Thanksgiving has long been an excuse for ambitious home cooks to strut their stuffing and create a hearty meal for their families and friends. Since the 19th century, many of the traditional fall foods have stuck around, with tweaks to incorporate trends, technology and newly available ingredients.
How Thanksgiving recipes have changed over time, according to ‘Joy of Cooking’
November 9, 2023 at 11:00 a.m. EST
See how their turkey, baked sweet potato and pumpkin pie recipes have evolved.
Turkey
Roast Turkey Dinner has been there since before “Joy of Cooking” split off separate sections for Thanksgiving and Holiday menus. Over the years the authors provide more cooking methods, though there is some trial and error.
Brown the bird at 500°F,
then cook at 275°F.
“A fine new method” of browning: Roast
it breast-side down, and flip it if you want.
If it’s browning too fast, “cover with a
piece of buttered paper.” John (and
probably local fire departments) do not endorse this.
Lower the roasting temperature to 300°F
throughout. Seasoning happens halfway through, and it also recommends sewing up the bird after stuffing.
A new option is added:
roasting the turkey in foil.
Brown at 450°F for browning and then reduce to 350°F.
Recipe includes a cautionary
note about foil.
Do not roast
your turkey in foil.
A food-safety innovation: This is the first
edition to specify an internal temperature
and the first to mention brining the turkey.
By now there are four roasting options and
a “reduced-fat gravy” recipe.
Includes a recipe for
Cajun deep-fried turkey.
Adds dry-brining and butterflying and
includes vegetarian centerpiece
alternatives, such as mushroom
lasagna and savory cabbage strudel.
Turkey
Roast Turkey Dinner has been there since before “Joy of Cooking” split off separate sections for Thanksgiving and Holiday menus. Over the years the authors provide more cooking methods, though there is some trial and error.
Brown the bird at 500°F,
then cook at 275°F.
“A fine new method” of browning: Roast it breast-side down, and flip it if you want. If it’s browning too fast, “cover with a piece of buttered paper.” John (and probably local fire departments) do not endorse this.
Lower the roasting temperature to 300°F throughout. Seasoning happens halfway through, and it also recommends sewing up the bird after stuffing.
A new option is added:
roasting the turkey in foil.
Brown at 450°F for browning and then reduce to 350°F. Recipe includes a cautionary note about foil.
Do not roast
your turkey in foil.
A food-safety innovation: This is the first
edition to specify an internal temperature
and the first to mention brining the turkey.
By now there are four roasting options and
a “reduced-fat gravy” recipe.
Includes a recipe for
Cajun deep-fried turkey.
Adds dry-brining and butterflying and includes vegetarian centerpiece alternatives, such as mushroom lasagna and savory cabbage strudel.
Turkey
Roast Turkey Dinner has been there since before “Joy of Cooking” split off separate sections for Thanksgiving and Holiday menus. Over the years the authors provide more cooking methods, though there is some trial and error.
Brown the bird at 500°F,
then cook at 275°F.
“A fine new method” of browning: Roast it breast-side down, and flip it if you want. If it’s browning too fast, “cover with a piece of buttered paper.” John (and probably local fire departments) do not endorse this.
Lower the roasting temperature to 300°F throughout. Seasoning happens halfway through, and it also recommends sewing up the bird after stuffing.
A new option is added:
roasting the turkey in foil.
Brown at 450°F for browning and then reduce to 350°F. Recipe includes a cautionary note about foil.
Do not roast
your turkey in foil.
A food-safety innovation: This is the first
edition to specify an internal temperature and
the first to mention brining the turkey. By now
there are four roasting options and a
“reduced-fat gravy” recipe.
Includes a recipe for
Cajun deep-fried turkey.
Adds dry-brining and butterflying and includes vegetarian centerpiece alternatives, such as mushroom lasagna and savory cabbage strudel.
Sweet Potatoes
"Joy of Cooking" has always contained baked sweet potatoes, but the issue of marshmallows has been contentious.
The first stance was pro-marshmallows,
as an optional topping on stuffed
sweet potatoes.
Marshmallows as an option, but with some shade: “Marshmallows may be substituted for the breadcrumbs and butter. These are a matter of taste or lack of taste.”
Marshmallows listed as an option,
without the judgment.
Anti-marshmallows: They’re omitted entirely, as the 1997 edition saw many older recipes rewritten or removed.
