With the new year, I’m moving to 1924 cookbooks. I’m re-energized by the opportunity to explore “new” hundred-year-old cookbooks.
By 1924, more cooks were getting gas and electric stoves, and cookbooks were addressing their challenges as they learned new cooking techniques. The New Home Cook Book noted on the cover that it included a cooking guide for “wood-fire, gas, and electricity.” Cooks apparently found it challenging to know how long foods should be cooked, so the book included a table that could be used for tracking cooking times, temperatures, and the oven rack used.
That is interesting. We take a lot for granted when we turn on our stoves today.
Women really had to be good cooks to work with a fire stove. Just following a recipe now will give a good result. Now we have induction stoves which will really change cooking.
I should have had this when I was a student – admittedly a very long time ago. The cooker in our kitchen dated from the 1920s!
“Friendly rivalry for the very best there is”. Really? I bet some of these ladies were down right fierce! A regular ol oven mitt throw-down! There was a lot at stake. Thanks for sharing!
Fascinating, as usual. Sorry I’ve been a bit behind on my reading!
I can’t wait to see what your “updated” recipes will show about cooking times! I learned to cook from my mother and grandmothers, and their stoves (all gas by then) were not reliable as to the indicator on the heat gauge. We had to use the hand in the oven and count to know when it was ready to put the food in!
Thank you, much appreciated always enjoy these posts
This is very interesting 😉
I love the blank table for recording your own experience. Anyone who has ever had more than one oven knows they can still be wildly different and recipe adjustments must be made. I have had 13 different kitchens/ovens in the past 30 years due to moving and cooking is always an challenge for the first few weeks until I learn how the oven (and stove) runs.
Happy 1924!
I can imagine the learning curve was pretty steep going from wood-fire to gas!