The interesting history of Fannie Farmer is that she left the Boston Cooking School in 1902 when it joined with Simmons College. She started her own cooking school called Miss Farmer's School of Cookery (also in Boston). This school was open until 1940. Fannie had retained the copyright for her Boston Cooking School Cookbook, which explains why the name stayed the same even after she had left the school. The title of the cookbook was changed in 1965 in the hopes that it would not be considered a "regional" cookbook and would appeal to all across the nation. It worked! The original Boston Cooking School's address was 158 1/2 Tremont St. in Boston.
My grandmother graduated from the Boston Cooking School, and took at least some of her instruction from Fannie Farmer herself. Grandma went on to be the chef at a convent for approximately 45 years. When Grandma died in the 1950's, I was only 3, but I found out that 23 nuns from that, and neighboring convents, acted as a sort of honor guard at her rosary. A rare action indeed, that nuns would give such an honor to one of the laity.
That was a great tribute to your grandmother, indeed! How wonderful that she actually got some instruction from Fannie Farmer - amazing! Thanks for sharing that story!
Thank you for doing Fannie Farmer cookbooks. When my daughter was in third grade she did a report on Fannie Farmer for Women's History Month. She learned how Ms. Farmer standardized measurements and that she had red hair (illustrations were required). I am looking forward to more cookbooks, especially The American Women's Cookbook.
Love old cookbooks but one of my favorites is the old church cookbooks churches gathered recipe and published them in cookbooks it was used to raise money for the church I love them it's always the best of the best
Love the old church books! I have quite a few all local churches and local people some you knew 😊 very good every day recipes its always fun to find one at a yard sale from another state! 😀
You made me homesick for the old days. I was born in 52, my mother cooked all meals from scratch and so did I when I married in 72. I took home economics in junior high school and high school. Those teachers gave me a skill that's not offered these days and one that made my life better. I collected cookbooks because that's how one learned to cook. I have one Fanny Farmer cookbooks, a paperback. My favorites are still the Betty Crocker cookbooks because I'm modern woman and it helps when there are pictures, lol. I still love looking at recipes in the cookbooks. I'm enjoying the series, thank you.
Yes, I went to junior high (why did they start caling it middle school?) In 1967-1969. Home economics was my favorite class. These days women brag " oh, i don't cook"..... well, I guess that serves as warning to men to move on and find a woman who will prepare lovely meals for the next 50 years. I married my high-school sweetheart when we were both 19 & I've been a stay at home wife for 49 years and I prepare all our meals at home. Happy hubby... happy life.
Hi Lynn - glad you are enjoying the series. Home economics classes were useful for so many people. I learned most of my cooking from my mom, but I took home-ec in school and learned so much. I also took shop classes and learned how to make things out of wood and change the oil and spark plugs in my car. Grateful to have had those experiences!
It's amazing that it took so long for them to standardize measurements. Same thing with interchangeable parts during the industrial revolution. Thousands of years of millions of people making things the hard way and just recently they progressed with this.
My mother had a series of books on diet, nutrition and cooking written by Adelle Davis. The books were Let's Eat Right to Keep Fit, Let's Cook it Right and Let's Have Healthy Children. I believe these books were written in the early 1950's. I first read Let's Eat Right to Keep Fit in the 1980's and find it still relevant today. Cheers from Coastal South Carolina
Hi TT - I think I have one of those Adelle Davis books in the library. I'll have to take another look at it. It struck me that it was written for a home economics class. Thanks!
Making standards for measurements was important to everyone, both home cooks and chefs. I had studied shorthand and used for years as a legal assistant. Even used carbon paper. We were so happy when the boss got a Xerox machine, lol.
Hi Donna! I always thought people who could read and write shorthand had a secret weapon in being able to write so quickly! I'll bet that Xerox machine was a welcome sight! Thanks!
Hi, Kevin! I enjoyed that very much! I never owned a Fannie Farmer cookbook and now I want to find a really old one. Thanks for sharing your collection with us. Happy New Year to you, too!
I have several cookbooks by Fannie, many very old editions. I collect her books. If I see a recipe I will compare to what she says, I always go with Fannie Farmer. Tried and true. We have given a copy to daughter in laws and sons, no other needed.
So interesting. My Mother-in-law used to make a nice dessert from the Fannie Farmer Cookbook--a sort of pudding cake. Really appreciate learning about the cookbooks.
The Marion Cunningham version of Fannie Farmer cookbook (and the baking book) changed my cooking life and opened my eyes to understand how ingredients work. this made me much more adventerous to make my own recipes. love the episode! that shorthand is FABULOUS!
Hi Kevin! I am an avid vintage cookbook collector and am thoroughly enjoying your cookbook series!! I have been watching your channel for a bit now and really appreciate all the time and effort you put into creating your show andbthe time you take to always reply to comments!! I would love a "lesson" on The Settlement Cook Book line from a great teacher such as yourself!!!
