The Greatest Cookbook Series Ever

[weinoo]

Folks, we appear to be approaching a momentous date in publishing history. Of cookbooks. At least that's what I've heard. Yes, the greatest cookbook series ever is going to be in a bunch of food crazy people's hands very shortly. Actually, it appears to be in some people's hands already . Now, trust me, I'm as crazy as the rest of 'em...and anxiously awaiting my copy from Amazon (and don't tell my wife, please).

But, and here's the big but, there have been some cookbook series released in the past that I think are pretty damn good. Mastering the Art of French Cooking Volumes 1 & 2 were no slouches, and were pretty groundbreaking, if I recall correctly. Jacques Pepin's The Art of Cooking Volumes 1 & 2 have a place on my shelf. As does Time Life's 23-volume Foods of the World set.

However, for my money, the greatest cookbook series ever published (up until next month, that is) is still Time Life's The Good Cook series. A 28-volume series whose chief consultant was the great Richard Olney, the scope and breadth of the work is simply amazing, in my opinion. Great photos, great writing and great educational technique are all there.

Now, that's just my opinion, and I'm wondering what everyone else thinks about this.

[heidih]

Time Life Food of the World changed my life- no exaggeration. I still consult them. I will try to have an open mind about the newest kid on the block but I doubt it will change me.

[Fat Guy]

I've got to go with Knopf Cooks American, the 18-book series edited by Judith Jones. I don't have all of them, but I have quite a few and they are where it's at when it comes to making a compelling presentation of American regional cuisine. Indeed, once you've read a bunch of the books in the series, it's hard to believe a lot of people still say there's no such thing as American regional cuisine.

[David Ross]

Time Life Food of the World changed my life- no exaggeration. I still consult them. I will try to have an open mind about the newest kid on the block but I doubt it will change me.

I couldn't agree more Heidi. In fact, in the past week I've pulled "Russian Cooking" and "The Cooking of Vienna's Empire" off the shelf to go through them for ideas.

Among the many pleasures of having a full 23-volume set of Time-Life's Foods of the World is going back in time to when the books debuted in the 1960's. Cooking back then was incredibly regional throughout the world, and for many people, the books were the only window they had to learn about the cooking and foodstuffs of far-off lands. Certainly society hadn't gotten to the point of global travel where people had the opportunity to taste foods in their native lands, nor did we see exotic ingredients in our markets like lemongrass. Sushi, (The Cooking of Japan), was truly a foreign thought to many Americans at the time the books were published. And unless you lived in a large urban area with European communities, the only Sachertorte you ever saw was in a color photo out of the aforementioned Cooking of Vienna's Empire.

As I glance through the pages today, I realize how far we've come. So many wonderful ingredients that were hard to find back then are now at our fingertips and the world's cuisines aren't necessarily defined by borders today. Yet on the other hand, the Foods of the World series remind us as to the roots of regional cuisines and their importance in defining how we eat today.

[weinoo]

Among the many pleasures of having a full 23-volume set of Time-Life's Foods of the World is going back in time to when the books debuted in the 1960's. Cooking back then was incredibly regional throughout the world, and for many people, the books were the only window they had to learn about the cooking and foodstuffs of far-off lands.

Right. I literally taught myself how to cook Chinese food with the China books.

[runwestierun]

I agree with weinoo--the Good Cook series was the best for me. I had almost a complete set--25 I think--but I lost them in a storm a few years back. I remember if I was trying something from a cookbook or magazine and it didn't seem quite right, I could always find the right way to do it in these volumes. It was always right, the results were always reliable. I always felt like I really understood something and knew how to do it when I was done.

I remember a couple years ago in Bon Appetit someone asked the Andrew Knowlton what his favorite cookbook was and he said it was the Good Cook series.

[patrickamory]

HUGE fan of the Good Cook.

The photos alone in the meat and poultry books are a guide that few other reference works match...