To preside over a well-ordered house, and to provide suitable meals for her family and household, are the duties of every wife, and of many women who are not wives. The object of this book will be to help women to discharge their duties by explaining some of the rules of housekeeping ; by giving bills of fare, so arranged as to suit various incomes, tastes, and habits ; and by furnishing recipes for cooking such dishes as are palatable, useful, and economical. It follows of necessity that our book assumes some previous acquaintance with the subject, on the part of the lady who orders, and the servant who cooks a dinner. The lady has had experience of her father's and of her friends' tables ; she must know how many meals are expected in the day, and whether the income and occupations of the husband and sons render it desirable for the chief meals to be dinner at midday with supper at night, or a luncheon followed by a late dinner. The cook has either been out as kitchen- maid, or has had some training under another servant. If mistress and servant are alike without experience, they should attend a local school of cookery. Certain things are learned quicker and better by example than by precept. It is hardly possible to teach in a book how to truss a bird, to lard a fricandeau, or to make light pastry. It is desirable that both mistress and servant should attend the school of cookery, as there are some processes and details which will be best understood by the more refined taste of the mistress, and on which she can dwell afterwards in giving orders, whilst there are other details which the cook seizes all the better for hearing them described by a lecturer. HOW TO GIVE DLWYERS. CHAPTER II. ON THE ART OF GIVING DINNERS. It may be assumed that every host and hostess who entertain their friends desire to give them as good a dinner as their means and the resources of their esta- bhshment permit. As far as this depends on the pro- ficiency of the cook and the preparation of the repast, the subject will be treated of in other parts of this little volume. But there are other considerations, of no less importance to the success of the entertainment, which more immediately concern the master and mistress of the house, and if these are overlooked vain are the labours of those who cook the dinner ; the party is dull and the repast insipid. We shall venture, therefore, to offer to our readers a few plain remarks on the art of giving dinners, which are equally applicable to persons in every con- dition of life who are capable of giving a dinner at all. And first we would recommend that no one should attempt to offer to their friends a dinner out of keeping with their own position in life and their own resources. A judicious host will endeavour to place before them a dinner based on his own mode of living at its best. To attempt to copy or to rival the entertainments given by persons of larger means is in itself a piece of 4 HOW TO GIVE DINNERS.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

To preside over a well-ordered house, and to provide suitable meals for her family and household, are the duties of every wife, and of many women who are not wives. The object of this book will be to help women to discharge their duties by explaining some of the rules of housekeeping ; by giving bills of fare, so arranged as to suit various incomes, tastes, and habits ; and by furnishing recipes for cooking such dishes as are palatable, useful, and economical. It follows of necessity that our book assumes some previous acquaintance with the subject, on the part of the lady who orders, and the servant who cooks a dinner. The lady has had experience of her father's and of her friends' tables ; she must know how many meals are expected in the day, and whether the income and occupations of the husband and sons render it desirable for the chief meals to be dinner at midday with supper at night, or a luncheon followed by a late dinner. The cook has either been out as kitchenmaid, or has had some training under another servant. If mistress and servant are alike without experience, they should attend a local school of cookery. Certain things are learned quicker and better by example than by precept. It is hardly possible to teach in a book how to truss a bird, to lard a fricandeau, or to make light pastry. It is desirable that both mistress and servant should attend the school of cookery, as there are some processes and details which will be best understood by the more refined taste of the mistress, and on which she can dwell afterwards in giving orders, whilst there are other details which the cook seizes all the better for hearing them described by a lecturer. HOW TO GIVE DLWYERS. CHAPTER II. ON THE ART OF GIVING DINNERS. It may be assumed that every host and hostess who entertain their friends desire to give them as good a dinner as their means and the resources of their estabhshment permit. As far as this depends on the proficiency of the cook and the preparation of the repast, the subject will be treated of in other parts of this little volume. But there are other considerations, of no less importance to the success of the entertainment, which more immediately concern the master and mistress of the house, and if these are overlooked vain are the labours of those who cook the dinner ; the party is dull and the repast insipid. We shall venture, therefore, to offer to our readers a few plain remarks on the art of giving dinners, which are equally applicable to persons in every condition of life who are capable of giving a dinner at all. And first we would recommend that no one should attempt to offer to their friends a dinner out of keeping with their own position in life and their own resources. A judicious host will endeavour to place before them a dinner based on his own mode of living at its best. To attempt to copy or to rival the entertainments given by persons of larger means is in itself a piece of 4 HOW TO GIVE DINNERS.

Cookery and housekeeping