The Ideal Bartender

The book was written by Tom Bullock, a well-known bartender at the St. Louis Country Club. His skills as a bartender were so remarkable that a libel suit hinged on the excellence of his drinks. In The Ideal Bartender, Tom collects some of his best known beverage recipes.

9 episodes

The Book of Household Management

"Mrs. Beeton's" is a guide to all aspects of running a household in Victorian Britain. Published in 1861, it was an immediate bestseller, running to millions of copies within just a few years. In the cookery sections, Mrs. Beeton follows the animal "from his birth to his appearance on the table.” Learn how to care for poultry during moulting season, how to wean calves, how to cure hams, salt cod, carve mutton, and much more. (Summary by Wikipedia and Sarah Jennings)

108 episodes

Cocoa and Chocolate

As that heavenly bit of chocolate melts in our mouths, we give little thought as to where it came from, the arduous work that went in to its creation, and the complex process of its maturation from a bean to the delicacy we all enjoy. This "little book" details everything you have ever wanted to know (and some things you never knew you wanted to know) about cocoa and chocolate from how the trees are planted and sustained to which countries produce the most cacao beans. Do cacao beans from various countries differ? What makes some types of chocolate higher quality than other kinds? Are there any health benefits to eating chocolate? Read on to learn the answers to these and many other questions about that wondrous little treat we call chocolate. (Summary by Allyson Hester)

10 episodes

The American Housewife

This cookbook and reference guide leads the American Housewife through how to make everything from Meat to Common Drinks, as well as helpful tips and tricks for any housewife! Also included in this fine text are sections on Cooking for The Sick, and how to make your own: Essences, Perfumes, Dyes and Soaps. This work also features an extensive section on The Art of Carving-Which covers anything you might need to carve! (Summary by Jennifer Stearns

27 episodes

Billy in Bunbury

This 1924 poem/recipe book, designed as promotional material for the Royal Baking Powder Company, is set in the Oz community of Bunbury. Little Billy, who won't eat, is taken to the delicious kingdom Bunbury by King Hun Bun to help whet his appetite. Meanwhile, the King leaves the boy's mother with a recipe book for treats, made easy by the use of Price's Baking Powder. Written by Ruth Plumly Thompson, though neither her name, nor the illustrator’s (Gertrude Kay) appears on the book. (Summary by P. Cunningham)

2 episodes

Joe Tilden's Recipes for Epicures

Major Joseph Tilden was in his time one of the most famous Bohemians and epicureans of the Pacific Coast. Ever since his death his many friends have been trying to learn the culinary secrets which made a repast of his devising so delicious. He had given his recipes to but few, and those few his most intimate friends and fellow spirits. One of the most favored of his old companions has given this complete collection of his recipes for publication.San Francisco, May, 1907.(Excerpt from text)

10 episodes

The Experienced English Housekeeper

'Cut a large old hare in small pieces, and put it in a mug with three blades of mace, a little salt, two large onions, one red herring, six morels, half a pint of red wine, three quarts of water, bake it in a quick oven three hours...'. English cooking at its best from eighteenth-century celebrity chef, Elizabeth Raffald. Born in Doncaster, Raffald worked for 15 years as housekeeper in great houses, including that of Lady Elisabeth Warburton at Arley Hall, Cheshire, before setting up as a confectioner and innkeeper in Manchester. The Experienced English Housekeeper was published in 1769 and ran to 13 editions. This reading is from the 10th edition (1786) and includes 900 recipes (or as listeners will discover, receipts). Vegetarians take note, some sections of this book contain large quantities of meat! (Summary by Phil Benson)

23 episodes

The Little Tea Book

After all, tea is the drink! Domestically and socially it is the beverage of the world. There may be those who will come forward with their figures to prove that other fruits of the soil—agriculturally and commercially—are more important. Perhaps they are right when quoting statistics. But what other product can compare with tea in the high regard in which it has always been held by writers whose standing in literature, and recognized good taste in other walks, cannot be questioned? (From the Preface) A Little Tea Book is a clever book about all things tea- Eastern and Western tea history, stories, culture, quotes, and even poetry. A good little read for tea lovers everywhere. (Summary by Mary Kay)

22 episodes

A Poetical Cook-Book

This is an interesting mix of recipes and poetry about cookery and food. The author has written this book during and in the aftermath of the civil war in the United States. The recipes are sound and can be used still today, and the poetry is an interesting collection of short excerpts and poems by all famous poets. - Summary by Carolin

18 episodes

Dr. Allinson's cookery book

This is a cookbook promoting vegetarian recipes. The author of the book, Dr. Thomas Allinson, had strong views about health issues - he promoted vegetarian cooking and wholegrain bread, among other things which are less popular today. His cookbook also includes many references to healthy lifestyle and how to avoid unhealthy food. Many of the recipes can easily be followed by modern cooks. - Summary by Carolin

38 episodes

The Stag Cook Book

This book is dedicated to "that great host of bachelors and benedicts alike who have at one time or another tried to 'cook something': and who, in the attempt, have weakened under a fire of feminie raillery and sarcasm, only to spoil what, under more favorable circumstances, would have proved a chef-d'aeuvre." More than 100 famous men contributed recipes to this collection of recipes "by men, for men." - Summary by kathrinee

