Eggs for boiling cannot be too fresh, or boiled too soon after they are laid. The fresher the eggs are the better, and the more healthful. A longer time should be allowed for boiling a new-laid egg than for one that is three or four days old. Eggs over a week old should never be boiled; but they will do to fry. Wipe eggs clean all over with a wet cloth. It is true that the shells are never eaten,…
In reading through 1800s cookbooks, I was amazed to see recipes for fried, boiled, stewed, and stuffed cucumbers, as well as cucumber catsup and vinegar, and soup. I’ve only eaten cucumbers raw, so these recipes sound interesting. INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS CUCUMBERS AND THEIR PREPARATION In food value, cucumbers are very low, comparing closely with celery in this respect. However, as they contain a large amount of cellulose, or bulk, and mineral salts, they should not be disregarded in…
Hens normally lay most of their eggs during the spring and summer when there is more natural daylight. They slow down or stop laying eggs in the darker winter months. In the 1800s, people needed to preserve eggs that were laid in the spring so they would last through the winter. Today, poultry can be raised under artificial light and we have refrigeration, so we don’t have to worry about egg shortages. But if you raise your own chickens, you…
In the 1800s, before artificial light was available, chickens laid far fewer eggs in winter than in the summer. Homes did not have electrical refrigeration and ice boxes were too small to store much food. Therefore, people had to find a way to preserve eggs for times when eggs were scarce. This post is a continuation of ways to preserve eggs. You can read the previous post here, How to Preserve Eggs for Winter. Two additional ways of preserving eggs…
In the U.S., the eggs we buy today are kept refrigerated and have dates stamped on the cartons. So it’s easy to know if they’re still fresh. But in the 1800s, homes did not yet have electricity. Refrigerators were insulated boxes that held a block of ice to keep food cold. Since there wasn’t much room inside, eggs were rarely kept there. Therefore, people had to make sure their eggs were still fresh before cooking with them. INFORMATION BELOW FROM…
Many kinds of meat which are very lean and dry are improved by the addition of some kind of fat. Larding is accomplished by cutting strips of salt pork lengthwise with the rind two inches long and one quarter inch wide, and with aid of the larding needle, drawing these pieces through the surface of the meat, taking a stitch an inch long and a quarter inch deep. The tenderloin or fillet of beef, the thick part of the leg…
INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS ========================================== FRIED CAULIFLOWER Having laid a fine cauliflower in cold water for an hour, put it into a pot of boiling water that has been slightly salted (milk and water will be still better) and boil it twenty-five minutes, or till the large stalk is perfectly tender. Then divide it equally into small tufts, and spread it on a dish to cool. Prepare a sufficient quantity of batter made in the proportion of a tablespoonful…