Shelf Life

The Legacy of The Joy of Cooking

First published in 1931, with an additional 9 editions in the following 90 years, The Joy of Cooking is one of the most influential cookbooks of all time. Written by Irma S. Rombauer, a recently widowed housewife who was well-known for being a great hostess, The Joy of Cooking came about at an uneasy time in American history, as the Great Depression had begun only two years prior to its publication. The book’s legacy is marked by its broad inclusion of diverse cuisines, reflecting the shifting taste of mainstream America. Its succinct and inclusive directions also offered people with varying levels of cooking skills and availability of ingredients and technology the chance to expand their culinary abilities in the kitchen. Romabauer’s desire to bring “joy” into cooking can be seen since its first publication, as The Joy of Cooking’s ability to take into account available food and technology, blur gender stereotypes in the kitchen, and its inclusivity of global cuisines within its multiple editions solidifies itself as one of the most beloved cookbooks of all time.

Food and Technology

The Joy of Cooking utilizes a wide range of ingredients in a multitude of ways. A common ingredient throughout the book with an impressive 36 recipes is potatoes, a staple food of the time due to their versatility and the fact that they were widely grown, which made them an inexpensive item. Eggs are also used throughout the book, yet there are also recipes such as “economy spice cake,” which does not include eggs and is described as being “inexpensively made.” No matter one’s budget and availability of food, readers could find creative recipes and put “joy” into the food they had. Kitchen technology was also evolving at this time, allowing for efficiency in the kitchen. The first electric refrigerators entered the market, as did self-regulating, temperature specific ovens, both of which helped busy cooks to prepare and store foods quickly and easily. The Joy of Cooking’s recipes’ wording accounted for anyone’s technological circumstances, suggesting both “moderate oven” and 350℉ as baking instructions. The Joy of Cooking’s inclusive language allowed for every cook, no matter what ingredients or technology was available to them, to cook from its pages.

Gender in the Kitchen

The Great Depression saw women’s roles in the kitchen being as important as ever. The social and economical stresses posed a major threat to American families, and it was up to women’s resourceful ways to keep their loved ones fed, while also keeping meals varying and interesting. Rombauer’s main message of the book is to put joy and creativity back into cooking, as kitchen work became a tedious task as money got tight. However, Rombauer’s lack of terms such as “female” or “housewife” throughout The Joy of Cooking, as she referred to users of the cookbook simply as “cooks,” creates a broad, non-focused demographic for readers that didn’t mark women as the sole users of the book. In a time where kitchen work was a major part of the domestic sphere, The Joy of Cooking separates itself as a resource for anyone looking for modern and inventive recipes.

Global Cuisines in American Culture

In the early 1930’s, the American diet became far more inclusive, as global cuisines such as Italian and Chinese began to make their way into mainstream American culture. These cuisines were more common in cities where restaurants and specialized grocery stores were, while in more rural areas Italian cuisine was the first to be widely accepted, as similar ingredients like pasta, parmesan cheese and tomatoes were also popular among Americans. Chinese cuisine was much more unfamiliar as the increased use of spices such as curry powder caused people to turn away, with a writer for Ladies’ Home Journal claiming that it was unhealthy for one’s organs and digestion to be consuming foods so high in spice. Yet within The Joy of Cooking, Rombauer offers readers the ability to experience these different cuisines with recipes for Italian classics such as risotto, which she also lists as “Italian rice” for people unfamiliar with the dish, and curry rice, however it is the Americanization of these dishes that makes these dishes appealing to the American public. The recipe for curried rice has Rombauer attributing its success “due to the restraint with which the spice is used,” since she talks about “avoiding curry since first tasting it.” Even with their Americanization, the inclusion of these dishes in such a widely-owned book brought a taste of worldly flavors to everyday Americans, helping to increase the acceptance of different cuisines.

For Further Research:

Rombauer, Irma S, The Joy of Cooking, Simon & Schuster Inc, 1931.

Elias, Megan J, Food in the United States, 1850-1945, Greenwood Press, 2009.

Heiss, Sarah N et al. “Where’s the Joy in Cooking? Representations of Taste, Tradition, and Science in the Joy of Cooking,” Food and Foodways vol. 22, pp. 198-216, Taylor & Francis Online, 2014.

Inness, Sherrie, Dinner Roles: American Women and Culinary Culture, University of Iowa Press, 2001.