Hi Suzanne! Nice to meet another cookbook collector! It's one of the best hobbies I can think of! I'll take a look - I have a couple editions of the Settlement Cook Book. Thanks!
I never noticed the spelling difference between Fannie Meritt Farmer and Fanny Farmer the candy company. I just looked it up and turns out the candy company did in fact adopt the name just to capitalize on the real Ms. Farmer's name.
Hi Marc - I thought that the candy company might have just been using the name as a marketing tool to sell their chocolates. Sort of like what a milling company did with the Duncan Hines name. Thanks!
I will be on the lookout for a Fannie Farmer cookbook. Perhaps my cooking will improve, too. I am sure it must be interesting to read through these recipes and enjoy cooking through different time periods. What a great way to learn and enjoy foods. Thank you.
I grew up using The Fannie Farmer Cookbook. My mom found one at a yard sale when newly married. She used the cookbook to get me to work hader on math. She'd make me double or halve or even make 2/3 a batch of cookies or brownies. I found a hardback copy of the one I used when I was a kid and boy did I snatch it up.
What a great way to sharpen your math skills! I learned fractions in the kitchen, too! Sounds like you mom's Fannie Farmer cookbook got a lot of good use. Thanks!
Fascinating journey through cookbook publishing history. Was familiar with the Fannie Farmer name, but nothing about her & the history of her cookbooks. Really enjoyed the vid. Looking forward to next episode.
I have a 1997 print edition which is a facsimile of the original 1896 edition. Found it in the discount book section of Walmart almost twenty years ago. It's a straight reprint of the original, so no mention of new recipes or adaptations. I love this book!
I spy with my little eye...the Mennonite Community Cookbook, just to the upper right of your head (viewers aspect). This is an excellent volume by Dr. Showalter and I like that the recipes are contributor based and re-tested in a university lab. American Woman is my main guide and this is a close second. Thanks for these videos.
Yum, Fanny Farmer candy! Frosted French mint and their chocolate covered raisins, I ate my fair share. I believe there are no Fanny Farmer stores anymore. There used to be an outlet that I would buy from prior to every holiday here in the Twin Cities ities.
I have two of the Fannie Farmer cookbook that were revised by Mirian Cunningham. The 12th edition from 1979 and also the 13th edition which is mostly the same book just with warnings about salmonella for the raw egg recipes. The 12th edition is very neat because it give you weight measurements in grams in addition to the cup measurements. But for certain ingredients like brown sugar they give you deciliters instead of a weight measurement.
Thank you Kevin for sharing and educating us, very interesting history . I always wondered how cooking measurements were standardized. Loved hearing about the actual woman, Fannie Farmer since Betty Cooker was created as a fictional icon. Your mention of boxes of Fannie Farmer chocolates was a blast from the past! My Dad had his own small residential construction company and at the holidays some of his contractors that he worked with like plumbers and electricians and masons would give my father big 2 and 3 pound boxes of fancy Fannie Farmer chocolates as thank you gifts for hiring them. This went over fabulously in our family of 5 kids in the 1960’s! Thanks for reawakening that sweet memory 👍💕
Hi Diana! Great story about your dad getting these big boxes of Fannie Farmer candy for the holidays! I'll bet it was a big hit with the family! As I recall, that was excellent candy. Thanks!
Fannie Farmer Candies no longer exists. In 1992 Fannie Farmer was acquired by the parent company of Fannie May candies but that company went through a couple bankruptcies and ultimately was bought out of receivership by another company in 2004 that merged the two brands together as Fannie May. It is now owned by Italian company Ferrero SpA.
Thanks for the information, tallboyyyy! I hadn't seen Fanny Farmer candy in many years, but I did see a box of Fannie May candy not too long ago. I didn't know the two brands were connected in any way. Thanks!
I have a 1959 edition of Fannie, which I found about 2 years ago at a thrift store for $2. (BTW, it's in excellent condition.) When I bought it I was excited, thinking that it would be chocked full of new and exciting recipes. I was kind of surprised and disappointed. The editor of the 1959 edition was Wilma Lord Perkins, who was married to Fannie Farmer's nephew. (By marriage Wilma was really Fannie' Farmer's niece. She took over and edited the cookbook for about 45 years after Fannie died. Wilma died in 1976.) What surprised me about the 1959 edition is how little Marion Cunningham did to change or update the cookbook when she took over in the 1980s. (I have a couple of copies of the 1980s Fannie.) It was obvious to me that Marion Cunningham retained and recycled tons and tons of Wilma Lord Perkins' recipes to the point that it's a shame Wilma's name wasn't on the dust jacket along with her name. Wilma deserved equal billing. It was like Marion Cunningham was palming off Wilma Lord Perkin's work as her own. Besides that 1959 and 1980's rip-off of Wilma Lord Perkins' work by Marion Cunningham, I have a reproduction copy of the original 1890's Fannie Farmer. It's a shame that no publisher has taken up the cause of updating Fannie for the 2000s.
