Measuring Up: Fannie Farmer's Boston Cooking School Cook Book
By AJ Fanter
Degree to Succeed Columnist
Enjoy trying new recipes? Ever consider attending cooking school? Even if you rarely cook, you're indebted to Fannie Farmer.
Add a Dollop
Imagine you're reading a recipe card and it tells you to add an egg-sized amount of butter to your sauce or pour a bit of milk into a pan. How do you think your recipe would turn out? After all, eggs and a bit aren't exactly standard.
The Level Measure
Enter the "mother of the level measure" – Fannie Farmer, whose Boston Cooking School Cook Book took recipe ingredient "guestimates" and made them standard precise measurements (i.e. level tablespoon, one quarter-cup), that cooks everywhere take for granted today. Farmer's cooking school book also addressed the chemical reactions of food and cooking, in addition to nutrition and other information like canning, and drying fruits and vegetables.
Cooking School Career
Born in 1857, Farmer began her cooking career at the Boston Cooking School as one of its top students, then became principal, perfecting the cooking school's cook book. Eventually Fannie Farmer started her own cooking school. To this day, her name brings to mind good food, organization, and of course the precision she brought to cooking.
Considering Cooking School?
Is working with food precisely what you'd like to do? Then attending cooking school will get you started in the right direction. At cooking school, in addition to learning about nutrition, the chemical reactions of food, and the importance of precise measurements, you'll study presentation, knife skills, and basic kitchen procedures, before moving into advanced areas such as pastry, baking, and various cuisines. By attending cooking school, you can turn your interest in food preparation into an enjoyable career.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fannie_Farmer
About the Author
Amy Fanter is a full-time marketing writer specializing in direct mail copy for the gaming industry. She holds a B.A. in English from Colby College with concentrations in Education and Government.
Posted on :
October 24, 2005
