A handbook of invalid cooking — Text and Context

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Authors: Boland, Mary A., 1852-1942 Digital Source: Project Gutenberg Gutenberg Release Year: 2017 First Publication Year: Not confirmed

Key Word: Cooking for the sick Target Reader: Readers of public-domain and historical texts

Book Edition: Project Gutenberg digital edition Book Language: en

Edition facts

Words 86,810

Reading time 378 min

Text sections 15

A handbook of invalid cooking — Text and Context can be approached with a clearer sense of reading commitment from its source measurements: 86,810 words, 6 hr 18 min estimated reading time, and 15 detected text sections.

The text analysis averages about 17.3 words per sentence, while the detected sections provide another way to judge how the source is divided.

Project Gutenberg metadata also associates the work with “Cooking for the sick,” connecting these edition facts with the source record’s subject description.

Source: Project Gutenberg record #54568

Mary A. Boland's 1893 manual for nurses combines chemistry lessons with precise recipes, emphasizing technique over intuition. Excerpts show a voice that is clinical yet practical, with detailed instructions on potato preparation and broiling that reveal a systematic approach to invalid cooking.

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Title & short description10 pts
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Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.

Bold text is denoted by =equal signs=.

A subscript is denoted by _{x}, for example CO_{2} or C_{6}H_{10}O_{5}.

Basic fractions are displayed as ½ ⅓ ¼ etc; other fraction are shown in the form a/b, for example 1/7 or 1/3000.

Some minor changes are noted at the end of the book.

NURSES IN TRAINING-SCHOOLS NURSES IN PRIVATE PRACTICE AND OTHERS WHO CARE FOR THE SICK

CONTAINING EXPLANATORY LESSONS ON THE PROPERTIES AND VALUE OF DIFFERENT KINDS OF FOOD, AND RECIPES FOR THE MAKING OF VARIOUS DISHES

INSTRUCTOR IN COOKING IN THE JOHNS HOPKINS HOSPITAL TRAINING-SCHOOL FOR NURSES; MEMBER OF THE AMERICAN PUBLIC HEALTH ASSOCIATION

NEW YORK THE CENTURY CO. 1893

_In preparing the following pages for publication, it has been my object to present a collection of recipes and lessons on food, for the use of nurses. The idea was suggested by the need of such a book in the training-school of the Johns Hopkins Hospital. It is hoped that it will be found useful in other hospitals and schools where the teaching of the subject of food is receiving attention, and also to those who care for their own sick and invalid ones at home._

_Part I--the explanatory lessons--includes general remarks on chemistry, lessons on the properties of the different classes of foods, and special articles on Air, Water, Milk, Digestion and Nutrition. Part II consists of recipes, menus of liquid, light, and convalescent's diet, and articles on Serving, Feeding of Children, and District Nursing._

_In arranging the explanatory lessons, information has been drawn from many sources, but particularly from the works of Atwater and Parkes. It is the intention that these lessons be studied in connection with the practical work; they contain matter suggestive of that which it is necessary to understand in order that something may be known of the complex changes which take place in food in the various processes of cooking._

_The recipes have been carefully chosen and perfected, some having been changed many times before final adoption. In most of them the quantities are small,--such amounts as would be required for one person,--but by multiplying or dividing the formulæ any quantity may be made, with uniform results._

_Detailed descriptions have been given in order that those who know nothing of cooking may be able, by intelligently following the instructions, to make acceptable dishes. Repetition and similarity of arrangement will, it is hoped, serve to impress upon the mind certain points and principles._

_In some instances the recipes are original, but for the most part the ideas have been gathered from lessons and lectures on cooking, and from standard books, among them Mrs. Lincoln's "Boston Cook Book." Generally the order in which each recipe has been written is the order in which the different ingredients should be put together. The proportions have been placed first, and separately from the description of the process, for greater convenience in using._

_Valuable information for the chapter on the feeding of children was found in Uffelmann's "Hygiene of the Child."_

_I gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Drs. Simon Flexner and William D. Booker of the Johns Hopkins Hospital in reviewing, respectively, the explanatory lessons and the chapter on the feeding of children._

