Early American Cookery: "The Good Housekeeper," 1841

by Sarah Josepha Hale

Engagingly written volume not only provided the mid-19th-century housekeeper with recipes for scores of nutritious dishes but also offered wide-ranging suggestions for frugal and intelligent household management. Includes advice on selecting and preparing foods, health tips, cleaning domestic accessories, dealing with hired help, and much more.

Genres: History, Cookbooks, Food, Nonfiction, Cooking

160 pages, Paperback

First published November 20, 1996

About the author

Sarah Josepha Buell Hale was an American writer and an influential editor. She is the author of the nursery rhyme "Mary Had a Little Lamb". She famously campaigned for the creation of the American holiday known as Thanksgiving, and for the completion of the Bunker Hill Monument.

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Reviews

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love old cookbooks and getting a glimpse into a bygone era. This cookbook is an interesting and fun read. It even made me laugh at times. For example, the author cautions against eating "hot bread". She goes into great detail of what you should and shouldn't eat not only for the type of constitution you had, but also the time of year.

Her chapter on "Drinks" I find ironic. She says "There is one rule for drinks that no woman should violate - never make any preparation of which alcohol forms a part for family use!" But then she goes on to give recipes for several different kinds of beer and also wine.

For the most part the recipes are easy to understand. She tries to use a somewhat standard system of measuring ingredients, which is easier to follow than earlier cookbooks. Most of the ingredients are easy to find, but of course there is the occasional recipe which calls for quinces, rose water or arrowroot, which can all be found today but aren't very common. I can't imagine beating egg whites for an hour straight. Obviously our modern methods would help to make the recipes easier. Some are very simple but others are complicated as with most recipe books. I do plan on trying a few.

She also has chapters on other matters. "Hints To Help", "Hints To Housekeepers", "A Word To Mothers",
"Cookery For The Sick" and "Traits Of Domestic Life".

The author, Sarah Josepha Hale, lived a very long, industrious and interesting life. Her life is chronicled in the introduction, which I found just as interesting as the cookbook itself. She married, had five children and while she was pregnant with her last child her husband died suddenly. She was the editor of both the "Ladies Magazine" as well as "Godey's Ladies Book". She was also a published author of several books as well as the author of "Mary Had A Little Lamb". She worked tirelessly to better the world she lived in.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another Dover edition. This household guide is by Sarah Hale of Godey's Lady's Book fame. This is a reprint of the second edition of the book.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this way back when for one of my college projects. I remember being grossed out by some of the recipes!