Product Description

Here is the great basic American cookbook—with more than 1,990 recipes, plain and fancy—that belongs in every household.

Originally published in 1896 as The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book by Fannie Merritt Farmer, it became the coobook that taught generations of Americans how to cook. Completely updating it for the first time since 1979, Marion Cunningham made Fannie Farmer once again a household word for a new generation of cooks.

What makes this basic cookbook so distinctive is that Marion Cunningham, who is the personification of the nineteenth-century teacher, is always at your side with her forthright tips and comments, encouraging the beginning cook and inspiring the more adventurous. She knows what today's cooks are looking for, and she has a way of instilling confidence and joy in the act of cooking.

In giving the book new life, Mrs. Cunningham has been careful always to preserve the best of the old. She has retained all the particularly good, tried-and-true recipes from preceding editions, retesting and rewriting when necessary. She has rediscovered lost treasures, including delicious recipes that were eliminated when practically no one baked bread at home. This is now the place to find the finest possible recipes for Pumpkin Soup, Boston Baked Beans, Carpetbag Steak, Roast Stuffed Turkey, Anadama Bread, Indian Pudding, Apple Pie, and all of the other traditional favorites.

The new recipes reflect ethnic influences—Mediterranean, Moroccan, Asian—that have been adding their flavors to American cooking in recent years. Tucked in among all your favorites like Old-Fashioned Beef Stew, New England Clam Chowder, Ham Timbales, and Chicken Jambalaya, you'll find her cool Cucumber Sushi, Enchiladas with Chicken and Green Sauce, or a layered dish of Polenta and Fish to add variety to your repertoire. Always a champion of old-fashioned breakfasts and delectable desserts, Mrs. Cunningham has many splendid new offerings to tempt you.

Throughout, cooking terms and procedures are explained, essential ingredients are spelled out, basic equipment is assessed. Mrs. Cunningham even tells you how to make a good cup of coffee and how to brew tea properly.

For the diet-conscious, there is an expanded nutritional chart that includes a breakdown of cholesterol and fat in common ingredients as well as in Fannie Farmer basic recipes. Where the taste of a dish would not be altered, Mrs. Cunningham has reduced the amount of cream and butter in some of the recipes from the preceding edition. She carefully evaluates the issues of food safety today and alerts us to potential hazards.

But the emphasis here is always on good flavor, fresh ingredients, and lots of variety in one's daily fare, which Marion Cunningham believes is the secret to a healthy diet. Dedicated to the home cooks of America, young and old, this thirteenth edition of the book that won the hearts of Americans more than a century ago invites us all—as did the original Fannie Farmer—to cherish the delights of the family table.


From the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #47224 in Books
• Published on: 1994-07-01
• Released on: 1994-07-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 1248 pages

From Amazon.com
Marion Cunningham's brilliant revision of this classic home cooking reference addresses "good everyday cooking." Cunningham states that "every meal should be a small celebration," and she eases the preparation of those celebrations with clear, straightforward instructions and hints on how to make the most of every meal through beautiful presentation and balanced nutrition. The chapter on microwaved foods is clear and presents recipes that are simple and taste great. Cunningham's work especially shines in the chapters on baking, as might be expected from her work on The Fannie Farmer Baking Book and The Breakfast Book. Your piecrusts will always be crisp and flaky under her tutelage.

From Publishers Weekly
In its 13th edition, a classic American cookbook is here revised for the contemporary home cook. Restaurant consultant and San Francisco Chronicle columnist Cunningham has added chapters on microwave and outdoor cooking, cut down on excessive fats and revived lost comfort foods (lemon curd, semolina pudding). Warnings about salmonella and other health concerns are highlighted; abundant new and vegetarian recipes are conveniently marked. Cunningham's 325 additions to the Farmer roster use ingredients from ethnic cuisines, including Mexican and Indian spices and Chinese sesame oil and rice vinegar. Contradicting manufacturers' claims for the microwave oven, she carefully explains its best uses (steaming or braising foods) and offers recipes specifically designed to take advantage of its virtues (quick polenta, bananas in caramel sauce). True to its American roots, this remains an excellent meat-and-potatoes cookbook, but exhibits welcome range--from frankfurters to roast goose, smoked salmon tartare to trail mix--relishing food as a social enterprise. Illustrations not seen by PW. Author tour; BOMC alternate, Home Style Book Club main selection, Better Homes and Gardens Book Club alternate.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
This " Fannie Farmer for the Nineties" is not so very different from the Fannie Farmer for the Eighties. Cunningham's major revision and 12th edition of this 94-year-old title was published in 1979; for this edition, she has dropped some "stodgy" recipes and added 300 new ones--Lobster Newburg, Capellini with Salsa Cruda, Baked Apples. There are new, fairly brief chapters on microwaving, outdoor cooking, and vegetarian dishes (new dishes and other vegetarian dishes are highlighted throughout the book). This by no means replaces the 12th edition, but Fannie Farmer remains a classic, making Cunningham's latest revision essential for most collections. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 5/1/90.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

The Basics
I find myself reaching for this cookbook, not for inspiration for an exotic meal, but for the recipes to cover the basics so I can improvise. It has never let me down and I've used something from nearly every section of the book.

No doubt there are some errors in the book; but, fortunately, I haven't run into them yet.

FF has very clearly written recipes; and, the discussions regarding various cooking techniques are easy to understand.

Don't use FF to plan that haut or nouvelle cuisine meal; instead use it to understand the fundamental elements of cooking, but..

when you wake up and can't recall the recipe for pancakes, or you forgot how to make a basic cheese sauce for the covered dish you have to bring to a party.. grab the FF.. you'll be fine.

Be Careful
The banana bread in this book is hard and chewy. I can't get a single cake to come out right. The frostings are too complicated or simply don't taste good, (I went back to using Wilton's recipes.) The swedish meatballs are dry and have no sauce. There are only three recipes I use from this book regularly Spaghetti and meatballs, baking powder biscuits, and griddle cakes. Even the cornbread was dry. (The book said cornbread was "supposed" to be dry. I don't think so! Luckily I could call my mom and get a good recipe.) There are some good recipes in this book and some can be modified if you know enough about cooking. Mine is covered with scribbled ingredient adjustments. I would much rather have something that tasted good the first time.

I gave it three stars because it does have a lot of interesting information like how to make your own pasta and fondant.

The best all-around cookbook
This is the cookbook I pull from my crowded shelves the most often. With great how-to sections, great tasting recipes, and clear directions it's a hands-down winner. Highly recommended whether you're just starting out or are wanting to learn more.