Blog | Vintage Recipes and Cookery

How to Cook Snails (Escargots)

Angela Johnson Comments 9 comments

I’ve read through dozens of old cookbooks from the 1800s and snails have only been mentioned in one of them. They have never been popular in the United States; and especially not during this time period. The information below is from: The Hand-Book of Practical Cookery For Ladies and Professional Cooks by Pierre Blot , New York, 1884 ================================================= SNAILS: A good many are now imported from Europe. CLEAN AND PREPARE SNAILS Throw them in boiling water, in which you have put some…

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Making Mushroom Ketchup (Catsup)

Angela Johnson Comments 6 comments

Many recipes from old cookbooks called for mushroom ketchup – especially meat recipes. I had never heard of mushroom ketchup before and haven’t found it in any health food or specialty food stores. I did discover that the Geo Watkins Company makes Mushroom Ketchup and you can order it online. INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS TO MAKE MUSHROOM KETCHUP Look out for mushrooms from the beginning of September. Choose full-grown mushroom-flaps and take care they are perfectly fresh-gathered when the weather…

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Ways to Cook Fresh Salmon

Angela Johnson Comments 2 comments

Salmon used to be abundant along the U. S. North Atlantic (eastern) coastline. But overfishing, logging, soil erosion, dam and mill construction, and other activities severely damaged the salmon population. I was fortunate to visit Vancouver Island, B.C., Canada, in 1980 and ate plenty of fresh salmon. We used a smoker barbecue with a domed lid to cook them over charcoal. They were sure good! INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS: TO BUY FRESH SALMON The belly should be firm and…

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How to Make Your Own Vinegar

Angela Johnson Comments 8 comments

Vinegar was an important household item in the 1800s, especially for preserving food. Many people made their own vinegar; often a year’s supply. INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS TO BUY VINEGAR Much of the vinegar that is offered for sale is excessively and disagreeably sharp; overpowering the taste of every thing with which it is combined. This vinegar is deleterious in its effects and should never be used; it is made entirely of drugs. Oysters and pickled vegetables have been…

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What is Forcemeat?

Angela Johnson Comments 3 comments

Forcemeat is made by mixing finely chopped lean meat with fat and adding other flavorings. Forcemeat can be used as a stuffing, made into balls or patties, or formed into flat square or oval pieces. INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS: FORCEMEAT This article makes a considerable part of good cooking by the flavor it imparts to whatsoever dish it may be added. Exact rules for the quantity cannot easily be given, but the following observations may be useful. The selection…

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How to Make a Perfect Cup of Tea

Angela Johnson Comments 4 comments

Only loose tea was used up until the early 1900s. People used a strainer before pouring the tea into cups, or a tea ball if only making tea for one or two people. Around 1908, Thomas Sullivan, an American, made an accidental invention – the tea bag. Sullivan was a tea merchant and started sending tea samples to his customers in small bags made of silk. They put the entire bag in the pot, thinking the tea was to be…

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How to Make Soup Stock

Angela Johnson Comments 8 comments

So many recipes from 1800s cookbooks call for soup stock and all good cooks kept a supply on hand. INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS MEANING AND USE OF STOCK Soup stock may be regarded as a liquid containing the juices and soluble parts of meat, bone, and vegetables, which have been extracted by long, slow cooking and which can be utilized in the making of soups, sauces, and gravies. Keep stock in small jars in a cool place. It makes…

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Cooking Pigs’ Feet

Angela Johnson Comments 9 comments

When people butchered a pig in the 1800s, no part of the animal went to waste. I’ve never seen fresh pigs’ feet in the grocery store, but I have seen pickled pigs’ feet in glass jars. INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS FRIED PIGS’ FEET Thoroughly burn all the hairs off with a poker heated to a white heat. Then scald the feet and wipe them dry. Put them over the fire to boil in cold water, with two ounces each…

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