Betty Crocker Cookbook: Everything You Need to Know to Cook Today

by Betty Crocker

The Best Just Got Better

The Most Trusted Cookbook

From foolproof, dependable recipes to reliable how-to advice, the Betty Crocker Cookbook has everything you need for the way you cook today. Whether you're a new or experienced cook, The Betty CrockerCookbook? is the book for you!

Comprehensive resource, with more than 1,000 easy-to-follow recipes

Creative cooking ideas, including more than 400 recipe variations

Beautiful design, with 300 color photos and 55 illustrations

All-new "Casseroles & Slow-Cooker" and "20 Minutes or Less"

Fast recipes flagged throughout--130 ready in 20 minutes or less!

Great-tasting Low-Fat recipes specially marked--more than 185 in all

Helpful Betty's Cures to solve common baking problems

Useful Learn with Betty photos to help get perfect results every time

Detailed nutrition information, plus dietary exchanges and carb choices

The all-new Tenth Edition--a perfect 10!

For more great ideas visit BettyCrocker.com

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Nonfiction, Food, Reference, Culinary, Classics

575 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1969

Reviews

[karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is my mom's cookbook. when i was little, i would spend hours playing with it while she cooked, and pretending her little spice jars were people having adventures. but mostly, reading this and admiring the pictures. i left it behind in my moving-out-of-brooklyn haste years ago, and i came across it at a used bookshop sunday. so even though it is not "her" copy, and it doesn't have all of the great handwritten notes, i can still sit here on the floor with it and play with my spices and pretend i am having superfun spicy adventures. plus. i think this is her meatloaf recipe, and it had better be, because i haven't found a good recipe for meatloaf that reminds me of home...

[Theo Logos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Were any single cookbook to be designated ‘The All-American Cookbook’ this would be the one. It has graced generations of kitchens. My mom used it. My mother-in-law owns it. I received it as a wedding gift. It endures because it is sturdy, well organized, and full of useful, uncomplicated recipes from salads to deserts.

I’ve collected many cookbooks over the years, some that I now use more often than this one. Tastes change, and skills expand. I became a vegan, which can demand more specialized recipes. But for certain old favorites, I still go to this cookbook just like my mom did. My scalloped potatoes and toll house cookies still come directly from Betty Crocker’s Cookbook (with slight alterations to accommodate my vegan diet). Sometimes you just can’t improve on the old standards.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a dozens cookbooks, but I have to say that this one is the one that gets pulled out most often. It's tried, true and a dear friend to me in the kitchen. I will keep it until it has to be pried from my cold, dead hands.

[Ivonne Rovira · Rating 5 out of 5]

The gold standard of cookbook, decade after decade.

[Danielle The Book Huntress · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a must have cookbook for every kitchen. I collect cookbooks, but this is the only one I actually use semi-regularly. (I like cooking, but I just don't do it all that much, with my schedule.)

It has the basic recipes that will get a novice started. I use the Scones recipe on page 40, but I add dried cherries or blueberries. I also use this to make gumbo with a few modifications. I also learned to make Chicken Pot Pie using this cookbook.

I can't give this five stars because the food tends to come out somewhat under-seasoned for my and my family's tastebooks, and it's not very ethnically diverse. Mainly Traditional American standards. It won't do you much good if you are looking for Mexican/Asian/Indian, etc recipies. I always advise to season to taste when using recipes in this book. But it's a great starting point, and it will come in handy for the basics. My copy is getting a little frayed (around page 40--hehe).

If you have kids that you are about to send out into the world, send them out with a copy of this one!


Here's a Danielle Seasoning to Taste Tip!

Always have these seasoning mixes handy:

1.Seasoning Salt
2.Old Bay Seasoning
3.Taco Seasoning
4.Chili Powder
5.Garlic Powder
6.Italian Seasoning
7.Ginger
8.Parsley
9.Black Pepper
10.Salt/Kosher Salt
11.Cumin

You can modify or jazz up just about any recipe to taste, if you have these seasonings handy. Of course, they would depend on the ethnic flavor you're going for. But I put some of these in about every dish. I don't cook with a lot of salt, and I don't have to, if I use Seasoning Salt or Old Bay Seasoning.

