Calling All Cooks

by Alabama Chapter 34 AT&T Pioneers (Compiler)

First published in 1982,  Calling All Cooks  continues to be in demand. The first in a series of four cookbooks with over 580,000 copies sold, the book contains recipes handed down from generation to generation through family and friends, such as Friendship Cake, Stuffed Green Peppers, 24 Hour Bean Salad, and Tangy Barbecued Spareribs. Whether a novice or an expert, no cook should be without it.

Genres: Cookbooks

Paperback

First published January 1, 1982

Reviews

[Gina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love this cookbook with a special kind of ferocity. I grew up Southern, real Southern, and beyond the usual biscuits and gravy and grits, I can think of about 10 dishes that symbolize my mother's cooking for me. All 10 of those are in this cookbook and have graced many a Sunday dinner or church potluck. Give a Southern woman some cream of mushroom soup and Ritz crackers, and she can whip up a casserole even Gordan Ramsey can't find a reason to yell at. So I went into this month's cookbook having already made several recipes and with some bias. I tried this month to focus on recipes I hadn't made before.

My biases laid clearly before you, I hate to have to do it, but I can't give this higher then 3 stars. This is a HUGE cookbook. Well over 500 pages and 2000 recipes. It was originally made by the employees of Bell Telephone Co of Alabama for some reason that I can't remember now to raise money for also something I can't remember back in the early 1980s. Employees submitted their frequently made recipes for inclusion. And this brings me to the first issue...no editing was done on any of the recipes. All were printed as submitted. There are some typos, unclear directions, and many, many repeats just because the name of the recipe was slightly different even if the ingredients and instructions were exactly the same. For example, one of my favorite recipes is simply titled "Four Layer." (I have what's left of a pan of it in my refrigerator right now. Yum!) I counted this same recipe in the cookbook 6 times under names like Four Layer Dessert, Four Layer Pie, and even Husband's Delight. The next issue is that not all cooks were very precise in their measurements or cooking times. I found more than one recipe where it called for just "using as much as you want" of a key ingredient. Well...does that mean a pound, a cup, a little or a lot? Or maybe the recipe would say "cook until done." OK...but at what temperature and for generally what amount of time? Because this is an older cookbook, changes in standard sizes for some boxed and canned ingredients have also changed affecting some recipes.

There are some true hidden gems in this cookbook. Good luck digging through all the dirt to find it.

[raccoon reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great cookbook! My mother swears by it. I bought this (finally) this year and haven't made any recipes out of it myself yet. However, I've read it and have also eaten uncountable recipes from it that my mom has made over the years.

[Shana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best collection of the type of food I grew up eating. My grandmother gave me the entire collection and I use these books frequently- even with the internet.

[Matt Carpenter · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of my Mom's favorite cookbooks. It is tried and true for classic recipes that cover almost all areas. The only problem with it is the binding is quite poor. But the content is wonderful.