The Virginia House-Wife

[1] The book was 225 pages long, included nearly 500 recipes,[2] and resulted from Randolph's "practical experience as keeper of a large establishment, and perhaps in the hope of further augmenting the family income.

Although her occasional explanations of uniquely southern foods suggests she anticipated an audience beyond her region, [Randolph's work] appealed to the women of the rural South who were the majority of her readers.

[5] The book included recipes for Southern classics such as okra, sweet potatoes, biscuits, fried chicken, barbecue shote (young pig), and lemonade.

Randolph specifically recommended short cooking times for asparagus and spinach; Karen Hess points out that overcooking didn't become common until canning became a popular method of preservation in the mid-nineteenth century.

[6] While it is impossible to speculate on Randolph's relationship to these women, Melissa Blank of Colonial Williamsburg sees "evidence that enslaved cooks had a significant influence on how Mary prepared food.