Month: May 2025

Directions for Making Hard Boiled Eggs, 100 Years Ago, 50 Years Ago, and Today

Hard boiled egg halfMy husband recently said to me, “You don’t make hard boiled eggs right. The Wall Street Journal says that there are 16 steps involved in making good hard boiled eggs.”

I said, “Is that so there isn’t a green line around the yolk?”

He said, “No, it’s so the yolk has a nice texture.”

He then sent me the article. It was titled, The Science Backed, 16-Step Method for the Perfect Boiled Egg. It basically said to alternate every 2 minutes for 32 minutes between having the eggs in boiling water and tepid (86 degree F.) water.

After reading the article, I said, “That’s stupid. You just put the eggs in a pan of water, bring it almost to a boil, reduce the heat so it stays just below boiling, and time them for 20 minutes. Then you drain them and put them in a pan of cold water for a couple of minutes. Sometimes people make things unduly complicated. If you want 16-step eggs, you’ll have to make them yourself.”

But, the article did make me curious about how people historically made hard boiled eggs. That sent me to a hundred-year-old cookbook to see how they made hard boiled eggs in 1925:

To cook eggs so that they will be firm all the way through and yet not tough or indigestible, put them in a saucepan of boiling water, cover closely and place on the part of the stove where the water will remain very hot, but not boil and let stand for twenty minutes.

The Rumford Complete Cook Book (1925)

I then decided to see what the directions for making hard boiled eggs were midway between a century ago and now. I have a Betty Crocker cookbook published about 50 years ago (actually 49 years ago). It gave both cold water and boiling water methods:

Cold Water Method: Place eggs in saucepan; add enough cold water to come at least 1 inch above eggs. Heat rapidly to boiling. Remove from heat; cover. Let stand 22 to 24 minutes. Immediately cool eggs in cold water to prevent further cooking.  .  .

Boiling Water Method: Place eggs in bowl of warm water to prevent shells from cracking. Fill saucepan with enough water to come at least 1 inch above eggs; heat to boiling. With spoon, transfer eggs from warm water to boiling water. Reduce heat to below simmering; cook 20 minutes. Immediately cool eggs in cold water to prevent further cooking.

Betty Crocker’s Cookbook (1976)

The way I make hard boiled eggs is a variation of the 100-year-old directions as well as of the 50-year-old ones. I may be set in my ways, but I’m sticking with how I’ve always made hard boiled eggs. My bet is that the 16-step method is just a fad.

Old-Fashioned Surprise Salad

Surprise Salad

Sometimes recipe titles in old cookbooks do not provide much information about a recipe. For example, I recently came across a recipe for Surprise Salad in a hundred-year-old church cookbook. When I read the recipe, I was surprised to discover (maybe that’s why it’s called Surprise Salad) that it was a fruit salad that called for canned pineapple slices, canned peach halves, and fresh strawberries with marshmallows and a dollop of whipped cream for good measure. The salad is served on lettuce leaves. The ingredients are stacked with a focus on presentation.

I enjoyed the salad (though in some ways- especially if I skipped the lettuce – it seems more like a dessert than a salad). I would make it again. Occasionally, I have friends over and serve a meal based on hundred-year-old recipes. Surprise Salad would be perfect for one of those meals. The ingredients and presentation are different from modern recipes, which could lead to a fun conversation, but I also think that they would enjoy it,

Here’s the original recipe:

Recipe for Surprise Salad
Source: Diamond Jubilee Recipes (Compiled by The Sisters of Saint Joseph, St. Paul, Minnesota, 1925)

I tried dipping the whole strawberries that go on the top in powdered sugar, but I did not like the way it looked so I washed the powdered sugar off the berries.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Surprise Salad

  • Servings: 3
  • Difficulty: moderate
  • Print

1/2 cup strawberries + 3 small strawberries

1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 cup miniature marshmallows, each cut into two pieces

lettuce leaves

3 slices of canned pineapple

3 canned peach halves

1/4 cup whipped cream

Cut the strawberries in half (reserving 3 small strawberries that are left whole). If the berries are large, cut each berry into several pieces. Put the cut berries and cut marshmallows in a small bowl, then add sugar and gently stir to distribute the sugar.  Set aside.

For each serving, arrange lettuce leaves on plate, then put a pineapple slice on the lettuce. Place a peach half (with the center up) in the center of the pineapple slice. Fill the peach cavity with the strawberry and marshmallow mixture. Keep the strawberry/marshmallow mixture as level as possible to make a firm foundation for the whole strawberry that goes on the very top. Top with a spoonful of whipped cream, then garnish with a small whole strawberry.

http://www.ahundredyearsago.com

 

Hundred-Year-Old Directions for Holding a Soup Spoon

scooping soup out of a bowl with a soup spoon
Source: School and Home Cooking by Carlotta C. Greer (1925)

I know that when I eat soup, I’m supposed to use my spoon to scoop it away from me in the bowl, but that’s one, of many, etiquette “do’s and don’ts” that I don’t always follow. Directions for eating soup haven’t changed in a hundred years:

When using a spoon for serving, or for sipping soup, there is less danger of spilling the food if the spoon is moved away from, rather than toward, oneself (see Figure 38).

