Now it is 2006 and we are eagerly awaiting the newest edition of Joy of Cooking to be published in October 2006 to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Irma Rombauer’s self-published cookbook.

Irma Rombauer’s work has changed all our lives over the last seventy-five years. She not only gave us a lot of recipes, she changed our understanding of cooking and its place in our lives. So over the next few months, Food Bound will have several articles about Joy of Cooking and its impact on the lives of professional and amateur cooks.

You can contribute by sharing your own stories and trivia about Joy of Cooking. For example, what is your favorite recipe? What is your first memory of cooking a recipe from Joy of Cooking? Who gave you your first copy of Joy of Cooking? Which edition is your favorite?

Here is some of the information that I found about Joy of Cooking on the internet.

First, check out the Joy of Cooking materials at Simon & Schuster. You will find a “Joy Timeline” “Test Kitchen Factoids,” and “Food Tips.” There is also information about previous editions and the specialized “children” of “Joy of Cooking.”

Next, you can test your knowledge of “Joy of Cooking” trivia at funtrivia.com. I did not do very well on the test but it was fun. Try the test for yourself and let us know how you did. Here is more trivia about Joy of Cooking. Did you know that “In 1975, a brownie recipe in The Joy of Cooking made 30 brownies; that exact same recipe in the 1997 version of the cookbook only made 15 brownies!”

Send us your own Joy of Cooking trivia questions to share with other Food Bound readers.

Then, move on to cookbkjj.com where you can study the details of each edition of “Joy of Cooking,” complete with pictures. I learned that the first two editions of “Joy of Cooking” (1931 and 1936) were subtitled: “A compilation of reliable recipes with a casual culinary chat.” The subtitle was changed for the 1943 and 1946 editions from “casual culinary chat” to “occasional culinary chat.” Since that time, there has been no subtitle. Check out the other details to improve your knowledge of “Joy of Cooking” history. By the way, most of the editions of “Joy of Cooking” are available on ebay and other auction sites. When I searched ebay while preparing this article, there were 78 items that mentioned “Joy of Cooking,” although some were unrelated to the book. The most expensive item was a copy of the 1943 edition; the current bid was $41.00.

If you want to know more about the history of “Joy of Cooking,” check out “Stand Facing the Stove: The Story of the Women Who Gave America the Joy of Cooking,” by Anne Mendelson. According to the publisher, “’Stand Facing the Stove’ offers an intimate look at the women behind this culinary bible and provides a marvelous portrait of twentieth-century America as seen through the kitchen window.”

So what can we expect from the 2006 edition? According to a review at Suite 101, “[m]ore than just an update, the new edition will attempt to recapture the allure of earlier editions, most notably the 1975 version, which remains in print today alongside the 1997 one.”

The new 2006 version will re-introduce some favorites dropped in 1997 and re-incorporate, judiciously, some convenience food, a favorite of author Rombauer who wanted to appeal to the busy housewife more than the gourmet cook. She was particularly fond of canned soup, a propensity that occasionally produced some alarming concoctions. It will also pay less heed to calorie counts and will restore some rich and fatty favorites that were totally abandoned in an overzealous nod to the health-conscious in the 1997 version. Also returning will be Rombauer’s voice, corny jokes and all, replacing the wordy and somewhat pedantic style of the last edition.

The recipe structure of the 2006 edition will not list ingredients at the beginning, a format that I find distracting, but it sure saves needed space – the 2006 edition will have some 4500 recipes!

The new edition will be released in October. Do you think it is a coincidence that the release is so close to the time for holiday shopping? Look for lots of publicity about “Joy of Cooking” between now and then.

In the meantime, let us know your memories of “Joy of Cooking,” and try to stump your fellow Food Bound readers with “Joy of Cooking” trivia. We look forward to hearing from all of you!

