OP: Home Candy Making

Kitchen Arts & Letters Verified independent store

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A cookbook author, culinary instructor, magazine columnist and editor, dietitian, and lecturer, Sarah Tyson Rorer (1849–1937) was instrumental in the development and dissemination of domestic science in the US. Her most well-known book, Mrs. Rorer’s New Cook Book (1902), was a massive manual, covering all aspects of cookery. But she also produced a number of small, single subject books, one of the earliest of which we offer here. Home Candy Making (1889) covers all aspects of confectionery from basic techniques to all varieties of treats, including licorice jujubes, hoarhound taffy, Rosolio bonbons, and a number of caramels, fudges, and glacés. A knowledgeable confectioner today might yet find inspiration here. We can’t, however, recommend her methodology for testing the stages of cooked sugar by dipping bare fingers into the boiling syrup. Ours is a 1911 printing—with an added supplement of about 15 pages—stained and dogeared, but entirely legible and sturdy. The blue clothbound case is also stained and fading in color, lightly frayed about the edges. Unsurprisingly, the jacket is no longer, as those issued were of thin and brittle material, thus scarce. Found laid in is an invitation for a thé dansant (tea dance) at Boston’s South End House, which we have left for the next owner to appreciate. Show more