Customer Reviews

Betty Crocker's Picture Cookbook

5 star:		(160)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I am thrilled that Betty Crocker has re-issued this cookbook. My mother received a copy back in 1956 as a wedding present and it is the one I learned to cook from. I still use it more than any of my other cookbooks. The recipes are just "plain home cooking": no fancy ingredients, no complicated cooking techiques. However, I have never made a dish from this book that has failed to get compliments. It is a good book for beginners as well as the rest of us whose skills fall somewhere between "burns water" and cordon bleu.

I grew up watching my wonderful mother use an original copy of this cookbook. She received it as a wedding present. She still has the original....which will someday be passed on to me. The pages still bear traces of all those wonderful baking experiences I shared with mom...chocolate, butter, flour. The original got so much use,that between her learning to become the great Betty Crocker cook she became and her teaching me all she had learned, some of the pages managed to come away from the binding. I remember mentioning to mom how nice it would be if her book was in a binder. Someone must have read my mind because here it is.....the reproduction, in all it's original splendor....bound! Thanks for a wonderful, loving cookbook. Besides my copy, I have since purchase one for each of my three sisters, and one for mom as well.

I can't really say this is a review. I got this book from my mom, who passed away in 1960. I have used the book so often that it is falling apart. I will never part from the book I got from my Mom, but, since I want to keep it as a keepsake, I decided that I need a new one, because it is the most reliable book I have ever used. I intend to use it as often as I used my Mom's original book. My only regret is that I waited so long to buy a new copy. PS., I just love this book!

Please, don't let the fact that this cookbook pre-dates such modern conviences as the microwave oven and food processors drive you away from this book! There are short cuts, methods and recipes that you simply will not find anywhere else. Unlike a lot of modern cookbooks, this volume accepts the fact that not everyone is a kitchen whiz--so it explains EVERYTHING; from how to bake a chicken (time, temperature, preparation of the bird, type of pan, seasonings) to how to cook fresh vegetables (quite an education if all your mom used was canned or frozen!)

This cookbook promotes healthy eating without the guilt trip that a lot of modern cookbooks put you through. It even has suggestions of how to stock a kitchen if you are just starting out (originally for new brides, but hey, you can adapt!) I really like this cook book. Even more important--I USE this cookbook! And no, I'm not a a stay at home wife; I'm a career woman! So if it doesn't work or takes too long, I don't do it! It's a great working cookbook and a great reference cookbook--one you can pull off the shelf and use when you wonder how Mom did it! Bon appetite!

I have searched for this cookbook for years; in garage sales, by writing to the publisher and through many other outlets. My grandmother gave my mother this cookbook as a wedding present in 1956. By then, it was already on its ninth printing. My mother first used this book to learn how to cook, then to become an excellent cook. It was always out on the counter when she was in the kitchen when I was a child. By following these recipes, success is certain. It also contains such helpful hints on the substitution of ingredients and setting a table properly. Often when I would come home from high school, my mother would call from the office and instruct me to make an entrée from it. Even for a typical sixteen-year-old who was more interested in fast cars than gastronomic delights, I was pleased that whatever recipe I chose to attempt, the instructions were so clear and correct that my family was always pleased with the results. After a few years in the college residence halls, I moved to an apartment. My mother, always worrying that her baby boy would not eat right, handed me her prized cookbook and requested that I please take good care of it. The book was nearing twenty-five years in age and her favorite recipes were easy spotted by the frayed edges. Several pages were coming out of the bindings, even the tape had worn out on some. I cherished this gift. During college and then while moving around the world with my career, I entertained friends while eating nutritious and inexpensive meals prepared using the recipes and helpful hints on color and presentation. Today, I frequently get the old cookbook out and share the pleasures of cooking with my wife. I always think of my mother who passed away ten years ago and with this cookbook was able to please so many people and raise us children. With the reprinting of Betty Crocker's Picture Cookbook, I can now retire the one with my mother's handwriting and fingerprints on so many pages, set it aside as a family heirloom. Today, I have ordered three of these cookbooks. I shall use one myself and give the others as gifts. Thank you so much for reissuing this treasure.

