Your most surprising cookbook?
What cookbook do you own that people would be surprised at?
I've got two. One is the Gilligan's Island cookbook. No, it's not about making generators from coconuts and seawater, it's a collection of recipes (allegedly) from the cast members. It was a gift.
The other is the Back of the Box Gourmet which isn't as horrible as it sounds. It's got the original and current Toll House Cookie recipes, for instance. It's more about cooking with ingredients than it is about mixing vanilla into Cool Whip.
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37 Comments:
I don't think I have any that would surprise anyone. Most people know I am a nut for cookbooks from the oldest possible to the new fancy ones to obscure or weird.
They might be surprised if I had a cookbook by one of the FN chefs I find horribly annoying and or hate the cooking/recipes of....
sadiepix at 1:44AM on 02/12/09
dbcurrie--I love, love the Back of the Box cookbook! I have even read the 'sequel'--reading about ketchup apple pie is awesome, and actually sounds kind of good...I agree, actually lots of the stuff are ingredients, and not that processed and the recipes just have one 'bought' item like jam or something...
HeartofGlass at 5:05AM on 02/12/09
Woman's Day Encyclopaedia of Cookery. But I have a good excuse.
Growing up, in my teen, culinary-formative years, it was my mother's main source of "cooking reference." Whatever she didn't know from her head, she grabbed from WD.
I now have my mother's WD collection and, every now and again, I'll whip something together from it.
Another one that would surprise people is the Friends cookbook (you know, after the show). It's got stuff in it like Cheesecake ("Could this dessert HAVE more calories??"). I don't remember buying it so I must have gotten it as a gift.
A fun, sort of "fluffy" cookbook I have is by Vogue. Sometimes like, food through the ages... or something like that. What I like about it is that the recipes are in chrono order - like what was popular in the 30's, 40's, etc. It's fun to thumb through, if only for the culinary history lesson.
chiff0nade at 7:33AM on 02/12/09
@chiff I have those too. Got them as a wedding gift from a old friend of my parents. Copyright 1966! and used. I still have them. Some of the recipes and pics are hilarious. Some recipes are downright just good after all these years. I also have Volumes 1 & 2 of the Gourmet Cookbook circa 1979. This does not sound very surprising, but the recipes for (I am not making these up) woodcock au fumet, braised bear liver, potted bison, fried squirrels, roast stuffed opossum, roast raccoon, potted muskrat, and roast woodchuck are a little out of the ordinary. Guess if Bourdain and Zimmern ever show up at my door for dinner I'll be all set!
finsbigfan at 8:07AM on 02/12/09
I dont use many cookbooks but I do have one I use all the time, that is kind of strange. Depression Era Recipes, its got alot of very good "old style" recipes that are fun to read, and honestly, pretty good. although I havent tried the stewed squirells or stuffed roasted racoon.
huneybumper at 8:20AM on 02/12/09
I have the American Girl cookbooks for Felicity and Molly, a Superfriends cookbook from the 1950s or 60s and a reprint of the 1950 Betty Crocker's cookbook, which sometimes notes when recipes are likely to please a man.
@chiff0nade - I once went through two decades of archived Vogue at the Smithsonian, and was really surprised by the number of recipes from the strangest people. I still wish I had copied down the recipes from Joan Miró.
KarynMC at 8:35AM on 02/12/09
I did a post a couple years back on my 10 strangest cookbooks. Here’s my list as arranged by Mary after I brought her the stack.
The Seven Centuries Cookbook, from Richard II to Elizabeth II (1973, ISBN 07-045153-2)
Yes, that’s 700 years of British cuisine which is, as Mary says, “boring and overcooked”. Anyone for eggs with anchovies?
Potato Salad, Fifty Favorite Recipes (2002, ISBN 0-8118-3337-2)
Every last recipe in here uses boiled potatoes. Let’s call it “Fifty Ways To Serve Boiled Potatoes, Mostly Cold”. After going through this book, I developed my own potato salad. First, roast the potato cubes in the oven …
Herbal Favorites (Genesee County Herb Society fundraiser cookbook)
Ok, ya’ know what? I dearly love my sister Barb, who was on the committee for this book and gave it to me. But recipes such as Nettle Soup, and Lavender Ice Cream (1/4 cup dried lavender flowers?) get this book a solid vote.
