"Food cooked in the fireplace tastes better than food cooked in most conventional methods today," say the authors and this book shows how twenty-first century folks can enjoy hearth-cooked meals today. Surprisingly few pieces of special equipment are needed, especially for camping families. The authors emphasize the appliances and techniques that make open-hearth cooking realistic in today's homes where the fireplace is not in the kitchen.

The authors explain the art of building a good cooking fire and maintaining the three basic temperatures - low, medium and high - needed to prepare almost all foods, and suggest ways to keep the hearth clean and the cook safe. Each chapter on technique tells how things were done in the old days, and then goes on to demonstrate techniques for today. The authors have added substantial new material since original publication in 1982, and completely updated the resources section of the book.

Suzanne Goldenson and her husband are serious cooks and collectors of early American cooking implements. Doris Simpson is co-owner of a restaurant and once helped cook a Thanksgiving dinner over an open hearth for former Craig Claiborne.