The Fannie Farmer Cookbook, The All-American Cookbook Classic by Marion Cunningham

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Notes about this book

  • Recluse on January 27, 2011

    A great collection of reliable recipes that are completely attainable for almost any home cook. If I'm making a dish for the first time, I see if it's in this book first.

  • curtisca on October 15, 2010

    The Vegetarian Baked Beans are nothing like baked beans, but it's a delicious casserole that is a great crowd-pleaser!

Notes about Recipes in this book

  • Deviled crabs

    • louie734 on January 11, 2015

      Bastardized this for a twist on crab dip. Spiced up the cream sauce with extra mustard powder and tipped in a bunch of Old Bay, too. Added 2 T neufchâtel cheese to the cream sauce before adding the "crab" (used up a package of imitation crab). Baked in a small stoneware dish topped with plain old store-bought, unbuttered breadcrumbs. This was actually pretty nice with some crackers and breads. Felt decadent, and the celery flavor where onion usually would be was unusual and tasty. Would've loved to have served pickled celery with it.

  • Apple oat bran muffins

    • louie734 on November 09, 2014

      Was pretty skeptical about whether this would work out after mixing it up - it seemed incredibly wet. In fact, the muffins were finished on time and are tasty. There is no flour, only oat bran. Used a heaping 1/2 t of Penzey's baking spice blend instead of the 1 t cinnamon, which seemed like overkill. The 1 cup grated or fine chopped apple was like 2 apples - I used half grated, half chopped which gave it texture. These didn't rise much, and aren't particularly pretty, with a puddinglike texture to the bottom that is not unpleasant. A good healthy muffin. Would be good with some raisins or dates.

  • Boston cupcakes

    • wester on September 03, 2010

      Lovely cupcakes, and the mace flavour is quite clear without being overwhelming. They needed 20 minutes in the oven.

  • Almond tea cakes

    • wester on May 19, 2010

      Lovely moist subtle cakes. Not difficult to make either - I even blanched my own almonds using this cookbook. They are very sensitive to slight differences in oven temperature - I had to turn my muffin tin as soon as they had firmed up a little, because at that point the left cakes were already browing nicely and the right ones were still quite moist. And my oven is not that uneven. They break quite easily as well. Maybe they needed a minute more, because the browner ones held together better.

  • Molasses cookies

    • wester on September 03, 2010

      I made the spiced version. The cookies are nicely crispy/chewy but it is very difficult to see whether they are done yet as they have a very dark color already. They spread a lot as well.

  • Peanut butter cookies

    • wester on March 08, 2010

      Very nice cookies, good peanut flavor. Mine needed a bit longer than the recipe stated. I might put a bit more salt in next time, to deepen the flavor.

  • Baked rhubarb

    • wester on September 03, 2010

      Easy and just that bit tastier than stewing. The amount given could have been larger. We can easily down twice that.

  • Chickpea salad

    • wester on December 31, 2009

      I don't have a clue why the radishes are in here. For the rest, nice but unremarkable.

  • Avocado with chicken stuffing

    • wester on September 25, 2018

      Cool, creamy and definitely retro. Just this side of bland - I think if I hadn't roasted the almonds (in the recipe just blanched) it would have crossed the line. Using the celery leaves instead of lettuce helps as well. And I think next time I want to add a bit of mustard, too.

  • Chicken salad

    • wester on February 13, 2011

      Simple & nice. I liked the suggestion of adding some almonds as well, but I used a lot less than she suggests.

  • Popovers

    • sgump on March 09, 2013

      Couldn't be simpler--and I love the cold oven approach. Substituted 1/3 of the flour with cornmeal, added about a tablespoon of granulated sugar, and used olive oil instead of melted butter. Made 12 nice-sized popovers in a muffin tin. They disappeared quickly!

