1943 Betty Crocker stretches the meat budget

“Hail to the women of America” begins Betty Crocker in this booklet, Your Share [reddit]. After describing the roles women played in war efforts, she wrote, “But whatever else you do–you are, first and foremost, homemakers–women with the welfare of your families deepest in your hearts…In spite of sectional problems and shortages, you must prepare satisfying meals out of your share of what there is.”

MEATS being the bulk of the household food budget, Your Share booklet has advice about stretching meats.

• Ask for bones and trimmings. Put into a soup kettle with bits of vegetables. Simmer for soup.
• Consider portion size for each cut of meat: i.e. a portion of T-bone steak weighs more than a portion of round steak, etc.
• Store meat properly: Check temperatures and durations for fresh meats, ground meats [most perishable], new tenderized smoked meats vs other smoked meats, frozen meat [do not refreeze], cooked meats, poultry, fish.
• Cook properly to avoid shrinkage, attain tenderness, maintain food value.
  • Tender cuts require roasting, broiling and pan broiling.
  • Less tender cuts require braising, stewing, or use in soups.

• Use Meat Extenders — making the meal more fulfilling.
  • Bread
  • Cracker crumbs
  • Rice
  • Oatmeal
  • Dumplings
  • Biscuits
  • Mashed potatoes
  • Sauces
  • Puff pastry
  • Toast
  • Vegetables
  • Noodles: macaroni, spaghetti
  • Stuffing: Cereal stuffing, Vegetable stuffing, Apple celery or mushroom stuffing
  • Fillings: Cooked vegetables–carrots, celery, onions
  • Sauerkraut
  • Pearl Barley

• Use Variety Meats — today more commonly known as organ meats
  • Liver (Calf, Lamb, Beef, Pork)
  • Heart (Calf, Lamb, Beef)
  • Kidney (Veal, Lamb, Pork, Beef)
  • Sweetbreads and Brains
  • Tongue (Beef, Calf, Pork)

• Use Eggs
  • Grades of eggs and their uses
  • Storage of eggs
  • Cooking

• Make Cheese Go Further
  • Cheese is sensitive to heat. Store in refrigerator.
  • Partner cheese with bread, noodles, rice, peas and beans, as a stuffing to fruits or vegetables, in salad dressing, in salads.
  • Grate to pep up dishes
  • Fruit and cheese finales

• Extend Butter
  • Spread thin
  • Mix with margarine or peanut butter
  • Use fat from drippings
    • How to collect fat drippings, clarify the fat, and store

• Vegetables & Fruits
  • How to inspect, clean, and cook to retain color and vitamins.

• Cereal Foods

• Ways to Save Sugar

• Saving Time

• Adjusting Menus
  • odd hours, between meal snacks, and the lunch box

• Hospitality
  • Victory Garden Supper, Basket Social as Fundraiser, a Community Sing, Eat-Where-You-Please Meals, BBQ Supper, Hobo Party, Mother Goose Party, Wedding Refreshments

• Seasonal Menus