Does anyone know a list of all the titles in the series?

I have collected 24 in the series, some in UK and some in USA. There are two books I have, Snacks & Canapes (UK) and Snacks and Sandwiches (USA). They are different but they both have some parts the same. In addition I have Beef & Veal, Biscuits, Breads, Cakes & Pastries, Confectionary, Desserts, Eggs & Cheese, Fish & Shellfish, Fruits, Game, Grains,Pasta & Pulses, Hot Hor D'Ouvres, Lamb, Offal, Outdoor Cooking, Patisserie, Pork, Poultry, Salads, Sauces, Soups, Vegetables. I would like to know if there are any more printed in addition to those above. As an Englisman living in the heart of France I find them invaluable for the many different ingredients available here and in the UK.

I picked up my first book, Fish, at a used book store for a buck. I love fish and I think it was the first cook-book I ever bought too. I love this book. It's so nostalic looking & it has a lot of basics that a cook needs to know about the subject. I just picked up Beef the other day at a thrift store and now I'm scouring the internet for good deals on the other ones that I want. Sauces is expensive, it must be in demand!

Love this series.

Here's your vanilla cream bread recipe!
to make one 9X5" loaf:
2 1/2 C. flour sifted with 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 larges eggs, the yolks separated from the whites
2/3 C. heavy cream
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 C. milk
1/4 tsp salt
In a large bowl, beat the the egg yolks with the cream, sugar, vanilla extract and milk. Beat the egg whites until very stiff. Sift the flour and salt into the egg-yolk mixture, add the beaten eggs whites and carefully fold all of the ingredients together until evenly mixed. Spoon the mixture into a buttered 9x5" loaf pan. Bake on the upper shelf of a preheated 375 degree oven for 40 minutes, or until the loaf is well risen and firm to the touch. Serve hot.

i have the set -chicken it is a great set to get

How wonderful to see this after all these years. I am the illustrator who did the hanging poultry illustration as well as many of the other illustrations in this series.
I graduated from art school in 1977, and this series was the first major collection of illustrations I did as a professional. I stumbled across this post and am tickled to see that so many cooks found the books helpful, and even liked the artwork!

Hi Rick, Is the Internet cool or what? Thanks so much for stopping by and saying hello. These illustrations of yours are one of the things that make this series so charming. Thank you! ~Elise

I first saw one of these books at a friends house several years ago. I since have managed to find and purchase 14 of them.

They are excellent especially if you want to try some new proceure...all the instructions and pictures are right there.

Great gift for a new cook or one who wants to have a little more adventure in their kitchen!

I think I have the complete set (28) so I checked and found no other charts. I didn't come across an herb chart and I found no book that contained a herb chart so maybe I am a book or two short. Does anyone know how many there were? I got one a month for over two years (1980-82) for about $15 each. Quite a collection. I wish I used them more but they seem to be more like a set of encyclopedias...look good on the shelf but rarely used. LOL Jim

My dear Aunt had 7-8 books from the series. When she moved to live nearby in late 1980s, I often borrowed her books, and before long, all her Good Cook Series were in my house. I loved the basic and simple recipes.

Unfortunately, she and her husband died on a plane crash in 1997. She was only 42.

Funny thing was, although we both loved to cook, we never tried any recipe from the books together. I always regret it.

I still have all her books, like inherited it. Now, every time I tried a recipe from one of the books, or just going through them for inspiration, I always think of her.

I used to love to cook from those books! I've been lookng for certain recipes via the 'net, with no luck. I lost my set in a divorce -- sure would like to find another one! Anybody got a Vegetables book? I'd love to see if my favorite cauliflower recipe is in it. Can't really remember the titles of the recipes anymore (been over 7 years...)

E-mail me if you are willing to look something up for me -- andreaj13 AT cox [dot} net.

I'm really only interested in a couple of recipes out of it... one has fresh grated beets (Russian Beets?) and the other one had cauliflower and whole garlic cloves... and you fried it in olive oil or something (no breading!)

Any help would be appreciated! Maybe I'll find a set one day and buy it again!

I have this set and they are excellent for techniques as well as recipes. I also have and use "The Southern Heritage" cookbook set from Oxmoor House (Southern Living). Like the Time Life set they are out of print but can be found on ebay and other internet sites. I recommend this set for their recipes and nostalgic Illustrations.

