instruct and show their servants the best road to good
plain cookery. In days of yore every gentlewoman
was supposed to understand enough cookery to instruct
her handmaidens, and generally did the pickling and
preserving herself. Why should not we follow the
good example of our great grandmothers, and revive
this good old custom in this Victorian era ? Besides
the advantage of it, I know there are now many
women of gentle birth who, from unfortunate monetary
losses, have to gain their living for themselves, and
have taken up the culinary art and are able to obtain
a very fair livelihood by going out to cook dinners
and ball suppers, and also by giving demonstrative
cookery lessons.
The silly ignorance of so many gentlewomen is
astounding. Let me give an example : I was present
at a lecture a short time since at one of the recent
cookery exhibitions, where Miss Young was teaching-
pastry making, when a lady among the audience asked,
Must we put our bare hands into the dough ? "
" Certainly," replied the teacher ; " you cannot
make it otherwise."
" Oh, then," remarked the questioner, " perhaps
that is the reason why I failed when I made my last
tart ; my gloves did seem in the way ! "
I consider this a very good example of the terrible
ignorance which prevails regarding the knowledge
of the cuisine. Cookery schools and classes, and the
innumerable cookery books are, however, doing much
to help.
INTRODUCTION
vii
I must conclude these few introductory remarks by
impressing on my readers that it is the duty of a cook,
according to the celebrated De la Regni^res, to be
always able to exemplify the truth of that proverb so
characteristic of a nation of cooks, " Uapp^tit vient
en mangeant " ; and by mentioning that this volume
has been written with the hope of helping gentle-
women in their homes. The recipes are culled from
several foreign gastronomic works and private MSS.,
recipes given me by foreign chefs and from other
sources.
I have not gone into plain so much as fancy
cookery, as there are so many good cookery books
which treat of simple joints, etc.
Having some thousands of cookery recipes foreign
and otherwise, well indexed, I shall be pleased to
hear from my readers who may desire recipes of
dishes not given here.
HARRIET DE SALIS.
Hampton Lea,
Sutton.
[
THE HOUSEWIFE'S EEFEKEE
PAET I
THE HOUSEHOLD
THE KITCHEN
" An ounce of example is worth a pound of precept."
The kitchen, like any other apartment, may be well or badly
furnished, perfectly or imperfectly fitted. But among the
multitude of things necessary to make a house comfortable
and happy, a well-arranged and well-appointed kitchen is
necessary, and it should be as well kept as any other
apartment in the house ; therefore I will attempt to describe
my own idea of a perfectly well-arranged and well-managed
kitchen, upon which, no doubt, my readers will be able to
make improvements. The floor should be of finished hard
wood, without seams or cracks, and the walls papered with
a varnished tile paper, which is easily kept clean with a
damp cloth or sponge ; of course, where it can be afforded,
there is nothing so good as glazed tiles, for they are easily
washed, and help to make the kitchen sweet and healthy.
Page 1
Presented as published in 1898. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
instruct and show their servants the best road to good plain cookery. In days of yore every gentlewoman was supposed to understand enough cookery to instruct her handmaidens, and generally did the pickling and preserving herself. Why should not we follow the good example of our great grandmothers, and revive this good old custom in this Victorian era ? Besides the advantage of it, I know there are now many women of gentle birth who, from unfortunate monetary losses, have to gain their living for themselves, and have taken up the culinary art and are able to obtain a very fair livelihood by going out to cook dinners and ball suppers, and also by giving demonstrative cookery lessons.
The silly ignorance of so many gentlewomen is astounding. Let me give an example : I was present at a lecture a short time since at one of the recent cookery exhibitions, where Miss Young was teachingpastry making, when a lady among the audience asked, Must we put our bare hands into the dough ? "
" Certainly," replied the teacher ; " you cannot make it otherwise."
" Oh, then," remarked the questioner, " perhaps that is the reason why I failed when I made my last tart ; my gloves did seem in the way ! "
I consider this a very good example of the terrible ignorance which prevails regarding the knowledge of the cuisine. Cookery schools and classes, and the innumerable cookery books are, however, doing much to help.
INTRODUCTION
I must conclude these few introductory remarks by impressing on my readers that it is the duty of a cook, according to the celebrated De la Regni^res, to be always able to exemplify the truth of that proverb so characteristic of a nation of cooks, " Uapp^tit vient en mangeant " ; and by mentioning that this volume has been written with the hope of helping gentlewomen in their homes. The recipes are culled from several foreign gastronomic works and private MSS., recipes given me by foreign chefs and from other sources.
I have not gone into plain so much as fancy cookery, as there are so many good cookery books which treat of simple joints, etc.
Having some thousands of cookery recipes foreign and otherwise, well indexed, I shall be pleased to hear from my readers who may desire recipes of dishes not given here.
HARRIET DE SALIS.
Hampton Lea, Sutton.
[
THE HOUSEWIFE'S REFEREE
PAET I
THE HOUSEHOLD
" An ounce of example is worth a pound of precept."
The kitchen, like any other apartment, may be well or badly furnished, perfectly or imperfectly fitted. But among the multitude of things necessary to make a house comfortable and happy, a well-arranged and well-appointed kitchen is necessary, and it should be as well kept as any other apartment in the house ; therefore I will attempt to describe my own idea of a perfectly well-arranged and well-managed kitchen, upon which, no doubt, my readers will be able to make improvements. The floor should be of finished hard wood, without seams or cracks, and the walls papered with a varnished tile paper, which is easily kept clean with a damp cloth or sponge ; of course, where it can be afforded, there is nothing so good as glazed tiles, for they are easily washed, and help to make the kitchen sweet and healthy.