38 episodes

Cassell's Vegetarian Cookery

This is a little cookbook of vegetarian recipes, which were only slowly gaining popularity in England at the time of its publication in 1891. The recipes are all very clearly described, and any modern listener should be able to try them out if any of them strike their fancy. - Summary by Carolin

26 episodes

A Handbook of Fish Cookery

This is a very practical book concerning the cooking of fish. The author does not limit herself simply to recipes, but also adds sound advice on how to recognize a fresh fish, when certain fish are in season, and how to preserve fish, as well as recipes for fish and fish sauces."An excellent practical treatise, well expressed, full of sound information lucidly conveyed by a writer who really knows her subject well, and combines fine taste with a real regard for economy." - The Times. Summary by Carolin

8 episodes

Marion Harland's Cookery for Beginners

With this book, Marion Harland presents the reader and listener with "A Series of Familiar Lessons for Young Housekeepers". Housekeeping is an unavoidable aspect of the lives of most of us, and so the best course of action is to learn to enjoy it. Cooking can be great fun, and for those beginners in the art of cookery among us, the 14 lessons of Ms Harland are a very good beginning. - Summary by Carolin

14 episodes

Salads, Sandwiches and Chafing-Dish Dainties

There is positive need of more widespread knowledge of the principles of cookery. Few women know how to cook an egg or boil a potato properly, and the making of the perfect loaf of bread has long been assigned a place among the "lost arts." By many women cooking is considered, at best, a homely art,—a necessary kind of drudgery; and the composition, if not the consumption, of salads and chafing-dish productions has been restricted, hitherto, chiefly to that half of the race "who cook to please themselves." But, since women have become anxious to compete with men in any and every walk of life, they, too, are desirous of becoming adepts in tossing up an appetizing salad or in stirring a creamy rarebit. And yet neither a pleasing salad, especially if it is to be composed of cooked materials, nor a tempting rarebit can be evolved, save by happy accident, without an accurate knowledge of the fundamental principles that underlie all cookery. - Summary by the Preface

24 episodes

Culture and Cooking; Or, Art in the Kitchen

This is not a cookery book. It makes no attempt to replace a good one; it is rather an effort to fill up the gap between you and your household oracle, whether she be one of those exasperating old friends who maddened our mother with their vagueness, or the newer and better lights of our own generation, the latest and best of all being a lady as well known for her novels as for her works on domestic economy—one more proof, if proof were needed, of the truth I endeavor to set forth—if somewhat tediously forgive me—in this little book: that cooking and cultivation are by no means antagonistic. Who does not remember with affectionate admiration Charlotte Bronté taking the eyes out of the potatoes stealthily, for fear of hurting the feelings of her purblind old servant; or Margaret Fuller shelling peas? The chief difficulty, I fancy, with women trying recipes is, that they fail and know not why they fail, and so become discouraged, and this is where I hope to step in. But although this is not a cookery book, insomuch as it does not deal chiefly with recipes, I shall yet give a few; but only when they are, or I believe them to be, better than those in general use, or good things little known, or supposed to belong to the domain of a French chef, of which I have introduced a good many. Should I succeed in making things that were obscure before clear to a few women, I shall be as proud as was Mme. de Genlis when she boasts in her Memoirs that she has taught six new dishes to a German housewife. Six new dishes! When Brillat-Savarin says: "He who has invented one new dish has done more for the pleasure of mankind than he who has discovered a star." - Summary by the Preface

17 episodes

Six Cups of Coffee

It is not much to say that nine-tenths of that decoction which passes under the name of coffee, is unworthy to be so called, and that many persons live and die without ever tasting a really good cup of that delicious beverage. As a nation, the American people want the best of everything, and intend to have that best. Furthermore, they are very properly and intelligently eager to turn it to the greatest advantage. But what avails the best raw material if it be not prepared in such a manner as to develop and secure its subtle, delicate, volatile and enlivening qualities? The very same ingredients may be injurious and depressing, or wholesome and exhilarating, according to the way in which they are treated. The six cups of coffee offered to the reader, by six of the foremost authorities regarding cooking, will bring a new and healthful stimulus to prepare that refreshing drink in a manner which shall leave nothing to be desired. They are not made from old grounds re-heated for the occasion, but are as fresh as the intelligence and the experience which have produced them. A country which expends nearly thirty-five millions of dollars each year for the aromatic berry, can well afford to study the best methods of extracting its desirable qualities. In those family circles where Good Housekeeping is the rule, not the exception, it is to be hoped that this little book will be welcomed as a useful friend and interesting companion. - Summary by the Preface

8 episodes

The Whys of Cooking

An entertaining yet informative look at the history of Crisco, its place in the "modern" kitchen, basic recipes and how to set up your kitchen layout and types of meal service including "when you don't have a maid." - Summary by BettyB

