New Cook Book : 1953 Classic Edition (Better Homes & Gardens) [BARGAIN PRICE] (Paperback)

by Better Homes and Gardens Books (Author), Tricia Laning (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
A reprint of the 1953 red plaid cookbook featuring more than 1,000 recipes for appetizers, candy, canning, jiffy cooking, pies, vegetables, and more.

Original, vintage illustrations, more than 50 color photos of finished foods, more than 250 black-and-white how-to and food identification photos, all reprinted with a gently aged, nostalgic patina.

19 chapters filled with hearty, beloved ‘50s favorite recipes such as mouthwatering Buttermilk Biscuits, Raised Doughnuts, and Feather Sponge Cake.

Entertaining advice for buffets and holidays, plus a table setting and etiquette guide.

Hundreds of time-tested hints and tips ensure standout results. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• ISBN-10: 0696222124
• ASIN: B000GCG97U
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8.6 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #571,286 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Buyer Beware, September 9, 2005

By	Tom Anderson (Piney Flats, Tennessee United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: New Cook Book: 1953 Classic Edition (Better Homes & Gardens) (Ring-bound)

Not having ever seen an old edition of a Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook, I was expecting the similar charm and quality of my 1950 and 1961 Betty Crocker cookbooks and was thus looking forwarding to receiving this book. Boy, was I ever disappointed!

Betty Crocker infuses their books, even to this day, with a very friendly, authoritative, and reassuring voice. BH&G does not. The tone of this book is quite dry and non-engaging, and the general information pages at the front are quite plain and utilitarian in their design and look quite pitiful, actually. I realize that all of this is a matter of taste and probably comes down to the basic differences between the styles of two companies. I have the latest edition of BH&G's cookbook and have no complaints; I'm just saying that, in my opinion, there's no comparison between the older editions of Betty Crocker and Better Homes--Betty Crocker wins by a landslide. The only edge I would give to the BH&G is clearer photography than the 1950 Betty Crocker.

One thing, though, that I think EVERY PROSPECTIVE BUYER should be aware of: the pages are quite brown! Someone on a committee at BH&G obviously thought it would be a cute idea to "gently age" the pages so the book would look old. I would think that people who have fond remembrances of this book would appreciate having a sparkling new copy--not a book of brown pages that looks as bad as what they're replacing. Combine the brown pages with a utilitarian font style that doesn't draw the reader in, and you have a cookbook whose recipes are somewhat hard to read--and this may make a difference to older readers who have some trouble with their eyesight.

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Fifties cooking at its worst, September 11, 2005

By	David Foe (E. Lansing, MI USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: New Cook Book: 1953 Classic Edition (Better Homes & Gardens) (Ring-bound)

I had high hopes when I bought this reproduction cook book, based on my memories of my mother's (1947) edition of this famous cook book. However, the '47 edition was much better. This one is full of '50s-era recipes, with lots of canned food, gross casseroles made of Spam, etc. Plus the pages are "browned" to look like the book is aged, which just adds to the yucch factor. The food looks icky and the layout and illustrations are charmless. Want a retro cookbook? Buy the 1950 Betty Crocker Picture Cook Book (it's great!) or haunt the used bookstores for an old edition of The American Woman's Cook Book. Both are superior to this one.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exfrom the Past Returns, March 15, 2006

By	Forest Godsey "Forest" (Columbus, Ohio) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: New Cook Book: 1953 Classic Edition (Better Homes & Gardens) (Ring-bound)

The 1953 Better Homes & Gardens "New Cookbook" is by far the best cookbook ever written. I had inherited my grandmother's original edition that was beginning to disentegrate from age and frequent use and was thrilled to see that this classic of American cookery had been re-released in it's original form! This edition far surpasses it's current incarnation. This classic edition cookbook is a necessity for the most experienced or the most novice of cooks! This is the perfect manual for those who long for the days of made-from-scratch and excellent food from a time past. If you give this as a wedding gift your name will be praised for decades! If you are thinking twice as to whether or not you want to purchase this book: stop thinking and order it now.