Hi Russ - Funny how Marion Cunningham didn't change much of the book in the later editions. Sometimes people don't want to mess with success, and so they are cautious about including too much change. This prevents people who have a previous edition from buying a new one, as it's practically the same. But new editions often attract those who have never had the title previously, so maybe that's what they were going for. It's hard to say. Glad you have a couple of these in your library! Thanks!
I wondered when measurements became standardized. That is fascinating that it’s only as recently as the late 19th century. Thank you again for a very interesting episode, and I will keep my eyes peeled for a copy of this cookbook!
I greatly appreciate all your videos and all the detailed information you share❣ Awesome to hear the Fannie Farmer story. I remember buying candy from the Fannie Farmer store in the Woodland Mall in Grand Rapids during the 1970's. Thank you❣
In 2004 Alpine confection purchased Archibald out of receivership, merged Fanny Farmer into Fannie May, moved the production to its own, Green, Ohio- based Harry London Candies. I found Fannie May candies on Amazon and Walgreens.
Thanks for all the information, meredithlynn. I hadn't seen Fanny Farmer candy in many years, so I thought they may have just gone out of business, but I didn't realize it was all part of a lot of mergers, etc. That's the corporate world! Thanks!
Kevin, I am really enjoying your reviews of the cookbooks in your collection. Do you have any editions of The Modern Encyclopedia of Cooking? Some of the handwritten recipes passed down from my mother say that they were taken from The Modern Encyclopedia of Cooking, but she doesn’t seem to have owned the book itself.
Hi aero - I think I might have The Modern Encyclopedia of Cooking in the library. I'll have to check. Sounds like your mom found some good recipes in that book! Thanks!
I ADORE YOU!!!! Were you once a teacher? Oh, that everyone could be such a great communicator! I wish i could spend a week in you cavalcade museum. You fascinate me! Lisa in San Diego
Thank you so much, Lisa! Could you tell I'm used to being in a classroom? I've worked in higher education for more than 30 years. Appreciate you watching!
I have a cookbook put out by Ford Motor Company copyright 1954. It is titled The Second Ford Treasury of Favorite Recipes from Famous Eating Places. These recipes come from the magazine they use to send to their employees that had some Ford news, stories, recipes, etc. My Dad worked at Ford's for 35 years and we always looked forward to that little magazine coming to the house. This hard covered book they came out with has good recipes, terrific drawings, depicting the 1950's is a real collectors item. Do you have any of them? Seems there were more of these. In fact the first book was titled Ford Treasury of Favorite Recipes from Famous Taverns, which I don't have.
Hi Sunshine - I have a Ford cookbook which contains recipes from restaurants across the United States. I'm not sure what edition it is, I'll have to look. I remember that magazine, I think it was called "Ford Times." Many in my family worked for Ford, too. Thanks!
I do have the large white copy of Fannie Farmers cookbooks, I believe you said it was the 1990 copyright by Marian Cunningham. Like the book very much. There is a Illustrated Good Housekeeping cookbook that I purchased in the 80's I believe that is a WONDERFUL cookbook, a color picture for every recipe and step by step instructions with drawings of every step. It is a hard cover beautiful cookbook that I use all the time. The only recipe cooking collection that I use more is my personal collection of Polish recipes. I have my Mom's recipes, and recipes from old town Hamtramack before it changed, my Grandmothers old recipes and a new woman in Poland that is on youtube, Polish Your Kitchen, she's marvelous. You must watch her, she's the REAL thing!!!
hey kevin just went to my book case and got my thick ppr back fannie farmer cook book i think mine is a 1995 edition..mine has the intro from james beard... its got 1,800 reciepes .when my mom died my oldest sister got pretty much all her reciepes. me being the very youngest of 4... never was into cooking i was into the outdoors /horses. i and my other sister are the only ones left in the family.. i have no idea if mom had a fannie cook book or not...or whats actually happened to moms collection .thank you and keep this up . i love the history!!!!
@@cavalcadeoffood im currently asking around the family to see who has mom cook books and if she did have a fannie farmers.. being the youngest i have no idea what she even had for reciepes .. thank you kevin im excited ;];];]
I love these cookbook reviews but you need to do it on Antoinette Pope cook school in Chicago her books are wonderful and they really educational and they ran for many many years
@cavalcadeoffood This was the school my father sent my mother to in Chicago. When they got married and he found out she didn't know how to cook and she became the best cook ever. She would do extravagant meals and cakes and all kinds of things. This was her cookbook Bible and the family has always used it. It's really a great book and she's very descriptive. Easy to follow and you could make anything if you didn't know how to cook with her books.