School and Home Cooking by Carlotta c. Greer (1925)

Old-Fashioned Honey Tea Crackers

honey tea crackers on plate

Want a cross between a cracker and a cookie? If so, I have just the recipe for you. I recently was browsing through a hundred-year-old cooking magazine and came across a recipe for Honey Tea Crackers. The name of the recipe made me salivate, and I was ready to give the it a try. But, when I looked at the recipe a little more, I was a little confused. The recipe called for putting an almond or walnut half on top of each cracker. Crackers don’t generally have nuts on top of them. And, when I thought about it, I realized that most crackers are salty or savory, not sweet.

The more I looked at the recipe, the more I was intrigued I became – and I soon was mixing up a batch of the crackers. Since it seemed unusual to put nuts on crackers, I did not put a nut on top of some of the crackers.

The recipe turned out well, though Honey Tea Crackers are not typical of modern crackers. In addition to honey, the crackers contain allspice as well as some lemon juice and grated lemon rind. The crackers were sweet with the complex undertones of honey and lemon, and a hint of allspice. They have the texture of a cut-out cookie that had been rolled out very thin. I put almonds on some crackers and walnuts on others. Both types of nuts worked well, and I don’t have a preference, but I definitely preferred the crackers that had a nut on top over the plain ones. In hindsight, I wish that had  just followed the old recipe and put a nut on top of all of them.

Here’s the original recipe:

Recipe for Honey Tea Crackers
Source: American Cookery (May, 1925)

I did not dissolve the baking soda prior to adding to the other ingredients, and it worked fine. The mixture, however, seemed very dry, so I added a little more than the 1 teaspoon of water called for in the recipe.

The recipe calls for pricking the crackers “all over.” I was surprised how long it took to prick a lot of crackers, so be sure to allow sufficient time.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Honey Tea Crackers

  • Servings: about 90 crackers
  • Difficulty: moderate
  • Print

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

3 eggs

grated rind of 1/2 lemon

juice from 1/2 lemon

3 tablespoons honey + 2 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon water (add more if needed) + 2 tablespoons water

almonds or walnut halves (if desired)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  In a small bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons honey and 2 tablespoons water. Set aside.

Sift together flour, salt, allspice and baking soda. Add eggs, grated lemon rind, lemon juice, 3 tablespoons honey, and 1 teaspoon water; stir to mix. If the dough is too dry, add additional water. On a prepared surface, roll the dough out until it is very thin (1/4 inch or a little less). Cut into circles using a round cutter. (I used a cutter that was 2 inches in diameter.) Put the crackers on a lightly greased baking sheet. Prick all over each cracker with a fork. Brush the crackers with the honey and water mixture. If desired, press an almond or walnut half into the center of each cracker. Put into oven, and bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned.

http://www.ahundredyearsago.com

Old-Fashioned Pound Cake Waffles

Pound Cake Waffles

When browsing through hundred-year-old cookbooks, I came across a recipe for Pound Cake Waffles. The title intrigued me. The recipe called for lots of butter and sugar, and was very similar to actual Pound Cake recipes. I decided to give it a try. The recipe indicated that either lemon or vanilla flavoring could be used in the recipe. I went with lemon extract.

The waffles were lovely with a sunny lemon flavor that worked nicely with the maple syrup that I put on the waffles.

Here’s the original recipe:

Recipe for Pound Cake Waffles
Source: The Rumford Complete Cook Book (1925)

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Pound Cake Waffles

  • Servings: 4 - 6
  • Difficulty: moderate
  • Print

3/4 cup butter

1 cup sugar

4 eggs, separated

1/4 cup milk

1 1/4 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon lemon extract or vanilla (I used lemon extract.)

Beat egg whites, then set aside. Put butter and sugar in a mixing bowl, then beat until creamed. Add the egg yolks and milk, then beat. Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and lemon extract or vanilla; beat until combined. Gently fold in the beaten egg whites. Ladle batter onto a hot waffle iron and cook, following the waffle iron directions.

http://www.ahundredyearsago.com

1925 Recommendations on Division of Food Expenditures Across Food Groups

Food group expenditures pie chart
Source: School and Home Cooking by Carlotta C. Greer (1925)

A 1925 home economics textbook provides recommendations for how to divide each dollar spent on food across the various food groups.

How Much to Spend on Food

Whether one is purchasing food for all the meals of a family or is only selecting a luncheon or one meal, it is desirable to spend money wisely.

The five food groups may serve as a basis for the purchase of foods. It has been suggested that each dollar used in buying foods be divided into 5 parts of 20 cents each.

Out of each dollar use:

  • 20 cents, more or less, for vegetables and fruits
  • 20 cents, more or less, for milk and cheese
  • 20 cents, more or less, for meat, fish, eggs, etc.
  • 20 cents, more or less, for bread and cereals
  • 20 cents, more or less, for sugar, fat, tea, coffee, chocolate, flavoring

(A footnote indicates that this is from the United States Thrift Leaflet #15.)

School and Home Cooking by Carlotta C. Greer (1925)

Sometimes I wonder if I spend too much on food, but I’ve never really thought about how it should be divided across food groups. I wonder if the hundred-year-old breakdown still holds, or if the division across food groups should be different now.