In connection with this subject I venture to apply to you. Will you please
aid me in communicating with these persons, in order, (i) that I may consult
them in regard to the desirableness of establishing cooking-schools, and (2)
that I may ask them for information -oncerning the following points : —
I. Definite lists of the principal foods in local use, and their average market
prices.
^. Accurate recipes for the preparation of such materials in popular dishes.
3. Recipes for favorite local dishes, and their names.
4. General information bearing on the subject.
I shall consider such information of the greatest value to me in the prep-
aration of the work I propose to issue, not for the use of families only, but
also for the guidance of instructors in cooking in different parts of the
country.
With assurances of high esteem, I am
Respectfully yours,
JULIET CORSON,
Superintendent New-York School of Cookery.
Office of the New- York School ok Cookery,
Union Square, New York, Aug 1878.
Upon the receipt of Miss Corson's letter, Gen. Eaton caused
the following circular letter to be issued from the Bureau of
Education, and generally circulated throughout the country;
addressing it to the heads of educational institutions, and to all
persons of local prominence who seemed likely to be able to
supply the information called for by iVIiss Corson : —
Sir, — 1 beg to call your attention to the enclosed copy of a letter received
from Miss Juliet Corson, the superintendent of the New-York School of
Cookery. I hope you may be able to make some valuable suggestions for her
on one or more topics of special importance to her work.
Miss Corson's ability, culture, wisdom in forming and executing her plans,
her eminent qualifications in the theory and practice of cooking, and her suc-
cess in organizing and conducting the school in New- York City and in pre-
paring manuals upon the subject of cooking, give the best possible assurance
PREFACE. VU
that whatever information you can afford her upon points of her inquiry will
be advantageously used.
Any suggestions you may make for her use can be sent to this office in the
enclosed envelope, and will be forwarded to her.
Very respectfully yours,
JOHN EATON, Commissioner,
Per C. W.
Department of the Interior, Bureau of Education,
Washington, D.C, Aug. 31, 1878.
The material which came in response to this correspondence
was abundant. The author has augmented it in the spring and
fall lecture and lesson tours she has taken to many parts of
the country during the intervening years ; she has also availed
herself of recipes communicated to her by personal friends, and
drawn from local and private collections. Like every person
absorbed in the advancement of a special line of work, she has
appropriated every hint offered her : the only personal credit to
which she is entitled is for the scrupulous fidelity with which
she has tested the methods given, and verified every statement
which she makes. If the directions seem verbose, the fact
must be remembered that the greater number of cookery-books
fail to meet the demands of housewives, because they are indefi-
nite ; and they are especially trying to those who have yet to
gain the judgment and experience which too many writers on
domestic subjects seem to take for granted.
Page 1
Presented as published in 1885. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
In connection with this subject I venture to apply to you. Will you please aid me in communicating with these persons, in order, (i) that I may consult them in regard to the desirableness of establishing cooking-schools, and (2) that I may ask them for information concerning the following points : —
I. Definite lists of the principal foods in local use, and their average market prices.
^. Accurate recipes for the preparation of such materials in popular dishes.
3. Recipes for favorite local dishes, and their names.
4. General information bearing on the subject.
I shall consider such information of the greatest value to me in the preparation of the work I propose to issue, not for the use of families only, but also for the guidance of instructors in cooking in different parts of the country.
With assurances of high esteem, I am
Respectfully yours,
JULIET CORSON, Superintendent New-York School of Cookery.
Office of the New- York School ok Cookery, Union Square, New York, Aug 1878.
Upon the receipt of Miss Corson's letter, Gen. Eaton caused the following circular letter to be issued from the Bureau of Education, and generally circulated throughout the country; addressing it to the heads of educational institutions, and to all persons of local prominence who seemed likely to be able to supply the information called for by Miss Corson : —
Sir, — 1 beg to call your attention to the enclosed copy of a letter received from Miss Juliet Corson, the superintendent of the New-York School of Cookery. I hope you may be able to make some valuable suggestions for her on one or more topics of special importance to her work.
Miss Corson's ability, culture, wisdom in forming and executing her plans, her eminent qualifications in the theory and practice of cooking, and her success in organizing and conducting the school in New- York City and in preparing manuals upon the subject of cooking, give the best possible assurance
PREFACE. VU
that whatever information you can afford her upon points of her inquiry will be advantageously used.
Any suggestions you may make for her use can be sent to this office in the enclosed envelope, and will be forwarded to her.
Very respectfully yours,
JOHN EATON, Commissioner, Per C. W. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Education, Washington, D.C, Aug. 31, 1878.
The material which came in response to this correspondence was abundant. The author has augmented it in the spring and fall lecture and lesson tours she has taken to many parts of the country during the intervening years ; she has also availed herself of recipes communicated to her by personal friends, and drawn from local and private collections. Like every person absorbed in the advancement of a special line of work, she has appropriated every hint offered her : the only personal credit to which she is entitled is for the scrupulous fidelity with which she has tested the methods given, and verified every statement which she makes. If the directions seem verbose, the fact must be remembered that the greater number of cookery-books fail to meet the demands of housewives, because they are indefinite ; and they are especially trying to those who have yet to gain the judgment and experience which too many writers on domestic subjects seem to take for granted.