Fanny Farmer was started in Rochester, New York, by Canadian politician and businessman Frank O'Connor in 1919, and grew to over 400 stores before being bought and consolidated. The company was called Fanny Farmer to capitalize on and exploit the name of Fannie Farmer who had died four years earlier and had nothing to do with the company or it's recipes.
Fanny Farmer Candy was created in 1919, four years after Fannie M Farmer's death, and given the name to cash in on her fame. The candy company used the name Fanny instead of Fannie to avoid any confusion. Fanny Farmer had no connection whatsoever to the legendary cooking instructor and cook book writer. Any chance that you'll be doing more cooking episodes in the new year? It seems like it's getting to be more and more difficult finding someone to run the camera for... everyone is busy these days! Best to everyone in 2024!! Take care!
Hi Greg! Thanks for the background on the Fanny Farmer Candy! I had a feeling it didn't have anything to do with the cookbook author, but rather it was a marketing idea to sell candy. Kind of like Duncan Hines cake mixes. Hope 2024 is filled with good health and joy!!
Have you ever considered a Glen and Friend rip-off, making obscure old cookbook recipes at the Cavalcade? All those cookbooks behind you shouldn't go to waste.
Hi Cyril - Glenn And Friends does a wonderful job with making old cookbook recipes. Another great channel is called "Cooking the Books" - the cookbooks I have are often the inspiration for the cooking videos that I do, and I use them a lot for researching foods of certain eras. Thanks!
The reason that nutritional values are given throughout the book is that it--and Fanny, and the Boston Cooking School and its teachers--were part of the nineteenth-century Scientific Cooking Movement. This attempted to put cooking on a "rational," "scientific" basis, ergo the measurement standardization, nutritional info, etc. This movement had its downside, see all the home ec courses that followed, and recipes that often put ideas about what was "right" to serve ahead of flavor, sensual gratification, the pleasures of good eating. Fanny, "the Mother of Level Measurement," seems to have squeaked by in that department.
Thanks for this, Arthur. Nutrition was a big deal at the time, and that often came before taste and appearance of the food. Even today, everyone wants to eat healthy, but if doesn't taste good, it's hard to sell. Thanks!
Hi Peaches! Oh no! I hope you are alright and sending best wishes for a good recovery! No worries on the cookbooks - get better and back on your feet soon! Take good care!!
The interesting history of Fannie Farmer is that she left the Boston Cooking School in 1902 when it joined with Simmons College. She started her own cooking school called Miss Farmer's School of Cookery (also in Boston). This school was open until 1940. Fannie had retained the copyright for her Boston Cooking School Cookbook, which explains why the name stayed the same even after she had left the school. The title of the cookbook was changed in 1965 in the hopes that it would not be considered a "regional" cookbook and would appeal to all across the nation. It worked! The original Boston Cooking School's address was 158 1/2 Tremont St. in Boston.
Hi ebednarcyk - thanks for sharing this good information about Fannie Farmer and the school!
My grandmother graduated from the Boston Cooking School, and took at least some of her instruction from Fannie Farmer herself. Grandma went on to be the chef at a convent for approximately 45 years. When Grandma died in the 1950's, I was only 3, but I found out that 23 nuns from that, and neighboring convents, acted as a sort of honor guard at her rosary. A rare action indeed, that nuns would give such an honor to one of the laity.
That was a great tribute to your grandmother, indeed! How wonderful that she actually got some instruction from Fannie Farmer - amazing! Thanks for sharing that story!
Thank you for doing Fannie Farmer cookbooks. When my daughter was in third grade she did a report on Fannie Farmer for Women's History Month. She learned how Ms. Farmer standardized measurements and that she had red hair (illustrations were required). I am looking forward to more cookbooks, especially The American Women's Cookbook.
Hi Martha! Thanks for letting me know that Fannie Farmer was a redhead! I had no idea!
Love old cookbooks but one of my favorites is the old church cookbooks churches gathered recipe and published them in cookbooks it was used to raise money for the church I love them it's always the best of the best
Love the old church books! I have quite a few all local churches and local people some you knew 😊 very good every day recipes its always fun to find one at a yard sale from another state! 😀
Hi Pam! I agree with you about old church cookbooks! They have some of the best recipes and often they are old family recipes. Thanks!
You made me homesick for the old days. I was born in 52, my mother cooked all meals from scratch and so did I when I married in 72. I took home economics in junior high school and high school. Those teachers gave me a skill that's not offered these days and one that made my life better. I collected cookbooks because that's how one learned to cook. I have one Fanny Farmer cookbooks, a paperback. My favorites are still the Betty Crocker cookbooks because I'm modern woman and it helps when there are pictures, lol. I still love looking at recipes in the cookbooks. I'm enjoying the series, thank you.
