Customer Reviews

Good Things to Eat, As Suggested by Rufus: A Collection of Practical Recipes for Preparing Meats, Game, Fowl, Fish, Puddings, Pastries, Etc.

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Good Things To Eat, a historical cookbook, is a valuable and rare piece of America's history. This book is not just for those people especially interested in fancy cuisine. It is also a valuable history lesson. One of the best ways to learn about our past is by the food we ate.

I loved the fact that the book was reproduced in the original fashion that Mr. Estes had published in back in 1911--with lots of "new" period photos that give a visual interpretation of the times.

I purchased this book and it was a pleasant combination of history and cooking. I also like that the book was reprinted mistakes and all and it includes contextual information from the time and photographs.

Rufus Estes made a great accomplishment yet I first learned about him on Amazon when I purchased this book. This is a great look back into a turn of the century kitchen and the at the food served to a President and rich patrons on the Pullman line. I was married at the Hotel Florence(named in honor of Pullman's favorite daughter) in the Historic Pullman district in Chicago as I was reading this I could actually visualize his food being served there; who knows he may have cooked there.

A friend borrowed my copy and did a dinner from this book for Black History month and it was delicious. Great for history or cooks who like to bring historic recipes to life in the modern kitchen.

"Their [African American men at the turn of the century] history is largely forgotten today, which is why 'Good Things To Eat As Suggested by Rufus,' lovingly reprinted by Howling at the Moon Press, is so important . . . The 1999 version includes not only a facsimile edition of the original but period photographs as well. It's a splendid little package."

We seem to have lost so much original and adventurous cuisine during the past 100 years. The recipes here are fascinating, and every page contains something delicious, something mysterious (Boiled Samp), and something just plain crazy (Peanut Meatose: a combination of peanut butter and tomato juice!) Would make a great gift for a foodie.

Usually, I consider reading a cookbook somewhat like reading the telephone book. But not "Good Things to Eat". "Rufus" conveys his joy of cooking in a natural, matter-of-fact manner, lean of descriptive narration, lending eloquence to the food itself. Many of the dishes in his book seem quite exotic to us now - Salmi of Game, Orange Fool, Snippodoodles, Spawn and Milk, Pineapple Marshmallows ("This is a good confection for Thanksgiving.") - but the way Rufus puts them together makes them seem eminently doable.

D. J. Frienz should be commended for making "Good Things to Eat" more than just a list of recipes by way he has interspersed Rufus's writings with illustrations, placing in context Rufus Estes's service as a star Pullman attendant and chef during the Gilded Age, when dining in a private railroad car was considered the height of luxury. Rufus's was a state-of-the-art American cuisine, good enough for presidents and plutocrats, and to have this formidable gentleman of a bygone era commune with me through a medium we both love - good things to eat - is a special privilege. Hey, I'm getting hungry just writing this!

Usually, I consider reading a cookbook somewhat like reading the telephone book. But not "Good Things to Eat". "Rufus" conveys his joy of cooking in a natural, matter-of-fact manner, lean of descriptive narration, lending eloquence to the food itself. Many of the dishes in his book seem quite exotic to us now - Salmi of Game, Orange Fool, Snippodoodles, Spawn and Milk, Pineapple Marshmallows ("This is a good confection for Thanksgiving.") - but the way Rufus puts them together makes them seem eminently doable.

D. J. Frienz should be commended for making "Good Things to Eat" more than just a list of recipes by way he has interspersed Rufus's writings with illustrations, placing in context Rufus Estes's service as a star Pullman attendant and chef during the Gilded Age, when dining in a private railroad car was considered the height of luxury. Rufus's was a state-of-the-art American cuisine, good enough for presidents and plutocrats, and to have this formidable gentleman of a bygone era commune with me through a medium we both love - good things to eat - is a special privilege. Hey, I'm getting hungry just writing this!

Usually, I consider reading a cookbook somewhat like reading the telephone book. But not "Good Things to Eat". "Rufus" conveys his joy of cooking in a natural, matter-of-fact manner, lean of descriptive narration, lending eloquence to the food itself. Many of the dishes in his book seem quite exotic to us now - Salmi of Game, Orange Fool, Snippodoodles, Spawn and Milk, Pineapple Marshmallows ("This is a good confection for Thanksgiving.") - but the way Rufus puts them together makes them seem eminently doable.

D. J. Frienz should be commended for making "Good Things to Eat" more than just a list of recipes by way he has interspersed Rufus's writings with illustrations, placing in context Rufus Estes's service as a star Pullman attendant and chef during the Gilded Age, when dining in a private railroad car was considered the height of luxury. Rufus's was a state-of-the-art American cuisine, good enough for presidents and plutocrats, and to have this formidable gentleman of a bygone era commune with me through a medium we both love - good things to eat - is a special privilege. Hey, I'm getting hungry just writing this!

Rufus Estes was born a slave five years before the Civil War and went to work milking cows to support his mother after the war was over and his brothers had been killed. He eventually became a chef for the Pullman Company which serviced private railroad cars. This book, which he wrote in 1911, is a collection of wonderful recipes that became his specialties throughout his career. And what recipes they are! Among the treasures are Peanut Soup, several Creole dishes including a Creole Salad, and Jellied Cucumber Salad. There is lovely section on Lenten Dishes which would suit any vegetarian and one of the most interesting-sounding pie crust recipes I've ever come across. He gives instructions for all sorts of tea-time dainties, instruction on how to candy violets and detailed instructions on how to butcher a turtle.

I especially loved his section on pickles and relishes which includes a recipe for pickled cherries. There are also all kinds of preserves including rhubarb jam that sounds very similar to what my mother used to make. This is a great cookbook for anyone who wants to add some variety to contemporary cooking!

This book is "a remarkable accomplishment" and "Mushrooms in cream is one of "Good Things to Eat" in the cookbook by Rufus Estes" Other recipes include Trianon salad, Baltimore Ice Cream, Orange Sauce (for puddings or ice cream), cress sandwiches.

"Black chef's rich legacy preserved." You've probably never heard of Rufus Estes or his 1911 cookbook, and if it weren't for . . . {this book} his memory and legacy might have vanished."