Ogilvie's Book for a Cook: Historical Notes by Elizabeth Driver

Janet Arnett is the former campus manager of adult education at Ontario’s Georgian College. She is the author of Antiques and Collectibles: Starting Small, The Grange at Knock, and 673 Ways to Save Money.

This reproduction of a 1905 publication is a window into a Canadian
kitchen 100 years ago. It was a time when bread-making dominated the job
of feeding a family, oysters were plentiful, and kerosene oil was a
multi-purpose household cleaner.

Ogilvie Flour Mills of Montreal published the book to promote their
Royal Household flour. As a result, there are numerous recipes that use
flour: bread, rolls, pancakes, cakes, cookies, pies, biscuits, muffins,
dumplings, and puddings. To add to the book’s usefulness, and
therefore its retention in the kitchen, sections were included on soups,
salads, meat, side dishes, preserves, and household hints.

Although the recipes are described as tested, they would not earn that
label by today’s standards. Measurements are often missing, and
directions vague. This means the book is more suitable for browsing for
historic interest than as a recipe book, yet a surprisingly large number
of the recipes are usable by an experienced cook who can read between
the lines.