Vintage Cookbooks

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I’ve always had what can only be described as a slight illness (or perhaps compulsion) when it comes to cookbooks. I hardly have time some days to toss something semi-edible on the table while the kids whine, yet I feel I need to add to my collection. But I started evolving my compulsion a little to make it cheaper, greener and more fun. I’ve been picking up vintage cookbooks.

My husband took a couple tubs of books we don’t need any more to a local used book store, and now we have a sweet credit to buy more used books. We’ve also been hitting some local antiques stores, the cool Asheville Habitat for Humanity home store, and even a free book exchange (you’ve got to love Asheville!). I’ve made some cool finds, price tag for everything below like $10 (actually I’m still in the negative if you figure we still have bookstore credit).

This was my favorite find, a first American edition of Larousse Gastronomique packed with dozens and dozens of great classic French recipes. I’m so in love…

Here is the cover (it has a protective wrap, so I apologize for the glare):

And here’s the cool thing you get with a vintage cookbook that you just won’t find buying new. There was an old New Orleans Times-Picayune article on truffles tucked inside the back cover (which has great food illustrations on it):

And check out these hilarious 1961-era French food pics. Gag me!

And here is my personal favorite find, a hilarious 1963-era book, The Working Wives’ (Salaried or Otherwise) Cookbook. I was just going to laugh at it, but the whole theme of the book is recipes you make ahead the night beforehand and heat the day of. That actually could come in handy, and it included some classics like Beef Burgundy.

As cool as those cookbooks are, the coolest find was at the local Habitat store: a vintage Betty Crocker recipe card file in which the person actually got all of the recipes. How retro-cool is this?

And here are some of the categories. My personal fave? “Men’s Favorites,” whatever the hell that means (no it isn’t cards with recipes for beer, pizza and sex… but it probably should be):

I was sold when I saw a whole file section on recipes for kids to make, but I think we might skip the pizza with hamburger crust. It’s kind of a miracle the baby boomers who ate this crap in childhood are still around, don’t you think?

But there actually are some healthy options in the recipes for kids to make:

Here is the best part. Whoever once owned this must have used it to store all recipes, because there are several other recipes tucked in (and even filed properly!). Some are handwritten, and some typed (yes, typewriter typed), and some clipped from magazines. There’s even one that’s scribbled on note paper without even a name for the recipe. I’m dying to try that one!

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