  • Apple cobbler

    • PennyG on November 27, 2020

      We had a small Thanksgiving this year. It was nice with a smaller menu than usual. I decided to make this apple cobbler, rather than mess with a pie crust. Really easy to throw together. The “cobbler” portion was cakey rather than crusty, but it was really nice with some vanilla ice cream.

  • Grilled zucchini, eggplant, and peppers

    • PennyG on July 24, 2017

      I had all of the ingredients this recipe called for on hand (fresh from the Farmers Market!) and used the recipe instructions loosely (cut all of the veggies into bite-sized pieces and rather than make a dressing, I just sprinkled all of the dressing ingredients onto the veggies and mixed). The flavors were wonderful! I will use this as a template for future grilled veggie dishes.

  • Gingersnaps

    • notalice on December 12, 2010

      crinkly/chewy/crisp - great classic recipe. double the ginger for an extra kick.

    • csb52058 on February 22, 2014

      This is my all-time favorite cookie recipe that I have been making since the early 1990's. It's easy and delicious!

  • Strawberry jam

    • Sara on June 07, 2011

      Easy, delicious! Good for toast, ice cream, yogurt, bagels, waffles and pancakes.

  • Old-fashioned beef stew

    • BlytheSpirit on July 12, 2014

      This is a long time favorite recipe.

  • Lazy daisy cake

    • BlytheSpirit on February 11, 2012

      This is easy and delicious.

  • Old fashioned fish chowder

    • Globegal on April 27, 2016

      Like this enough to make it whenever the fish in the refrigerator REALLY needs to be eaten. It's pretty simple to make.

  • Harvard beets

    • Globegal on July 19, 2014

      first made 7-19-14. Tasty. Thought it needed salt & pepper. Has clear and simple instructions. The book even has instructions for pressure cooking beets. On 8-12-14, tweaked it to give it just the right amount of sour for me: 1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons cider vinegar, and 2 Tablespoons of water. This tweak makes this a 5-star recipe.

  • Baked Spanish rice

    • Globegal on April 27, 2016

      Made 4-27-2016. Used brown rice and baked for 50 min rather than 30. Tastes ok. It seems a little oily. It called for 1/4 cup oil. Will try 1/8 cup next time. It's pretty simple to put together. Will try canned tomatoes next time. Froze leftovers. 5-30-16. Now reheating what I froze along with enchiladas. Don't notice it being oily ... only delicious. Like the chewiness of the brown rice.

  • Sauternes rice

    • Globegal on April 27, 2016

      This is a decent recipe. Uses ingredients generally on hand. Better the next day.

  • Colonial bread

    • bching on January 24, 2016

      THE bread for ham sandwiches. Easy and delicious.

  • Roast goose with potato stuffing

    • bching on December 24, 2020

      The goose came out of the oven looking gorgeous and festive but the stuffing was dreary glop. And it sounded like such a good idea--goose fat drizzled mash.

  • Turkish pilaf

    • Grazer on December 18, 2018

      Amazing. Add a bit of garlic. Can sub cranberries for raisins. Make sure chicken stock is flavourful. Usually serve with curried chicken.

  • Basic muffins

    • ashallen on October 26, 2020

      This basic recipe hasn't changed since my 1965 edition :). My older edition does mention the possibility of using an additional egg and up to 1/2 cup sugar, however, and omitting 2 tbsp from the 2 cups of flour if using all-purpose vs. pastry flour. It also has a variation called "orange muffins" which has disappeared from later editions that calls for mixing in 3/4 c diced candied orange peel. That's the variation I made, using homemade peel I'd packed in syrup that's very tender. I also used the extra egg, the 1/2 c sugar, and an extra 1/4 tsp salt since I thought all that orange peel might need some balancing out. I subtracted the 2 tbsp of flour. These were surprisingly good - the large amount of orange peel was really delicious. The basic cake part did its job supporting the peel and had a slightly springy (but not tough) texture. On its own, it'd be on the plain side, but it's a fine background for various add-ins or spreading with butter and jam.