The Tabasco Brand Cookbook (1993, ISBN 0-517-22334-1)
A cookbook devoted to a single product. Successful, yes, but … cheese scones made with Tabasco? No, don’t think so.
Life’s Little Zucchini Cookbook; 101 Zucchini Recipes (1997, ISBN 932212-94-8)
By a Michigan author, printed in Michigan … Zucchini Custard? Thanks, but I’ll just have the bread, extra butter please.
Pie Iron Recipes (2005, ISBN 0-9755059-0-4)
Yup, cast iron pie irons. The publisher, Rome Pie Irons, makes some great variations on the basic thing, and the book is divided into their iron types. I have four different irons from them. Go to Cabela’s in Dundee and get yer own.
Onions, Onions, Onions; Delicious Recipes for the World’s Favorite Secret Ingredient (1994, ISBN 1-881527-54-9)
Almost 400 pages on ways to cook onions. I keep this next to the book on potato salad.
Anthony Bourdain’s Les Halles Cookbook (2004, ISBN 1-58234-180-X)
Amazing chef, one of the best restaurants in the U.S., world-renowned for his Steak Frites (the real name of French Fries), which he teaches in pictures. However, the only cookbook I’ve ever seen that’s laced with profanity, but so hilarious it’s the only cookbook I’ve ever read cover-to-cover. For example, “That’s roast chicken, numbnuts. And if you can’t properly roast a damn chicken then you are one helpless, hopeless, sorry-ass bivalve in an apron.” Yup, classic Bourdain.
Dixie Dave’s Wild Game Recipes (1999, ISBN 0-9768826-0-4)
Head up I-75, get off at Birch Run Rd. north of Flint but before Saginaw, turn right to Dixie Hwy, and Dave’s Old Dixie Inn will be on the corner. This book has the infamous Rocky Mountain Oysters (i.e., pan-fried testicles), which is occasionally on Dave’s appetizer menu. There’s also Wild Boar with Sauerkraut, Madagascar-Style Shark, and Beaver Barley Soup.
And now … the #1 strangest cookbook we have in the house … is …
White Trash Cooking (1986, ISBN 0-89815-189-9)
When my Adam found this, he showed me the cover. There’s a picture of a woman. I’m glad I hadn’t eaten yet. I only show people that pic for its shock value. It is just plain wrong. But you can’t argue with recipes such as Mock Cooter Stew, Aunt Donnah’s Roast Possum, Russian Communist Tea Cakes, and Lucy’s Guaranteed Stewed Prunes. Umm, guaranteed to do … what?? Loooceee, you got some splainin to do.
LunaPierCook at 8:56AM on 02/12/09
A 2002 Christmas present was a copy of "The Soprano's Family Cookbook" as a bit of a joke. Since then, I've turned out some pretty good dishes using it. The baked ziti recipe has become my standard. Who knew?
grampart at 9:04AM on 02/12/09
LOL Luna I have that very same 'White Trash' cook book
NanaJoie at 9:08AM on 02/12/09
Ooooh..I've been combing thrift stores for old cookbooks and one of my first was The General Foods Kitchens Cookbook from 1959. It's got cool chapters like, " How to Outwit Time" , which gives happy homemakers tips on how to keep the family well fed and content , and " Rising to the Occasion" which covers casseroles for neighbors who have lost love ones to what to stock in the pantry for power outages and other "civil" emergencies. Don't cook from it much but love to read it!
calliope at 9:28AM on 02/12/09
@LunaPierCook and @NanaJoie I too have the "White Trash" book that I love to pull out and read periodically. It was a gift from my son a few years back. Have either of you ever used a recipe from that book? I can't remember ever actually using one of its offerings!
