James Beard's American Cookery Paperback – September 30, 1980

Excellent cookbook for the novice or skilled cook. Gives advice on ingredients that can be helpful. Many old time recipes from old cookbooks and cooks are included. Excellent recipes cover a wide range from sloppy joes (better than anything coming out of a can) to his favorite roast turkey and dressing recipe (my favorite now too). Enjoyable to read and use.

This is the 4th time I've bought this cookbook. My first one was a paperback one, bought years ago, and when a couple pages from my favorite recipes came loose, I bought a hardcover to have as a backup. Still using the paperback though. Then I bought 2 to give as gifts. Great recipes, explanations, and opinions. A fav recipe is the snickerdoodle coffee cake...gets rave reviews at work...and his opinions on muffins still makes me laugh.

I bought this book for the section on roasting beef. My daughter has this book and I used hers as a reference. I have used the searing method for prime rib and it has turned out amazing every time.

This cookbook obviously has huge breadth and depth of American cookery -- the cooking that is actually practiced in the kitchens of America, developed here and carried with immigrant cultures, through the centuries of American life up through the twentieth century.What sets Beard's masterpiece apart even further, though, is his casual, storytelling style, and his depth of context for the foods that we make and eat. His fascination with the American story, as reflected in our meals, is infectious. It never ceases to grab me, like a short story that sucks me in, as I leaf through recipes in this book.For instance: looking for cherry pie, and reading that there used to be many more kinds of cherries commonly available in the U.S., and how they compare with the ubiquitous bing today, and that people often grew "pie cherry" trees just in their yards just for pie, and Oh, by the way, here's an old recipe for cherry pie and a newer one, and how I like to do it sometimes.Or, for instance: Note the Spanish flavors in an old Rancho California chicken recipe, browned in cornmeal then baked in a sauce that contained green olives and almonds and cumin and chili powder.Or, for instance, how dinner parties have changed and what kinds of appetizers have gained or lost with fashion from the turn of the twentieth century until the seventies (when this edition was set down).Finally, this is a great "starter" cookbook for it's range of simply-stated "how-to" instructions. How do you cook an ear of corn, like for how long? What makes a good hamburger patty? Beard even gives several ways to boil an egg. For most Americans starting a household or first moving away from home -- college students or newlyweds -- this is a much better cookbook than the other perennial "starter" selection, Joy of Cooking. If you just want to learn how to cook everything you already know in your bones is real food, comfort food, fun food, all the familiar American food you know and love -- this is the cookbook you want.

Nice book but it’s super old fashioned and everything is made from scratch. Long cook times and you need a ton of ingredients per recipe.

I have enjoyed reading that book and I have learned a lot from it since I am chef that was very useful to me to discover new techniques for cooking

One of the great all-time cookbooks. Mr Beard ranks among the most well-known cooking authors in history. His books will never be out of date. His historical references to many recipes and the development of them is found in all of his many vo!umes. Along with "Joy of Cooking," "Mastering the Art of French Cooking I and 2," Craig Claiborn's and Jacque Pepín's many tomes, James Beard is ultimately among the most readable authors of what can be a difficult subject for novices. Among the others mentioned, he makes cooking fun and experimenting easy.

the recipes are very good as is his bread

Old fashion cooking ! Loved it !

This book provides the basic recipes for any number of American recipes, and also elaborates with history of the dish and variations. A must have for today's kitchen.

James Beard est considéré comme le père fondateur de la gastronomie américaine et ce livre n'est rien moins que son ouvrage le plus connu.On est en présence d'un bouquin tout à fait consistant, 900 pages, qui se veut un tour d'horizon de la cuisine américaine depuis les origines jusqu'à sa date de parution, soit 1972. L'originalité de ce livre est le parti-pris de l'auteur de raconter une histoire plutôt que de simplement énumérer des recettes.Ce livre est excellent, et c'est mon deuxième exemplaire.On peut toutefois lui faire deux reproches: beaucoup de recettes sont "lourdes" (la diététique de l'époque n'étant pas celle de maintenant), et les températures de cuissons sont souvent trop élevées, à surveiller donc (les fours étaient peut être moins efficaces?).

Good reprint of one of the classic cook books!

On first approaching this cookbook the temptation may be to put it down because it's too thick, it's too heavy and too dense and there are no glossy pictures. Don't do this - gently open and enjoy the amazing recipes, the small stories attached to it and fine slice of American culinary history. This is really excellent from interesting recipes a head cheese ( not for the faint hearted) and staples of New England cookery.A real classic