I did too we even learned about canning and freezing foods because we lived in a rural farm area
Yes, I went to junior high (why did they start caling it middle school?) In 1967-1969. Home economics was my favorite class. These days women brag " oh, i don't cook"..... well, I guess that serves as warning to men to move on and find a woman who will prepare lovely meals for the next 50 years. I married my high-school sweetheart when we were both 19 & I've been a stay at home wife for 49 years and I prepare all our meals at home. Happy hubby... happy life.
Not to many of us housewives left these days. I feel sorry for those who don't cook or bake it really is an art form these days.@@Lisasandiego1
Hi Lynn - glad you are enjoying the series. Home economics classes were useful for so many people. I learned most of my cooking from my mom, but I took home-ec in school and learned so much. I also took shop classes and learned how to make things out of wood and change the oil and spark plugs in my car. Grateful to have had those experiences!
I learned to cook with my mom and Fannie farmer. Fannie was the only cookbook we had.
It's a great book to give any beginning cook - so helpful!
It's amazing that it took so long for them to standardize measurements. Same thing with interchangeable parts during the industrial revolution. Thousands of years of millions of people making things the hard way and just recently they progressed with this.
Hi Mike - it is pretty amazing when you think about it! It certainly changed recipe writing in a big way. Thanks!
My mother had a series of books on diet, nutrition and cooking written by Adelle Davis. The books were Let's Eat Right to Keep Fit, Let's Cook it Right and Let's Have Healthy Children. I believe these books were written in the early 1950's. I first read Let's Eat Right to Keep Fit in the 1980's and find it still relevant today.
Cheers from Coastal South Carolina
Hi TT - I think I have one of those Adelle Davis books in the library. I'll have to take another look at it. It struck me that it was written for a home economics class. Thanks!
Making standards for measurements was important to everyone, both home cooks and chefs. I had studied shorthand and used for years as a legal assistant. Even used carbon paper. We were so happy when the boss got a Xerox machine, lol.
Hi Donna! I always thought people who could read and write shorthand had a secret weapon in being able to write so quickly! I'll bet that Xerox machine was a welcome sight! Thanks!
I'm old enough to remember Fannie Farmer boxed chocolates. That's as far back as I go and NO FARTHER!
LOL! I'm afraid I clearly remember those boxes of chocolates!
Hi, Kevin! I enjoyed that very much! I never owned a Fannie Farmer cookbook and now I want to find a really old one. Thanks for sharing your collection with us. Happy New Year to you, too!
Hi Nancy - you should be able to find a copy. I often see them and I know they were popular, so there's still many around. Thanks!
Thank you. 👍👍👍👍📖📖📖📖❤❤❤
You're welcome, Tamson!
I have several cookbooks by Fannie, many very old editions. I collect her books.
If I see a recipe I will compare to what she says, I always go with Fannie Farmer. Tried and true. We have given a copy to daughter in laws and sons, no other needed.
The recipes of Fannie Farmer's were well tested. Thanks!
Thank you, Kevin. I have new respect for my 1980 edition of the Fannie Farmer cookbook. I learned a lot from your presentation today.
You're welcome, Jane! Thanks for watching!
So interesting. My Mother-in-law used to make a nice dessert from the Fannie Farmer Cookbook--a sort of pudding cake. Really appreciate learning about the cookbooks.
Glad you enjoyed the video! That pudding cake sounds great!
The Marion Cunningham version of Fannie Farmer cookbook (and the baking book) changed my cooking life and opened my eyes to understand how ingredients work. this made me much more adventerous to make my own recipes. love the episode! that shorthand is FABULOUS!
Thanks, Christina! Sounds like you got a lot of this cookbook!
The one by Wilma lord Perkins was also excellent
Hi Kevin! I am an avid vintage cookbook collector and am thoroughly enjoying your cookbook series!! I have been watching your channel for a bit now and really appreciate all the time and effort you put into creating your show andbthe time you take to always reply to comments!! I would love a "lesson" on The Settlement Cook Book line from a great teacher such as yourself!!!
Hi Suzanne! Nice to meet another cookbook collector! It's one of the best hobbies I can think of! I'll take a look - I have a couple editions of the Settlement Cook Book. Thanks!
I never noticed the spelling difference between Fannie Meritt Farmer and Fanny Farmer the candy company. I just looked it up and turns out the candy company did in fact adopt the name just to capitalize on the real Ms. Farmer's name.
Hi Marc - I thought that the candy company might have just been using the name as a marketing tool to sell their chocolates. Sort of like what a milling company did with the Duncan Hines name. Thanks!
