The Revival of Vintage Cook Books

While many food experts call them outdated, vintage cook books are still a staple in American kitchens. The "Mother Books" from the first half of the 20th century are comprehensive guidebooks that not only hold favorite recipes but novel tips on motherhood, marriage and martinis. A new crop of online book sellers is catering to the volumes of people looking to regain a little nostalgia by finding Mom's old recipes.

While many people thought the internet would render vintage cook books as obsolete, the opposite is true. Despite all the recipes readily available online, the internet has reenergized the market for vintage cook books and now supplies the tools for finding the old books. Whether it's to recapture a recipe, remember Mom's kitchen or just to enjoy them as pieces of the past, vintage cook books are readily available through numerous internet sellers who specialize in the memorabilia.

The book trade for collectors has kept these old volumes circulating through the decades. The Collector's Guide to Old Cookbooks by Frank Daniels helped the old book lovers make sense of the endless volumes. Today, there is a new hunter in the market in search of the distinctive flavors they remember from their youth. Although many have now grown up, adopted heart healthy lifestyles and phased out the Crisco, there is still a sentimental yearning for sweets that start with "one box white cake mix."

It's not just nostalgia that drives the vintage cook book market. The truth is although many of us have updated our cooking styles, the cooking basics that vintage cook books are known for are still needed. The menu in my house growing up was never traditional but they were rooted in the old classics. The Joy of Cooking, Betty Crocker and Better Homes and Gardens were the foundations for my mother's delicious experiments that became our family's traditions. And these guides also played their part in making the 24 cupcakes that "each child should bring to flag day" every year.

But even evolved cooks, like my mom, turn to the vintage cook books with questions or use them to pass on the starters. When I got my own kitchen, I was presented with the Joy of Cooking paperback from 1973. And when the pantry doesn't have all the ingredients needed for a recipe, it is Better Homes and Gardens that can tell me just the right substitute. Though many newer cook books offer similar knowledge, there is just something different about the way that the old books were organized, there is something timeless about them.

In addition to the know-how and the specialty recipes, vintage cook books are just kind of cool. The graphics, titles and approach of the vintage volumes serve up unique slices of Americana. For instance, Your Share: Wartime Betty Crocker Cook Booklet (General Mills, 1943) shares eggless recipes and tips on stretching rations all in a very patriotic presentation. Or Folger's Cooking with Coffee (Better Homes, 1980) for snacks, holiday treats, desserts, breads and pies that share coffee as their main ingredient. One of my favorites is How to Run a Successful Party (1945) from the Doughnut Corporation of America. This doughnut promo has party ideas, games and recipes all based on, you guessed it, the doughnut.

As the holidays approach, these vintage finds might be just the right gift for the cook in your life or help you revive some long lost food traditions. The endless resources in vintage cook books might spark something new that also connects you to the past. That's what these books seem to be doing these days. The online book sellers are numerous and if you have a little time they're well worth a visit. You just might find something to make the winter a little cozier, just like Mom's kitchen.