As I am sure you recall from my previous article, Cookwise is a cookbook that answers the “whys” of cooking. In fact, it is dedicated to “everyone who has ever wondered ‘Why?’” Because I have asked “why” more than most people, I love Cookwise and will forever be grateful to Shirley Corriher for this cookbook. If you can’t tell, I recommend that all cooks, especially those cooks who are not as daring as they would like to be, buy and study Cookwise.

One of the best examples of the teaching aspect of Cookwise is the section on chocolate chip cookies. (Isn’t that a great excuse to bake batches and batches of chocolate chip cookies!)

Corriher begins the discussion of cookies by listing the basic cookie ingredients: fat, flour, sugar, liquid and egg, baking powder and baking soda. Most of those basic ingredients are available in different forms. For example, fat can be butters, shortenings, margarines, spreads or oils. Because, as Corriher explains, any change in the amount of available liquid in the batter changes the cookie, the choice of particular ingredients determines the texture of the cookie. Corriher’s discussion is great and I recommend that you read Cookwise to get a full understanding, but here is a summary from the book:

* High-protein flour — Makes cookies darker in color and flatter
* Low-protein flour — Makes cookies pale, soft and puffy
* Fat with sharp melting point, like butter — Makes cookies spread
* Fat that maintains same consistency over a wide temperature range — Makes cookies that do not spread
* Reduced-fat spreads — Makes cookies soft and puffy
* Corn syrup — Makes cookies browner
* Brown sugar and honey — Makes cookies that soften on standing
* Baking soda — Makes cookies browner

With those fundamental rules, let’s proceed to the cookies. For this article, I baked the thin recipe and the in-between recipe. I had baked and served both recipes at an informal party several months ago. Based on my survey of the guests, I think the thin cookies were preferred but everyone thought both cookies were excellent. In the end, cookie preference is very, very personal – more reason to offer a choice! And different versions of the same cookie is always a conversation-starter.

When I was baking the cookies, I looked for some visual difference in the batters and did not notice anything. I even took pictures of the dough before I put it in the oven and still did not see any difference. Here are the pictures. In case you can’t tell, the in-between cookies are on the bottom and thin cookies are on the top (I think).

When the cookies come out of the oven, however, they look very different, as evidenced by these pictures. I don’t think I need to say this, but the in-between cookies are on the bottom and the thin cookies are on the top.

Here are the recipes for the basic, thin and in-between cookies. I hope that you will try both recipes and maybe have a taste test at your next party. I am omitting the recipe for the puffed cookies. These recipes, like all of the recipes in Cookwise, are fabulous.

Basic Cookies

1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
2 tablespoons butter
1 ½ cups flour
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
10 tablespoons fat
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons liquid or 1 large egg
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (6 ounces)

Thin Cookies

1 cup pecans
2 tablespoon butter
1 ½ cups bleached all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon baking soda
10 tablespoons butter
½ cup sugar and 1/3 cup light brown sugar and 3 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (6 ounces)

In Between Cookies

1 cup coarsley chopped pecans
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cupes cake flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
5 tablespoons butter and 5 tablespoons butter-flavored shortening
3/4 cup light brown sugar and 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 large egg
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (6 ounces)

DIRECTIONS [for all recipes]:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 C)
2. On a large baking sheet, roast the pecans for 10 to 12 minutes. While the nuts are still hot, stir in 2 tablespoons butter.
3. Turn the oven up to 375 degrees F (191 C)
4. Sift together the flour, salt and baking soda or baking powder in a medium mixing bowl.
5. Using an electric mixer, cream fat and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add the corn syrup, if using. Add the liquid or egg and beat thoroughly. Beat in the vanilla. On low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients until thoroughly combined. Scrape down the sides once with a rubber spatula. Add the pecans and chocolate chips. Beat 5 seconds on low. Use the rubber spatula to finish mixing in well.
6. Spray cookie sheets lightly with nonstick cooking spray. With a tablespoon or small ice cream/food scoop (I use a No. 40, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter), drop slightly heaped tablespoons of batter about 2 inches apart onto the greased sheets. Bake the cookies for about 12 minutes or until the edges just begin to brown. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the sheet on a cooling rack for 3 minutes, then remove the cookies to a rack to cool completely.

