Until I saw this hundred-year-old advertisement, I had never heard of Skinner’s Macaroni – though it may be a regional food that still exists. When I googled “Skinner’s Macaroni,” I came across an Albertson’s webpage for Skinner Macaroni Twirls. I also came across an “Our Story” page for J. Skinner Baking in Omaha, Nebraska which said that “The Skinner family has been in the food business since the late 1800s, so there’s a good chance your grandparents grew up on Skinner Macaroni and other Skinner family products.” It looked like the company now makes pastries.

I think of Lux soap as a bar soap, not a dishwashing soap. Based upon this 1923 advertisement, it appears that a hundred years ago, Lux came in small pieces in boxes. The advertisement is about using Lux to wash dishes, though the box in the picture says that it is “for all fine laundering.” Apparently back then, the same soap was used both laundry and dishwashing.

I’m a bit foggy on how steaks and pork chops were broiled a hundred years ago, but the price of a Dundee Broiler is right. At just $3.50, I want one.

Flavorings and extracts have been around for more than a hundred years. The 1923 edition of The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book had an advertisement for Foss’ Pure Flavoring Extracts in the back of the book. In Chapter 1, there was a description of flavoring extracts:

Flavoring Extracts

Many flavoring extracts are on the market. Examples: almond, vanilla, lemon, orange, rose, etc. These are made from the flower, fruit, or seed from which they are named. Strawberry, pineapple, and banana extracts are obtained from the fruits themselves or manufactured from chemicals.

The Boston Cooking School Cook Book (1923)

1923 was the third year of prohibition in the U.S. I have no idea which five fruits were in Hay’s Five Fruit, or what it tasted like, but I’m intrigued that it can replace “wines and other flavors formerly used in cooking.”

A hundred years ago there was a coffee beverage called Cafe des Invalides. Not sure that name would work today (or that I’d buy this product), but I love the descriptive nature of the name.

Is some salt, not all salt? This hundred-year-old ad makes me wonder if I use an inferior salt.