Thanksgiving is a quick peek around the corner.
If you are the chef planning a dinner for family and friends at your home, consider my list a wish list. Leave in a prominent spot in your home, the refrigerator works well in my house as it is a high traffic area, for all to see as they are seeking nourishment for a marathon day of holiday shopping.
If you are the guest, an early cookbook is a perfect gift for your antique loving chef.
Antique Cook Books
Your chef may not need another cook book; however antique loving chefs adore early cookbooks. The earliest cookbooks arrived from Britain, but it was not long before settlers in America began producing cookbooks for dishes made from ingredients indigenous to their new homeland.
Consider an early American cookbook from a favorite city. For example, The Approved Recipe Book, 1839, New Jersey; The Family's Guide,1833, New York; New Bedford Practical Recipe Book, 1859, Massachusetts.
Cookbooks from the 20th Century were often created by companies who provided recipes using their ingredients. Companies including Jello, Gerber Baby Foods, Durkee, and Knox Gelatin are just a few companies who highlighted their product in a recipe book. Prices for such recipe booklets, as they were often paper covers, can typically be found for $20.00 dollars (USD) and under.
The Boston Cooking School Cookbook continues to be highly prized as is was when it was produced in 1896. Fannie Merritt Farmer published the first edition of this classic using $300.00 of her own money.
Care and Display of Antique Cookbooks
Old paper is fragile and once torn or creased or faded, devalues the book. Take these precautions to preserve value, looks, and readability of books and paper.
You will want to keep your old cookbooks out of sunlight, free from dust and damp. An ideal way to display your collection of antique cookbooks would be to place them in a glass front cabinet. You can easily replace the front of one of your kitchen cupboards with glass, display in a china cabinet or small display table that has an enclosed top made of glass.
Other options include wrapping the book in acid-free, UV-resistant plastic book covers. Doing so will protect the any type of book cover from the oils on your hands, from dust, and over-handling.
Gifting and collecting early cookbooks can be affordable and fun. You may even discover an amazing delicious new recipe!
Till next time, stay well, stay happy
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