All you do receipts vintage treasures excellent
Thank you , Trudy!
I will be on the lookout for a Fannie Farmer cookbook. Perhaps my cooking will improve, too. I am sure it must be interesting to read through these recipes and enjoy cooking through different time periods. What a great way to learn and enjoy foods. Thank you.
You're welcome, NANSC8! Hope you find a copy of the cookbook!
I grew up using The Fannie Farmer Cookbook. My mom found one at a yard sale when newly married. She used the cookbook to get me to work hader on math. She'd make me double or halve or even make 2/3 a batch of cookies or brownies. I found a hardback copy of the one I used when I was a kid and boy did I snatch it up.
What a great way to sharpen your math skills! I learned fractions in the kitchen, too! Sounds like you mom's Fannie Farmer cookbook got a lot of good use. Thanks!
Fascinating journey through cookbook publishing history. Was familiar with the Fannie Farmer name, but nothing about her & the history of her cookbooks. Really enjoyed the vid. Looking forward to next episode.
Thanks, Sallie! Fannie Farmer was an important player in recipe development. Glad you enjoyed the episode!
I have a 1997 print edition which is a facsimile of the original 1896 edition. Found it in the discount book section of Walmart almost twenty years ago. It's a straight reprint of the original, so no mention of new recipes or adaptations. I love this book!
There's even a section on how to build a fire ❤️
Hi Veronica - great that you have a copy of the original edition! You never know when you'll need to build a fire to cook!
I enjoy your channel. Information is very fascinating.
Thanks so much, Toni!
I spy with my little eye...the Mennonite Community Cookbook, just to the upper right of your head (viewers aspect). This is an excellent volume by Dr. Showalter and I like that the recipes are contributor based and re-tested in a university lab. American Woman is my main guide and this is a close second. Thanks for these videos.
You're welcome, mrruggles! The Mennonite Community Cookbook is a wonderful collection of recipes. Glad you spotted it! Thanks!
Great storytelling here Kevin! Makes me wanna search for that 1941 or 1965 editions. Thanks for sharing.
You're welcome, Jake! I'm sure both of those editions are fairly easy to find. Thanks!
Yum, Fanny Farmer candy! Frosted French mint and their chocolate covered raisins, I ate my fair share. I believe there are no Fanny Farmer stores anymore. There used to be an outlet that I would buy from prior to every holiday here in the Twin Cities ities.
I've been told they were bought out by another company. I remember the stores in the mall - they always seemed so fancy to me as a kid! Thanks!
I have two of the Fannie Farmer cookbook that were revised by Mirian Cunningham. The 12th edition from 1979 and also the 13th edition which is mostly the same book just with warnings about salmonella for the raw egg recipes. The 12th edition is very neat because it give you weight measurements in grams in addition to the cup measurements. But for certain ingredients like brown sugar they give you deciliters instead of a weight measurement.
Hi Robert - thanks for letting us know the difference between the 12th and 13th editions!
Thank you Kevin for sharing and educating us, very interesting history . I always wondered how
cooking measurements were standardized. Loved hearing about the actual woman, Fannie Farmer since Betty Cooker was created as a fictional icon.
Your mention of boxes of Fannie Farmer chocolates was a blast from the past! My Dad had his own small residential construction company and at the holidays some of his contractors that he worked with like plumbers and electricians and masons would give my father big 2 and 3 pound boxes of fancy Fannie Farmer chocolates as thank you gifts for hiring them. This went over fabulously in our family of 5 kids in the 1960’s! Thanks for reawakening that sweet memory 👍💕
Hi Diana! Great story about your dad getting these big boxes of Fannie Farmer candy for the holidays! I'll bet it was a big hit with the family! As I recall, that was excellent candy. Thanks!
Fannie Farmer Candies no longer exists. In 1992 Fannie Farmer was acquired by the parent company of Fannie May candies but that company went through a couple bankruptcies and ultimately was bought out of receivership by another company in 2004 that merged the two brands together as Fannie May. It is now owned by Italian company Ferrero SpA.
Thanks for the information, tallboyyyy! I hadn't seen Fanny Farmer candy in many years, but I did see a box of Fannie May candy not too long ago. I didn't know the two brands were connected in any way. Thanks!
I remember the Fanny Farmer stores!!
Hi Sherry! Me too! Seemed like they were kind of all white and they looked fancy! Thanks!