_Baltimore, Jan. 18, 1893._

PREPARATION OF FOOD 9

CHEMICAL AND PHYSICAL CHANGES 10

COMPOSITION OF THE BODY 16

PRINCIPAL CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS IN THE BODY 17

THE FIVE FOOD PRINCIPLES 18

BEEF-JUICE, BEEF-TEA, AND BROTHS 75

CUSTARDS, CREAMS, PUDDINGS, AND BLANC-MANGE 195

ICE-CREAM, SHERBETS, AND ICES 217

DIET LISTS OR MENUS FOR THE SICK 254

LIQUID DIET--FIVE MENUS 254

LIGHT DIET--FIVE MENUS FOR BREAKFAST, DINNER, SUPPER, AND LUNCH 256

CONVALESCENT'S DIET--EIGHT MENUS FOR SPRING, SUMMER, AUTUMN, AND WINTER 260

IMPORTANCE OF SKILL IN COOKING THE THINGS TO BE SERVED 267

GOOD SERVING A NECESSITY FOR THE SICK 268

PREPARATION OF THE INVALID'S TRAY 268, 270

IMPORTANCE OF HARMONY OF COLORS IN DISHES, LINEN, AND FLOWERS 269

CARE OF DISHES AND TRAY IN CONTAGIOUS DISEASES 271

VARIETY, INTERVALS OF FEEDING, AND QUANTITY OF FOOD TO BE GIVEN 273, 274

A PLAN FOR THE PREPARATION OF AN INVALID'S BREAKFAST 278

THE FEEDING OF CHILDREN

WAYS IN WHICH A CHILD MAY BE SUPPLIED WITH FOOD 280

ARTIFICIAL FEEDING 280

COMPARISON OF THE COMPOSITION OF COW'S AND HUMAN MILK 281

BUYING, CARE, AND STERILIZATION OF COW'S MILK 281, 284

MELLIN'S FOOD AND OTHER ATTENUANTS 283, 290, 291

PREDIGESTION 283, 284

BACTERIAL POISONS IN MILK 285, 286

APPARATUS FOR STERILIZING MILK 287

CARE OF FEEDING-BOTTLES 287

USE OF CONDENSED MILK 288

FARINACEOUS FOODS, MELLIN'S FOOD, MALTED MILK, ETC. 289, 290

AMOUNT OF FOOD FOR EACH MEAL--DILUTION OF--MANNER OF GIVING 293

TEMPERATURE OF FOOD WHEN GIVEN, AND INTERVALS OF FEEDING 294

GENERAL RULES FOR FEEDING 294

FOR THE FIRST WEEK 295

AFTER THE FIRST WEEK AND UNTIL THE SIXTH WEEK 295

FROM THE SIXTH WEEK TO THE SIXTH MONTH 296

FROM THE SIXTH TO THE TENTH MONTH 297

FROM THE TENTH TO THE TWELFTH MONTH 298

FROM THE TWELFTH TO THE EIGHTEENTH MONTH 299

AFTER EIGHTEEN MONTHS 299

FOODS TO BE CAREFULLY AVOIDED 300

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Mary A. Boland's A Handbook of Invalid Cooking (1893) opens with a preface that positions the book as a response to a specific institutional need: the training school of the Johns Hopkins Hospital. The author, an instructor in cooking at that school, writes with a dual purpose—to teach the chemical properties of food and to provide recipes that can be executed by those with no prior cooking knowledge. The excerpts reveal a voice that is methodical and precise, often breaking down processes into numbered steps or separate lists of proportions and descriptions. For instance, the recipe for Duchess Potatoes lists ingredients first, then a separate paragraph of instructions, a structure Boland uses consistently to aid the novice cook.

The Science Behind the Stove

Boland's explanatory lessons draw on the works of Atwater and Parkes, grounding her recipes in contemporary nutritional science. In the excerpt on broiling, she explains that the difference between broiled and boiled meat lies in the retention of juices: albumen coagulates in both, but broiling keeps the flavoring principles intact. This scientific rationale is not mere decoration; it directly informs her instructions. She warns that a dry heat can cause rapid evaporation or decompose flavoring principles, so the cook must maintain a proper temperature. The language is technical but accessible, using terms like "volatilize" and "solvent action" without assuming prior knowledge. Similarly, her discussion of baked versus boiled potatoes notes that baked potatoes lose none of their potash salts, a detail that reflects her concern with nutrient preservation. These asides transform the cookbook into a mini-textbook on food chemistry.

Precision in the Recipe Structure

Boland's recipes are built for reproducibility. She places proportions first, separated from the description, a deliberate choice to help the cook gather ingredients before beginning. The Duchess Potatoes recipe, for example, lists 1 pint of potatoes, 1 teaspoon of butter, ½ teaspoon of salt, 1 egg, and ¼ teaspoon of white pepper. Then she instructs: wash, pare, boil, drain, dry, mash quickly to avoid a waxy texture. The warning against slow mashing is characteristic—Boland often includes small cautions that reveal her hands-on experience. She also provides alternatives: creamed potatoes can use leftovers, and a little chopped onion may replace parsley. This flexibility, paired with exact measurements, suggests a cook who understands both the science and the practical constraints of a sickroom kitchen.

The Invalid's Palate and Presentation

Boland pays close attention to the visual appeal of food for the sick. In the creamed potatoes recipe, she advises arranging them "like a cake" in the dish, smoothing the top, dotting with butter or brushing with milk or beaten egg white, then browning to a "delicate golden color." This emphasis on appearance—even for a simple potato dish—reflects an understanding that appetite can be fragile. The same care appears in the Duchess Potatoes, which are cut into oblongs or squares, brushed with egg or milk, and baked until brown. The language is sensory: "delicate brown," "golden color," "burst the shells" for roasted potatoes. Boland also notes that baked potatoes, eaten with sweet cream, salt, and pepper, are "delicious," a rare evaluative word that underscores her aim to make invalid food appealing, not merely medicinal.

The Voice of Authority and Experience

Boland's authorial voice is that of a seasoned instructor who has tested her recipes repeatedly. She writes that some recipes were "changed many times before final adoption," and her instructions carry the weight of trial and error. In the broiling section, she states that "broiling is at once the most delicious and the most difficult" way to cook meat for the sick, then explains why: the cook must struggle with dry heat to retain juices. This blend of confidence and candor is consistent throughout the excerpts. She does not assume the reader knows basic techniques; she explains that potatoes should be scrubbed "in a stream of water from the faucet" because many like to eat the skin. Yet she also trusts the reader to follow complex sequences, such as making white sauce while simmering potatoes. The result is a manual that feels both authoritative and supportive, written by someone who has stood over a stove and taught others to do the same.

Boland's handbook is best read as a period document of professional nursing education, where cooking was taught as a scientific discipline. The recipes reward careful attention to her methodical phrasing—each warning and alternative is a clue to the challenges of cooking for the sick. Readers interested in the history of domestic science or late-nineteenth-century medical care will find in these pages a precise record of how one instructor translated chemistry into broth and potatoes.

She wrote of feeding the weak with such precise tenderness, as if broth itself could be trusted. I think of Miss Parloa's New Cook Book — Reading Companion often, its own steady hand a warmth beside that clinical care. Miss Parloa's New Cook Book — Reading Companion offers a softer kind of knowing, not opposites, just two voices in a quiet kitchen. Their kinship feels like patience shared across years.