The Housekeeper's Instructor

Last updated

The Housekeeper's Instructor
Henderson Housekeeper's Instructor Title Page 14th edition 1807.jpg
Title page of 14th edition, 1807
AuthorWilliam Augustus Henderson
Later editions revised by Jacob Christopher Schnebbelie
CountryEngland
SubjectEnglish cooking
Genre Cookery
Publisher W. & J. Stratford
Publication date
1791 [1]
Pages384

The Housekeeper's Instructor was a bestselling English cookery book written by William Augustus Henderson, 1791. It ran through seventeen editions by 1823. Later editions were revised by Jacob Christopher Schnebbelie. [lower-alpha 1]

Contents

The full title was "The housekeeper's instructor; or, universal family cook. Being a full and clear display of the art of cookery in all its various branches." Later editions had longer subtitles.

Book

Approach

The recipes are in eighteenth-century style brief, often with no guidance on the techniques to be applied, and with little indication of quantities, cooking temperature or cooking time. There are no lists of ingredients, these being indicated simply by being mentioned in the text. For example, in the section on "Boiling Meat" is the recipe for "Pickled Pork": [3]

After washing and scraping it perfectly clean, put it into the pot with the water cold, and when the rind feels tender, it is enough. The general sauce is greens, among the variety of which you are to make choice to your own direction.

The making of components such as pastry, used in many dishes, is described, in its case under the heading of "Pies". First some general advice is given: [4]

One very material consideration must be, that the heat of the oven is duly proportioned to the nature of the article to be baked. ... Raised pies must have a quick oven, and be well closed up, or they will sink in their sides, and lose their proper shape.

A selection of pastry recipes immediately follows, such as: [4]

Puff paste must be made thus: Take a quarter of a peck [lower-alpha 2] of flour, and rub it into a pound of butter very fine. Make it up into a light paste, with cold water, just stiff enough to work it up. Then roll it out about as thick as a crown piece; put a layer of butter all over, then sprinkle on a little flour, double it up, and roll it out again. Double and roll it, with layers of butter three times, and it will be properly fit for use.

Illustrations

Frontispiece of an early edition, showing the book itself on the table, being used to instruct in the art of carving Housekeeper's Instructor Henderson 1790 Frontispiece.jpg
Frontispiece of an early edition, showing the book itself on the table, being used to instruct in the art of carving

The book has a frontispiece, which in later editions consists of a large medallion of J.C. Schnebbelie above a representation of The Albany hotel, London, where according to the title page he was principal cook of Martelli's restaurant. The early editions instead showed something much closer to the title: a busy kitchen, with an array of pots and implements, and a man reading from the book itself, shown open on a table, instructing with his pointing finger the man next to him, who is carving some meat on an oval dish. Just in case this recursive allusion were not clear, the "Explanation" caption below the image states that it shows "a Lady presenting her Servant with The Universal Family Cook who diffident of her own knowledge has recourse to that Work for Information." [lower-alpha 3]

There are no woodcuts integrated with the text, nor any illustrations of utensils or made dishes.

Illustrations are provided only towards the end of the book: firstly for the Carving chapter, which has seven whole-page copperplate engravings showing somewhat diagrammatically with labels and dotted lines how fowls, game, meat and fish are to be carved; and secondly in the "Suppers" appendix, which has two whole-page and two fold-out engravings illustrating the layout of dishes for first and second courses. Some table layouts are printed in ordinary text, the images of "frames" for table centres fashioned of letters and symbols in ASCII art style.

Contents

Table layout for "Ball Supper for Twenty People". Many of the dishes are repeated on either side of the table. The central frame is assembled using letters in ASCII art style. Ball Supper for Twenty People Henderson Housekeepers Instructor 1807.jpg
Table layout for "Ball Supper for Twenty People". Many of the dishes are repeated on either side of the table. The central frame is assembled using letters in ASCII art style.

The following refer to the sixteenth edition of 1810.

Table layout for "Dinner with Removes". The dishes to be sampled first and then removed are indicated. Dinner with Removes Henderson Housekeeper's Instructor 1807.jpg
Table layout for "Dinner with Removes". The dishes to be sampled first and then removed are indicated.
  • Introduction 3
  • 1. Soups and Broths 5
  • 2. Boiling in General 26
  • 3. Roasting in General 45
  • 4. Baking 58
  • 5. Broiling 64
  • 6. Frying 71
  • 7. Stewing 79
  • 8. Hashing and Mincing 91
  • 9. Fricasseeing 96
  • 10. Ragoos 102
  • 11. Gravies, Cullises, and other Sauses 112
  • 12. Made Dishes 121
  • 13. Vegetables and Roots 157
  • 14. Puddings 162
  • 15. Pies 179
  • 16. Pancakes and Fritters 196
  • 17. Tarts and Puffs 202
  • 18. Cheesecakes and Custards 207
  • 19. Cakes, Biscuits &c. 212
  • 20. The Art of Confectionary 221
  • 21. Pickling 261
  • 22. Collaring 278
  • 23. Potting 283
  • 24. Curing various kinds of Meats, Sousings, &c. 290
  • 25. Methods of Keeping Vegetables, Fruits, &c. 298
  • 26. Possets, White-Pots, Gruels, &c. 302
  • 27. Made Wines 307
  • 28. Cordial Waters 320
  • 29. The Art of Brewing 325
  • 30. Directions for Trussing Poultry 344
  • 31. The Complete Market-Woman 350
  • 32. The Art of Carving 362
  • The Housekeeper's Calendar 375
  • Suppers 387
  • Supplement 388
  • Addenda 446
  • Index 449

