Old Style cook book

karltimber

I am looking for an old style cook book.

Like the one yer mothers used to have and still does.
The ones that shows how to make cookies, pastry, cook sides of beef etc.

I have a few newer ones but they do have a lot of fluff in them - requiring an international herb garden at your house etc. just joking.

Any ideas on amazon, ebay ??

thx

DonkeyStyle \o/

Or if you want to go really old, you could check out what archive.org have been doing with scanning old books.

A search for cook book, brings up the following.
http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=cook%20book%20AND%20mediatype%3Atexts

I just had a flick through a pdf of one cook book copyrighted in 1917.

taztastic

I'd suggest the nostagia type ones from the pre-1950's. They presume you have nothing but a tin of spam and whatever you can get from your allotment. Herbs have no place there
One of the best ones I ever saw was an old Readers Digest cookbook with a wine cover. I can't find it on Amazon at the moment but I know I saw it there. It actually did belong to my Granny so it can't get much more "like mother made" then that.

brianthebard

How about mrs. beaton's? Or is she just a marketing device that fooled me and all recipes are actually quite new? Seemed like a compromise between old and new ideas to me...

Alun

No. Mrs. Beeton was very real, lived in Victorian times in England and wrote her book when she was a housekeeper at a large house and still quite young (in her 20's IIRC) .. in fact there was a documentary recently on BBC4 about her life (bound to be repeated dozens of times). Everyone has this this idea of her being some crusty old spinster, but by all accounts she was a bit of a goer, if you get my drift, *nod*, *wink*

The Sweeper

karltimber, are you after an old cookbook per se, or just a book with old values? E.g. Delia's 'How to Cook' is useful.

I know where you're coming from - sometimes I'll be thinking "hmm, roast rib of beef, off the bone, want it rare, how hot and how long per kilo...".

Gary Rhodes would tell you to do a million and one different things with it that'd dirty every pot, pan, spoon and plate in the house, and still not answer your question.

Jaimie Oliver would suggest you barbecue it wrapped in the Sunday Times, or serve it as carpaccio with fennell and chilis, and still not answer your question.

Gordon Ramsey would roar 'Who the f*ck is this imbecile who doesn't know how to roast beef.'

Nigella Lawson would saute it in butter, boil it in cream, roast it in brandy and red wine and have a cholesterol-related heart attack before she got around to answering your question.

Keith Floyd would suggest a fabulous red wine jus to accompany it, get distracted the second the cork popped and be too pissed to speak before answering your question.

Hugh Fearnsley Whittingstall would suggest you buy an aga and a cast iron pan from someone's grandmother then skip off into the forests to collect dandelion leaves and wild mushrooms for an accompanying salad, ignoring your calls to come back and answer your question.

Heston Blumenthal would take your rib of beef and genetically modify it to self-cook in a process taking 72 hours and involving a pressure cooker, thereby providing you with an answer that's of no realistic use.

Anthony Worrall Thompson would tell you a story about this time he was somewhere doing something in some place, leave out half the details of what he's doing, burn the meat and then tell you not to do it like he's just done it.

Ainsley Harriott would be so busy laughing and running about with his mouth open that you'd end up being able to perform a Tommy Cooper-esque sketch with your raw rib roast, but unable to cook it, and you'd have to have cous cous instead.

Rachel Allen would turn it into something with chili, lime and coriander and have you spooning it into cocktail glasses on a square white serving plate while she over-pronounced 'perfect!' in your ear.

Rick Stein would suggest you have fish instead, and while he was waving a perfect cod specimen at you, Chalky the jack russell terrier would have made off with the rib roast.

Delia, bless her heart, will tell you how long to cook it for, at what temperature, and give you a cracking recipe for floury roast potatoes to boot.

DonkeyStyle \o/

Minesajackdaniels wrote:

Gordon Ramsey would roar 'Who the f*ck is this imbecile who doesn't know how to roast beef.'

Bitter tears are an ingredient too you know.
And if you eat a lemon before Gordon shouts at you, your tears carry a zesty twist.
Perfect for any casserole.

county

Minesajackdaniels wrote:

karltimber, are you after an old cookbook per se, or just a book with old values? E.g. Delia's 'How to Cook' is useful.

I know where you're coming from - sometimes I'll be thinking "hmm, roast rib of beef, off the bone, want it rare, how hot and how long per kilo...".

Gary Rhodes would tell you to do a million and one different things with it that'd dirty every pot, pan, spoon and plate in the house, and still not answer your question.

Jaimie Oliver would suggest you barbecue it wrapped in the Sunday Times, or serve it as carpaccio with fennell and chilis, and still not answer your question.

Gordon Ramsey would roar 'Who the f*ck is this imbecile who doesn't know how to roast beef.'

Nigella Lawson would saute it in butter, boil it in cream, roast it in brandy and red wine and have a cholesterol-related heart attack before she got around to answering your question.

Keith Floyd would suggest a fabulous red wine jus to accompany it, get distracted the second the cork popped and be too pissed to speak before answering your question.

Hugh Fearnsley Whittingstall would suggest you buy an aga and a cast iron pan from someone's grandmother then skip off into the forests to collect dandelion leaves and wild mushrooms for an accompanying salad, ignoring your calls to come back and answer your question.

Heston Blumenthal would take your rib of beef and genetically modify it to self-cook in a process taking 72 hours and involving a pressure cooker, thereby providing you with an answer that's of no realistic use.

