I was recently given some reprinted nineteenth century cook books
originally written by Charles Francatelli (Queen Victoria's chef),
Oscar Tschirky of the Waldorf, Eliza Acton and a reprinted edition of
Fannie Farmer's 1896 cook book, and some others.

The language of some of them is rather "quaint", but does anybody
know if any of the recipes are any good by today's standards? I have
been told that even Oscar's original Waldorf salad is not the same as
is served today. Are any of them worth attempting? I am new to cooking
and if I tried some of these recipes and they didn't work out I
wouldn't know if it was just because it was an old-fashioned recipe
or if it was me that had messed up.

Also, does anyone know if there is a compilation of "the best of"
Francatelli, Oscar of the Waldorf, Fannie Farmer, etc. in a single
volume that would be worth getting hold of?

Chris (UK).

"Chris" > wrote

> The language of some of them is rather "quaint", but does anybody
> know if any of the recipes are any good by today's standards? I have
> been told that even Oscar's original Waldorf salad is not the same as
> is served today.

On one of his "Good Eats" episodes, Alton Brown made the original and then
added the later additions one by one.

> I am new to cooking
> and if I tried some of these recipes and they didn't work out I
> wouldn't know if it was just because it was an old-fashioned recipe
> or if it was me that had messed up.

I love working with old recipes but if you're new to cooking it's probably
best to get techniques etc under your belt before trying them out. Once you
have a good understanding of your materials etc, it's easier to figure out
what an old-time cook was trying to do and then do it yourself.

--
Bob
http://www.kanyak.com