You know to first consult The Joy of Cooking for the perfect recipe for salads like caesar, cobb, Waldorf, or three-bean, but what about Pasta Salad with Shrimp, Roasted Red Peppers, and Black Olives, Hot Apple Slaw, or Bread and Tomato Salad? For more than 60 years, home cooks have turned to that beloved cookbook for classic recipes, definitions, and instructions for cooking techniques, but when looking for something new and different, full of spice, or slightly exotic, we tend to go elsewhere. So Ethan Becker is retraining us with The Joy of Cooking: All About Salads and Dressings. Becker--Irma S. Rombauer's grandson and Marion Rombauer Becker's son--continues the family tradition of sharing foolproof recipes for everyday cooking in everyday kitchens. But this new All About series is also beautifully illustrated, filled with brilliant color photographs, and the flavors and techniques have been updated to reflect the way we cook and eat today. Tunisian-Style Carrot Salad glows orange, gold, and red in a full-page photo across from the recipe. Flavored with lemon and orange, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, and chili, it's warm and bright, crisp and fresh. Tzatziki Potato Salad is light and tangy, well dressed with fresh mint and dill, cucumber, garlic, and yogurt. A chapter on dressings includes an exciting collection of vinaigrettes--everything from Basic to Tomato Mint and Fennel Parmesan to creative dressings like Tangerine Shallot and Chipotle Pepper Mayonnaise.

Becker's new Joy is as essential as ever. It still includes old favorites like Green Goddess dressing and molded gelatin salads, and walks us through tasks like how to cook and peel beets. But it's the new illustrations and photographs, and recipes like Quinoa Salad with Pine Nuts and Raisins and Sautéed Veal Medallions on Arugula Tomato Salad, that make you want to renew your old friendship with Joy. --Leora Y. Bloom