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Category: Miscellaneous

Making a pan of gravy
Make Homemade Gravy; With Meat or Without

Make Homemade Gravy; With Meat or Without

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Gravy is traditionally a sauce made from meat drippings and combined with some type of thickening agent. It was especially used in French cooking and became popular in the U.S. in the 1800s. Gravies other than those made from meat include cream or white gravy, mushroom gravy, onion gravy, giblet gravy, vegetable gravy, and more. INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS MAKING GRAVIESNever toss “that carcass” of fowl, or the ham, or mutton-bone, “with next to nothing upon it,” to the…

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Frying Food in an iron Skillet
Best Practices for Frying Foods

Best Practices for Frying Foods

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Before commercialized fats were produced, people used beef suet, pork lard, dripping from cooked meats, and butter to fry food.  FROM AN 1800s COOKBOOK: “Frying, though one of the most common of culinary operations, is one that is least  performed perfectly well.” GENERAL RULES FOR FRYING Since fat, when heated, reaches such a high temperature, the kettle in which it is heated should be made of iron. The Dutch Oven is a very convenient utensil for small things. A Frying-Pan…

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Vintage Cook Ware on a Stove
Care of Cook Ware for Wood Burning Stoves

Care of Cook Ware for Wood Burning Stoves

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In the 1800s, you had to be careful of your cook ware or it might crack or warp. And if you used copper ware, it might even poison you! INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS NEW OVENS New ovens, before they are baked, should be heated half a day. The lid should be put up as soon as the wood is taken out. It should not be used for baking until it has been heated the second time. If not treated…

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White Mushrooms in Wicker Basket
Delicious Ways to Use Mushrooms

Delicious Ways to Use Mushrooms

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Mushrooms were a food people could forage for as long as they knew which ones were safe to eat. The flavor helped give variety to their meals.  INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS PICKLED MUSHROOMSTake the small round mushrooms that are pale pink underneath, with white tops, and peel them. Put them in a jar with a little mace, white mustard seed, and salt. Cover them with cold vinegar and tie them close. If you put in black pepper or cloves,…

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Fresh green dill, fennel seeds, bottle of spirits to make essence
How to Make Essences to Flavor Food

How to Make Essences to Flavor Food

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Herb, spice, and flower essences sold in stores are usually made by distilling. But the instructions below from 1800s cookbooks say to use alcohol to dissolve the plant oils and resins. Although not mentioned in these old cookbooks, you can also make essences with food grade liquid glycerine, although the process takes longer than using alcohol. INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS ON ESSENCES The essences or essential oils sold for general use are, or ought to be, obtained by distillation….

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A Variety of dried fruit and nuts
Sandwiches Made from Fruit and Nuts

Sandwiches Made from Fruit and Nuts

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It took more time and work to make sandwiches in the 1800s. People often made their own bread but they could also buy it from markets and bakeries if they could afford it. However, it wasn’t until 1928 that bread was pre-sliced by machine. And although people sometimes used jelly and marmalade for sweet tasting sandwiches, they usually used dried or fresh fruit and nuts, which took more time to prepare. INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS Sandwiches that have fruit…

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Getting Water from a Well
Obtaining Pure Water to Drink

Obtaining Pure Water to Drink

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In the 1800s, depending on where a family lived, water might come from a pipe (in cities) or from a well, cistern, creek, lake, or river. Water was often contaminated and people had to know how to make it drinkable.  INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS WATER AS A BEVERAGEMost foods contain water. The water present in foods, however, is not sufficient for the needs of the body. It is necessary to use water as a beverage. When one rises in…

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Whole coconut flakes, milk, and oil
Using Coconuts for Cooking

Using Coconuts for Cooking

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Coconuts were used to produce a variety of interesting dishes. But you couldn’t buy coconut already shredded in grocery stores. You bought the whole coconut, cracked it, and shredded it yourself.