The Wall Street Journal
Hitching her wagon to the nascent slow-cooking craze, Mable Hoffman created one of the fastest-selling cookbooks.
Ms. Hoffman, who died Feb. 9 at 88, was author of "Crockery Cookery," an early entry among books of recipes for an old technique transformed.
Ms. Hoffman, who died Feb. 9 at 88, was author of "Crockery Cookery," an early entry among books of recipes for an old technique transformed.
The late 60's and early 70's were a boon time for kitchen appliance manufacturers and many homemakers were enthralled by redesigned gadgets such as blenders and indoor grills.
Crock-Pots debuted in 1971 and sold in the millions, spurred in part by the increase in working women who wanted to present a fresh-cooked meal when they came home in the evening. But conventional stew recipes turned to mush or solidified in these newly popular kitchen appliances because meats and vegetables acted differently when cooked for long periods at low temperatures.
"The cookbooks that came with the Crock-Pots did not work," says Howard Fisher, an editor at HP Books who hired Ms. Hoffman to provide answers.
A home economist and food stylist, Ms. Hoffman had experience developing recipes for another emerging kitchen labor-saver, the roaster oven. She was soon cooking up a storm with 20 or more slow cookers bubbling around the clock.
"There was dinner ready every night, but some of those pots you really didn't want to eat from," says Ms. Hoffman's daughter, Jan Robertson, who pitched in to help with the culinary explorations.
Crock-Pots debuted in 1971 and sold in the millions, spurred in part by the increase in working women who wanted to present a fresh-cooked meal when they came home in the evening. But conventional stew recipes turned to mush or solidified in these newly popular kitchen appliances because meats and vegetables acted differently when cooked for long periods at low temperatures.
"The cookbooks that came with the Crock-Pots did not work," says Howard Fisher, an editor at HP Books who hired Ms. Hoffman to provide answers.
A home economist and food stylist, Ms. Hoffman had experience developing recipes for another emerging kitchen labor-saver, the roaster oven. She was soon cooking up a storm with 20 or more slow cookers bubbling around the clock.
"There was dinner ready every night, but some of those pots you really didn't want to eat from," says Ms. Hoffman's daughter, Jan Robertson, who pitched in to help with the culinary explorations.
Crock-Pot Cooking
"Crockery Cookery" presented more than 250 recipes for solid middle-American fare, such as pot roast and "squash medley," but also more exotic fare including baked beans cassoulet and fresh pears in wine. Some critics have derided slow cookers for encouraging "dump cooking," but most contemporary reviews hailed the book for extolling inexpensive and convenient food.
An unexpected best-seller, "Crockery Cookery" dethroned "The Joy of Sex" as the No. 1 selling trade paperback in June of 1975, providing a clue as to which is the stronger human urge. More than six million copies have been sold in several editions, says Mr. Fisher.
Ms. Hoffman was born in Virginia, the daughter of a postman and his wife, a superior Southern cook. She majored in home economics at the University of Maryland. She had a stint writing marketing reports for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. She later moved to California and consulted as a recipe developer for Sunkist Growers and Hunt Foods, and as a food stylist for publications such as Better Homes and Gardens magazine.
Ms. Hoffman followed "Crockery Cookery" with a dozen more cookbooks, some elaborating on slow-cookers and others dealing with chocolate, ice cream, pasta and entertaining. Her husband, Gar Hoffman, a civilian Navy employee, was her co-author on several books, helping with research and production. The Hoffmans traveled the country doing cooking demonstrations and television appearances.
A voluble hostess who never tired of extolling the advantages of slow cooking, Ms. Hoffman liked food. A San Diego Union-Tribune interviewer who dropped by her kitchen in 1985, when Ms. Hoffman was promoting, "Make-Ahead Entertaining," noted that she served coffee with dainty napkins that said, "Skinny cooks can't be trusted."
"Crockery Cookery" presented more than 250 recipes for solid middle-American fare, such as pot roast and "squash medley," but also more exotic fare including baked beans cassoulet and fresh pears in wine. Some critics have derided slow cookers for encouraging "dump cooking," but most contemporary reviews hailed the book for extolling inexpensive and convenient food.
An unexpected best-seller, "Crockery Cookery" dethroned "The Joy of Sex" as the No. 1 selling trade paperback in June of 1975, providing a clue as to which is the stronger human urge. More than six million copies have been sold in several editions, says Mr. Fisher.
Ms. Hoffman was born in Virginia, the daughter of a postman and his wife, a superior Southern cook. She majored in home economics at the University of Maryland. She had a stint writing marketing reports for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. She later moved to California and consulted as a recipe developer for Sunkist Growers and Hunt Foods, and as a food stylist for publications such as Better Homes and Gardens magazine.
Ms. Hoffman followed "Crockery Cookery" with a dozen more cookbooks, some elaborating on slow-cookers and others dealing with chocolate, ice cream, pasta and entertaining. Her husband, Gar Hoffman, a civilian Navy employee, was her co-author on several books, helping with research and production. The Hoffmans traveled the country doing cooking demonstrations and television appearances.
A voluble hostess who never tired of extolling the advantages of slow cooking, Ms. Hoffman liked food. A San Diego Union-Tribune interviewer who dropped by her kitchen in 1985, when Ms. Hoffman was promoting, "Make-Ahead Entertaining," noted that she served coffee with dainty napkins that said, "Skinny cooks can't be trusted."