  • Cranberry-raisin pie

    • ashallen on November 23, 2019

      This was good, but not fabulous. I used cream sherry instead of Grand Marnier, but the stronger orange flavor that would have come from using an orange liqueur would have been good. Using a mixture of dark and light raisins and all or some brown sugar would probably add some more complexity to the flavor. And I think I would have liked the texture of the filling better if all or some of the fruit was chopped up before putting in the crust - it might have helped it meld together more.

  • Deviled scallops

    • Shelmar on September 06, 2019

      Maybe the worst thing I've ever made. It wasn't the scallops.

  • Creamed fish

    • Shelmar on September 06, 2019

      "with mushrooms" variation. Very good mushroom soup; reduce to 4T butter, increase to 2C fish.

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Reviews about Recipes in this Book

  • Brandy snaps

    • Kitchn

      The brandy snap is a great cookie and one that isn't too hard to whip up once you get the hang of it. The crisp itself is delicious and addicting...

      Full review
  • ISBN 10 0553568817
  • ISBN 13 9780553568813
  • Published Aug 01 1994
  • Format Paperback
  • Language English
  • Countries United States
  • Publisher Alfred A. Knopf Inc.

Publishers Text

100th Anniversary Edition.

Here is the great basic American cookbook - with more than 1,990 recipes, plain and fancy - that belongs in every household.

Originally published in 1896 as The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book by Fannie Merritt Farmer, it became the cookbook that taught generations of Americans how to cook. Completely updating it for the first time since 1979, Marion Cunningham made Fannie Farmer once again a household word for a new generation of cooks.

What makes this basic cookbook so distinctive is that Marion Cunningham, who is the personification of the nineteenth-century teacher, is always at your side with her forthright tips and comments, encouraging the beginning cook and inspiring the more adventurous. She knows what today's cooks are looking for, and she has a way of instilling confidence and joy in the act of cooking.

In giving the book new life, Mrs. Cunningham has been careful always to preserve the best of the old. She has retained all the particularly good, tried-and-true recipes from preceding editions, retesting and rewriting when necessary. She has rediscovered lost treasures, including delicious recipes that were eliminated when practically no one baked bread at home. This is now the place to find the finest possible recipes for Pumpkin Soup, Boston Baked Beans, Carpetbag Steak, Roast Stuffed Turkey, Anadama Bread, Indian Pudding, Apple Pie, and all of the other traditional favorites.

The new recipes reflect ethnic influences - Mediterranean, Moroccan, Asian - that have been adding their flavors to American cooking in recent years. Tucked in among all your favorites like Old-Fashioned Beef Stew, New England Clam Chowder, Ham Timbales, and Chicken Jambalaya, you'll find her cool Cucumber Sushi, Enchiladas with Chicken and Green Sauce, or a layered dish of Polenta and Fish to add variety to your repertoire. Always a champion of old-fashioned breakfasts and delectable desserts, Mrs. Cunningham has many splendid new offerings to tempt you.

Throughout, cooking terms and procedures are explained, essential ingredients are spelled out, basic equipment is assessed. Mrs. Cunningham even tells you how to make a good cup of coffee and how to brew tea properly.

For the diet-conscious, there is an expanded nutritional chart that includes a breakdown of cholesterol and fat in common ingredients as well as in Fannie Farmer basic recipes. Where the taste of a dish would not be altered, Mrs. Cunningham has reduced the amount of cream and butter in some of the recipes from the preceding edition. She carefully evaluates the issues of food safety today and alerts us to potential hazards.

But the emphasis here is always on good flavor, fresh ingredients, and lots of variety in one's daily fare, which Marion Cunningham believes is the secret to a healthy diet. Dedicated to the home cooks of America, young and old, this thirteenth edition of the book that won the hearts of Americans more than a century ago invites us all - as did the original Fannie Farmer - to cherish the delights of the family table.

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