Customer Reviews

The Settlement Cook Book: The Way to a Man's Heart

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I received this book as a gift about 15 years ago & it is by far my most often used. It was originally copyrighted in 1901 & has been revised many times, however many of the recipes still appear as they did then. Recipes range from the very simple (scrambled eggs or grilled cheese sandwiches) to exotic (Fondue Bourguignonne). It will take you from breakfast to an after dinner cordial - all from scratch. Recipes are easy to follow. Basic equivalents (i.e.2.20 pounds = 1 kilo) & substitutions make converting any recipe easy. And it contains much more than just recipes. There are menu planning ideas, freezing, canning & dehydrating charts, special diet recipes, & even a stain removal guide! This is a great book for the beginning cook or someone that needs a bit of everything all in one place.

I just purchased a facsimile edition of the "Settlement Cook Book". I have a 1943 edition of the original. The facsimile book is 182 pages vs the original 623! The facsimile is NOT a good cook book, it's recipes are often significantly different and/or incomplete.
For example , Bread recipe:

Original Book,

2 cups scalded milk, water or potato water
1/2 oz. compressed yeast
6 to 61/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar

Facsimile book,

2 cups warm milk or water
1 tablespoon butter
2 teaspoons salt
1 oz. compressed yeast
2 teaspoons sugar
Flour.

In the original there are many additional directions on starting the yeast, how and when to add the other ingredients, what the dough will feel like, how to raise the dough and for how long, what temperature to bake the bread at, and when cooking is done.
The facsimile has much less in the way of instructions including no temperature for baking.

The facsimile leaves out many cherished recipes some of Milwaukee's favorites ie: "Pumpernickel Bread", "Heart, liver, and gizzard stuffing", "Egg Salad", "Butter Horns", and even "Stollen". There are even recipes included in the facsimile that DON"T appear in the original.
The facsimile has 6 double sided pages in the front of the book with old style advertisements and 7 similar pages in the back. The disparity of pages 182 vs 623 is enough to advise anyone that the facsimile is no where near the treasure that the original is.

I am very pleased with the prompt service on this order. I love the cookbook! I bought the book mainly as a historical source, but many of the recipes are wonderful. A real trip back in time. Thanks!

Unless you have special dietary preferences/requirements (e.g., diabetic, low carb, vegetarian, etc.) this is a terrific basic cookbook.

My mother (who fed everyone delicious and hearty meals for many decades) used this cookbook almost exclusively, albeit she only cooked from written recipes about 1/3 of the time. I have inherited her 1954 printing (third edition I think) of this essential culinary document and it's as good today as it was during the Eisenhower years. The original printing was published at around the turn of the 19th-20th Century.

I call this a "meat and potatoes" cookbook (TONS of recipes) although there's a lot in here beyond those two major ingredients -- but you know what I mean. The reader will also note that it contains a huge number of recipes which make use of nutritious root vegetables (which we have unfortunately gotten away from in recent years) such as parsnips and turnips. If you like eastern European food this book offers a particular wealth of superb recipes for those dishes too.

I would especially recommend "The Settlement Cook Book" to those who are just beginning to learn about cooking. This would make a great "first cookbook" and a nice gift for newlyweds. I have yet to discover a marginal recipe in this tome of culinary knowledge. One of the features which I like most includes the nicely illustrated "meat charts" for beef, pork, and sheep/lamb. These line drawings are quite informative as to every available cut of meat, a topic which can be quite confusing as one peruses all the roasts, steaks, ribs, sausages, and burger in the meat case at the grocery store. Recipes for all these meat entrées are featured herein.

My highest recommendation for both home cooks and chefs.

I have been using this cook book for 45 years. My mother bought it for me when I married. Her book was a previous printing and even told the new cook how to kill the chicken before cleaning and cooking it. My three daughters now use it in their homes. It has wonderful recipes that are plain, good cooking. It is the cook book I reach for first.

This is one of the cookbooks I began married life with nearly 30 years ago. I have my mom's copy that she got waaaaaaaaaaaaaay back. You'll love it and appreciate all the more that you can buy mayo ready made - or, who knows, you may prefer made from scratch!

Even though the settlement cookbook has many versions and I purchased the wrong version, I am very pleased with the book, the cost, the time it took to receive it, and everything related to it.

Hello, this if for Joann Novak, who wrote a review for this cook book. I, had a copy about 20 years ago, and it was a bit differant from this one. For one thing mine back then had oven temp,s in it and this one does not. It also had tassie cookies in it, cream puffs, etc. If you know how, I could see on line the edition, I had, help , plese Thank You a head of time, JoAnn E. Codello, TN

Received the product - but wish it had been a "real" version of the cookbook. I've misplaced my own copy (from my grandmother) and assumed this would be the same or similar. In fact, it's a facsimile copy of the book. While it will certainly provide me with the information I bought and paid for, it is not a copy to be cherished.

We received our order very quickly and well packaged. However the book was described as being in
"Acceptable" Condition. The book we received was detached from its cover and the cover itself was taped together with red duct tape.