American Cookery by Amelia Simmons (1796)
American Cookery, by Amelia Simmons, is the first known cookbook written by an American, published in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1796. The Library of Congress recently designated American Cookery one of the 88 “Books That Shaped America.” This tiny book with just forty-seven pages changed everything for American cooking.
Simmons called herself “An American Orphan” on the title page. Simmons’ American Cookery used terms known to Americans, and ingredients that were readily available to American cooks. It was the first cookbook to include New England specialties such as Indian pudding, johnnycake, and what is now called pumpkin pie. The cookbook was the first to suggest serving cranberry with turkey, and the first to use the Hudson River Valley Dutch word cookey (now usually spelled “cookie”).
She introduced culinary innovations like the use of the American chemical leavener pearlash, a precursor of baking soda. And she substituted American food terms for British ones – treacle became molasses, and cookies replaced small cakes or biscuits. Above all, American Cookery proposed a cuisine combining British foods – long favored in the colonies and viewed as part of a refined style of life – with dishes made with local ingredients and associated with homegrown foodways.
The Virginia House-Wife by Mary Randolph (1824)
The Virginia House-Wife is considered to the the first American regional cookbook (in this case, Southern cookery, and more specifically, Virginia). The first edition was published in Washington, D.C. in 1824, and it would go through numerous additional printings leading up to the Civil War. The Virginia Housewife is regarded by several noted food scholars as the first truly “American” cookbook – especially because of its extensive use of domestic and newly imported ingredients, as well as indigenous preparation techniques.
Randolph came from the Virginia elite and knew how wealthy Southern families ate. Her cookbook included elaborate recipes for entertainment and everyday dining. The book featured detailed instructions for preserving foods, making wines, and managing large households with servants.
What made this cookbook revolutionary was its focus on regional American ingredients and cooking methods. It showed the world that American cuisine had developed its own character, separate from European traditions. The book remained popular throughout the antebellum period and influenced Southern cooking for decades.
The Frugal Housewife by Lydia Maria Child (1829)
Lydia Child, The Frugal Housewife (Boston: Carter and Hendee, 1829). Later editions were named the American Frugal Housewife to differentiate it from Susannah Carter’s well-known English cookbook by the same name. Child wrote this book during tough economic times when families needed to stretch every dollar.
The cookbook focused on practical, economical cooking for ordinary American families. Child understood that most people couldn’t afford elaborate ingredients or complex preparations. Her recipes used common, affordable ingredients and simple cooking methods that any housewife could manage.
Child’s approach was revolutionary because it acknowledged economic realities. Previous cookbooks often assumed wealthy households with servants and expensive ingredients. The Frugal Housewife spoke directly to middle-class and working families who did their own cooking.
Directions for Cookery by Eliza Leslie (1837)
Leslie, Eliza. Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches (Philadelphia: E.L. Carey & Hart, 1840). Eliza Leslie became one of America’s most popular cookbook writers during the mid-nineteenth century. Her clear writing style and reliable recipes made her books bestsellers across the country.
Leslie’s cookbook was comprehensive, covering everything from basic bread making to elaborate desserts. She organized recipes logically and wrote instructions that novice cooks could follow successfully. Her approach was methodical and thorough, qualities that American home cooks appreciated.
The book reflected growing American confidence in domestic cooking. Leslie treated American ingredients and methods as equals to European traditions. Her cookbook helped establish cooking as a respected domestic skill that deserved serious attention and study.
The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book by Fannie Farmer (1896)
The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book (1896) by Fannie Farmer is a 19th-century general reference cookbook which is still available both in reprint and in updated form. It was particularly notable for a more rigorous approach to recipe writing than had been common up to that point. And this book is arguably the best known and most influential of all American cookbooks. It has been in print from its first appearance in 1896 until the present day, although the newer editions are updated and revised so that Fannie might not easily recognize them.
Fannie Farmer took a more methodical approach to writing recipes, offering detailed instructions, standardized measurements, and precise cooking times and temperatures. This was my mother’s go-to cookbook when I was growing up. A pioneering work in the culinary field, it was the first cookbook to provide level measurements and easy-to-follow directions.
By 1990 when Ms. Cunningham updated and revised her edition of what was now called The Fannie Farmer Cookbook, as the thirteenth edition, nearly 4,000,000 copies had been sold, making this one of the greatest selling cookbooks of all times. Farmer’s scientific approach revolutionized American cooking by making it more predictable and reliable.
Joy of Cooking by Irma Rombauer (1931)
Joy of Cooking, often known as “The Joy of Cooking”, is one of the United States’ most-published cookbooks. It has been in print continuously since 1936 and has sold more than 20 million copies. It was published privately during 1931 by Irma S. Rombauer (1877–1962), a homemaker in St. Louis, Missouri, after her husband’s suicide the previous year.