11 episodes

Pantropheon

Soyer was a 'celebrity chef', devising innovations such as water-cooled refrigerators and adjustable temperature ovens. He developed many popular recipes and catered for 2000 guests at Queen Victoria's coronation celebration. He had a social conscience and donated a penny for every mean sold, to help alleviate the Irish famine. During the Crimean War, he laid the foundations for the future British Army Catering Corps. He is credited with writing several books, including 'The Shilling Cookery Book for the People' and 'The Poor Man's Regenerator'. In this volume, he traces the history of food, food production, preparation and dining experiences. - Summary by Lynne Thompson

39 episodes

Choice Cookery

Choice cookery is not intended for households that have to study economy, except where economy is a relative term; where, perhaps, the housekeeper could easily spend a dollar for the materials of a luxury, but could not spare the four or five dollars a caterer would charge. Many families enjoy giving little dinners, or otherwise exercising hospitality, but are debarred from doing so by the fact that anything beyond the ordinary daily fare has to be ordered in, or an expensive extra cook engaged. And although we may regret that hospitality should ever be dependent on fine cooking, we have to take things as they are. It is not every hostess who loves simplicity that dares to practise it. It was to help the women who wish to know at a glance what is newest and best in modern cookery that these chapters were written for Harper’s Bazar, and are now gathered into a book. It is hoped by the writer that the copious details and simplification of different matters will enable those who have already achieved success in the plainer branches of cookery to venture further, and realize for themselves that it is only the “first step that costs.” - Summary by the Preface

33 episodes

Ketchup

The Bittings have written a number of books on canning and home preparation of food. This short volume includes a brief description of the preparation and production of ketchup, primarily from commercial production view, and then a more scientific treatment of this condiment and its ingredients. Note: The last section in the book (sections 20 and 21 in this recording) is titled "Structure of the Tomato". In fact, it is devoted to microbiological examination of pulp and ketchup. ( Larry Wilson)

21 episodes

Twenty-Five Cent Dinners for Families of Six

Juliet Corson has put together a few books on economic housekeeping, and this is a fine example. Almost 150 years after publication (1878), it has become quite impossible to feed anyone on 25 cents, but the principles on how to cook economically have not changed much. In any case, modern readers can still enjoy the recipes Ms Corson has compiled, and learn from her introductory notes. - Summary by Carolin

11 episodes

The Theory and Practice of Brewing

This is an elaborate treatise on how to brew beer. That art is as noble today as it was in 1761, when this book was first published, and Mr. Combrune was a master of his art. After reading his work on this topic, a glass of beer can be enjoyed on quite a different level. - Summary by Carolin

37 episodes

Oysters and Fish

Would it not be beneficial, were the average American to substitute fish for the everlasting steak and chop of the breakfast-table?For the sake of variety, if for no other reason, we should eat more fish; and it need not always be fried or broiled. A well-made fish stew or a curry should be acceptable to the majority of us, and undoubtedly would be if appetizingly prepared.This little work does not by any means propose to exhaust the subject of sea-food, for the subject is almost inexhaustible; but it places within the reach of all a series of recipes and suggestions extremely valuable to the average housewife. - Summary by Thomas J. Murrey

15 episodes

A Treatise on Foreign Teas

What would England be without tea? It is difficult to imagine, but there was a time in which tea was not quite as ubiquitous in Europe as it is today. This 1780 treatise contains some interesting observations on how tea was prepared at the time, and what the benefits of tea were described to be. - Summary by Carolin

10 episodes

Ice Creams, Water Ices, Frozen Puddings

This is a book of recipes for ice cream, water ice, and other refreshments for all occasions. Though it has become much easier for us to make ice-cream as compared to when these recipes were written, the recipes will still make tasty treats today! - Summary by Carolin

18 episodes

Many Ways for Cooking Eggs

Eggs are incredible versatile, there are so many ways to cook and season eggs, and they make a great meal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. In this volume, Ms Rorer has collected a large number of recipes for eggs, which will be just as interesting for modern readers as they were when this book came out, over a hundred years ago. - Summary by Carolin

6 episodes

The Book of Ices, Ice Beverages, Ice-Creams and Ices

Summer is around the corner, time to make ice cream! This volume contains tried and true recipes for all kinds of cold drinks and desserts to cool off on a hot summer day. Though published in 1891, these recipes can still sweeten this year's season. - Summary by Carolin

8 episodes

The Complete Confectioner

The original version of Hannah Glasse’s ‘The Complete Confectioner’ was first produced about 1760 but the publication referenced here is from the year 1800 (some thirty years after her death) with considerable additions and corrections made by Maria Wilson, who played a significant part in editing this version of the book. ‘The Complete Confectioner’ gives an insight not only into a diverse range of recipes for desserts, sweet confections and sweetmeats popular for the dining table in 18th & 19th century Britain but also numerous instructions for pickling and preserving fruit and vegetables as well. And, as you might expect from Hannah Glasse’s original cookery book, ‘The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy’, you will find that the recipes and instructions presented here have been penned in her own inimitable no-nonsense style. So, please join me and Mrs Glasse as we again fire up the ovens and hopefully inspire you to re-create a number of these long-forgotten classic recipes that were enjoyed in centuries past. - Summary by Steve C

31 episodes