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Sunset Magazine and Cookbooks

heidih

By heidih
in Cookbooks & References

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heidih

heidih

Posted
Posted (edited)

Host's note: this topic began as a side discussion in Salad Books.

 

I find that the older books and magazines show us that we are not "all that" on the innovation front. Old Sunsets from the 70's fit into today as an example

Edited by Smithy
Added host's note (log)
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IowaDee

IowaDee

Posted
Posted

I second that about Sunset Books.  I have a copy of Fresh ways with Salads.  It is the ninth printing. and published in 1997.  I believe the the first edition was in the 60's or maybe earlier.  I have rarely been unhappy with a recipe from any Sunset publication and I have a slew of them.

 

 

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ElsieD

ElsieD

Posted
Posted

I used to have a fair number of the Sunset books as well.  One i was particularly fond of was their Appetizer book.

rotuts

rotuts

Posted
Posted (edited)

I grew up one town away from Sunset , the facility.

 

they had tours , and were very nice people.  late 50's . 60's

 

my mother subscribed to the Magazine , and I did for a while.

 

while they have an Eastern edition ( they did back when )  

 

I subscribed to the original Western edition as I like seeing the

 

trips they recommeneded , many of which my family and I took way way back when.

 

the issue w older USA mags and books , even the best ones

 

is while they can be very very good , back in the 50's and 60's

 

there was very little mention of foreign ingredients , esp oriental .

 

times change , but they we're very very solid.

 

if you have older Sunset mags or books , 50's and 60's

 

look over their versions of Jello + MixIns  molds and results.

 

those were the days !

 

 

Edited by rotuts (log)
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IowaDee

IowaDee

Posted
Posted

I have that one as well as an older version called. Hors d'oeuvres from 1976.  Sunset really was cutting edge when it came to food.  

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IowaDee

IowaDee

Posted
Posted

We did visit the headquarters in Menlo Park.  Beautiful building and great test garden plots.  The test kitchens were not in use that day though and I was crushed.  My Mom kept her subscription going even when she had moved into an assisted living place.  When I was married, I subscribed just as soon as I had a spare nickle.    When the Lane family sold it to Time Magazine, it started on a downhill run.  I finally let my subscription lapse a few years back but still give one to my daughter.  I  like the idea of three generations having the magazine in common.

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rotuts

rotuts

Posted
Posted

I think Sunset's by-line some time ago was 

 

" The Magazine of Western Living "

 

it had Cooking  , gardening , travel , and some interior ' decorating ' or 

 

home and room redo's 

IowaDee

IowaDee

Posted
Posted

And crafts as well.  I'm not very good at crafts in general but somehow I could always stumble though Sunset's and up with something I didn't want to shove in a drawer.  I just counted, I have 34 different  Sunsets and a huge pile of pages that I have torn from magazines.   

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Smithy

Smithy

Posted
Posted

20200614_105426.jpg

 

This is the book that convinced me that cooking was not some esoteric branch of thermodynamics*. I liked it so much that I found a copy of their Easy Basics for International Cooking and gave it to my best friend. She still uses that book, and unlike me she is not a cookbook collector.

 

* Well it is, actually, but I am no longer intimidated by cooking.

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Nancy Smith, aka "Smithy"
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"Every day should be filled with something delicious, because life is too short not to spoil yourself. " -- Ling (with permission)
"There comes a time in every project when you have to shoot the engineer and start production." -- author unknown

ElsieD

ElsieD

Posted
Posted

Here we are, the 1974 edition.  Notice the price in the right hand corner - $1.95!  I still make some of the recipes.

20200614_123033.jpg

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David Ross

David Ross

Posted
Posted

How wonderful.  Just last week I started going through my very large collection of old cookbooks.  It includes some of the Sunset series, but I think I have about 400 or so of those little booklets that were usually sponsored by a food industry or a product company like Frigidaire.  I love those old colored photos and some of the recipes are still good today.  I just read them over and over.  I'll post a photo of the Sunset Mexican cookbook I've got on the front stack in the kitchen right now with post-it notes of dishes to make.  I think my Mother bought that one and for her, it would have been really delving into a cuisine she didn't cook very often.

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David Ross

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IowaDee

IowaDee

Posted
Posted

The 34 books I mentioned up thread are all cookbooks.  I just counted 21 more Sunset books on home and garden stuff.   Who knew?

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heidih

heidih

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

Should you not hear from me soon I have fallen in the library trying to pull out old Sunsets...

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Smithy

Smithy

Posted
Posted (edited)
2 hours ago, Margaret Pilgrim said:

The Sunset Cookbook, 1960, is a treasury of West Coast flavors and ingredients.1188985945_ScreenShot2020-06-14at10_07_19AM.thumb.png.71d2bcddc98a964aa046c6a05e1e4324.png

 

My sister had that cookbook. I wonder whether she still has it, and if so, could I wheedle it out of her? :D 

 

Edit: oh, what the heck. My own used copy has just been ordered from Amazon.

Edited by Smithy
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Nancy Smith, aka "Smithy"
Host, eG Forums - nsmith@egstaff.org

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"Every day should be filled with something delicious, because life is too short not to spoil yourself. " -- Ling (with permission)
"There comes a time in every project when you have to shoot the engineer and start production." -- author unknown

blue_dolphin

blue_dolphin

Posted
Posted

Growing up in the far reaches of northern NY, I first experienced Sunset at the home of neighbors from California who subscribed to the magazine and had lots of back issues as well as cooking and gardening books in their library.  I looked after their cat when they traveled and they encouraged me to spend time in the house so poor Toby would have a bit of company. I was happy to spend hours sprawled on their lovely Turkish carpets (after cleaning up Toby's hairballs, which he apparently NEVER hawked up when they were at home) and paging through Sunset magazines and books.  I just loved the indoor-outdoor living they featured, something that didn't exist in a place where an open door elicited shouts of, "Shut the door! Shut the door!" most of the year because either freezing air or bugs would get in.   Fast-forward to today, I live in a 1966 So Cal home that could well have appeared in the magazine.  It's not uncommon for first-time visitors to say, "Wow, this looks like it belongs in Sunset!" 

I subscribed to the magazine as soon as I moved to So Cal.  Back then, every issue was absolutely packed with content and they were cooking and trip-planning guides for many adventures in my new state.  Lots of fond memories.  I no longer subscribe but I'm always happy to find a new Sunset at the dentist's office.  And believe me, there is nothing else happy about those visits!

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Margaret Pilgrim

Margaret Pilgrim

Posted
Posted (edited)

This book is quirkily iconic.    I bought it when it came out, got rid of it along the way and rebought a copy at a garage sale.     Artichoke and crab recipes.    Blum's crunch cake recipe.   And one I have recently dusted off and trotted out at dinner parties to rave reviews, "Rumaki paté", an easy take on Trader Vic's signature appetizer.     Pretty much THIS.

Edited by Margaret Pilgrim (log)
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eGullet member #80.

Smithy

Smithy

Posted
Posted
23 minutes ago, Margaret Pilgrim said:

This book is quirkily iconic.    I bought it when it came out, got rid of it along the way and rebought a copy at a garage sale.     Artichoke and crab recipes.    Blum's crunch cake recipe.   And one I have recently dusted off and trotted out at dinner parties to rave reviews, "Rumaki paté", an easy take on Trader Vic's signature appetizer.     Pretty much THIS.

 

 

I'm pretty sure my old recipe for West Coast Flank Steak (marinated in citrus juice and other things, then broiled, I'd have to look at the recipe for more details) came from this book.

Nancy Smith, aka "Smithy"
Host, eG Forums - nsmith@egstaff.org

Follow us on social media! Facebook; instagram.com/egulletx

"Every day should be filled with something delicious, because life is too short not to spoil yourself. " -- Ling (with permission)
"There comes a time in every project when you have to shoot the engineer and start production." -- author unknown

heidih

heidih

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted
2 minutes ago, gfweb said:

There's a zillion of them on eBay...pretty cheap too

Of course but there is a special feeling  about knowing it is the one you thumbed as a kid. 

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