The official Journal of The new zealand insTiTuTe of food science ...

Subsequent editions have a list on the inside front cover whichshows previous editions printed with the year and numberprinted.Often the covers stated the number of new recipes added, suchas the 1983 printing of 100,000 which stated “30 New Recipes”and the book held approximately 640 “everyday recipes andcooking hints”.The books were first prepared by Edmonds and then later withthe assistance of a consultant, Mrs Law, of the Christchurch GasCompany and the Edmonds factory manager, Cyril Cox, (TinyCox). Later, when home economists joined the Edmonds staff,full responsibility for the production of the cookery books returnedto the company.This was an ongoing development which, apart from recipe additionsand deletions, included recipes based on new Edmondsproducts launched, such as the wonderful Orange Icing recipeusing the Orange Tang powdered drink mix.One of the secrets of the book’s continuing success is that itsrecipes were all tested and proven in T.J.Edmonds kitchen-laboratories.Successive editions were brought up to date, to keeppace with innovations or changes in taste or fashion and asnew products were launched and new baking methods wereadopted such as gas, fan and microwave ovens.I was a member of the team when we introduced gas cookinginformation; when the recipes were changed to metric units,times adjusted for fan ovens and then microwave recipes wereincorporated. The Edmonds laboratory had one of the first microwaveovens in Christchurch (supplied by Philips) which tookages to master and during this time we blew out many of thetubes as we learnt the techniques the hard way.Arranging food for photography for these books and for newspapersand TV advertising were challenges for the home economistsover the years. We also worked closely with the ovensuppliers and Illots Ltd.Many recipes were selected from the winners of various Bake-Off competitions arranged by Edmonds and the electric stovemanufacturers.There was the occasional mis-step. I remember that we discontinueda rabbit recipe and later had to restore it in response topublic demand. Even an apparently innocuous and simple triflerecipe had to be brought back.Still ‘cooking with Kiwis’While primarily a complete recipe resource for home cookery,the Edmonds cookbook served as a promotions and marketingtool for the brand, and continues to do so. Have you got onein your kitchen?HISTORYSpecial EditionsA number of special editions were produced and included:–Gas Cooking Edition, 1971, 80,000 copies.Edmonds Cake Mix Cook Book, 1971Edmonds Prima Cook Book; 34 pages for use with Edmonds“Prima” range of pasta products.Colonial Cook Book; these recipes used the Edmonds bulkpacks of “Colonial Soups”.Edmonds American Recipe Book.Edmonds Microwave Cookery Book, 1989An OXO cook book; “The book of meat cookery”, sponsoredby OXO Ltd, published in London, was imported.The 1976 15th edition stated 80 new recipes and 16 newpages but still only claimed 630 recipes.This edition was thefirst with spiral binding and was completely re-set to presentrecipe quantities in metric and imperial measures. The factoryphotograph on the cover was still the old dark greencolour.The 16th edition, released in 1978 to mark the firm’s centennialachieved 166 pages.The 17th edition, in 1980, introduced a special colour sectionof recipes which reflected the growing popularity of poultry.The 19th edition, 1983 states 30 new recipes and 640 everydayrecipes and cooking hintsThe 21st Edition was the first Hard Cover Edition.The 32nd Edition, 1992, was a new revised edition with over200 new recipes plus new sections including nutrition, pastaand rice, international and breakfast.Since Edmonds was taken over by Bluebird Foods a numberof other Edmonds cook books have produced.February/March 201041