FREE/BARGAIN — Cookbooks

[GA Russell]

Nutella Recipes - free
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BDXEPIQ/

[GA Russell]

Is This Bottle Corked? - $1.99
https://www.amazon.com/This-Bottle-C...dp/B002MHOCXU/

*****

Top 50 Most Delicious Homemade Liqueur Recipes - 99 cents
https://www.amazon.com/Delicious-Hom...dp/B00DGBOM2C/

*****

Seasonings - free
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I2A4BHI/

[GA Russell]

Originally Posted by GA Russell

Top Secret Recipes Step-by-Step: Secret Formulas with Photos for Duplicating Your Favorite Famous Foods at Home - $1.99
https://www.amazon.com/Top-Secret-Re...dp/B00SI0B4IQ/

(My niece loves these books.)

This weekend's Wall Street Journal has this one listed at #3 on their non-fiction eBook list.

[GA Russell]

The Easy Heart Healthy Cookbook for Slow Cookers - 99 cents
https://www.amazon.com/Heart-Healthy...dp/B07CP8N5G6/

*****

Nutrient Power: Heal Your Biochemistry and Heal Your Brain - $1.13
https://www.amazon.com/Nutrient-Powe...dp/B00J75IQUA/

[GA Russell]

Leave Me Alone: A Glance into Obesity - 99 cents
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BFF8GR1/

*****

Rainbow Macarons - free
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BTG49LV/

[GtrsRGr8]

Two or three years ago, there was a good amount of discussion on this thread about old cookbooks. I've always known that there are people who like to collect paper-based cookbooks, but it seems that there are some MobileReaders who like old cookbooks just for the humor that they find in seeing the outmoded recipes, and finding so many dishes that are just simply not made anymore. You don't have to have paper-based cookbooks to do those things anymore, though--so many old cookbooks are available through the magic of digitization, and are freely available all over the Internet.

With that in mind, I wanted to tell you about an old (1879) cookbook that I ran across on the Internet Archive this morning. It is The Practical Recipe Book, for Families, Confectioners and Bakers, written/compiled by "C.L. Quinn" (Interestingly, Quinn was a man).

There are gazillions of old cookbooks on the Internet Archive; I found this one interesting (as perhaps most are). One reason is the fact that so many of the recipes sound like they would make delicious items! Why did they ever go out of style??? I'd love to sample some of the creations made from these recipes!

During that discussion two or three years ago, that I mentioned earlier, I remember a couple of issues that people brought up, that would make it difficult actually to make dishes from old recipes. One that I remember is that so many of the ingredients in the recipes are very difficult to find now, or they go by a different, unknown, name now than they did then. Another issue, if memory serves me correctly, is that the recipes specify units of measurement that people no longer use, and would-be cooks of the recipes don't know how they correspond to current units of measurement.

To those two issues, I'll add a real oddity. I've got the book opened in the cake section at this moment. I happened to have noticed that the recipes for each one of the (three) cakes call for one teaspoon of ammonia. Yes, ammonia! (I suppose that if you dropped batter on the floor, it would be easier to clean up, that way, what with the cleaner already in it ). So maybe you would find the book interesting, if nothing else.

Maybe one or more of ya'll will enjoy the book. Unfortunately, two of the MobileReaders who I think might enjoy this book the most--"Cinisajoy" and "Koland"--have been in absentia for quite some time.

[bbqncigars]

A very interesting cookbook. Some of those recipes could feed a horde. The first ingredient for one is "49 pounds of flour". Oy!

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by bbqncigars

A very interesting cookbook. Some of those recipes could feed a horde. The first ingredient for one is "49 pounds of flour". Oy!

You know, I never paid attention to the quantities, only the ingredients. Thanks for pointing that out.

To me, that's inexplicable. I remember one of us running across a recipe book for the Navy (or some other branch of military service), maybe about 3 or 4 years ago. There were some huge quantities for items in those recipes, but that was understandable. From outward appearance, this present cookbook looked like any little cookbook of that time that some woman (not to be sexist, but that's just the way things almost always were back then) would have in her kitchen.

