Old vs. New: Cookbooks

[sakon76]

A few weekends ago I picked up a bunch of (mostly) old books at estate sales. Which included Pickles the Fire Cat, which I haven't read since I was like six. Oh, the memories....

But I digress. Included in my purchases was a 1944 edition of The Good Housekeeping Cookbook. Now, mind, this is not one of those paltry thin pamphlets. Just shy of a thousand pages, it would make a respectable doorstop. But why I bought it (for $1.50) was for the cultural insight. This was published during WWII. It has instructions for stretching those things which were rationed (butter, oil, sugar, meat, etc.) There are sections that start with sentences like "Plucking should be done promptly and quickly after bird has stopped fluttering and is still warm."

I find this a heartening contrast to the modern slow-cooker cookbook I have also been perusing, wherein (for instance) ~75% of the chicken recipes start with "take X boneless skinless chicken breast halves"....

Comments

[femme4jack.livejournal.com]

Or the slow cooker recipes that all involve putting in a variety or prepackaged or store bought canned items.

[sakon76.livejournal.com]

Yep. Exactly. Though I do admit finding the 1944 recipe for Mock Turtle Soup that started with "two cans of concentrated mock turtle soup" was a trifle disappointing. Especially since I don't think any of the stores near me carry it. :)