Today kicked off the first class of 2012 at the Living History Farm near Des Moines, Iowa. The class was “Cooking on a Wood-burning Stove.” Besides learning how to build a fire in the 1871 cast iron stove, complete with working the drafts, the 5 adult students made Beef Stew, French-style Green Beans with lemon, Braided Onion Bread, and a chocolate dessert–all while working under lights of the oil lamps. Like
By 1916 Mrs. Lincoln’s Boston Cook Book was the standard culinary textbook in Oklahoma public schools. Before 1916, the textbook Austin’s Domestic Science was known to be used. Here is a pdf copy of a later edition of the Oklahoma school textbook, Austin’s Domestic Science. Note: The pdf eBook may take a minute to appear.
In another old cook book, Modern Women of America Cook Book, two modern women from 1913 Oklahoma share their “Smothered Chicken” recipes.
Smothered Chicken.
One young chicken, one-half cupful butter, little lard, yolks two eggs, one cup cream, three potatoes, one onion, stalk celery. Dress and cut up a nice young chicken. Put the butter and lard in a deep frying pan and when very hot put in the chicken, dredged in flour. Slice the potatoes and onions one-quarter of an inch thick and lay on top of the chicken and add the celery chopped fine, and the seasoning. Fry until brown, then without turning pour on enough hot water to cover. Cover closely and cook until tender. Beat the yolks of the eggs and add the cream. Be sure the chicken is covered with water, then add the thickening and let boil up once. A year-old chicken can be used.—Mrs. Walter Thrasher, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 1913.
Smothered Chicken.
One large chicken, flour, seasoning, butter. Dress and cut up the chicken as for frying. Dredge with flour and place in a dripping pan. Season, add a little butier and cover with boiling water. Put in the oven and bake until tender.—Mrs. Etta Owen, Poarch, Oklahoma, 1913
Remember to catch the Smithsonian’s exhibit at six locations in Oklahoma in 2011-2012, “Key Ingredients: America By Food.”
Thank you to Oklahoma Pastry Clothe Company for duplicating historic recipes from the original Austin’s Domestic Science book. Like
Visit Jennifer McKendry’s website for pictures of toy miniature kitchens & dining-rooms from the 1880s to 1920s. They’re probably not just for children! Like
Mary Beth White received her grandmother’s cooking school textbook, Austin’s Domestic Science. In her blog at Oklahoma Pastry Cloth™ she cooks from the recipes in the book, and illustrates the process with photos. Very readable.
“Some call it “pretending” but I like to call it “supposin’ ” when, every so often, I whisk myself back (in my mind of course) to the late 1800′s and early 1900′s wondering what it would be like to…”
The Historical Museum Bern in Switzerland portrays Caleb Bradham, inventor of Pepsi Cola, at his North Carolina drugstore. Pepsi was first called Brad’s Drink, and in 1903 Bradham changed the name to Pepsi (referring to pepsin) Cola (referring to the original ingrediant Kola nuts). Like
Mercy Ingram gives helpful hints on open hearth cooking at the 1700s Pomona Hall in Camden, New Jersey. Like
Another video about hearth cooking:
Listen to little known facts about wild game, narrated while cooking breakfast. Slow to start. See video.
Mid-Century Modern Frost-Free Refrigerators
More 1950s refrigerator videos:
From the junk yard to the vintage appliances we love so much. See vintage stove dealers.
Chris Kimball took two years planning this one reenactment dinner proposed in an 1896 book by Fannie Farmer, legendary cook book writer and cooking instructor and principal of the Boston Cooking School. Farmer opened her own school, Miss Farmer’s School of Cookery in 1902. The reenactment dinner was held at Kimball’s home in the same area of Boston where Fannie Farmer had lived over 100 years earlier. His preparations started from the ground up, supplying his kitchen with a built-in wood-burning range built into the fireplace. Kimball lived to write about it in his book, Fannie’s Last Supper: Re-creating One Amazing Meal from Fannie Farmer’s 1896 Cookbook. The dinner was also filmed, click here for the trailer. Like
Enter the immense yards [in 1898] beneath the plain, massive arch that bears the inscription, “Union Stock Yards, Chartered 1865″ and you will readily grasp the meaning and value of the system. It is a region of order and death, but a sight that will stir the most casual onlooker or the deepest philosopher. It is a city in itself–a city of pens and factories, immense and noisy. Wherever the eye wanders, the most intense activity prevails….In 1865 there were 330,301 cattle received and shipped live, and 27,172 cattle and 507,355 hogs packed. — The Chicago Packing Industry eBay Auction
What were the cooking skills in ancient Ohio? –say 10,000 years ago in Green Township, Ohio; or, in 8000 to 500BC or in other ancient Ohio times…
Setting up an antique hoosier cabinet: Hoosiers and other brand name antique kitchen cabinet furniture pieces can be transported easily as they separate into two sections. This vintage kitchen cabinet was missing the flour sifter. Replacement parts can be purchase online. The following video shows an installation of the flour sifter to the bin. Like
Breakfast
Previous Episode:
Victorian Kitchen — Introduction
Later Episodes:
Lunch
Afternoon Tea
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Was it Prohibition that created the craze for soda fountains in the early 1900s? People did need a place to socialize instead of bars! The natural location for soda fountains were in a drug stores, and even Walgreens had a soda fountain and luncheonette. It was the drugstores that started the tradition in the early 1800s by serving “tonics” to relieve illnesses, but the revival fountains in the 1900s made sure people knew that medicines weren’t served in the soda, as before. Visit the online Drugstore Museum for more soda fountain history.