[Little.Egret]

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

You know, I never paid attention to the quantities, only the ingredients. Thanks for pointing that out.

To me, that's inexplicable. I remember one of us running across a recipe book for the Navy (or some other branch of military service), maybe about 3 or 4 years ago. There were some huge quantities for items in those recipes, but that was understandable. From outward appearance, this present cookbook looked like any little cookbook of that time that some woman (not to be sexist, but that's just the way things almost always were back then) would have in her kitchen.

If you look at the facsimile Mrs Beeton you will see recipes for soup kitchen use which are sizeable. Similarly in the US perhaps church suppers?

The Book of Household Management by Mrs. Isabella Mary Beeton Free


https://www.amazon.com/Book-Househol...dp/B0084BNUAO/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Book-Househ...dp/B0084BNUAO/

https://www.amazon.ca/Book-Household...dp/B0084BNUAO/

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by Little.Egret

If you look at the facsimile Mrs Beeton you will see recipes for soup kitchen use which are sizeable. Similarly in the US perhaps church suppers?

The Book of Household Management by Mrs. Isabella Mary Beeton Free


https://www.amazon.com/Book-Househol...dp/B0084BNUAO/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Book-Househ...dp/B0084BNUAO/

https://www.amazon.ca/Book-Household...dp/B0084BNUAO/

Interesting book, based upon skimming over the (extensive!) TOC. I wonder, too, why many of those dishes aren't prepared in this day. But something makes me think that the cookbook must have been published in the U.K., whose peeps have different tastes in food than us Yanks.

Church suppers? I hadn't thought of that possibility. I didn't look at the beginning of the book to see if it was intended for large numbers of peeps; but it seems that at least some of the recipes must have been for something like a large church. Or maybe a church with people with some very large _appetites_.

[AnotherCat]

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

Interesting book, based upon skimming over the (extensive!) TOC. I wonder, too, why many of those dishes aren't prepared in this day. But something makes me think that the cookbook must have been published in the U.K., whose peeps have different tastes in food than us Yanks.

Church suppers? I hadn't thought of that possibility. I didn't look at the beginning of the book to see if it was intended for large numbers of peeps; but it seems that at least some of the recipes must have been for something like a large church. Or maybe a church with people with some very large _appetites_.

Yes, was published in the UK. I first heard of it as a teenager when I worked for a while with one of the publishing family's offspring and talking about books with them. Is written for the large households of the time, and includes the woman's managing of the household, husband, etc. Those not prepared to see those things as just being as how it was in history tend to get pretty angry about the book.

There were two very good BBC TV series on the history of food in Britain aired in the years around 2010'ish, called The Supersizers Go... and The Supersizers Eat... . The food was cooked and presented in a historic context - some of it was downright revolting and the 2 presenters looked decidedly sick when trying to stomach it . I did not see all the episodes but the ones I saw were very interesting - may have to hunt them out.

But the British aren't the only ones with what is now considered revolting food in their past, so I am not picking on them when mentioning the above .

[GA Russell]

Baking at home. Bread cookbook - free
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071W5RZGS/

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by GA Russell

Baking at home. Bread cookbook - free
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071W5RZGS/

(Back?) Up to $2.99 now.

[GA Russell]

Free again!

Homemade Chocolate

https://www.amazon.com/Handmade-Choc...dp/B079Y5Z8T2/

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

To those two issues, I'll add a real oddity. I've got the book opened in the cake section at this moment. I happened to have noticed that the recipes for each one of the (three) cakes call for one teaspoon of ammonia. Yes, ammonia! (I suppose that if you dropped batter on the floor, it would be easier to clean up, that way, what with the cleaner already in it ). So maybe you would find the book interesting, if nothing else.

My best guess is that the ingredient called for was baker's ammonia (ammonium bicarbonate). When heated, it breaks into ammonia and carbon dioxide acting as a leavening agent. Commonly used before baking soda and baking powder came into common use.

Now if you really want to get worried about what's you are using in baking, try reading 1636: The Chronicles of Dr. Gribbleflotz by Kerryn Offord & Rick Boatright (part of the Ring of Fire series). Hey, they needed a source of ammonia for making the sodium bicarbonate...