Having searched old book stores for years for another copy of the ORIGINAL, I was thrilled to see that Betty Crocker was being "reprinted". Mine, you see, has been the most well used book in our home for 40 years of marriage. I didn't want to throw it out for sentimental reasons, however, a lot of pages were missing or stuck together. I also wanted to give one to each of my children. It looks like the same book but those die hard BC cooks will notice right away that this is an edited version and not a reprint of the original! Gone is "Pink Bunny" (I only made it once and have never heard the end of it!) "Black Midnight" (the ONLY chocolate cake you'll ever need! and other favorites. Some recipes were updated for 90's nutrition which took away the 1950's authenticity. Yes I was kind of disappointed but I still feel it should be on every kitchen shelf as it is a most valuable reference tool and all the basics you'll ever need to know about are in this one volume.

When I was young I thought this cookbook was the only one which existed. This was the only cookbook my mother ever used. So much in fact that now many pages are missing or just stuffed in the back because they came away from the binding. I have been trying to find a replacement for this cookbook for years for my own kitchen. I called Betty Crocker up years back to see if they could tell me where to get a copy and they told me to look in garage sales or used book store. Finally my mother-in-law who lives in Nebraska found a used copy in pristine condition for me at a book sale. Although I own dozens of cookbooks this is the one I come back to for the true basics of good cooking. I have owned four restaurants and have used this cookbook many a times to reference the basics. It is the greatest thing that Betty Crocker has ever done by bringing this cookbood back to print. I have ordered one as a backup for mine and one for my sister. Everyone should have one in their kitchen!

Better check this one out before you buy it! I thought my mom had the first edition, so I was enthusiastic about getting a copy of the cookbook I grew up using the most. Then I saw this "1st edition facsimile" in a bookstore. I am SO glad I didn't buy this before I saw it. First, I realized from inspecting this that my mom's copy was probably a second edition of the book, with a lot more pictures, step-by-step instructions, and recipes. Second, this "facsimile" is cheaply reproduced in a three ring notebook on paper that is as flimsy as most modern magazines. I'd predict, after only a few weeks of use, that the pages and hole punches will be torn from just light use. You really should check this out before buying it!

No nonsense home style cooking. This book is wonderful as a guide for home style cooking. Ever wanted to make just every day home style cooking? Here you go. Recipes are simple to follow, easy to read, and guess what, they do not require anything fancy. I love to turn to this cookbook when I really think I have nothing to cool. This book shows you how to turn out exciting meals from the pantry. This also has some great serving ideas and more. I also enjoyed the book as recipes and cookbooks do change over the years. This had a great deal of recipes that I have never seen, and they were pretty tasty. This is the book to pick up if you want a little change, but not too much in your every day meals.

My late aunt owned this book and I borrowed it from my 80 year old mother who inherited it. The bread and refrigerator roll recipes were excellent as well as all the cake and cookie recipes I tried. Mother was unwilling to part with her copy so I ordered my own online...used for about $80. Now this old, formerly out-of-print book has been reprinted and is even better than the original! It's basically the same as the old book except it comes with a ring binder (like the newer Betty Crocker cookbooks have) making it much easier to use. (lays flat on the counter)It also has dividers for each section (like Soups, Meat/Fish, Pies,Frostings, etc.) which is a big improvement. The nostalgic effect is not lost in the new copy, however, because the pictures/photos, page-layouts, and page numbers are exactly the same as the original 50's book. I own close to 100 cookbooks and this is one of my favorites. It's teaches how to make the basic comfort foods of the 1950's when women were expected to know how to bake "from scratch." (The Amazon.com price is cheaper than I've seen it anywhere else (like Cracker Barrel)and their service is excellent and FAST. I ordered my new copy and received it the next day)