Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book

Back in the mid-1990s I decided I wanted to learn how to cook. I was raised in a meat and potatoes family, where food was sustenance, but it didn’t necessarily have a lot of flavor. Consequently, I wasn’t into eating all that much, other than what I needed for maintaining weight. I was even less interested in cooking. When I started cooking myself, I needed something that would show me how to make all the basics. The Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook is what was in my mother’s kitchen, though I don’t know that she used it all that much. Consequently, the distinctive plaid cover caught my eye and I bought it. Years later, it has worked out well for me.

Now, the dishes in the New Cookbook are hardly gourmet, but they do have more taste than I expect from a meat and potatoes diet. Well, many of the recipes do at least. The ones I’ve used have mostly been in the Meats, Poultry, and Pasta sections. My particular favorites are the recipes for sloppy joes and shepherd’s pie. I also use the pie section as a reference when I make my pies. Originally, I went straight from the recipes there, but the pies are pretty basic. Still, since various fruits have differing consistencies and sugar levels, the handy chart reminds me how much additional sugar will be needed for various fruits. A pie crust isn’t really that difficult, and the recipe here demystifies it. As a side note, I’ve had particularly good experience lately using the bulk whole wheat pastry flour from Whole Foods. Much better than when I used Bob’s Red Mill pastry flour, and that wasn’t bad either.

I always prefer the ring-bound editions of various cookbooks. The hardbound editions take up more space on the counter when cooking; I much prefer just to remove the pages I want while cooking.

In any case, I can’t guarantee that the newer 12th edition (linked from the graphic) contains the same recipes that the 10th edition (the one I have) does. But it’s a good solid beginning cookbook.

Title: New cook book
Alternate title: Better homes and gardens new cook book
Edition: 10th ed.
Imprint / publisher: Better Homes and Hardens Books
Format: Ring bound
Length: 472 p.
Publication date: 1989
ISBN-10: 0-696-00012-1
Subject: Cookery
LC classification: TX714 .N468 1989

Editorial note: The previous text was written and posted prior to instituting my new scheme on reviewing cookbooks, which is more fully described elsewhere on the site. I will generally review a cookbook after I’ve tried three recipes. After that, the entry for the cookbook will be updated with notes on any further recipes I’ve made. Some of the items below are spare because I am noting the recipes from memory.

Decent recipes:

Tuna-Noodle Casserole (page 176)

Standard Campbell’s Soup tuna noodle casserole. Okay, but I’d suggest playing around with this one.

Beef Stroganoff (page 221)

Nothing terribly fancy about this recipe, but it is all from scratch. It’s pretty tasty as is and easy to boot. Way better than using a mix or a soup to make your stroganoff.

Creamy Herbed Pork Chops (page 232)

Honey-Orange Pork Chops (page 232)

Both of the two pork chop recipes I’ve made are fast and easy and pretty good.

Create-Your-Own Meat Loaf (page 241)

This turned out okay if I remember right, but I didn’t make gravy with the drippings and my girlfriend at the time started a huge fight over that. Trust me that’s a story that you don’t want to read. Anyway, the point being that my memories of this one are colored by the incident, to say the least. I’d try it again if my doctor said I could eat red meat.

Swedish Meatballs (page 241)

Not my grandmother’s authentic Swedish meatballs, but still pretty good.

Porcupine Meatballs (page 242)

Not too bad, but mostly as a quick meal for yourself or hungry kids.

Hamburgers (page 243)

Great basic burgers with some variations that add decent flavor. Not that basic hamburgers are all that difficult.

Sloppy Joes (page 245)

My favorite recipe from this book! From scratch!

Double-Crust Fruit Pie (page 282)

Great starting point for making pies.

Brown Sugar and Rhubarb Pie (page 287)

This was good, and a nice change from the standard strawberry-rhubarb pie.

Pecan Pie (page 287)

Some families grow up with pecan pie. I didn’t, so this was my first introduction to it. I still prefer fruit pies, but I did like this.

Pea-Cheese Salad (page 345)

A variation on the pea salad to bring to picnics and barbecues.

Beef Stew (page 371)

Pretty tasty basic stew.

Green Beans Amandine (page 392)

Not a big vegetable person, but this turned out to be pretty easy and different from steamed vegetables.

Recipes that didn’t turn out too well:

Lemon Meringue Pie (page 288)

I’ve never figured out the trick to making the meringue correctly, and this recipe didn’t magically impart it to me. My meringues always end up flat not fluffy.