Buster Keaton at the Soda Fountain
Vintage Ice Cream Fountain and Luncheonette Manual
Swifts Ice Cream Fountain and Luncheonette Manual
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This is a typewritten manual duplicated for luncheonette owners written about merchandising ideas, instructions on how to store stock, how to care for your ice cream fountain, which type of dishes to use with which ice cream dishes, which dishes to use for sandwiches and hot drinks in a luncheonette, Also How to Make Hot Drinks (Ovaltine, Coffee, etc.), How to Make Cold Drinks (Iced Coffee, Coffee Ginger, Flavored Milk Shakes, Malted Milk, etc.) Cold Plate Lunches, How to Serve Salads, How to Make Sandwiches, behavior of staff, cost and profit numbers of the dishes including from each scoop of ice cream to each piece of American cheese with pickle, and directions for building about 50 of their ice cream dishes!
Black and White Special
One No. 20 dipper of chocolate ice cream, on No. 20 dipper of both, cover this with marshmallow syrup, decorate with whipped cream and cherries. Serve on a banana split dish.
Hot Lunches
…Also serve sauces with plates that might fall short without them. For instance, meat loaf, fish, etc.
For Meat Loaf: Spanish Sauce
1/4 lb. butter
1/3 cup diced green pepper
1/3 cup dices onion
1/2 cup diced celery
1 #2 can tomatoes.
How to Serve Fountain Drinks (including Coca-Cola)
Coca-Cola
Use 1 oz. of coco cola syrup in regular coco cola glass. Use 1 oz. finely chopped ice, fill with carbonated water, taking care to hold glass directly under spout in slanting position allowing carbonated water to run down side of glass, stir only three or four times with spoon. A common fault in making a carbonated drink is to allow it to sit on a drain pan under draft arm, running water the 10 or 12 inches into the glass. This allows the gas to escape from the water resulting in a drink that is flat and lifeless.
Flickr groups present a great opportunity to display your colorful or otherwise intriguing cookbook collections and resulting recipes. There are groups ranging from Community & Advertising Cooking Booklets, vintage recipe re-creations at the Mid-Century Supper Club, to the popular Vintage Cookbooks. Browse all the flickr cook book groups.
See our Flickr Vintage Aprons post. Like
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Good Bread: This Book Tells How To Make Good Bread from 1900. Pages from the cook book pamphlet are on Flickr, including the old advertisement and testimonials for “Vinol, The Delicious Cod Liver Oil.” How is their bread? White Raised Bread — >
Table Talk Pies originated in Worchester, Mass. in 1924. Visit the Table Talk website. Like
Smithsonian’s traveling exhibit “Key Ingredients: America By Food” is located in North Dakota or Oklahoma for the Fall 2011 to early 2012. Check here for schedule. If you’re in Oklahoma, there may still be time to add your stories or photos to the exhibit.
You’re going to love these photos from 1939-1943–from poignant New Mexican homesteader’s table to Rosie the Riveter with a lunch box. Like
Fannie Farmer taught plain cooking, richer cooking, and fancy cooking at the Boston Cooking School from circa 1896 to 1902. She then branched out and started her own school, Miss Farmer’s School of Cookery on August 23, 1902. the school continued after her death in 1915, managed by Alice Bradley until Miss Farmer’s School closed in the mid-1940s.
Plain Cooking
Cooking Fuels
Bread
Mashed and Boiled Potatoes
Soup Stock
Boiled Eggs
Beef Stew
Fried Fish & Potatoes
Apple Pie
Roast Beef
Macaroni
Plain Lobster
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