The directions are quite explicit and easy to follow, even for the beginning cook. We have actually prepared quite a number of recipes taken directly from this work (15 as near as I can figure) and all have worked out quite well.

While I mention the fact that this is not the beginning and end of all cookbooks by far, I will admit that if you only had access on one book, then this might go into the category of at least the top ten...if of course, you had a choice. I would hate to be stuck with just one such book, but I suppose you could certainly do worse.

In addition to the very well done directions as to how to prepare excellent meals and dishes, the author has also filled the book with many little bits of cooking wisdom, nutritional facts, points on menu planning, and that sort of thing.

Now reader to take note: This book is big, being some 885 pages long but there are no pictures. If you are the kind that like cookbooks that give you plenty of pictures of what you are trying to cook, then look elsewhere.

I am giving this book five stars because I do feel it is a good and useful book and it is far better than some I have come across.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks

The Blue Ribbon Country Cookbook is one of the best purchases I have made. I have been cooking for more than 40 years and have an endless collection of good cookbooks. This cookbook is one of my top five and I would highly recommend it to anyone, beginning chef or "well seasoned". The recipes are for the most part, excellent,well written and easy to follow! I have just purchased it, again, for a young women who is opening up her own restaurant in rural Nebraska!

When I purchased this cookbook, I was expecting an array of award-winning recipes and lots of expert advice. What I got was a big disappointment. This book is filled with simple, old-fashioned Midwestern recipes like swiss steak.

The title of this book is also misleading. While the book contains over 1000 recipes (if you count all the variations to the basic recipes), the author has only won 99 fair ribbons. Of those 99 ribbons, just over half were actually blue ribbons and about 30 of those blue ribbons were in preserved foods.

Unfortunately, even the author's preserve recipes leave a lot to be desired. They are very basic and limited in scope. Some of the methods are outdated and most of the jam and jelly recipes came right off the pectin boxes.

For general cooking, you're much better off with a copy of the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook or Joy of Cooking. If you want a really good canning cookbook, try the USDA Canning Guide or Blue Ribbon Preserves: Secrets to Award-Winning Jams, Jellies, Marmalades & More.

I agree that the book is not a "Bible" of American cookery, but it does get shelf space in my kitchen. It's a workmanlike book of middle American cuisine. However, I've also found a few proofreading errors in the book, such as the "Dream Bars" recipe on p. 598 that calls for a cup of coconut and a cup of pecans, but never uses them in the text of the recipe. It later refers readers to a diagram on a page, but the page referent is wrong. I like to compare recipes when making anything for the first time, and always like to read the recipe thoroughly. Dream Bars is the reason why!

Got this as a birthday gift and I think it is great. A super reference to have around the house. She makes canning seem so easy I might even give it a try..

What a great cookbook. My mother's family is from Nebraska and this book is like a view into my grandmother's kitchen. Wonderful, glorious Midwestern rib-sticking cooking. Remember, this is cooking for farmer's who worked from sun-up to sun-down and worked hard. Pie at breakfast and lots of fried food. So, go easy on the portions. Also, for those who think Midwestern cooking is bland, you need the sides. Those wondrous pickles and relishes. If you have the sides everything else falls into place and what might be considered a plain cuisine becomes nuanced. Complexity is not only achieved by sauces, but by pickles as well (because my great-grandmother was Amish we had the seven sweets and seven sours at big family dinners). Grab this book!