czken at 9:40AM on 02/12/09
i once had a cookbook someone gave me that had recipes you could make in a drip coffee maker. the author was a traveling salesman who was tired of eating in restaurants while he was on the road. he had figured out ways to make all kinds of main dishes, soups, vegetables, and desserts in a mister coffee, using stuff you could get at a convenience store. my friend had given it to me because i was living in a house with a really unworkable kitchen.
cybercita at 10:17AM on 02/12/09
A Chinese cookbook written entirely in Chinese (I don't speak Chinese). I purchased it on Ebay and didn't release there wasn't a word on English in it. The pictures are nice, though =)
kathyvegas at 10:30AM on 02/12/09
Not mine, but someone in my house has a copy of Cooking with the Chippendales. I don't actually have any cookbooks since I just look up recipes online.
cycorider at 10:37AM on 02/12/09
I have a cookbook by TV personality David Letterman's mother. Homey, Hoosier food is the theme, I guess. I think someone gave it to me because I'm a Hoosier. Anyway, her fruit cobbler recipe has become my standard.
CheesePlease at 10:37AM on 02/12/09
I have a salmon cookbook my boss brought me from Alaska. It has about 101 ways to cook salmon, one section devoted to fresh, one on smoked, and one for canned. I have tried several recipes and had delicious results (only fresh, so far).
I also have one (well, technically it's not mine, so I don't have it) called "A Man, A Can, A Grill" by Men's Health magazine. My husband had it when I married him. Each recipe involves meat and a can of something (think Beer Can Chicken). I tried one marinade in it and haven't opened the thing up since.
buffy at 10:53AM on 02/12/09
I have a Mennonite cookbook called "More-with-Less." Given how much a love bacon and other rich foods, it surprises me how often I turn to it. Simple, thrifty recipes with ideas for leftovers.
I have the "White Trash Cookbook" too. It's how I learned (finally) to fry chicken!
FoodieSearching at 11:14AM on 02/12/09
@czken and @FoodieSearching, the WhiteTrash cookbook is indeed perfect for finally learning how to fry chicken the right way! ;-)
LunaPierCook at 11:24AM on 02/12/09
Sunset Magazine Cooking for Two--the 1978 edition. It's tattered and torn and most of the recipes I have upgraded to cooking for 4 or 6.
And Delia Smith's Summer collection. The things I make from this cookbook are among my most requested repeats and recipe asks.
smallblondemom at 11:28AM on 02/12/09
I have the Desperate Housewives Cookbook, but it was a freebie...I wish I could say I haven't ever cracked it open, but that would be a lie. The veggie chili recipe is pretty good, esp. as a base.
I have that Sunset Cooking For Two one, too! I got it used at some point, and think I may even have cooked something out of it (maybe). But mostly I use larger recipes and either downsize them or freeze leftovers.
littlestcapy at 11:58AM on 02/12/09
Believe it or not, I have the first cook book put out by, Graham Kerr, in his "Galloping Gourmet" days, before he became "born again" and an advocate of healthy food.
The other book, is one by, John Martin Taylor, called, "Hoppin'John's Lowcountry Cooking - recipes and ruminations from Charleston and the Carolina Coastal Plain. I know I have mentioned it before but I love this book. I have used many of the recipes to great acclaim, especially up here in Canada. I read his forward several times a year; it transports me back there every time!
bareneed at 12:26PM on 02/12/09
I have that More with Less cookbook and always open it with the hope of lowering my food bill; don't think I've managed to actually use i, though.
I've also got a Marlboro cookbook, which I haven't used but actually would like to, now that I have a grill. It's all about burning stuff and causing cancer.
renzata at 12:46PM on 02/12/09
@renzata, you just made my brain ping ... I have a copy of the 1976 Benson & Hedges 100 of the World's Greatest Recipes, which has Craig Claiborne listed as the author. It's actually a nice collection of recipes from all over the world, with the countries-of-origin listed for each recipe.
