This though not intended for praise,
certainly was praise of the highest kind,
for the book having the ambitious title
of American Pastry Cook, and the vol-
ume next to come being the American
Cook, ought not to show American cook-
ery and the American table to be in any
repect inferior to that of any other nation
or people whatsoever. That book does,
and the whole work will when comple-
ted contain the cheapest and best articles
as well as the costlier kinds, but cheap-
ness is not put in the foreground.
It is now proposed to run serially in the
Hotel Gazette a book with some original
features, having the cost of each article
SAN FRANCISCO HOTEL GAZETTE'S
carefully counted and all superfluities that
are set down as optional in other books left
out, of this altogether. It is to be a book
that will show how to make money by
cooking; a book suited to the wants of
aa immense number who live by board-
ing others at the lowest rate compatible
with respectability of appearances, and
a book that shall be on the same plane
of everyday life with the people in the
smaller hotels and in private houses that
the writer meets with every day. They
do not run bills of fare, nor plan nor
reckon up their meals at from fifty cents
to one dollar each person.
A book of this character must recog-
nize the great fact that there are infinitely
more women engaged or interested in
cooking than men; it is hardly too much
to say that every woman is interested,
and they do not need to be told that they
ought to know how to cook, that is ac-
knowledged in advance, but, "oh dear!
the toil 1 the dry uninteresting study of
the incomprehensible cook books ! "
Said a lady laughinglv, the other day
in a parlor full of friends — a lady of
wealth and position, the daughter of a
prominent judge, and the wife of a lead-
ing lawyer of that section — "When we
were marriedomy husband said he would
give me a fifty-dollar bill if I would learn
to make good bread. We have been
married five years and I have not learned
yet, but I think I can out of tliis book.
I am going to try to secure that green-
back yet!"
Said another one the same day, and
this one was extremely poor, the only
worker in the family, having a sick hus-
band— "Now I find I can make things
from my book that sell well in the win-
dows, we will give up trying to keep
boarders, that is killing us both and pay-
ing nothing, almost."
To meet the wants of thousands such,
it is necessary to adopt the household
cup and spoon measures where measures
are wanted. Curious as it may seem to
workmen these people in small hotels
iSnd one of the greatcsc difficulties of
life in having to weigh and measure,
very few possess scales and they do not
realize generally that absolute success,
aiid success every time depends upon
the exact proportions of their ingredi-
ents. As it is impossible for us to give
exact proportions without a better stand-
ard than the variable size of the cups
in use we shall have to give a double
set of measures, one by the cup and the
other by pint and pound.
Persons who practice from this book
can find which cup holds half a pint,
which is half a pound of water, and the
standard, and always using the same
can soon learn to measure as many
ounces as they want in it by observing
the difference of the specific gravity of
each article used. Thus:
Page 3
Presented as published in 1886. 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
This though not intended for praise, certainly was praise of the highest kind, for the book having the ambitious title of American Pastry Cook, and the volume next to come being the American Cook, ought not to show American cookery and the American table to be in any repect inferior to that of any other nation or people whatsoever. That book does, and the whole work will when completed contain the cheapest and best articles as well as the costlier kinds, but cheapness is not put in the foreground.
It is now proposed to run serially in the Hotel Gazette a book with some original features, having the cost of each article
carefully counted and all superfluities that are set down as optional in other books left out, of this altogether. It is to be a book that will show how to make money by cooking; a book suited to the wants of an immense number who live by boarding others at the lowest rate compatible with respectability of appearances, and a book that shall be on the same plane of everyday life with the people in the smaller hotels and in private houses that the writer meets with every day. They do not run bills of fare, nor plan nor reckon up their meals at from fifty cents to one dollar each person.
A book of this character must recognize the great fact that there are infinitely more women engaged or interested in cooking than men; it is hardly too much to say that every woman is interested, and they do not need to be told that they ought to know how to cook, that is acknowledged in advance, but, "oh dear! the toil 1 the dry uninteresting study of the incomprehensible cook books ! "
Said a lady laughinglv, the other day in a parlor full of friends — a lady of wealth and position, the daughter of a prominent judge, and the wife of a leading lawyer of that section — "When we were marriedomy husband said he would give me a fifty-dollar bill if I would learn to make good bread. We have been married five years and I have not learned yet, but I think I can out of tliis book. I am going to try to secure that greenback yet!"
Said another one the same day, and this one was extremely poor, the only worker in the family, having a sick husband— "Now I find I can make things from my book that sell well in the windows, we will give up trying to keep boarders, that is killing us both and paying nothing almost."
To meet the wants of thousands such, it is necessary to adopt the household cup and spoon measures where measures are wanted. Curious as it may seem to workmen these people in small hotels find one of the greatest difficulties of life in having to weigh and measure,
very few possess scales and they do not realize generally that absolute success, aiid success every time depends upon the exact proportions of their ingredients. As it is impossible for us to give exact proportions without a better standard than the variable size of the cups in use we shall have to give a double set of measures, one by the cup and the other by pint and pound.
Persons who practice from this book can find which cup holds half a pint, which is half a pound of water, and the standard, and always using the same can soon learn to measure as many ounces as they want in it by observing the difference of the specific gravity of each article used. Thus: