“Cookery is an art appreciated by only a very few individuals, an art which requires, in addition to a most diligent and studious application, no small share of intellect, and the strictest sobriety and punctuality; without the latter, the very best Cook is unavoidably deficient in the delicacies of his profession: there are cooks, and cooks, as there are painters, and painters: the difficulty lies in finding the perfect one; nor does the Author fear the charge of extravagance when affirming that, to an individual of a ranking in the higher circles, the acquisition of a good cook ought to be a subject of as much satisfaction as the possession of any other means by which gratification is conveyed to the tasteful or luxurious.”