Some things are just plain wrong. Tight-rolled jeans. Ketchup on eggs. The cat lady. And now: The Joy of Cooking frozen foods. Even if you disagree about the ketchup, you've got to agree that one of the most brand-diluting stunts in eons is word that "The Joy of Cooking" is now being used to sell new frozen foods. "The Joy of Cooking cookbook has brought dinnertime joy to kitchens since 1931. Today its classic recipes serve as the inspiration for the new line of family-style frozen products." Baked taters. Chicken Florentine. Multi-Grain and Cheddar Ciabatta Rolls. Vegetable Lo Mein.
Pardon my French, but this is f**king ridiculous. What a way to taint a good name. Joy of Cooking is one of the big classics -- the book that inspires new cooks and gets people making things from scratch. It should not be a gateway to dinner laziness and selling foods that you don't cook yourself. There's a reason that Joy of Reheating isn't a book. It doesn't have the same ring, the same magic, the same respectability.
Is there anyone out there who can whip up some magic mojo and bring Irma Rombauer back to life so she can kick the crap out of these people? I'm embarrassed for her.