Reception

The Housewife's Instructor was a bestselling book. [6] 'Henderson' was the first named source used for Historic Food's "Regency Cookery Course" in 2003. [7] The cookery writer "The Old Foodie" observes that the book devotes a whole section to food for long voyages, including detailed instructions for preserving calorie-providing dripping, and is amused by Henderson's "suggestion to minimise its pilfering by rats!", namely "It is a very good maxim to keep the pot upside down, to prevent its being destroyed by the rats. It will keep good any voyage, and make as fine puff-pafte crust as any butter whatever." [8]

Editions

Notes

  1. Schnebbelie abandoned his apprenticeship to become a stationer to run away to sea, but returned to become a successful cook, as his father (who shared his name) had originally been. [2]
  2. i.e. take 2.25 litres or 4 imperial pints of flour.
  3. The frontispiece is discussed by Amanda Herbert, who examines the roles of both men and women in the image; the men are following one of the engravings showing how to carve, while the women are, she argues, being friendly, productive and co-operative. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yorkshire pudding</span> Traditional English side dish

Yorkshire pudding is a baked pudding made from a batter of eggs, flour, and milk or water. A common British side dish, it is a versatile food that can be served in numerous ways depending on its ingredients, size, and the accompanying components of the meal. As a first course, it can be served with onion gravy. For a main course, it may be served with meat and gravy, and is part of the traditional Sunday roast, but can also be filled with foods such as bangers and mash to make a meal. Sausages can be added to make toad in the hole. The 18th-century cookery writer Hannah Glasse was the first to use the term "Yorkshire pudding" in print.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pie</span> Baked, filled pastry

A pie is a baked dish which is usually made of a pastry dough casing that contains a filling of various sweet or savoury ingredients. Sweet pies may be filled with fruit, nuts, fruit preserves, brown sugar, sweetened vegetables, or with thicker fillings based on eggs and dairy. Savoury pies may be filled with meat, eggs and cheese or a mixture of meat and vegetables.

<i>The Forme of Cury</i> 14th century English guide to cooking

The Forme of Cury is an extensive 14th-century collection of medieval English recipes. Although the original manuscript is lost, the text appears in nine manuscripts, the most famous in the form of a scroll with a headnote citing it as the work of "the chief Master Cooks of King Richard II". The name The Forme of Cury is generally used for the family of recipes rather than any single manuscript text. It is among the oldest extant English cookery books, and the earliest known to mention olive oil, gourds, and spices such as mace and cloves.

<i>The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy</i> Cookbook by Hannah Glasse (1708–1770)

The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy is a cookbook by Hannah Glasse (1708–1770) first published in 1747. It was a bestseller for a century after its first publication, dominating the English-speaking market and making Glasse one of the most famous cookbook authors of her time. The book ran through at least 40 editions, many of which were copied without explicit author consent. It was published in Dublin from 1748, and in America from 1805.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fricassee</span> Method of cooking meat

Fricassee or fricassée is a stew made with pieces of meat that have been browned in butter then served in a sauce flavored with the cooking stock. Fricassee is usually made with chicken, veal or rabbit, with variations limited only by what ingredients the cook has at hand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chicken and dumplings</span> Chicken-based soup

Chicken and dumplings is a soup that consists of a chicken cooked in water, with the resulting chicken broth being used to cook the dumplings by boiling. A dumpling—in this context—is a biscuit dough, which is a mixture of flour, shortening, and liquid. The dumplings are either rolled out flat, dropped, or formed into a ball.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Game pie</span> Savoury pie made with wild game

Game pie is a form of meat pie featuring game. The dish dates from Roman times when the main ingredients were wild birds and animals such as partridge, pheasant, deer, and hare. The pies reached their most elaborate form in Victorian England, with complex recipes and specialized moulds and serving dishes. Modern versions are simpler but savoury combinations of rabbit, venison, pigeon, pheasant, and other commercially available game.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nun's puffs</span> Dessert pastry

Nun's puffs are a dessert pastry originally from France, where they were known as pets de nonne. They are now also produced in French Canada, the United States, England, and Spain.

<i>A New System of Domestic Cookery</i> 19th century British cookbook

A New System of Domestic Cookery, first published in 1806 by Maria Rundell, was the most popular English cookbook of the first half of the nineteenth century; it is often referred to simply as "Mrs Rundell", but its full title is A New System of Domestic Cookery: Formed Upon Principles of Economy; and Adapted to the Use of Private Families.

