Cold Cooking

Note: This edition of Cold Cooking has been updated to include Metric equivalents.


Cold Cooking (1949), published by Montgomery Ward, is a charming and practical mid-century cookbook devoted entirely to the art of preparing foods without heat. Created during the golden age of refrigerator promotion, it features more than 150 recipes designed to be refreshing, elegant, and time-saving—from molded salads, aspics, and cold plates to chilled desserts, parfaits, and party dishes. With its emphasis on convenience, presentation, and modern living, Cold Cooking offers today’s readers both a fascinating glimpse into postwar American kitchens and a surprisingly usable collection of no-cook and make-ahead recipes perfect for warm weather, entertaining, and vintage-inspired menus.