What to Have for Dinner

Fannie Farmer's What to Have for Dinner is a menu planning and entertaining guide first published in 1905. The book provides complete menu suggestions for dinners and social occasions throughout the year. Each menu includes recipes and instructions for preparing multi-course meals from start to finish, with guidance on timing and service. The collection features seasonal ingredients and menu combinations suitable for both everyday family dinners and formal entertaining. Farmer draws from her experience as principal of the Boston Cooking School to provide cooking techniques, ingredient substitutions, and tips for scaling recipes up or down to accommodate different group sizes. The book includes illustrations of proper table settings and plating presentations. This guide reflects early 20th century American dining customs and social expectations while establishing foundational principles of menu planning that remain relevant. The work continues Farmer's mission to standardize recipes and cooking methods for home cooks.

There are not enough internet reviews to create a summary of this book. Instead, here is a summary of reviews of Fannie Farmer's overall work: Readers consistently praise Farmer's precise measurements and clear instructions that take the guesswork out of cooking. Home cooks appreciate the detailed explanations of basic techniques and fundamentals. Reviews often mention the cookbook's reliability for traditional American recipes and its value as a reference for cooking terms and methods. What readers liked: - Exact measurements that produce consistent results - Basic cooking education and terminology - Traditional American recipes that "actually work" - Historical value and glimpse into early American cooking What readers disliked: - Dated language and ingredients in older editions - Lack of photos/illustrations - Some recipes considered bland by modern tastes - Ingredient amounts sometimes need adjusting for current preferences Ratings across platforms: Amazon: 4.6/5 (2,000+ reviews) Goodreads: 4.2/5 (3,000+ ratings) ThriftBooks: 4.5/5 (500+ reviews) One reader noted: "This is the book I turn to when I need to know how long to boil an egg or make basic bread." Another wrote: "The recipes are reliable but you may need to increase seasonings for today's palates."

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Table Service by Lucy G. Allen This manual outlines the principles of formal and informal dinner service, including menu planning and food presentation.

🍽️ While operating the Boston Cooking School, Fannie Farmer taught cooking classes to doctors and nurses, pioneering the connection between proper nutrition and patient recovery. 📚 Farmer standardized measuring techniques in American cooking, replacing vague instructions like "a handful" or "a pinch" with precise measurements still used today. 🥘 The book was part of her mission to help middle-class housewives prepare nutritious, economical meals without relying on hired cooks—a revolutionary concept in late Victorian America. 🏫 Before writing her cookbooks, Farmer suffered a paralytic stroke as a teenager, which led her to focus on education and eventually attend the Boston Cooking School as a student. 📖 Her precise, scientific approach to cookbook writing earned her the nickname "the mother of level measurements" and influenced cookbook authors for generations to come.