Her methods were distinct from the other cookbooks of the time, which featured many complex recipes, while her style was simple and conversational. By providing an interesting and easy to read cookbook for the middle class, Joy of Cooking became the main reference book for many mid-century American cooks. By the end of the twentieth century, it was the top-selling all-purpose cookbook in publishing history, deemed the bible of American culinary customs, from cocktails to custards.
Instead of listing the ingredients for a dish at the top with preparation directions following, the recipes in Joy (1936) were presented by narratives, with the ingredients indicated as the need for them occurred, with each placed in boldface on a new indented line – thus preserving a conversational style throughout the recipe. This method came to be known as the “action method”. Julia Child learned to cook from The Joy of Cooking and Gourmet magazine. She enjoyed “Mrs. Joy’s Book” and believed it taught her the basic principles of cooking.
Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child (1961)
Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child is one of the most famous cookbooks in history; it has inspired novels, movies, restaurants, and thousands of spinoff cookbooks. Child published the influential mainstay in 1961, effectively introducing an American audience to French staples like beef bourguignon and cassoulet.
But what made Child’s approach to French cooking different than all the rest was her ability to make it practical for the American kitchen of the 1960s. Historians say that the cookbook made American cooks more comfortable with loftier dishes and made French cooking less intimidating. Featuring 524 delicious recipes and over 100 instructive illustrations to guide readers every step of the way, Mastering the Art of French Cooking offers something for everyone, from seasoned experts to beginners who love good food and long to reproduce the savory delights of French cuisine. Julia Child, Simone Beck, and Louisette Bertholle break down the classic foods of France into a logical sequence of themes and variations rather than presenting an endless and diffuse catalogue of dishes – from historic Gallic masterpieces to the seemingly artless perfection of a dish of spring-green peas.
Since its debut, Child has sold over 4 million copies of “Mastering the Art of French Cooking,” and publishers have never let it go out of print. The cookbook elevated American home cooking by showing that sophisticated techniques were achievable in ordinary kitchens with patience and proper instruction.
Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book (1930)
Go ahead and Google the “Better Homes New Cook Book.” There’s a good chance you’ll instantly recognize this classic! It features the iconic red and white checked cover and contains all kinds of staples that your mom and grandmother probably once whipped up. This cookbook became a fixture in American kitchens throughout the twentieth century.
The Better Homes cookbook represented middle America’s approach to cooking. It focused on reliable, family-friendly recipes that used readily available ingredients. The cookbook emphasized convenience without sacrificing taste, reflecting the changing pace of American life.
What made this book special was its connection to the Better Homes and Gardens magazine empire. The cookbook became part of a larger lifestyle brand that influenced how Americans thought about their homes and families. It represented aspirational middle-class values through food.
The Settlement Cookbook by Lizzie Black Kander (1901)
Michigan State University Libraries https://d.lib.msu.edu/fa/23485, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=85521477)
The Settlement Cookbook emerged from Milwaukee’s immigrant communities and social reform movements. Lizzie Black Kander created it to help immigrant women learn American cooking while preserving their cultural traditions. The cookbook became a bridge between old-world cooking and new-world ingredients.
Kander organized the book around practical needs of working families. She included basic cooking techniques alongside more elaborate recipes for special occasions. The cookbook addressed real challenges faced by immigrant families adapting to American kitchens and ingredients.
The Settlement Cookbook sold millions of copies over decades of publication. It influenced how immigrant communities integrated into American society through food. The book showed that American cuisine could absorb influences from many cultures while maintaining its own character.
The White House Cook Book by Hugo Ziemann (1887)
The White House Cook Book promised readers access to the refined cooking of America’s first family. Hugo Ziemann and Mrs. F.L. Gillette compiled recipes that supposedly came from the presidential kitchen. The book appealed to Americans’ fascination with elegant entertaining and formal dining.
This cookbook represented aspirational cooking for middle-class families. It included elaborate recipes for special occasions alongside practical everyday cooking. The book taught proper etiquette and presentation alongside cooking techniques, reflecting Victorian values about domesticity.
The cookbook’s connection to presidential dining gave it special authority and prestige. It influenced how Americans thought about formal entertaining and special occasion cooking. The book remained popular for decades and went through numerous editions and reprints.
These ten cookbooks didn’t just provide recipes – they shaped American food culture. They reflected changing times, economic conditions, and social movements that influenced what Americans cooked and ate. Today’s food blogs and cooking shows follow patterns these books established more than a century ago.
What’s remarkable is how many of these books remain in print or influence modern cookbooks. They created lasting traditions that continue today. American cuisine would look completely different without the foundation these books provided. What do you think about the evolution of American cooking? Tell us in the comments.
