Recommended Utensils, 1884

My mother picked up a 5 volume boxed set of little cookbooks of recipes from Early America through the young Republic and Ante Bellum through Victorian America and the Westward Expansion. In the Victorian cookbook, there's a "Facsimile of a list of minimum utensils recommended for every kitchen of the 1880's. From Miss Parloa's New Cook Book (1884)."

Utensils

The following is a list of utensils with which a kitchen should be furnished. But the housekeeper will find that there is continually something to be bought. If there be much fancy cooking, there must be an ice cream freezer, jelly and charlotte russe moulds and many little pans and cutters. The right way is, of course, to get the essential articles first, and then, from time to time, to add those used in fancy cooking:

Two cast iron pots, size depending upon range or stove (they come with the stove).

One griddle

One porcelain-lined preserving kettle

One fish kettle

Three porcelain-lined stew-pans, holding from one to six quarts

One No. 4 deep Scotch frying kettle

One waffle iron

Three french polished frying-pans, Nos. 1, 3 and 6

Four stamped tin or granite ware stew-pans, holding from one pint to four quarts

One double boiler, holding three quarts

One Dover egg beater

One common wire beater

One meat rack

One dish pan

Two bread pans, holding six and eight quarts respectively

Two milk pans

Two Russian iron baking pans, two sizes

Four tin shallow baking pans

One smaller dredger for salt

One, still smaller for pepper

One boning knife

One french cook's knife

One butcher's knife

One large fork

Two case knives and forks

Two vegetable knives

Four large mixing spoons

Two table spoons

Six teaspoons

One larding needle

One trussing needle

One set of steel skewers

One wire dish cloth

One whip churn

One biscuit cutter

One hand basin

One jagging iron

Three double broilers one each for toast, fish and meat

One long handled dipper

One large grater

One apple corer

One flour scoop

One sugar scoop

One lemon squeezer

Chopping tray and knife

Small wooden bowl to use in chopping

Four deep pans for loaves

Two quart measures

One deep, round pan of granite ware, with cover for braising

One deep Russian iron french roll pan

Two stamped tin muffin pans

One teapot

One coffee pot

One coffee biggin

One chocolate pot

One colander

One squash strainer

One gravy strainer

One strainer that will fit on to one of the cast iron pots

One frying basket

One melon mould

Two brown bread tins

One round pudding mould

Two vegetable cutters

One tea canister

One coffee canister

One cake box

One spice box

One dredger for flour

One for powdered sugar

Moulding board for good hard wood

Board for cutting bread on

One for cutting cold meats on

Thick board or block one which to break bones, open lobsters, etc

A rolling pin

Wooden buckets for sugar, Graham, Indian and rye meal

Wooden boxes for rice, tapioca, crackers, barley, soda, cream of tartar, etc

Covers for flour barrels

Wire flour sieve - not too large

A pail for cleaning purposes

One vegetable masher

Stone pot for bread, holding ten quarts

One for butter, holding six quarts

One for pork, holding three quarts

One dust pan and brush

One scrubbing brush

One broom

One blacking brush

Four yellow earthen bowls, holding from six quarts down

Four white, smooth-bottomed bowls, holding one quart each

Six cups, holding half a pint each

One bean pot

One earthen pudding dish