Betty Crocker's 12th Edition Cookbook: Master Home Cooking with Delicious Recipes for Every Occasion

Nick R. Manson: Try to locate my wife's orginal Betty Cookbook, this a great alternate!

Canada on Aug 06, 2023

JDmanstuff: My mother had this cookbook version from the 1970’s. I have the new version and have given several away as gifts. Awesome recipes both old and new. Book has tips and tricks. Great for beginners and experienced cooks. Great wedding gift too.

United States on Jul 22, 2023

LJ: Like other reviewers have posted, the plastic document/proposal binding chosen for this cookbook isn't ideal. The old 3-ring version was much better. But it works. You just have to be a bit more patient. The pictures are lovely. The alternatives for each recipe are very helpful. This particular version seems to be more geared toward someone who hasn't done a lot of cooking. I think this edition does a better job of providing general information about cuts of meat, roasting, broiling, etc.. So if you are new to cooking, there's a lot of good information there and well-organized. If you're looking for a recipe that your mom had in her Betty Crocker book, you may not find it here. Strangely enough, the index will make it look like the recipe you want isn't there but if you go to something that sounds similar, there it is. All-in-all it was worth the purchase to have the cookbook to take on vacation rentals and leave the larger, older one at home.

United States on Mar 16, 2023

Mary Parrow: I have used the Betty Crocker Cookbook for over 50 years and my mother before me. It has helped make me the cook I am with not only recipes but helpful hints and step-by-step instructions for practical cooking techniques. This was a gift from a young woman who I taught to cook. She has always wanted her own and now that she's getting married, this was my gift to her. She was thrilled, by the way!

United Kingdom on Jul 16, 2022

OneCoffeePleaseOneCoffeePlease: MY FIRST COOKBOOK
I first began cooking at about ten years old (maybe even younger) using my mom’s tried and true Betty Crocker Cookbook 1st Edition copyright 1961. In fact, we were rather poor, so it became one of my first “picture books.” I used to imagine making all the recipes that had photographs, and as time went by, I actually did make many of them. My 1st edition is now falling apart, held together by tape and loving memories. How thrilled I was when I came across the 12th edition!

SOME OF MY OLD FAVORITES
The 12th edition has beautiful photos of each recipe as well as “how to” steps (way more than my humble 1st edition). I looked up many of my favorite recipes, and most of them are there. Starlight Cake (the first cake I ever made), gingerbread cookie recipes (my favorite because of the rich diversity of spices) and my now legendary turkey stuffing that my family expects every fall.

There were a few favorites that are missing… Canadian Cheese Soup (the first soup I made) and the Chiffon cakes that were popular in the 60’s and 70’s. There is some mention of chiffon cakes (specifically that they are a hybrid between an angel food and a...

United States on Dec 03, 2021

BLT: The same Betty Crocker cookbook I love and remember from 20 years ago. I can always depend on Betty Crocker for simple, easy-to-make delicious recipes with ingredients you usually have on-hand in your kitchen. Nothing fancy. Just good family meals. I’ve already given copies to my daughter and my sister. I hope this cookbook never goes out of print.

Canada on Sep 17, 2021

Nicole: I have now owned 3 different editions of the famous Betty Crocker Big Red Cookbook and it never fails to inspire me with every day dishes as well as new more intriguing dishes to try.

My only issue would be that the print on this edition feels smaller than the others and therefore is harder to ready (though I too am getting older so smaller print is more difficult), but I compared it to my previous edition and it is definitely smaller.

I love the binder version of this - so much easier to flip pages than the spiral bound (which sometimes tears pages more easily)

Canada on Aug 12, 2021

Cindy: This really is a nice cookbook. It has many of the old basic recipes, many of the more popular ones we tend to expect these days, as well as delicious ethic dishes from around the world. Although this a standard cookbook for any home, it also contains some chapters and pages that outline the cooking basics for beginners to know before they get started. . .and plenty of nice how-to pictures and presentation pictures.
I got the spiral bound version. The pages are slightly thin, but not too thin. They do not pose a risk of tearing unless they are handled roughly.
I'm very happy with this cookbook. The only thing that would have made it better would be if it had tabs to separate the different chapters. For me, that's okay, though. I created my own tabs for it, and finding what I want is super easy, now.

United States on Dec 13, 2020

Staci: I had gotten this book back when I was a newlywed in the wedding edition and have used it monthly ever since (going on 7yrs). So I’ve bought this as a wedding shower gift for the second time, but I’m disappointed in the quality of the printing and binding from the first two editions of this that I’ve purchased. The binding is supposed to be designed to lay flat open but it doesn’t do this easily, you need wiggle the pages and I’m worried they’ll rip by an over eager husband craving chicken wings... The cover is too floppy for my taste and the corner of it was delivered already smooshed up. It also was covered in some white flaky substance on delivery.
All that said, it has taught me plenty as to the basic steps of cooking to give me the confidence to take on those more fancy and fun Pinterest recipes.
It certainly isn’t what I would call trendy as to special diets or nutrient dense meals but it’s reliable enough to give you a good foundation on any recipe you want to take a stab at and make substitutions as needed to suit your diet. It does offer some gluten free and vegetarian recipes though and mentions dairy substitutes as well.
So I would recommend...

Canada on Jul 19, 2020

Anna Bates: I have used Betty Crocker's cookbooks since 1971. This recent comprehensive cookbook incorporates myriad recipes that speak to Americans attuned to cooking shows, multicultural dishes and innovative cooking techniques. The standard recipes are there also. A person relying on this book to learn how to cook and eat like Americans can find Betty Crocker's classic recipes for Baking Powder Biscuits (still the best and easiest biscuits in my opinion) and Hollandaise Sauce and also Chicken Pad Thai and Beef Fajitas. Advice on what accoutrements to have in your kitchen and charts with instructions how to cook almost anything are there, as always, with great suggestions for today's hostess. Have you ever assembled a charcuterie board? Betty Crocker tells you how. I love Betty Crocker cookbooks. All the basics are here, inviting readers to learn essential cooking techniques and branch out to new recipes from cooking shows and ventures into local immigrant groceries. Of the 200+ cookbooks that I have read, Betty Crocker's are the the most reliable for excellent advice and solid kitchen tested recipes. I recommend this book for everyone from people just starting to cook to experienced chefs...

United States on May 17, 2020