The Book of Household Management
By
Mrs. Isabella Beeton.
Volume 1.
Published by the Ex-classics Project, 2009
http://www.exclassics.com
Public Domain
CONTENTS
Introduction to the Ex-Classics Edition 4
Bibliographic Note. 6
Analytical Index. 8
Preface. 78
CHAPTER I.—The mistress. 80
CHAPTER II.—The housekeeper. 99
CHAPTER III.—Arrangement and economy of the kitchen. 103
Explanation of French terms used in modern household cookery. 121
Soup, Broth and Bouillon. 126
The chemistry and economy of soup-making. 128
CHAPTER VI.—Soup recipes. 132
Fruit and Vegetable Soups 132
Stocks for all kinds of soups. 133
Meat, Poultry, and Game Soups. 164
Fish Soups. 180
CHAPTER VII—The natural history of fishes. 184
Fish as an article of human food. 188
General Directions for Dressing Fish. 192
CHAPTER VIII.—Fish recipes. 194
Fish Carving. 259
CHAPTER IX.—General remarks on sauces, pickles, gravies, and forcemeats 262
CHAPTER X.—Sauce, pickles, gravy, and forcemeat recipes. 264
CHAPTER XI.—Various modes of cooking meat. 341
CHAPTER XII.—General observations on quadrupeds. 352
CHAPTER XIII.—Beef recipes. 360
Beef carving. 399
Introduction to the Ex-Classics Edition
The Book of Household Management, by Mrs. Isabella Beeton, was published in 24 parts in 1859-1861, and then in book form in 1861. An immediate success, it has long been regarded as the quintessence of Victorian cookery. It has been published and republished in new editions which modified the original more and more; when the last edition appeared in the 1960's little if any trace of Mrs. Beeton's work was left.
Far more than just a cookery book, it contains all that was needed for a newly-married woman to face keeping house with confidence—what kitchen equipment to buy, how to clean everything, what servants to have, what to look for in hiring them, how to raise children and cure their diseases, and much more. Throughout the book there are paragraphs describing all the plants and animals used for food, with illustrations of them in their natural habitat.
But it is the 1800 or so recipes which are the glory of the book. These range from the delicious, such as Raised Pie of Poultry or Game [i.e. the traditional English game pie], or Truffles with Champagne, to the frankly unappetizing, such as Very Plain Bread Pudding, or Useful Soup for Benevolent Purposes (Cost, 1 1/2 d. per quart.) From the elaborate like Nesselrode Pudding to the very simple such as Box of Chocolates (Seasonable at any time). Some of her ingredients are now unfortunately unobtainable, such as larks and barberries, but there are many recipes which would still be easily prepared and to the taste of modern palates. Try them and see!
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The Book Of Household Management by Mrs Beeton
Non-FictionIntroduction The Book of Household Management, by Mrs. Isabella Beeton, was published in 24 parts in 1859-1861, and then in book form in 1861. An immediate success, it has long been regarded as the quintessence of Victorian cookery. It has been publ...
