William Kitchiner

William Kitchiner M.D. (1775–1827) was an English optician, inventor of telescopes, amateur musician and exceptional cook. His name was a household word during the 19th century, and his 1822 cookbook, The Cook's Oracle, was a bestseller in England and the United States. In the United Kingdom, the origin of the potato chip is attributed to Kitchiner, with The Cook's Oracle including the earliest known recipe.

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. He was also the creator of Wow-Wow sauce.

The Cook's Oracle

The full title of The Cook's Oracle was Apicius Redivivus, or the Cook's Oracle. It is also listed as The Cook's Oracle: Containing receipts for plain cookery on the most economical plan for private families, etc. It includes eleven ketchup recipes, including two each for mushroom, walnut and tomato ketchups, and one each for cucumber, oyster, cockle and mussel ketchups.