Blog - Vintage Recipes and Cookery

Making Family Beer – Molasses, Ginger, Spruce, and More

Angela Johnson Comments 2 comments

In 1810, 132 breweries in the U.S. produced 185,000 barrels of beer. The population of the country was seven million. By 1850, 431 breweries in the U.S. produced 750,000 barrels of beer (31 gallons per barrel). The population was 23 million.Source: History of Beer in the 19th Century: Timeline But many families made their own beer. The recipes below are from cookbooks published in the 1800s. INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS MOLASSES (TREACLE) BEERTake five pints of molasses, half a pint…

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Foods for Infants / Babies

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It’s interesting to read what foods were given to babies in the 1800s. It sure is a lot different from feeding babies today. INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS: THE NURSERY All food intended for infants should be very thoroughly cooked. The numerous varieties of farinaceous substances, however nourishing may be their properties when rightly prepared, are harsh and drastic when underdone. FOOD AND ITS PREPARATION The articles generally employed as food for infants consist of arrowroot, bread, flour, baked flour,…

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How to Make Omelette Soufflés

Angela Johnson Comments 5 comments

“An omelette soufflé is a very nice and delicate thing when properly managed; but if flat and heavy, it should not be brought to the table. The best cooks will sometimes fail in making soufflés, as their manufacture requires the greatest care and attention. It is also necessary to be able to judge to a nicety the time they will take to cook.” ….. from an 18oos cookbook. INFORMATION BELOW ALSO FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS SOUFFLÉS To be eaten in perfection,…

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Breaking and Separating Eggs

Angela Johnson Comments 5 comments

I never thought much about cracking eggs, since I’ve never used a recipe where I needed to separate the yolk from the white. But it’s especially important not to allow any of the yolk to mix with the whites for recipes such as meringues, soufflés, or any egg whites that need to be whipped. INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS: TO SEE THAT EGGS ARE GOOD Whenever you break eggs, never mind what quantity, always break each egg separately into a…

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How to Make Meringue for Pies and Candy

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Meringue for pie or candy is made with egg whites, which have to be whipped enough to make them airy and light. Egg whites were whipped by hand in the 1800s and was a time-consuming chore. Hand-operated rotary egg beaters were introduced around 1860, but didn’t really become popular in the United States until the Dover Stamping Company created their own version. Between 1870 and 1890, Dover made 4 million egg beaters, mostly for family use. INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s…

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How to Select and Cook Crabs

Angela Johnson Comments 2 comments

I‘ve only eaten crab at restaurants, but I sure love it. I have bought imitation crab meat to use in salads and eaten it in restaurant buffets. It does has a crab taste and is less expensive, but it lacks some of the nutritional benefits that real crab has. About imitation crab. INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS CRABS Crabs are in season during the months of May, June, July, and August. They may be had at other times, but are…

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How to Cure and Cook Ham

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Ham was an important food as it could be cured and preserved for the winter months. It was heavily salted, so it needed to be soaked many hours before cooking to remove most of the salt taste. INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS TO CURE HAMS To make good hams, the pork must be of the best quality. No animal tastes so much of its food as the pig. For one hundred pounds of fine pork, take seven pounds of coarse…

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String Bean / Green Bean Recipes

Angela Johnson Comments 2 comments

When I was young, my family lived near St. Louis, Missouri. Each summer, we took a vacation to southern Illinois, where most of our relatives lived. My Aunt Helen had a good-sized vegetable garden and canned most of the vegetables. She always cooked a big lunch for us when we visited and I loved her green beans cooked with onions and bacon grease! INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS: VARIETIES OF STRING BEANS There are two general types of string beans:…

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