Miss Corson goes into great detail on the table setting, decorative centerpiece foliage, linens, etc. Please let me know if this interests you and I will post those excerpts as well! Source: Miss Corson's Practical American Cookery and Household Management, 1886.
Those of you who have been following Victorian cooking for some time probably already know about Fannie Farmer. At the turn of the last century, Fannie worked as the head of a Boston cooking school. She authored an enormously popular cookbook and helped to standardize recipes and cooking practices. A truly remarkable woman. Back in…
Degrees of heating ovens for baking, are - cool or slow heat; moderate or gentle is a degree stronger than slow, and is like a hot breeze or breath; a quick heat is hot, but no intensely; a degree stronger is a hot oven; still stronger is scorching hot, and fit for nothing but destruction.…
Carving presents no difficulties... All displays of exertion or violence are in very bad taste. More Fun Discoveries Beef Stewed (ragoo) ~1866 How to Buy Meat ~1866 Advice on Mushroom Foraging ~1866 Source: Practical American Cookery and Domestic Economy, E. Hall. (1856).
Why all this masquerade I ask? Are we a parcel of children that we require victuals in the shape of toys? Is it because of the cook's ancient, but silly, privilege to show us they, too, can be painters and sculptors? No, it is because of our insane desire to dish up everything in some…
Advice for the savvy shopper: Buy of some one particular butcher, and let him choose for you...You will find a uniformity of prices for the same cuts of the best stock, go where you will in the same city. What I enjoy about this excerpt is that it highlights the honest nature of the hardworking…
For all of you mycologists and mycophagists out there, how reliable are these general guidelines for mushroom foraging? Does this spell certain death? Or will we, the gentle reader, be enjoying a lovely sauteed mushroom repast? Leave your comments below! More Fun Discoveries Eating an Artichoke ~1886 The Well-trained Mary Jane & No Greenery-Yallery ~1893…
Grid, our cookbook authoress extraordinaire, has something of a way with words. Her slightly condescending, while equally imploring tone conveys a wonderful sense of character, especially given that it was 1893. I have no idea how she managed to get her cookbook published. Check out these delightful chapter descriptions: My favorites: It's important to be…
Always have good and fat poultry where possible; in the country you may command it! And here's a peak at the Dorking breed, note the 5 toes: Source: Practical American Cookery and Domestic Economy, E. Hall, 1856. More Fun Discoveries It Is Not Merely a Question of How Long the Bird Has Been Dead –…
A hungry man, pressed for time, perhaps hot an labor-stained, comes home for dinner; if he finds a freshly laid table awaiting him, with a neat little wife who has taken a few moments to tidy herself after cooking, ready to give him a hot and savory dinner, and looking as if she had not…
A fascinating peak into the daily lives of our fore-families... Of all rooms in the house, the dining-room should be the cheeriest, because it is there that all the members of the family are most likely to congregate. No matter how widely the interests and occupations of father, mother, and children may separate them…
This lovely introduction echos the words of great chefs today! Source: Miss Corson's Practical Cookery and Household Management, Miss Juliet Corson, 1886.
Source: Practical American Cookery and Domestic Economy, by E. Hall, 1856. New York and Auburn: Miller, Orton, & Mulligan.
An everyday book for American housekeepers, giving the most acceptable etiquette for American hospitality, and comprehensive and minute directions for marketing, carving, and general table-service; together with suggestions for the diet of children and the sick. By Miss Juliet Corson, Author of "The Cooking-School Text-Book and Housekeeper's Guide," "The Cooking Manual," "Meals for the Million,"…
Source: Practical American Cookery and Domestic Economy, E. Hall, 1856. "At the head of the vegetable class stands bread, that article of diet which, from general use, has received the name of the staff of life. ... The custom of eating butter with bread, hot from the oven, is compatible only with very strong digestive…
