Allmusic's Jason Ankeny said: "While not reaching the same heights of Joe Thomas' previous Ebony Godfather LP, the aptly titled Joy of Cookin' boasts a comparable deep-fried funk flavor, fusing the style and sensibility of blaxploitation-era soundtracks with the formal ingenuity of jazz. Horace Ott's big, bold arrangements nicely complement Thomas' sweet, fluttery flute, which navigates in and out of the melodies with the grace of a monarch butterfly".[3]