Anthony Worrall Thompson would tell you a story about this time he was somewhere doing something in some place, leave out half the details of what he's doing, burn the meat and then tell you not to do it like he's just done it.

Ainsley Harriott would be so busy laughing and running about with his mouth open that you'd end up being able to perform a Tommy Cooper-esque sketch with your raw rib roast, but unable to cook it, and you'd have to have cous cous instead.

Rachel Allen would turn it into something with chili, lime and coriander and have you spooning it into cocktail glasses on a square white serving plate while she over-pronounced 'perfect!' in your ear.

Rick Stein would suggest you have fish instead, and while he was waving a perfect cod specimen at you, Chalky the jack russell terrier would have made off with the rib roast.

Delia, bless her heart, will tell you how long to cook it for, at what temperature, and give you a cracking recipe for floury roast potatoes to boot.

very good:)

frobisher

I have a load of old cook books of the type you mantion. They are brilliant for giving you the lowdown on the classics as oppossed to whatever was trendy in London kitchens last year. I buy them at school fairs and secondhand bookshops.

The Hill Billy

I'd go for The Constance Spry Cookery Book (first published in 1956) myself.

Jimoslimos

ROFL at MAJD Cracking post

Can't go wrong with Mrs Beeton TBH. Covers just about everything. Have the original and the gf got a new revamped version for Christmas (not as thorough on techniques and concentrates more on 'recipes' but still good)

karltimber

County - very good list there

Hill Billy - might have a look at that - available thru Amazon and very good reviews.

Thx folks for taking the time to reply.

K

Tree

we use the encyclopaedia of cookery at home, published in engerland at somepoint in the seventies i think. I rather like it, though some of the recipes aren't my thing - brains on toast :P

fits

very good post MAJD:D The only thing I will say is I think Rachel Allen's recipes are pretty practical and doable and remind me of my mother's cooking, but spot on with the rest of the descriptions.
Delia's 'How to Cook' is the best bet.

thehungrysloth

I'd recommend the 'Good Housekeeping Cookery Book' as an old reliable. It gets updated every couple of years but any edition will give you the basics.

I read all the new cookbooks but if I don't want to f**k something up, I always go back to this one.

I'm not even allowed make the Coronation Chicken any more cos I only end up eating it all standing at the sink with a spoon and a loaf of Brennan's.

HS

frobisher

Minesajackdaniels wrote:

karltimber, are you after an old cookbook per se, or just a book with old values? E.g. Delia's 'How to Cook' is useful.

I know where you're coming from - sometimes I'll be thinking "hmm, roast rib of beef, off the bone, want it rare, how hot and how long per kilo...".

Gary Rhodes would tell you to do a million and one different things with it that'd dirty every pot, pan, spoon and plate in the house, and still not answer your question.

Jaimie Oliver would suggest you barbecue it wrapped in the Sunday Times, or serve it as carpaccio with fennell and chilis, and still not answer your question.

Gordon Ramsey would roar 'Who the f*ck is this imbecile who doesn't know how to roast beef.'

Nigella Lawson would saute it in butter, boil it in cream, roast it in brandy and red wine and have a cholesterol-related heart attack before she got around to answering your question.

Keith Floyd would suggest a fabulous red wine jus to accompany it, get distracted the second the cork popped and be too pissed to speak before answering your question.

Hugh Fearnsley Whittingstall would suggest you buy an aga and a cast iron pan from someone's grandmother then skip off into the forests to collect dandelion leaves and wild mushrooms for an accompanying salad, ignoring your calls to come back and answer your question.

Heston Blumenthal would take your rib of beef and genetically modify it to self-cook in a process taking 72 hours and involving a pressure cooker, thereby providing you with an answer that's of no realistic use.

Anthony Worrall Thompson would tell you a story about this time he was somewhere doing something in some place, leave out half the details of what he's doing, burn the meat and then tell you not to do it like he's just done it.

Ainsley Harriott would be so busy laughing and running about with his mouth open that you'd end up being able to perform a Tommy Cooper-esque sketch with your raw rib roast, but unable to cook it, and you'd have to have cous cous instead.

Rachel Allen would turn it into something with chili, lime and coriander and have you spooning it into cocktail glasses on a square white serving plate while she over-pronounced 'perfect!' in your ear.

Rick Stein would suggest you have fish instead, and while he was waving a perfect cod specimen at you, Chalky the jack russell terrier would have made off with the rib roast.

Delia, bless her heart, will tell you how long to cook it for, at what temperature, and give you a cracking recipe for floury roast potatoes to boot.

I know it's early but that's post of 2007 so far!:D

Ponster

Mrs. Beeton is all you'll ever need !

catho_monster

oh its so early and yucky a morning - i really hadnt expected anything could make me smile.

but MADJ, you my dear, are a legend.

fitz

MAJD, nail on the head.
But I reckon Rachel would over-pronounce "gorgeous!" instead.

Get the set of LaRouse books.
They've got pretty much all the info you could possibly need for reference type stuff like that.

man1

Good list MAJD. Ha! Ha!

deisemum

MAJD, brilliant description

Anything by Rachel Allen trying to be Nigella would put me off as Rachel Allen's hygiene standards when handling food are lacking.

When I was in secondary school (did leaving cert in 82) we had a very practical cookbook that did all the basics, think it was "All in the Cooking"