
Many time using the utensils for a period will help when working with old recipes. I often run into recipes in Victorian cookbooks that call for measures like a coffee cup or a tea cup full. I have a beautiful old measuring pitcher that actually has those measures imprinted on its sides - it ends up that a coffee cup is our modern day 8 ounce cup and a tea cup is our modern day 1/2 cup.
Victorian cookbooks also provide detailed lists of what was recommended in the way of tools and utensils, a 1887 cookbook provides the following list. It looks like you would need a pantry the size of a barn.
"The following list will show what articles are necessary for the kitchen, and will be quite an aid to young housekeepers when about commencing to furnish the utensils needed in the kitchen department, and may prove useful to many."
3 Sweeping brooms and 1 dust-pan, 1 Whisk broom, 1 Bread box, 2 Cake boxes, 1 Large flour box, 1 Dredging box, 1 Large-sized tin pepper box, 1 Spice box containing smaller spice boxes, 2 Cake pans, two sizes, 4 Bread pans, 2 Square biscuit pans, 1 Apple corer, 1 Lemon squeezer 1 Meat cleaver, 3 Kitchen knives and forks, 1 Large kitchen fork and 4 kitchen spoons, two sizes, 1 Wooden spoon for cake making, 1 Large bread knife, 1 Griddle cake turner, also 1 griddle, 1 Potato masher 1 Meat board, 1 Dozen patty pans; and the same number of tartlet pans, 1 Large tin pail and 1 wooden pail, 2 Small tin pails, 1 Set of tin basins,1 Set of tin measures, 1 Wooden butter ladle, 1 Tin skimmer, 1 Tin steamer, 2 Dippers, two sizes, 2 Funnels, two sizes, 1 Set of jelly cake tins, 4 Pie pans, 3 Pudding molds, one for boiling, two for baking, two sizes, 2 Dish pans, two sizes, 2 Cake or biscuit cutters, two sizes, 2 Graters, one large and one small, 1 Coffee canister, 1 Tea canister, 1 Tin or granite-ware teapot, 1 Tin or granite-ware coffeepot, 4 Milk pans, 1 milk strainer. 1 Dozen iron gem pans or muffin rings, 1 Coarse gravy strainer, 1 fine strainer, 1 Colander, 1 Flour sifter, 2 Scoops, one for flour, one for sugar, 2 Jelly molds, two sizes, 1 Can opener, 1 egg beater, 1 Cork screw, 1 Chopping-knife, 2 Wooden chopping-bowls, two sizes, 1 Meat saw, 2 Large earthen bowls, 4 Stone jars, 1 Coffee mill, 1 Candlestick, 2 Market baskets, two sizes, 1 Clock, 1 Ash bucket, 1 Gridiron, 2 Frying pans or spiders, two sizes, 4 Flat-irons, 2 number 8 and 2 number 6, 2 Dripping pans, two sizes, 3 Iron kettles, porcelain lined if possible, 1 Corn beef or fish kettle, 1 Tea-kettle, 2 Granite-ware stew pans, two sizes, 1 Wire toaster, 1 Double kettle for cooking custards, grains, etc, 2 Sugar boxes, one for coarse and one for fine sugar, 1 Waffle iron.
Victorian cookbooks also provide detailed lists of what was recommended in the way of tools and utensils, a 1887 cookbook provides the following list. It looks like you would need a pantry the size of a barn.
"The following list will show what articles are necessary for the kitchen, and will be quite an aid to young housekeepers when about commencing to furnish the utensils needed in the kitchen department, and may prove useful to many."
3 Sweeping brooms and 1 dust-pan, 1 Whisk broom, 1 Bread box, 2 Cake boxes, 1 Large flour box, 1 Dredging box, 1 Large-sized tin pepper box, 1 Spice box containing smaller spice boxes, 2 Cake pans, two sizes, 4 Bread pans, 2 Square biscuit pans, 1 Apple corer, 1 Lemon squeezer 1 Meat cleaver, 3 Kitchen knives and forks, 1 Large kitchen fork and 4 kitchen spoons, two sizes, 1 Wooden spoon for cake making, 1 Large bread knife, 1 Griddle cake turner, also 1 griddle, 1 Potato masher 1 Meat board, 1 Dozen patty pans; and the same number of tartlet pans, 1 Large tin pail and 1 wooden pail, 2 Small tin pails, 1 Set of tin basins,1 Set of tin measures, 1 Wooden butter ladle, 1 Tin skimmer, 1 Tin steamer, 2 Dippers, two sizes, 2 Funnels, two sizes, 1 Set of jelly cake tins, 4 Pie pans, 3 Pudding molds, one for boiling, two for baking, two sizes, 2 Dish pans, two sizes, 2 Cake or biscuit cutters, two sizes, 2 Graters, one large and one small, 1 Coffee canister, 1 Tea canister, 1 Tin or granite-ware teapot, 1 Tin or granite-ware coffeepot, 4 Milk pans, 1 milk strainer. 1 Dozen iron gem pans or muffin rings, 1 Coarse gravy strainer, 1 fine strainer, 1 Colander, 1 Flour sifter, 2 Scoops, one for flour, one for sugar, 2 Jelly molds, two sizes, 1 Can opener, 1 egg beater, 1 Cork screw, 1 Chopping-knife, 2 Wooden chopping-bowls, two sizes, 1 Meat saw, 2 Large earthen bowls, 4 Stone jars, 1 Coffee mill, 1 Candlestick, 2 Market baskets, two sizes, 1 Clock, 1 Ash bucket, 1 Gridiron, 2 Frying pans or spiders, two sizes, 4 Flat-irons, 2 number 8 and 2 number 6, 2 Dripping pans, two sizes, 3 Iron kettles, porcelain lined if possible, 1 Corn beef or fish kettle, 1 Tea-kettle, 2 Granite-ware stew pans, two sizes, 1 Wire toaster, 1 Double kettle for cooking custards, grains, etc, 2 Sugar boxes, one for coarse and one for fine sugar, 1 Waffle iron.