A hundred years ago, American Cookery magazine encouraged readers to get their friends to subscribe to the magazine. The magazine offered premiums for securing new subscribers.

A premium offered in the May, 1925 issue for getting four new subscribers was a cake ornamenting syringe.

Maybe cooks a hundred years ago considered this a wonderful gift; but, in my opinion, the premium doesn’t seem like a very large reward for all the effort that would be involved in getting four people to subscribe to the magazine.

When I saw the cake decorating syringe, I immediately thought of a very similar one that I have – though I’ve always called it a “cake decorator.”

My cake ornamenting syringe once was my mother’s, and she had it for as long as I can remember. I’m now wondering if it is older than I thought, and if my mother got it from her mother.

The decorating tips for my syringe are a little beat up, but it still works great. I used it frequently to decorate cakes when my children lived at home, and I still occasionally use it to pipe frosting, whipped cream, or other similar foods. It brings back wonderful memories of the various themed birthday cakes we made over the years. There was a spaceman cake, a teddy bear cake, and a clown cake, as well as the lamb cake we made every Easter.

Whew! It’s fascinating that this 1925 Karo advertisement focuses on the supposed health benefits of the product.

Here’s a hundred-year-old advertisement for Cox’s Gelatine (spelled with an “e” on the end, which makes it look European). Maybe every cook should keep some on hand (it sounds very useful), but unfortunately, I think that this brand is long gone.

It’s always fun to find a hundred-year-old advertisement for a product that is still available. This is the first time I’ve see multiple choice options in a hundred-year-old advertisement. In some ways this format seems a little more modern than the format of many old advertisements.

I was flipping through a hundred-year-old issue of American Cookery magazine and near the back was a page showing free premiums that new subscribers to the magazine could select. I almost fell over when I saw a set of card suit sandwich cutters. I have a similar (but not identical) set that I use as cookie cutters.

My cookie cutters were once my mother’s, and she had them for as long as I can remember. The metal on my cutters is a little worn and some parts are shinier than other parts, but I really like them. They are a nice size and nicely cut the cookie dough.  I’m now wondering if my cutters were originally intended to be sandwich cutters – though I tend to think that they probably are cookie cutters since they have metal on the top and it might be difficult to cut a thick sandwich with them.

I never really thought about it before, but assumed mine were mid-20th century cookie cutters. Now I am wondering if they are older than that and something that my mother originally got from her mother.

This hundred-year-old ad appeared in a cookbook that was a supplement to The Daily Argus-Leader (Sioux Falls, South Dakota) newspaper. This grocery store advertisement suggests how much has changed (and not changed) over the years. I seldom have unexpected guests who would expect to be fed; and, if I did, I probably won’t serve them canned goods.

I can still buy Del Monte canned goods – though Del Monte may no longer sell salmon or berries. I think that they still sell prunes, but they are no longer sold in a can.

Sanka Coffee has been around for more than a hundred years. It is one of the oldest decaffeinated coffees. Sanka is considered a healthy alternative since it does not have caffeine.  The advertisement recommends it for children as young as six, which seems extremely young to me. Should children really be drinking any kind of coffee?

It is also intriguing that the ad refers to caffein. Apparently that is an archaic spelling of caffeine.