Vintage Thursday Thingie: The Boston Cooking School Cookbook

The Boston Cooking School Cook Book is probably better known today as The Fannie Farmer Cookbook. It was first published in 1896 and sold 3,000 copies that first year. It was reprinted in 1897 and again sold out all 3,000 copies. It was a hit! and revolutionized cooking and baking with its standardized measures. (Remember having to use a knife to level the flour in a measuring cup in home ec....well, thank Fanny Farmer!)

This copy is from the second printing of the revised 1930 edition-by then 1,486,000 copies had been sold!

Wasn't this a wonderful gift! Darcy knew of my love of all things vintage! and has trusted me with her family treasure.

The obligatory opening picture of the test kitchen! But look at that island with the pots hanging! Best test kitchen in any of my cookbooks! So modern! And what could she be making after icing her cake?

Why not Eggs a la Goldenrod? Using those 1930s well-loved hard boiled eggs! In case you didn't like the egg croquettes from a few weeks ago:

While this egg recipe may not be to my taste ( there are lots of good recipes in this cookbook) the presentation! and the dish! are lovely!

But the very best part of this cookbook are the advertisements in the back. Need some oil?

Forget the Mazola, I want the coat and the hat! And don't they make a lovely couple...shouldn't they go out dancing?


Maybe you need some coffee? Its delivered fresh twice a week by the Fleischmann's Yeast Man!!

In this ad, Fleischmann's doesn't want you to buy their yeast, they're reassuring you that all the best groceries and bakers are using their yeast just like "discriminating housewives used to before quality bakers relieved them of the drudgery of home baking". This is such a modern cookbook!

But maybe you don't need food supplies..after all, this is the age of mechanical innovation.

( I remember my elderly uncle never said "Lets take the car" - it was "Lets take the machine"...and this was the 1950s!)


Could you use any of these kitchen helpers?

Need a new washer? Or better yet, a sewing machine? Graybar's at Lexington and 43rd is the place to go...they design their appliances for a woman from a woman's viewpoint. Oh yeah!

Need a new stove? Wow, this has a double oven and a storage drawer! I should have looked at this model last Thanksgiving when my oven died the day before the big dinner. Oh, that's not a storage drawer...I think its where the coal goes!

Maybe you need some new dishware/ casseroles? What's this new product?...Pyrex!

These are my 1930s Pyrex dishes. They were my grandmother's. I don't use them anymore because there used to be three and now there are only two :( There also was a wonderful removeable handle that has simply disappeared (unless it broke and no one told me....)

This is my 101st post. To mark the 100th post milestone, I'm having a give-away so just scroll down to the post below this. (No, not the Pyrex.)

I was so clueless when I started that my second post was that I had added a picture to the first! But by the fourth post...well, that was VTT! and I was in full swing!

To see more vintage treasures and to join us for a fun time, hop on over to Coloradolady.