LunaPierCook at 1:07PM on 02/12/09
My most surprising cookbook is by Better Homes and Gardens, and it's called "3 Steps to Weight Loss". I got it at a dollar sale at a local bookstore. The recipes in it are actually really tasty, flavorful, and great! I've even learned a technique from it - packet cooking. If you see it I recommend it highly. I never though a weight loss cookbook would have good recipes in it.
lo82070 at 1:55PM on 02/12/09
When my sister's husband was in seminary, I bought her the Lutheran Church Basement Women Cookbook. Lutefisk, anyone? LunaPier-We're neighbors. I LOVE my Les Halles cookbook. It's got great classics. And the best read for a cookbook, ever.
KB in Toledo at 2:08PM on 02/12/09
I have "The Secret of Amish Cooking" cookbook which I purchased on a trip to Ohio. Every single recipe seems to incorporate tons of brown sugar...(could that be the secret?)
juliebugsmama at 2:11PM on 02/12/09
I forgot that I also have a vintage 1967 Betty Crocker Hostess Cookbook. It has menus with these funny titles like "A Gay Little Luncheon" and the like.
It's a hoot; it gives helpful tips so that even (horrors!!) "single girls" can entertain, and suggests that every hostess should put out an assortment of cigarettes and ashtrays for her guests....
FoodieSearching at 2:47PM on 02/12/09
@juliebugsmama, that sounds amazing! I used to love going to the Amish farmer's market to buy their breads, chicken pot pie soup, apple dumplings, and whatever else looked good. One farmer's market I used to frequent had a family that made the best soft pretzels I've ever had too. Sounds like a good cookbook to have.
cycorider at 4:20PM on 02/12/09
@bareneed: I also have The Graham Kerr Cookbook. It was published by Doubleday in 1969. The instructional photos crack me up. You can tell that Graham is wearing a suit while preparing the food! Heh. I bought the book from a used bookstore a few years ago in State College, PA.
My other surprising cookbook would have to be Dining with Marcel Proust: A Practical Guide to French Cuisine of the Belle Epoque by Shirley King. James Beard wrote the Forward and it was published in 1979 by Thames & Hudson. Again, I bought this at a used bookstore in Pittsburgh, PA, and haven't cooked from it yet. I just like to read through it and learn about Proust and Belle Epoque food.
Susquehanna at 8:44PM on 02/12/09
Another of my collection that tends to throw people a little: The Great Big Butter Cookbook from the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board. It's hardcover, almost 475 pages, with a large number of grilled cheese sandwiches including a Grilled Havarti Sandwich with Spiced Apples, and 40 pages on spreads & sauces including a yummy thing called Marjoram Shallot Butter.
LunaPierCook at 6:41AM on 02/13/09
I also tend to eschew celeb cookbooks. When I told my mom I loved Top Chef, she sent me Padma Lakshi's "Tangy,Tart,Hot,Sweet" for Christmas. I didn't expect to care much for it, but flipped through it and was surprised to find stuff I really wanted to cook. Now I cook a lot from it, the Sauteed Calamari with Checca and Keralan Crab Cakes are fab!
Mnemosyne at 1:37PM on 02/13/09
I also have the White Trash cookbook. I made the banana pudding for my wife; she wasn't crazy about it due to the consistency being looser then the jello style instant puddings. I thought it was pretty good.
Carnal at 6:03PM on 02/13/09
@FoodieSearching---"A Gay Little Luncheon"....lol! Sounds like some of Ina Garten's dinner parties....
buffy at 7:23PM on 02/14/09
Jell-o
Seriously. Don't ask.
PerkyMac at 7:48PM on 02/14/09
I have a weight watchers cookbook and a Duncan Hines book which is devoted to using Duncan Hines cake mixes.
Where can I get my hands on this White Trash Cookbook?
ag3208 at 10:34PM on 02/14/09
OMG Perky I have that one too!!! I inherited it from a relative and am proud to say I have never opened it.
buffy at 11:45PM on 02/14/09
Cooking FOR Cher -- It is a serious book. I find it so amusing that I keep it proudly displayed. No, I have never cooked anything from it.
lakeloverhh at 11:54AM on 02/16/09