Archive.org has a host of old cookery books (from mid-19th to mid-20th Century) available in many formats and on a host of topics. I happened across a few in my Pinterest feed and gone completely down the rabbit hole in this treasure trove of information. Sure some ideas might be out of date, but you never know what you might find when you explore these books. I’ll be sharing more books as I find them in the coming weeks. –Douglas
Scrolling through the archive, the artwork on the cover of this book immediately caught my eye. It is a lovely representation of the way cooking had been only a few decades before this pamphlet was published. I thought it would be a guide on cookery of the era, but instead it is a sales brochure for variety of coal fired ranges that were the state-of-the-art technology for turn-of-the-century homes. It is very interesting to look back on the kitchen technology of the past. Sometimes it is only in retrospect that we can truly appreciate what we have today.
Perfect Cooking, I. A. Sheppard & Co.(1890)
Perfect cooking cannot be had from imperfect cooking apparatus ; and because of the facts stated above, the time is rapidly passing by, if, indeed, it has not already gone, when one form of cooking apparatus could be regarded as M about as good as another,” and when any range that a builder or owner might choose to put into a house would be accepted as satisfac- tory, without further question on the part of purchaser or tenant. “One range is just as good as another,” used to be often said by those who had houses to sell ; and it was sometimes believed by those who were about to buy; but now, tenants and buyers have come to know better; and when they hear that familiar saying, they at once suspect that the range that is so feebly commended must be inferior in quality. They have found out that some ranges are made of better material than others, and are therefore, more durable; that some ranges will carryfire better than others, and, therefore, require less attention ; that some will bake and roast more quickly and per- fectly than others ; that some possess convenient appliances which make them more pleasant to use than others ; and also that some are far superior to others in beauty of design and finish.
More Information About This Book
Publication date c.1890
Usage Public Domain Mark 1.0
Topics kitchens, Division 11, residential kitchen appliances, stoves, ranges
Publisher I. A. Sheppard & Co.
Collection buildingtechnologyheritagelibrary; additional_collections; catalogs
Contributor Canadian Centre for Architecture
Language English
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