William Kitchiner, M.D. (1775-1827) was an optician, inventor of telescopes, amateur musician and exceptional cook. His name was a household word during the 19th century, and his Cook’s Oracle was a bestseller in England and America. Unlike most food writers of the time he cooked the food himself, washed up afterwards, and performed all the household tasks he wrote about. He travelled around with his portable cabinet of taste, a folding cabinet containing his mustards and sauces. He was also the creator of Wow-Wow sauce.

The Cook's Oracle

The full title of the book was Apicius Redivivus, or the Cook's Oracle. It is also listed as The Cook's Oracle: Containing receipts for plain cookery on the most economical plan for private families, etc. It includes 11 ketchup recipes, including two each for mushroom, walnut and tomato ketchups, and one each for cucumber, oyster, cockle and mussel ketchups.

Quotes

• On Onions - If Leekes you like, but do their smell dis-like, Eat Onyons, and you shall not smell the Leeke; If you of Onyons would the scent expell, Eat Garlicke, that shall drowne the Onyons' smell.

Other books

• The Invalid’s Oracle
• The Housekeeper's Ledger
• The Traveller's Oracle
• The Art of Invigorating and Prolonging Life
• Horse and Carriage Keeper's Guide
• books on singing and on choosing opera glasses.
• The Pleasures of Making a Will
• The Sea Songs of Charles Dibdin, ed.

Books about Kitchiner

• Dr. Kitchiner and the Cook's Oracle - Elspeth Davies
• Dr William Kitchiner: the Cook's Oracle: Regency Eccentric - Tom Bridge , Colin Cooper

External links

• ECCENTRICITIES OF DR. WILLIAM KITCHINER
• A VERY large portrait from the Dibner Library of the History of Science and Technology