In the introduction to Cookwise, Shirley Corriher says that she finds “great excitement” in the knowledge that allows her to make dishes come out as she wants. “I hope that you too will find pleasure, not only in becoming a more informed and assured cook but in the amazing inner workings of food and cooking — these hows and whys that enable you to make dishes exactly as you want.”

My favorite cookbook is Shirley Corriher’s Cookwise. If you read my biography, you know that I am a lawyer who does research and writing for other lawyers. (See my blog at researchandwritinglawblog). Maybe that is why cooking is so much more enjoyable for me when I understand the cooking process. Cookwise not only has great recipes, but it also empowers its readers to be daring and confident in the kitchen.

I first used Cookwise when I was trying to make caramel sauce. No matter how hard I tried to follow the instructions in another recipe book, the sugar and water balled up and became a huge mess that I had to throw away. Corrhier explains in Cookwise, however, that crystals form because the sugar-water mixture is pure and you can disrupt the crystallization by adding some other kind of sugar that has a different molecular composition than table sugar. Glucose in corn syrup, for example, acts as an “impurity” that prevents the crystals from forming. Alternatively, you can add a few drops of acids, such as lemon juice, vinegar or cream of tartar. The acids break down the sugar into two molecules, glucose and fructose, that also prevent crystallization. Isn’t that fascinating – and it works! After gloating over my marvelous caramel sauce, I have since wondered why every recipe does not include this simple trick. With Cookwise, I know the trick and caramel sauce will never intimidate me again.

The same goes for chocolate chip cookies. How many cookie recipes have I tried over time, always being surprised how they came out of the oven. Because I am an empowered Cookwise cook, however, I will not be surprised again. Corriher includes a basic chocolate chip cookie recipe and then shows the modifications (in column format) that transform that basic cookie into a thin cookie, a puffed cookie or an in-between cookie. These recipes will soon be the subject of a separate article by me (complete with photos), but here is the skinny. You can increase the spread of a cookie by using all butter rather than shortening, by using less liquid or sugar or by using room-temperature ingredients. You can get more color in the cookies by substituting some corn syrup for sugar, by using an egg for liquid or by using unbleached flour rather than cake flour. Now the chocolate chip cookie recipe does not control me, but I know how to control it to get the kind of cookie that I want.

Cookwise is divided into categories that are unique to cookbooks. Rather than appetizers, soups, salads, etc., Cookwise has chapters that address bread, fat, eggs, sauces, fruits and vegetables, meat-seafood-fowl, and then sweets. There is also a table of contents of recipes arranged by the traditional categories, which is very useful.

In most cookbooks, I usually try no more than ten to twenty percent of the recipes. Cookwise is different and I believe that I have tried at least half of the recipes. Many of the recipes are now in my standard repertoire – Fettucine with Mozzarella, Mushrooms and Tomatoes; Hot Thai Curried Chicken with Coconut Milk and Avacados; Juicy Pork Tenderloins with Spicy Chinese Sauce; Crusty French-Type Bread; and Fresh Fruit with Ginger. In my experience, the recipes produce delicious food and are generally quite simple to prepare. I have used my copy of the book so much that it is falling apart and some of the pages stick together because I am not a tidy cook.

To be fair, I will tell you some things that I do not like about Cookwise. I did not like the Mellow, Moist Low-Fat Chocolate Cake, perhaps because I knew it contained sweet potato puree and I could not get past that. I wish the book had more pictures or some diagrams of techniques. Although the discussion section about cooking meat is helpful, I have not and will not try the recipe for Whole Roasted Tenderloin because I think that it seems too complicated, namely because it requires freezing the tenderloin for two days before cooking. Although I am certain that the resulting tenderloin is fabulous, this is one of the few recipes that I thought was unnecessarily difficult or time-consuming.

In case there is any doubt, I love Cookwise, I am a better cook because of Cookwise and I highly recommend that it be included in any/every cook’s library.