E-text prepared by David Starner, Kevin Handy,
and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team
THE
VIRGINIA
HOUSEWIFE:
OR
METHODICAL COOK.
BY MRS. MARY RANDOLPH.
METHOD IS THE SOUL OF MANAGEMENT
1860
PREFACE.
The difficulties I encountered when I first entered on the duties of ahousekeeping life, from the want of books sufficiently clear and concise toimpart knowledge to a Tyro, compelled me to study the subject, and byactual experiment to reduce every thing in the culinary line, to properweights and measures. This method I found not only to diminish thenecessary attention and labour, but to be also economical: for, when theingredients employed were given in just proportions, the article made wasalways equally good. The government of a family, bears a Lilliputianresemblance to the government of a nation. The contents of the Treasurymust be known, and great care taken to keep the expenditures from beingequal to the receipts. A regular system must be introduced into eachdepartment, which may be modified until matured, and should then pass intoan inviolable law. The grand arcanum of management lies in three simplerules:--"Let every thing be done at a proper time, keep every thing in itsproper place, and put every thing to its proper use." If the mistress of afamily, will every morning examine minutely the different departments ofher household, she must detect errors in their infant state, when they canbe corrected with ease; but a few days' growth gives them giganticstrength: and disorder, with all her attendant evils, are introduced. Earlyrising is also essential to the good government of a family. A latebreakfast deranges the whole business of the day, and throws a portion ofit on the next, which opens the door for confusion to enter. The greaterpart of the following receipts have been written from memory, where theywere impressed by long continued practice. Should they prove serviceable tothe young inexperienced housekeeper, it will add greatly to thatgratification which an extensive circulation of the work will be likely toconfer.
M. RANDOLPH. Washington, January, 1831.
INTRODUCTION.
Management is an art that may be acquired by every woman of good senseand tolerable memory. If, unfortunately, she has been bred in a familywhere domestic business is the work of chance, she will have manydifficulties to encounter; but a determined resolution to obtain thisvaluable knowledge, will enable her to surmount all obstacles. She mustbegin the day with an early breakfast, requiring each person to be inreadiness to take their seats when the muffins, buckwheat cakes, &c.are placed on the table. This looks social and comfortable. When the familybreakfast by detachments, the table remains a tedious time; the servantsare kept from their morning's meal, and a complete derangement takes placein the whole business of the day. No work can be done till breakfast isfinished. The Virginia ladies, who are proverbially good managers, employthemselves, while their servants are eating, in washing the cups, glasses,&c.; arranging the cruets, the mustard, salt-sellers, pickle vases, andall the apparatus for the dinner table. This occupies but a short time, andthe lady has the satisfaction of knowing that they are in much better orderthan they would be if left to the servants. It also relieves her from thetrouble of seeing the dinner table prepared, which should be done every daywith the same scrupulous reg