This hundred-year-old advertisement makes it sound very economical to make homemade root beer. I wonder how much a bottle of commercially manufactured root beer cost back then.
1923 Hires Household Extract Advertisement
Old-fashioned Rye Griddle Cakes
Do you ever decide to make a recipe because you want to use up an ingredient that is in your cupboards? Well, this is one of those times for me. I wanted to use up a bag of rye flour that has been lingering in my kitchen for too long, so when I saw a recipe for Rye Griddle Cakes in a hundred-year-old cookbook I decided to give it a try.
When I selected the recipe, I didn’t have particularly high expectations, but I was very pleasantly surprised. The Rye Griddle Cakes (or pancakes to use more modern terminology) were absolutely wonderful. They were hearty and lovely with maple syrup. They don’t taste like rye bread, since rye bread often has additional flavorings like caraway or anise – but rather have a milder flavor. And, as an added bonus, the only flour this recipe calls for is rye flour, so it is a gluten free recipe. [2/18/23 update: My original post contained incorrect information. Readers who commented on this post noted that rye flour contains gluten – so this is not a gluten free recipe.]
Here’s the original recipe:
I am not sure why the egg is beaten until light, then combined with the milk before adding to the other ingredients. Maybe the recipe author was beating everything by hand. When I made this recipe, I just put all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl and then beat with an electric mixer.
Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:
Rye Griddle Cakes
1 1/2 cups rye flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cups milk
Put all ingredients in a mixing bowl; beat until combined.
Heat a lightly greased griddle to a medium temperature, then pour or scoop batter onto the hot surface to make individual griddlecakes. Cook on one side, then flip and cook other side.
1923 Home Economics Texbook Discussion Questions
I’ve been reading a 1923 home economics textbook. It’s fascinating to see the questions for papers and discussion in the book. Some of the questions we still ponder today. (Should children be paid for doing work in the home?) Others are too gender-based for comfort. (Should a boy have some training along the lines of household electricity, plumbing, and carpentry? What should a girl know of these things?)
Old-fashioned Tuna Salad
I hadn’t had Tuna Salad in years, but I was immediately drawn to a Tuna Salad recipe in a hundred-year-old cookbook. The old recipe brought back warm memories of lunches with friends and family where Tuna Salad was a prominent part of the meal.
The recipe did not disappoint. The recipe made a classic tuna salad, and was very quick and easy to make.
Here’s the original recipe:
The recipe called for “one small cup chopped celery or cucumber.” When I made the recipe, I assumed that a “small cup” was the equivalent of a 6-ounce tea cup – or about 3/4 cup. I used enough mayonnaise to bind the other ingredients together – about 1/4 cup. And, I skipped the extra mayonnaise garnish.
Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:
Tuna Salad
2 5-ounce cans tuna
3/4 cup celery or cucumber, chopped (I used celery.)
2 tablespoons onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup mayonnaise
Put the tuna in a bowl, and use a fork to flake. Add celery or cucumber, onion, and mayonnaise; stir to combine. If desired, serve on lettuce leaves.
Old-fashioned Lettuce Washer
It’s fun to see old-time kitchen gadgets. Here’s what a hundred-year-old magazine said about a lettuce washer featured in an article titled, The Newest Kitchen Utensils:
Lettuce Washer
There are few things more distasteful than a plate of lettuce or romaine or chicory which, no matter how carefully it has been selected, examined or washed, has been so imperfectly dried that the dressing is weakened almost to tastelessness by the water still remaining on the leaves. Yet this happens even in the most carefully administered households, for it is a difficult thing to dry salad plants well without breaking their delicate, tender leaves. This implement, which is a familiar object in all French kitchens, is a salad washer and dryer. The green leaves are rinsed and placed in it, then it is dipped several times in a pan of cold water, and finally it is hung in a cool place where it may drip uninterruptedly. If time presses it may be swung back and forth a few times and all superfluous water will be expelled. Place the basket close to the ice to crisp the salad until serving time.
Ladies Home Journal (March, 1923)
Parsnips with Drawn Butter Sauce
I seem to get into ruts when making vegetables, so am always on the lookout for recipes for some of the less common vegetables. When I saw a recipe for Parsnips with Drawn Butter Sauce in a hundred-year-old cookbook, I decided to give it a try.
The recipe turned out well. The sweet, nutty, earthly parsnips were cut into strips about 2-inches long and cooked, and then embedded in a rich, buttery sauce.
I was surprised that the old recipe for the Drawn Butter Sauce called for water and flour. Today, Drawn Butter is generally just a clarified butter – but apparently it was a thickened butter and water sauce a hundred years ago.
When I made this recipe, I made half a recipe for the drawn butter sauce. I used hot water rather than fish stock. I peeled the parsnips rather than scraping them. (Does anyone scrape parsnips – or carrots for that matter – anymore?)
Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:
Parsnips with Drawn Butter Sauce
1 pound parsnips (about 4 medium parsnips)
water
1 teaspoon salt + 1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
dash pepper
3/4 cup hot water
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
Peel parsnips and cut into pieces two inches long and 1/2 inch wide. Put in a saucepan, cover with water; add 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil using high heat, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes or until tender.
Melt half of the butter in a saucepan using medium heat; stir in the flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Gradually add the hot water while stirring constantly. Bring to a boil while continuing to stir, reduce heat and continue to stir while the mixture slowly boils for 5 minutes. Stir in remaining butter and the lemon juice. Immediately remove from heat and pour the sauce over the cooked parsnips. Gently stir to combine.
Hundred-Year-Old Tip to Prevent Pots from Boiling Over
When I boil potatoes, beans, or other vegetables, I often have issues with the water boiling over. Here’s a household hint in a hundred-year-old cookbook about how to prevent a pan from boiling over:
To Keep the Lid on a Boiling Pot – A teaspoonful of butter dropped into the water in which you are boiling dry beans, or other starchy vegetables will stop the annoyance of having the lid on the pot jump off, as it will otherwise do. The butter acts the same as oil on troubled waters and keeps it calm and manageable.
Cook Book (Published by Bethany Shrine Patrol No. 1, Rochester N.Y., 1923)