I have a 1959 edition of Fannie, which I found about 2 years ago at a thrift store for $2. (BTW, it's in excellent condition.) When I bought it I was excited, thinking that it would be chocked full of new and exciting recipes. I was kind of surprised and disappointed. The editor of the 1959 edition was Wilma Lord Perkins, who was married to Fannie Farmer's nephew. (By marriage Wilma was really Fannie' Farmer's niece. She took over and edited the cookbook for about 45 years after Fannie died. Wilma died in 1976.) What surprised me about the 1959 edition is how little Marion Cunningham did to change or update the cookbook when she took over in the 1980s. (I have a couple of copies of the 1980s Fannie.) It was obvious to me that Marion Cunningham retained and recycled tons and tons of Wilma Lord Perkins' recipes to the point that it's a shame Wilma's name wasn't on the dust jacket along with her name. Wilma deserved equal billing. It was like Marion Cunningham was palming off Wilma Lord Perkin's work as her own.
Besides that 1959 and 1980's rip-off of Wilma Lord Perkins' work by Marion Cunningham, I have a reproduction copy of the original 1890's Fannie Farmer. It's a shame that no publisher has taken up the cause of updating Fannie for the 2000s.
Hi Russ - Funny how Marion Cunningham didn't change much of the book in the later editions. Sometimes people don't want to mess with success, and so they are cautious about including too much change. This prevents people who have a previous edition from buying a new one, as it's practically the same. But new editions often attract those who have never had the title previously, so maybe that's what they were going for. It's hard to say. Glad you have a couple of these in your library! Thanks!
I wondered when measurements became standardized. That is fascinating that it’s only as recently as the late 19th century. Thank you again for a very interesting episode, and I will keep my eyes peeled for a copy of this cookbook!
Hi John - I see these cookbooks frequently! Hope you find one and add it to your library!
I greatly appreciate all your videos and all the detailed information you share❣ Awesome to hear the Fannie Farmer story. I remember buying candy from the Fannie Farmer store in the Woodland Mall in Grand Rapids during the 1970's. Thank you❣
Hi Vicki! You're welcome! I also remember the candy stores in malls in the Detroit area growing up. Thanks!
In 2004 Alpine confection purchased Archibald out of receivership, merged Fanny Farmer into Fannie May, moved the production to its own, Green, Ohio- based Harry London Candies. I found Fannie May candies on Amazon and Walgreens.
Thanks for all the information, meredithlynn. I hadn't seen Fanny Farmer candy in many years, so I thought they may have just gone out of business, but I didn't realize it was all part of a lot of mergers, etc. That's the corporate world! Thanks!
Kevin, I am really enjoying your reviews of the cookbooks in your collection. Do you have any editions of The Modern Encyclopedia of Cooking? Some of the handwritten recipes passed down from my mother say that they were taken from The Modern Encyclopedia of Cooking, but she doesn’t seem to have owned the book itself.
Hi aero - I think I might have The Modern Encyclopedia of Cooking in the library. I'll have to check. Sounds like your mom found some good recipes in that book! Thanks!
I ADORE YOU!!!! Were you once a teacher? Oh, that everyone could be such a great communicator! I wish i could spend a week in you cavalcade museum. You fascinate me! Lisa in San Diego
Thank you so much, Lisa! Could you tell I'm used to being in a classroom? I've worked in higher education for more than 30 years. Appreciate you watching!
Good show 👍
Thanks, Charles!
Enjoy watching your videos, I actually came across a McCalls cookbook would enjoy seeing if there is a history on that series. Thank you so much...
Thanks so much! I'll have to see what I have in the library from McCall's!
I have a cookbook put out by Ford Motor Company copyright 1954. It is titled The Second Ford Treasury of Favorite Recipes from Famous Eating Places. These recipes come from the magazine they use to send to their employees that had some Ford news, stories, recipes, etc. My Dad worked at Ford's for 35 years and we always looked forward to that little magazine coming to the house. This hard covered book they came out with has good recipes, terrific drawings, depicting the 1950's is a real collectors item. Do you have any of them? Seems there were more of these. In fact the first book was titled Ford Treasury of Favorite Recipes from Famous Taverns, which I don't have.
Hi Sunshine - I have a Ford cookbook which contains recipes from restaurants across the United States. I'm not sure what edition it is, I'll have to look. I remember that magazine, I think it was called "Ford Times." Many in my family worked for Ford, too. Thanks!
Value soo much all you do😊 is
Thank you! Appreciate you watching!
I do have the large white copy of Fannie Farmers cookbooks, I believe you said it was the 1990 copyright by Marian Cunningham. Like the book very much. There is a Illustrated Good Housekeeping cookbook that I purchased in the 80's I believe that is a WONDERFUL cookbook, a color picture for every recipe and step by step instructions with drawings of every step. It is a hard cover beautiful cookbook that I use all the time. The only recipe cooking collection that I use more is my personal collection of Polish recipes. I have my Mom's recipes, and recipes from old town Hamtramack before it changed, my Grandmothers old recipes and a new woman in Poland that is on youtube, Polish Your Kitchen, she's marvelous. You must watch her, she's the REAL thing!!!
