A hundred years ago, it was recommended that adults drink 2 cups of milk per day, while current recommendations are 3 cups per day. For children, the recommendation back then was 3 cups of milk per day, while the recommended amount now is based on age, but less for small children than in 1923.

A 1923 home economics textbook said:

One pint [2 cups] of whole milk should be allowed for each adult, and one and one-half pints [3 cups] for each child over two years of age; the younger child may need more. In addition to the prescribed allowance of whole milk, skimmed milk may be used in cooking as a source of protein and mineral matter. Part of the milk allowance for the family may well be supplied in milk soups, custards, bread, rice, and other pudding, cocoa and chocolate and in white sauce with vegetables, eggs and meats.

Economics of the Family (1923) by C.W. Taber and Ruth A. Wardall

Current recommendations, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s MyPlate website, are:

• children 12-23 months should drink 1 2/3 – 2 cups of milk per day
• children 2-3 years should drink 2 – 2 1/2 cups of milk per day
• children 4-8 years should drink 2 1/2 cups of milk per day
• children 9 and older should drink 3 cups of mil per day
• adults should drink 3 cups of milk per day.

What a deal! A bowl of hot cereal for less than a penney a serving.

Here are tips in a hundred-year-old cookbook for browning pie crusts:

To brown pies and tarts, use a small pastry brush and brush them with milk before putting them in the oven, and to glaze pies, brush them with the white of an egg if you wish them to be a shiny brown.

Order of the Eastern Star Relief Fund Cook Book (1923) published by the Michigan Grand Chapter

Until I saw a fish availability calendar in a 1923 cookbook, I never thought about the seasonal variation in when various types of fish can be purchased. In today’s world, where fresh fish are sometime shipped across hemispheres and previously frozen fish are sometimes thawed and sold as “fresh,” is there much seasonal variability?

A hundred-year-old book on scientific management of homes recommended the use of a “revolving susan.”

In many cases, where the dining table has a large enough diameter, it is practical to use in the middle of the table a “revolving susan” – or circular glass tray mounted on a revolving stand, which will accommodate butter, relishes, etc.; but its greatest value lies in assisting the host to pass dishes to each person to be served. Set the plate of food on the server, give a slight touch, and it will revolve to the person desired, thus doing away with awkward passing from one to another. Similarly the server may be used for removing the soiled plates, by each person laying their soiled plate in turn on the server, and whirling to the hostess, who will then remove them unobtrusively.

Household Engineering: Scientific Management in the Home by Mrs. Christine Frederick (1923)

A hundred-year-old cookbook recommended that the best first vegetables for a baby are strained spinach, asparagus, peas, and young carrots. I can’t remember which vegetables were introduced first when my children were young, but the Strong 4 Life site says:

Great first veggies to try:

• Pureed carrots
• Pureed squash
• Pureed broccoli
• Pureed sweet potatoes
• Pureed green beans