What You Should Know!

You really need to get yourself a copy of the Boston Cooking-School Cook Book. I mean really. It's not just that it has a lot of recipes, it has a whole lot of practical advice about stocking your kitchen, basic cooking techniques, and approaching menu planning. Sure, things have changed since the 40's but I think the opening sentence that suggests you "buy high-grade pieces because they will decidedly outwear inferior articles" is still good advice. And wouldn't we all (especially GK) like menu making to "put gaiety into housekeeping?" Ok, I smirk a little as I say that last part. But it goes on to say "cooking may be as much a means of self-expression as any of the arts" and I like that very much, especially since I have the perspective that women should be valued more for fulfilling some of their traditional roles even though they shouldn't be limited to them but that's a whole different topic and probably a different blog altogether.

What does Fannie Farmer have to say about the basics of cooking? Well, let's start with the "Fifty Basic Recipes (FOR STUDENTS AND BEGINNERS)" that I mentioned briefly here. Have you mastered all of these? I sure haven't, even disregarding the ones that aren't vegetarian.

1. White Bread
2. Standard Rolls
3. Baking Powder Biscuits
4. Muffins
5. Griddlecakes
6. Waffles
7. Doughnuts
8. Canapes
9. Brown Stock
10. Plain Stuffing
11. White Sauce
12. Hollandaise
13. Broiled Steak
14. Roast Beef
15. Broiled Chicken
16. Fried Chicken
17. Roast Chicken
18. Chicken Stew
19. Chicken Timbales
20. Potato Croquettes
21. French Dressing
    
22. Mayonnaise
23. Green Salad
24. Molded Salads
25. Soft Custard
26. Steamed Puddings
27. French Souffle
28. Cottage Pudding
29. Shortcake
30. Fruit Fritters
31. Cream Puffs
32. Vanilla Ice Cream
33. Hard Sauce
34. Plain Pastry
35. Puff Paste
36. Chiffon Pie
37. True Sponge Cake
38. Butter Cake
39. Chocolate Cake
40. Dark Fruit Cake
41. Boiled Frosting
42. Butter Frosting
43. Cream Filling
44. Sugar Cookies
45. Meringues
46. Chocolate Fudge
47. Fruit Jelly
48. Fruit Jam
49. Canning Fruits and Vegetables
50. Freezing

The list seems quite heavy on desserts, but I ain't complaining. Number 49 is interesting, like, oh yeah, of course you should be able to can fruits and vegetables. I am even more afraid of canning than of the raw eggs in number 22 because I just know if I canned something everyone would get botulism. But I think canning gets at really important elements of food choices since a focus on locally produced foods would inevitably lead to some kind of preservation if we want to have access to out of season foods. For now, I'll stick to oven roasting tomatoes or making batches of sauce to freeze. Yes, I'm much more comfortable with number 50. How 'bout you?