Hi Sunshine! Glad you have your mom's recipes! I have watched Polish Your Kitchen many times and enjoy what she makes and the way she cooks. Thanks!
hey kevin just went to my book case and got my thick ppr back fannie farmer cook book i think mine is a 1995 edition..mine has the intro from james beard... its got 1,800 reciepes .when my mom died my oldest sister got pretty much all her reciepes. me being the very youngest of 4... never was into cooking i was into the outdoors /horses. i and my other sister are the only ones left in the family.. i have no idea if mom had a fannie cook book or not...or whats actually happened to moms collection .thank you and keep this up . i love the history!!!!
Hi Patty! Glad you have a copy of the Fannie Farmer Cookbook! Glad you are enjoying the cookbook series!
@@cavalcadeoffood im currently asking around the family to see who has mom cook books and if she did have a fannie farmers.. being the youngest i have no idea what she even had for reciepes .. thank you kevin im excited ;];];]
I love these cookbook reviews but you need to do it on Antoinette Pope cook school in Chicago her books are wonderful and they really educational and they ran for many many years
Hi SWOTR - I'm sure I have an Antoinette Pope cook book or two in the library. I'll look. Thanks!
@cavalcadeoffood This was the school my father sent my mother to in Chicago. When they got married and he found out she didn't know how to cook and she became the best cook ever. She would do extravagant meals and cakes and all kinds of things. This was her cookbook Bible and the family has always used it. It's really a great book and she's very descriptive. Easy to follow and you could make anything if you didn't know how to cook with her books.
I really enjoyed this I have to go find my dad’s cookbooks i believe he had a Fannie Farmer cookbook. What about James Beard cookbooks
Hi Connie! Glad you enjoyed the video! Yes, I have a few of the James Beard cookbooks. Thanks!
Fanny Farmer was started in Rochester, New York, by Canadian politician and businessman Frank O'Connor in 1919, and grew to over 400 stores before being bought and consolidated. The company was called Fanny Farmer to capitalize on and exploit the name of Fannie Farmer who had died four years earlier and had nothing to do with the company or it's recipes.
Thanks for the background on the candy company, James!
Fanny Farmer Candy was created in 1919, four years after Fannie M Farmer's death, and given the name to cash in on her fame.
The candy company used the name Fanny instead of Fannie to avoid any confusion. Fanny Farmer had no connection whatsoever to the legendary cooking instructor and cook book writer.
Any chance that you'll be doing more cooking episodes in the new year? It seems like it's getting to be more and more difficult finding someone to run the camera for... everyone is busy these days!
Best to everyone in 2024!!
Take care!
Hi Greg! Thanks for the background on the Fanny Farmer Candy! I had a feeling it didn't have anything to do with the cookbook author, but rather it was a marketing idea to sell candy. Kind of like Duncan Hines cake mixes. Hope 2024 is filled with good health and joy!!
They still make Fanny May candy I got s snack bag of chocolate peppermint pretzel for Christmas
Thanks for letting me know, Jenny!
Have you ever considered a Glen and Friend rip-off, making obscure old cookbook recipes at the Cavalcade? All those cookbooks behind you shouldn't go to waste.
Hi Cyril - Glenn And Friends does a wonderful job with making old cookbook recipes. Another great channel is called "Cooking the Books" - the cookbooks I have are often the inspiration for the cooking videos that I do, and I use them a lot for researching foods of certain eras. Thanks!
The reason that nutritional values are given throughout the book is that it--and Fanny, and the Boston Cooking School and its teachers--were part of the nineteenth-century Scientific Cooking Movement. This attempted to put cooking on a "rational," "scientific" basis, ergo the measurement standardization, nutritional info, etc.
This movement had its downside, see all the home ec courses that followed, and recipes that often put ideas about what was "right" to serve ahead of flavor, sensual gratification, the pleasures of good eating. Fanny, "the Mother of Level Measurement," seems to have squeaked by in that department.
Thanks for this, Arthur. Nutrition was a big deal at the time, and that often came before taste and appearance of the food. Even today, everyone wants to eat healthy, but if doesn't taste good, it's hard to sell. Thanks!
I took shorthand years ago, but hardly used it after school. I'm not sure I could even read it now. 😀
I remember it being offered as a course in high school. Now you never hear shorthand mentioned. Thanks!
Hey Kev! Im the person sending you my 2 copies of Joy. I broke my🦵 and dont know when Ill get them to you. Sit tight they'll be there sometime.😮
Hi Peaches! Oh no! I hope you are alright and sending best wishes for a good recovery! No worries on the cookbooks - get better and back on your feet soon! Take good care!!
@@cavalcadeoffood You're the best! Thanks Kevin 🙂