William Kitchiner

William Kitchiner
Portrait of Kitchiner
Born1775
England
Died1827 (aged 51–52)
London, England
Resting placeSt Clement Danes, City of Westminster, London
NationalityBritish
Known forCook's Oracle, crisp, creator of Wow-Wow sauce

William Kitchiner (1775–1827) was an English optician, amateur musician and cook.[1] A celebrity chef, he was a household name during the 19th century, and his 1817 cookbook, The Cook's Oracle, was a bestseller in the United Kingdom and the United States.[2] The origin of the crisp (also known as potato chip) is attributed to Kitchiner, with The Cook's Oracle including the earliest known recipe.[3][4]

Unlike most food writers of the time he cooked the food himself, washed up afterwards, and performed all the household tasks he wrote about. He travelled around with his portable cabinet of taste, a folding cabinet containing his mustards and sauces.[5] He was also the creator of Wow-Wow sauce.

  1. ^ Handley, Neil. "Telescopes (part 1)". www.college-optometrists.org. Retrieved 2018-08-27.
  2. ^ "Did Tayto really invent cheese and onion crisps?". The Irish News. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Telegraph was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference William Kitchiner was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Foodie, The Old. "The Magazine of Taste". Retrieved 2020-02-17.