<i>The Accomplisht Cook</i> 1660 English cookery book by Robert May

The Accomplisht Cook is an English cookery book published by the professional cook Robert May in 1660, and the first to group recipes logically into 24 sections. It was much the largest cookery book in England up to that time, providing numerous recipes for boiling, roasting, and frying meat, and others for salads, puddings, sauces, and baking. Eight of the sections are devoted to fish, with separate sections for carp, pike, salmon, sturgeon, and shellfish. Another section covers only eggs; and the next only artichokes.

<i>The Cookery Book of Lady Clark of Tillypronie</i> Victorian era cookbook by Charlotte, Lady Clark of Tillypronie

The Cookery Book of Lady Clark of Tillypronie is a book of recipes collected over a lifetime by Charlotte, Lady Clark of Tillypronie, and published posthumously in 1909. The earliest recipe was collected in 1841; the last in 1897. The book was edited by the artist Catherine Frances Frere, who had seen two other cookery books through to publication, at the request of Clark's husband.

<i>The Experienced English Housekeeper</i> 1769 cookery book by Elizabeth Raffald

The Experienced English Housekeeper is a cookery book by the English businesswoman Elizabeth Raffald (1733–1781). It was first published in 1769, and went through 13 authorised editions and at least 23 pirated ones.

<i>Modern Cookery for Private Families</i> Bestselling 1845 English cookbook by Eliza Acton

Modern Cookery for Private Families is an English cookery book by Eliza Acton. It was first published by Longmans in 1845, and was a best-seller, running through 13 editions by 1853, though its sales were later overtaken by Mrs Beeton. On the strength of the book, Delia Smith called Acton "the best writer of recipes in the English language", while Elizabeth David wondered why "this peerless writer" had been eclipsed by such inferior and inexperienced imitators.

<i>The Modern Cook</i> Book by Charles Elmé Francatelli from 1846

The Modern Cook was the first cookery book by the Anglo-Italian cook Charles Elmé Francatelli (1805–1876). It was first published in 1846. It was popular for half a century in the Victorian era, running through 29 London editions by 1896. It was also published in America.

Battalia pie is an English large game pie, or occasionally a fish pie, filled with many small "blessed" pieces, beatilles, of offal, in a gravy made from meat stock flavoured with spices and lemon. The dish was described in cookery books of the 17th and 18th centuries.

<i>The Cooks and Confectioners Dictionary</i> Cookbook by John Nott

The Cooks and Confectioners Dictionary: or, the Accomplish'd Housewives Companion was a cookery book written by John Nott and first published in London in 1723.

<i>The Queen-Like Closet</i> 1670 cookery book by Hannah Woolley

The Queen-like Closet, Or, Rich Cabinet was a cookery book published in 1670 by the English writer on household management, Hannah Woolley. It ran through five English editions by 1684. At least two German editions were also printed.

<i>The English Art of Cookery</i> 1788 English cookery book

The English Art of Cookery is a cookery book of English cuisine by the tavern cook Richard Briggs, first published in 1788.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Hughson</span>

David Hughson, which may have been a pen name of Edward Pugh, was a writer on the topography and history of London. He produced a description of the city based on "an actual perambulation" (walk) that was published in six volumes between 1805 and 1809 and contains 150 copper plate engravings principally based on illustrations by Robert Blemmell Schnebbelie and Edward Gyfford. He also produced works on topical matters such as the East India Company, religious subjects, and works of household management targeted at people of the "middling and genteel ranks of life".

<i>The Ladys Complete Guide</i>

The Lady's Complete Guide, or Cookery in All its Branches by Mary Cole is a pioneering cookery book, the first in English that systematically ascribed recipes to their authors, where known. It was first published in 1788 and was followed by revised editions in 1789 and 1791.

References

  1. "Housekeeper's Instructor. William Augustus Henderson". Bauman Rare Books. Retrieved 19 January 2017. Henderson, William Augustus. The Housekeeper's Instructor; Or, Universal Family Cook. London: Printed and sold by W. and J. Stratford, [1791]. Octavo, period-style half green calf retaining old red morocco spine label, marbled boards and endpapers.
  2. Heringman, Noah (4 April 2013). Sciences of Antiquity: Romantic Antiquarianism, Natural History, and Knowledge Work. Oxford University Press. p. 273. ISBN   978-0-19-955691-5.
  3. Henderson, 1810. Page 30
  4. 1 2 Henderson, 1810. Page 179
  5. Herbert, Amanda (2014). Female Alliances: Gender, Identity, and Friendship in Early Modern Britain. New Haven: Yale University Press.
  6. "The Interesting History of White Soup". Austen Only. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  7. Day, Ivan. "Regency Cookery Course". Historic Food. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  8. "Food for Journeys, Part 3. To preserve Dripping". The Old Foodie. 1 September 2009. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
  9. "Recent acquisitions archive: William Augustus Henderson, The housekeeper's instructor; or, Universal family cook (London: Printed and sold by J. Stratford, [ca. 1800-1804])". Cambridge University Library. February 2007. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  10. 1 2 The housekeeper's instructor ; or, universal family cook. WorldCat. OCLC   38825218.
  11. Hazlitt on Cookery Books