# Antique Cook Books?



## RedDirt Cowgirl (Sep 21, 2010)

Buckeye Cookery and Practical Cookery, 1880, is my latest find and it's a wonder.

What I learned from this one: Freeze ice-cream in a warm place (the more rapid the melting of the ice the quicker the cream freezes)...

I'm sure most folks aren't ignorant of this, but it was outside my ken. Really made me think about practical knowledge.

Does anyone have a 19th century book they like?


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## bonnie in indiana (May 10, 2002)

I have a small collection of 1850-1960 cook books.. I love looking at them. Back then cooking was an art form and not something that you just put on the table.


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## mrs whodunit (Feb 3, 2012)

I love antique cook books. Dont cook out of them for the most part but do enjoy perusing 

Some of the stuff they ate........... interesting how our tastes of changed. Stuff considered normal back then now is revolting.


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## MO_cows (Aug 14, 2010)

One of my cookbooks has a section with 1800's recipes. Most of it seems very bland. 

I have a cookbook compiled by Ace Reid, the "Cowpokes" cartoonist. It has a lot of depression era recipes in it and some cowboy stuff like "Son of a gun stew". Entertaining but I haven't cooked any of it, yet.

My favorite "go to" cookbook is Kitchen Klatter, it has "old school" stuff in it like Welsh rarebit, 7 minute icing, etc. I think it was published in the 50's. There is a section for "Dishes with a foreign flavor", and that's where you find a recipe for pizza!


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## Chixarecute (Nov 19, 2004)

Not quite as old, The American Woman's Cookbook. 1945. Love to browse it, have tried some recipes and very good.


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## RedDirt Cowgirl (Sep 21, 2010)

The American Woman's Cookbook has such wonderful illustrations for the regional chapters I buy every copy I see for gifts. That & Meta Givens (1955) are my must haves.

Bonnie, like you say, cooking was an art, and cakes were beautifully made without baking powder and soda. The old recipes stand up well today.

This 1880 book is my oldest actually in hand, I've looked at Mrs. Beeton's facsimiles a bit. So many things depended on food preservation and equipment too.


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## vicker (Jul 11, 2003)

I just found a bundle of small cookbooks from the 30s and WWII years. A lot of them are from flour and cornmeal companies, some from General Mills and some dealing with the food rationing during the war. Oh, and a couple of government publications for surviving nuclear war


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## haunted (Jul 24, 2011)

www.gutenburg.org has a lot of ebooks, including old cookbooks, etc., if you would like to look. It's free, and you can download them if you'd like.


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## RedDirt Cowgirl (Sep 21, 2010)

As is our own Ladycat's link:

http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/ge...download-cook-books-home-economics-books.html

Now that the heat is on us I'm thinking even more of what it takes to get an oven to 450 degrees for half an hour, or hold at 325 for hours on end.
Never mind a perfect cake or bread bake! The old timers used to smack their lips to tell the tale of a mine house cook renowned for her cakes. She must have been a master of fire and iron as well!

Vicker, you have a rare gem in your bundle - Cornmeal companies didn't put much out compared to the big wheat flour companies. Their recipes are usually good too, unlike the oil and hydrogenated shortening companies. They were the devil for maximum amounts of their product.


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## michael ark (Dec 11, 2013)

I just got some southern living and chef paul prudhomme books for a buck each.:happy2::happy2::grin:


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## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

RedDirt Cowgirl, I'll vote for the Meta Givens book also.


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## Chief Cook (Apr 24, 2011)

I love to read and collect old cook books! Just be careful if you use them, cause just how big is a .10 candy bar??? I wanted to make fried pies from a recipe from my DGM's cook book, but alas it asked for something that I had never heard of. Thank goodness I was talking to a wonderful lady in her 70s and when I mentioned it called for a can of Milnot. Well she got a good laugh out of my ignorance of canned milk!! She found it for me and yes I made the fried pies and DH loved them!


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## TerriLynn (Oct 10, 2009)

Chief Cook said:


> I love to read and collect old cook books! Just be careful if you use them, cause just how big is a .10 candy bar??? I wanted to make fried pies from a recipe from my DGM's cook book, but alas it asked for something that I had never heard of. Thank goodness I was talking to a wonderful lady in her 70s and when I mentioned it called for a can of Milnot. Well she got a good laugh out of my ignorance of canned milk!! She found it for me and yes I made the fried pies and DH loved them!


I have some of my grandma's old recipes written down, these would be from around 1920-1935 and she states to use 10 cents worth of a particular spice.....how in the world am I supposed to know how much that is? I really do treasure those recipes though!


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## RedDirt Cowgirl (Sep 21, 2010)

Michael, the Prudhomme is a score - hard to find his stuff for sale. His pastry recipes have replaced all my old family traditionals, they're so good.

TerriLynn, you do have a mystery - maybe your local history society would like to see your stuff for a research request? The 20's is such a dynamic era for food. I'm always surprised how little seasonings are used, intentionally so there is only a "subtle" amount, nothing was to be distinct in the recipes. Different from our style today of maxing out high flavors.


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## summerdaze (Jun 11, 2009)

I don't have any well known old cookbooks, but I have a couple that are kind of cool. One of them is "Cabbage Patch" famous Kentucky recipes. (1952) In the acknowledgments, it thanks Mr and Mrs Duncan Hines, along with some grand old Kentucky Inns and restaurants for their contributions. It has some rather racist hand drawn illustrations here in there in the book by a not very talented "artist". You can use your imagination for the picture next to Black Bottom Pie!!!! On the plus side, it does have some very good recipes. 

Another one, is simply Cook Book compiled by the Golden Rod Chapter, Pittsville, Wisconsin 1955.
There are typed and handwritten recipes throughout the book. My mother and grandmother have recipes in it. Also has some pretty good black/white 40/ 50's women illustrations throughout. It has a bunch of advertisements that are even interesting to read like Zieher Service Station William Zieher, Prop. Phone 14 Greasing--Repairing Accessories--Zenith Tires--Vesta Batteries.

Some of the recipes in here look pretty darned good too. I remember my mother making "Congo Bars" out of this book, and they were such a treat.


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## RedDirt Cowgirl (Sep 21, 2010)

I envy your family time capsule - that Cook Book sounds too nifty! Heard of congo bars - coconut, right? Fun Food!

The 40s/50s illustrations are so humorous sometimes - especially the piggies.


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## summerdaze (Jun 11, 2009)

RedDirt Cowgirl said:


> I envy your family time capsule - that Cook Book sounds too nifty! Heard of congo bars - coconut, right? Fun Food!
> 
> The 40s/50s illustrations are so humorous sometimes - especially the piggies.


I thought coconut too, but these don't have any. The usual flour, sugar, eggs shortening, etc, a cup of nutmeats and a package of chocolate chips. I didn't like coconut as a kid, but think it'd be good now.


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