The triumphal return of marshmallows, again as a topping for twice-baked sweet potatoes. But even here, the inclusion was a compromise. According to John, “I hoped to add a pudding topped with marshmallows, but Megan wanted to add a marshmallow-less recipe her grandmother makes every year. Her family recipe won out.”
Sweet Potatoes
"Joy of Cooking" has always contained baked sweet potatoes, but the issue of marshmallows has been contentious.
The first stance was
pro-marshmallows, as an optional topping on stuffed sweet potatoes.
Marshmallows as an option, but with some shade: “Marshmallows may be substituted for the breadcrumbs and butter. These are a matter of taste or lack of taste.”
Marshmallows listed as an option, without the judgment.
Anti-marshmallows: They’re omitted entirely, as the 1997 edition saw many older recipes rewritten or removed.
The triumphal return of marshmallows, again as a topping for twice-baked sweet potatoes. But even here, the inclusion was a compromise. According to John, “I hoped to add a pudding topped with marshmallows, but Megan wanted to add a marshmallow-less recipe her grandmother makes every year. Her family recipe won out.”
Sweet Potatoes
"Joy of Cooking" has always contained baked sweet potatoes, but the issue of marshmallows has been contentious.
The first stance was
pro-marshmallows, as an optional topping on stuffed sweet potatoes.
Marshmallows as an option, but with some shade: “Marshmallows may be substituted for the breadcrumbs and butter. These are a matter of taste or lack of taste.”
Marshmallows listed as an option, without the judgment.
Anti-marshmallows: They’re omitted entirely, as the 1997 edition saw many older recipes rewritten or removed.
The triumphal return of marshmallows, again as a topping for twice-baked sweet potatoes. But even here, the inclusion was a compromise. According to John, “I hoped to add a pudding topped with marshmallows, but Megan wanted to add a marshmallow-less recipe her grandmother makes every year. Her family recipe won out.”
Pumpkin Pie
It’s hard to go wrong with pumpkin mixed with cream set over a pastry crust, and the core recipe hasn’t changed much. But small variations reveal a push for healthier sweets at the turn of the century, a recent return to fatty form and even a celebratory splash.
1931
The first recipe includes instructions
for cooking pumpkin.
1936
Enter a post-Prohibition
boozy version.
1951
Evaporated milk is listed as
a subsitute for cream.
1975
“Or squash” is added to the title, and the recipe includes molasses and sour cream variations.
1997
The recipe is back to all pumpkin with more sugar and spices. The filling is made lighter, using milk in addition to cream.
2019
Back to all cream, and a note says the pie works for “pumpkin, squash, or sweet potato.”
Pumpkin Pie
It’s hard to go wrong with pumpkin mixed with cream set over a pastry crust, and the core recipe hasn’t changed much. But small variations reveal a push for healthier sweets at the turn of the century, a recent return to fatty form and even a celebratory splash.
1931
The first recipe includes instructions
for cooking pumpkin.
1936
Enter a post-Prohibition
boozy version.
1951
Evaporated milk is listed as
a subsitute for cream.
1975
“Or squash” is added to the title, and the recipe includes molasses and sour cream variations.
1997
The recipe is back to all pumpkin with more sugar and spices. The filling is made lighter, using milk in addition to cream.
2019
Back to all cream, and a note says the pie works for “pumpkin, squash, or sweet potato.”
Pumpkin Pie
It’s hard to go wrong with pumpkin mixed with cream set over a pastry crust, and the core recipe hasn’t changed much. But small variations reveal a push for healthier sweets at the turn of the century, a recent return to fatty form and even a celebratory splash.
1931
The first recipe includes
instructions for cooking pumpkin.
1936
Enter a post-Prohibition
boozy version.
1951
Evaporated milk is listed as
a substitute for cream.
1975
“Or squash” is added to the title,
and the recipe includes molasses
and sour cream variations.
1997
The recipe is back to all pumpkin with
more sugar and spices. The filling is made
lighter, using milk in addition to cream.
2019
Back to all cream, and a note says the pie works for “pumpkin, squash, or sweet potato.”
Becker describes preparing “countless turkeys” to vet recipes for the 2019 edition, but he acknowledges that time and tastes are certain to change in future years. “I’d like to think our approach will make the 2019 more evergreen,” he said. “But I wouldn’t be surprised if what we wrote about roasting turkey is several Thanksgiving media cycles away from obsolescence.”
correction
A previous version of this article misspelled Irma S. Rombauer’s last name. The article has been corrected.
