Cast member Becky Hayes shares her favorite parts of her 1931 edition of The Joy of Cooking.
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NOPE!!
I got that book from my Grandmothers collection. It is dear to my heart too.
I adore this.
We have two copies. One is my grandmothers 1960s edition which is falling apart, and the other one I bought to use in it's place in the 90s. Guess which one we actually use? Yup, the battered, stained, margins written in, pages starting to fall out one from the 60s.
Mine is from 1934 with a beautiful blue printed hardcover. It was saved from a bond fire in the '60s at the former American English school in Havana. I had it restored in Avignon 20 years ago after using it for years. It was given to me by my Canadian school friend Selma now in Montreal who saved it along with the Boston School of Cooking which I also cherish. Selma was teaching English at the time in Cuba.
I fell in love with when I was about 15. I am now 70!
Hi becky 👍
PETA has left the chat
I got one from the 40's from my mom as my first cookbook.
My mom gave me my copy in 1951. Still in use. My daughter bought me the new edition for Christmas last year. Also in use. My original has the squirrel page, and I have cooked squirrels using that recipe. As far as braised rodents go, not bad.
My favorite book is The Joy of Sex similar to the one you have. It also has illustrations
I collect old classic cookbooks. I have every edition, including the latest edition, of Joy–except the 1931 edition. It's rare and its worth a mint if it's in good condition. I also collect old editions of Betty Crocker, Better Homes and Fannie Farmer. Most of these cookbooks I have found at garage sales and thrifts stores and have paid under $2 for them. I'm cheap.
I grew up on squirrel dumplings. Squirrel is delicious. However,… Opossum and raccoon is greasy and nasty. Edible but just barely.
That was the edition my mother had when she got married, but this is not the 1931 edition. This one is early 60’s.
Why would you smother a squirrel? That’s just cruel. You can quickly put them out of their misery with a hammer.
There are so many fun things in old cook books.
One of my favorite lines was from Adelle Davis 'Let's cook it right' when talking about ingredients for making stock. "Third, if you are Scotch and not squeamish, save leftovers which are usually thrown away: vegetable salad remaining in the bowl and on the plates; cooked vegetables still on the plates; and any leftovers that cannot be used in other ways."
“You could smother it… with onions.” Totally thought that sentence was going in a different direction.
AH COME ON BECKY I WAS EXPECTING SOMETHING NOSTALGIC YOU MIGHT PICK FROM THE ICONIC "JOY OF COOKING" COOKBOOK. NOT THE I'D NEVER EAT THAT COLLECTION.
I have the 1964 edition and it still has the directions for beaver tail and squirrel. Some things never change.
love it. I hope you check out north bennet street school for someone who can help you fix and preserve it! They'll at least know of people in the area that could help.
My mom has that cookbook…….
Armadillo is good fried. I ate it as a child and I remember it tasting like chicken. The meat has a chicken consistency. Alligator and frog legs are like chicken but to me they taste like they have been in swampy water.
I guess the jest of what I'm saying is like the adage "you are what you eat". Some meats are similar to chicken but not completely. Depends on how refined your taste sense is and how hungry you happen to be.
Chicken is more succulent than alligator, frog, armadillo or rattle snake. I've never tried coon, opossum, nutria rat or beaver. But I've been told they are awesome stewed with sweet potato.
Deer and wild hog are a staple in central Louisiana. There are Louisiana people who eat any type of animal from the sky, water and land.
In Louisiana, "sportsman's paradise" , one can make a roux or a gravy put "Trinity" (onion, celery, bell pepper) lots of good seasonings in it and serve over rice. You have an awesome meal for you and your neighbors.
In Louisiana, you will not enter a home without being offered a meal. Some Louisianians expect you to enjoy yourself and have a full belly before you leave. Otherwise, you may offend by not receiving their hospitality.
Like we say here in good ol' Louisiana "laissez les bons temps rouler"…(let the good times roll).
God Bless y'all.
Squirrel is actually a good meat. I grew up eating it. My mother would get it or smother it in gravy and we would have eggs and her famous biscuits.
I wonder if beaver tail tastes like raspberries?
You can tell you all are city slickers, in awe of how to skin and cook a rabbit, squirrel, beaver, etc…
I have one too
That looks like my mother's. There's a recipe for whale in it!
Mine is a 1967 version my soon-to-be wife gave me for my birthday. I asked her for a "Joy of XXX" book but got the same book as you instead. And the next time my Chow Chow brings me a squirrel from my backyard I'll think about cooking it. NOT!
Sooo…you got a recipe for Rocky the Squirtle?
Becky, you don't "find" a squirrel — not one you'd want to eat, anyway — you "get" a squirrel. A .22 caliber rifle is good for this, not just the rimfire firearm version but also some of the better air guns. You can even use a slingshot or a bow with practice. LOTS of practice. 😉
Disgusting
I heard squirrels are high in cholesterol.
(Thank you Christmas Vacation)
I think this might inform as to why Becky's Vegetarian recipes have so much passion behind them.
I haven't found much of anything to cook out of the Joy of Cooking, betty crocker & better homes is superior. I got the 1975 edition, it's sitting in a box in the attic, not even in the kitchen anymore.
i've always ❤️ becky! if she wants a squirrel, she's welcome to hang out in my backyard on an autumn day, lol! just don't mess with rocky.
I buy old cook books from yard sales, estate sales, etc. and there are so many mainstream versions but my favorites are the localized versions from church ladies, guilds, 4-H, and the Grange, etc. All very interesting reads. I still remember the old ladies when walking into a church function in 1967, or the Grange Hall, and they had a huge kitchen and they were all cooking up a storm but OMG the smell of the place and fresh coffee brewing and the warmth – and be prepared for some good eats no one would go away hungry! good memories from yesteryear.
Watching Becky always gives me a bit of an insight into the joy of cooking. Thanks for another great video.
This is a must book for everyone who eats! I gave one to each of my kids. They remember all of use crowded over my book as I'm teaching and learning at the same time
I need to get a copy of that book!
Becky is too pure for this world
I have that very cookbook! My uncle gave it to me.
My mother had a copy, probably not that old. My favorite recipe was for a clam bake. It started something like "Dig a 6 foot hole…." if I remember it correctly.
As a person whose dad is from the South and still hunts rabbits and squirrels some years, that preparation does look familiar, and yes, stewed squirrel (or anything gamey), is indeed the way to go, smothered in onions!
I have this book, its from the 1960's