I have the sets of Time-life books in my heap for sale. Mom left them in my care with instruction to sell them and raise enough to keep her in hair care and other sundries when she went into a nursing facility. I still have no clear idea of the price a complete set should get her so I am reluctant to sell the sets. Any ideas out there? I am not a true Web-head so E-Bay intimidates too much.

I am so excited I found the whole set on ebay...all 28...so I bought them. I have been wanting this set for a long time. I can hardly wait to receive them and get cook'n

I just stumbled across this site while looking for info on Time-Life books. Does anyone know if there's a complete list of the UK edition of The Good Cook? I'm missing only one of the US edition(Dried Beans and Grains) but am intrigued by the titles I've found(but not seen) of some of the UK volumes. I presume "Biscuits" would be "Cookies and Crackers" to us Americans. But what's Offal, or what is Pulses?(As in Grain, Pasta, Pulses)

And to reply to Colleen, I have the beef book, if I see you reply again here I'll type that recipe up for you.

And BTW, Elise, this place is great!

Hi Baker, offal is the english word that describes stuff like liver, kidneys and heart.
Pulses are dried beans, peas and lentils(eg all dried legumes)
I have 26 of the titles and love the technique part of the books and I would love to know what all the English titles are.

I've just bought 13 volumes from eBay here (in Australia) and am now searching to complete the set - the technique information is fantastic. And I got the Beef one in my haul, so I hope you do keep checking back Colleen; I'll give the US measurements:

Beef Vindaloo

1 pound stewing beef cut in serving pieces
1/2 tbsp ground coriander (cilantro)
1/2 tsp each ground cumin, mustard seed, chili
1 tsp ground tumeric
1/4 tsp ground black pepper, ground ginger

wine vinegar (doesn't give a quantity; you'll need enough to make a thick paste with the spices)
1 large onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely sliced
2 fresh or picked green chili peppers, finely chopped
2 oz ghee or other fat
salt
lemon juice

Mix spices into a paste with vinegar. Lightly fry onion, garlic and chilies in ghee for 3 to 4 minutes. Add spice paste and cook for 3-4 minutes longer. Add meat, cover pan and cook for at least 2 1/2 hours. Add just enough water from time to time to form a thick rich gravy. Add salt and lemon juice to taste.

It's credited to EP Veerasawmy in "Indian Cookery". Hope you enjoy it!

I hunted used book sales to find a full set for my youngest son, he wants to be a chef.
And now I have extra copies of,
- Poultry
- Vegetables (2 copies)
- Sauces
- Soups
- Shellfish
- Salads
- Breads
- Outdoor Cooking
- Hors d'Oeuvre
- Beverages
- Pies & Pastries
- Dried Beans & Grains
- Variety Meats
- Fish
- Beef & Veal

If you are interested in these books, write me at rbargher AT yahoo.com

Thanks, Robert, but I'm in Australia and collecting the UK versions. They are as good as everyone says.

I'm from the Philippines and have found the Good Cook series really amazing. I have about 6 books and am ever on the look out of the other titles from book sales here in Manila.

I'm into organic vegetable trading in manila and found the series very helpful, the illustrations and photography are really amazing.

I would love to have the set of these books! I have searched everywhere! If anyone knows of anyone who will sell their set..I am interested.. I love cookbooks and this is the one set that I really do want!

I suggest keeping your eye out on eBay. Full sets come up occasionally. ~Elise

Thanks, June. I ended up looking online and bought a used copy of the Pasta book. The recipe is Spaghetti with spinach, mushrooms and cream, p. 98, although I use less butter and cream to make it a little healthier. It's delicious.

Hi, I bought the entire set of cookbooks (28) from Time-Life (one a month) during 1982-83 and the set differs dramatically from June Ryan's stated collection (Sept 13, 2008). I have about 8 different volumes than she has. Time-Life must have varied the collection over the years. I never really got into cooking and have never really used my set so I am going to sell them to someone who is really serious about cooking with these wonderful recipes.

Carolyn, that is a separate series. I've posted about it at my blog here, including a link to my list of the UK and US versions of the Good Cook Series.

/cookbook nerd