[Kim Kaso · Rating 5 out of 5]

My very first cookbook, all my own. I was recovering from head injuries sustained from a mild riding accident followed by a way more serious one which landed me in the hospital. Two concussions in ten days, not good, plus torn muscles in my back. I was not allowed to do my normal activities for the rest of that summer, so I started to learn to cook and bake. I made my first apple pie, many cakes and cookies. I still use this cookbook many years later, and it shows. Highly recommended.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although I wouldn't recommend this book for general, every day reading unless you're fond of lists and instructions this is my go-to cookbook for absolutely everything. All the recipes that I cook regularly are from this cookbook, and all my family favourites are from here as well. Perfect for all the original, homestyle cooking recipes.
If you're looking for something a little more adventurous in your cooking this book probably isn't for you, but if you want a good general cookbook this is the best of the best.

[sniksnak · Rating 5 out of 5]

I purchased this 1978 edition cookbook when I was 27 years old. So many wonderful recipes that I’ve used year after year. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve sat down and read it from cover to cover as if it were a novel. I have dozens and dozens of cookbooks. When I buy a new one, I read it all the way through and that’s the last time I pick it up to actually read each page. I’m now 73 years old and this is still the most read and most used cookbook I own.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Almost everything I know about cooking, I learned from this book years ago. I still use it often. It is the best cookbook. I own, and I own over 240 cookbooks.

[Jocelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The vegetable section of this one is like, "Eh, I don't know, boil it."

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of the first cookbooks I ever really looked at with any scrutiny. I think my Grandma had two copies, and she let me take one. I used to just take it down and read it -- it was so dated looking. Avocado and orange, to say nothing of the instructions -- every man takes his eggs in a different way, and it behooves a good wife to learn how to cook them the way her husband likes best! Something like that. There are lots of great recipes in here -- they hold up well, because they're incredibly basic. The techniques are important, and useful. But the book is just sort of awesome -- it tells you a lot, and you have a fun time flipping through it, even if you don't wind up making a thing from it. (Although I did try the Petit Fours and Intergalactic cookies -- both are great!)

[Elisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The beauty of this book is that there truly is something for everyone.If you are a beginner you will find everything you need to know, even if you start out knowing absolutely nothing!If you have been cooking for sometime you will review things you hadn't used for so long you'd forgotten them. If you have been cooking for many years, it's just like an old friend who shares her best recipes with you . Trust me , as one of those that have been cooking for a good many years , if it isn't in this book , you don't need it anyway!

[whimsicalmeerkat · Rating 4 out of 5]

A much more recent update of Betty Crocker's Picture Cookbook, this was a gift from my grandmother when I moved into my first apartment. It has a number of recipes for artisanal breads that are fantastic. Overall, I've enjoyed most of the things I've made from it, but it does not quite hold up to its predecessors in my opinion.

[Alex (Alex's Version) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I still have my original that my nana had and gave it to my mom and she gave it to me... I fucking love their old vintage cookbooks <3

[Linda (NOT RECEIVING NOTIFICATIONS) · Rating 3 out of 5]

You can't go wrong with a Betty Crocker cookbook. My mom taught me how to cook and bake using an earlier version of this cookbook several decades ago. It may not contain the healthiest recipes but I know from experience that many of them are 'good eats'. This version contains some amended and new recipes that my older version didn't have. I love my earlier cookbook with its stains and pencil marks but appreciate having a newer edition with other information. Be prepared to jot down notes and check off what your family loves to eat.

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have managed to obtain my mother's copy of this book (okay...I stole it and she has yet to beg for it back) and it is a definate go-to in my kitchen. It gives the basics and has some great recipes (enchiladas, mac and cheese, meatloaf, etc.). The only fault I have with this book is it's a little out of date. Honestly, I can't say that I have seen monosodium glutamate on the ingredient lists in my other cookbooks.

[whimsicalmeerkat · Rating 5 out of 5]

The other Betty Crocker cookbook that dominated my early cooking. Also fantastic, this cookbook has a number of excellent recipes I adore and some that simply amuse me. The first list contains pancakes, waffles, any of the cakes, and meatloaf. The second contains any sort of jello or fruit mold and fondue. Food trends are kind of amazing.

[Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my very first cookbook some 40 years ago and I still make recipes from this book. The recipes are really good, nothing too fancy, but always satisfy.

Personal favorites include:

- Waikiki Meatballs
- Snickerdoodles, a Christmas staple
- London Broil
- Russian Teacakes
- Silver White Cake, a birthday staple

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite cookbooks. I have 5 editions.

[Dorena · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have my grandma's cookbook that she used. Timeless recipes.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grew up with my moms version, so of course when I 'grew up' I had to get myself one. I received this one in 2000.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good to have around for basics.

[Debi Cates · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 1976, I put this book on layaway at Alco in Roswell, NM, along with cloth diapers, yellow and green baby clothes and booties -- back in the days before credit cards, sonograms and gender reveals. I made my micro payments regularly. They added no additional charges and there was no cut-off date either; their remarkable policy was "as long as you make regular payments on your layaway." It was a thrill when months later I made the last $10 payment and had all the precious things I had so carefully planned and selected.

By then I had also saved enough S&H Green Stamps to buy a Oster blender for my plan to make homemade baby food after I had stopped nursing. In the late 70s my choices weren't the norm, but I didn't care. It was precious times with my first baby.

It was the only cookbook I had for many years. If a recipe wasn't in it, I called my mom. I called my mom a lot for her help and advice. She had gotten extremely smart by then. ;)

I'm vegan now, and in countless ways things have changed. Me and my book both have seen better days. As an ode to those years, to my mom's help, and to my baby who has grown up to love eating her vegetables, my ragged copy sits still on my shelf.

My favorite recipe? Steak Diane! For special occasions.

[Mckinley · Rating 5 out of 5]

My mother gave me a copy sometime after I left home. I think it was during grad school when I used it as stress relief to bake up a storm. Still have it and make stuff out of it from time to time. I always seem to double the herbs and spices - the amounts given make stuff a bit to bland for my taste.

My sister also has a copy. And recently my 8 year old niece made a scrumptious peach pie from this. And so the book passes on to another generation.

An Side - love the ring-bound binding and wonder why more cookbooks don't come like this.

[Susan Howson · Rating 3 out of 5]

My opinion on this book has changed considerably over the years as I've gotten way past learning how to hard boil an egg. I am crazy about tips though, and it gives you a lot of them when you're just starting out. I go back to it sometimes for reference, when whatever Martha says to do seems just a little more complex than is necessary and I want a second opinion. But honestly, it's not for great food, it's for good food.

[Darby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my go to book when I was first learning to cook. It has all the basics: how to bake an apple pie and other basic recipes, how to boil corn on the cob - bake a potato - steam vegetables, how to cook certain cuts of meat and how to use measuring cups. Although it might not contain gourmet recipes - it is a good first cookbook that will be used often. And now after years of cooking I still go to it.

[CR Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Mom bought me my very own copy :) When she came over once, she saw mine right next to my roommate's VERY brand new one (new design, too) and groaned, wondering if she'd gotten me two by accident. (Something very like her). Thankfully, no.

This is a GREAT book for BASICS. I've found some stand-bys as well as some tasty options. Wish I DID have a newer version (they should have considered a filler pack to insert in your old one), some of the recipes could use an update.

[Christin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my go-to cookbook. It's more than just a bunch of recipes. It has beautiful color pictures of many of the dishes. It teaches you how to properly choose, store and cook food. There are charts for conversions, substitutions, etc. I have enjoyed everything I've made from this book. Most of the recipes are easy enough for beginners, but complex enough to still be good. I think everyone should have one of these in their home.

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has been a great reference for me, especially while I was learning to cook. A lot of reviews for this book say it is too basic, but some of us really need to start with the basics, and this has been a valuable tool in my kitchen. There are a lot of meals from this cookbook that have become staples in our family meals, like the chicken salad, and the turkey soft tacos. I use this at least once a week.

[Lynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the first cookbook I ever owned, given to me by my mom when I moved away from home. Even though I have a wide variety of cookbooks now, this one remains my go-to cookbook for some of my all-time favorite recipes, with easy to follow instructions as well as essential cooking tips and even microwave instructions on most recipes.
Whether you have a beginner or an expert in the kitchen, Betty Crocker's Cookbook is a 'must have' for every household.