The Frugal Gourmet's Culinary Handbook: An Updated Version of an American Classic on Food and Cooking by Jeff Smith, Craig Wollam, and Charles Fellows is the re-worked edition of the ancient classic. It appears to be an appropriate gift perhaps for the kitchen antiquarian.
Jeff Smith was as popular in the culinary world as Emeril Lagasse and Rachael Ray are now. It was in 1991 that Jeff Smith and his sous-chef Craig Wollam released the updated version of earlier book. Smith and Wollam give the book some much required context besides incorporating reminisces of the famous voracious gastronome Diamond Jim Brady. Alongside were o featured depictions of the fancy New York restaurant Delmonico's (now owned by Emeril Lagasse) as examples of what was popular on the tables of the 1900s. Much of the book contains substantial annotation from Smith and Wollam, including a good number of recipes with modern appeal fully articulated from Fellows' concise descriptions. A section explores the differences between 1904 and 1991 kitchen techniques.
This essential book for lovers of American Food History however suffers from some jarring errors. The first is the fact that much of Smith's history must be taken with a grain of salt as it may have been make-believe and would need some checking out. The other more obtrusive flaw is the layout that is rather difficult to decipher. Apart from imperfect entry texts, recipe descriptions have not been appropriately demarcated. This seriously impairs the readability of this book and subsequent editions may note of this shortcoming.
Nonetheless, Jeff Smith was an excellent writer and a culinary inspiration to millions. His work on salvaging a forgotten volume makes it a must-read for any student of antiquarian cooking and for the aficionado it is a must have as a keep sake.
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