# 1800s Vintage Cooking



## valscookbook (Oct 27, 2008)

Did you know that one of the measuring tools used in 1800s vintage cooking was teacups?  

The size of the teacup depended on the individual's teacup.  They ranged from 4oz to 6 oz.




Val


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## buckytom (Oct 27, 2008)

welcome val.

teacups? very interesting.

i've heard of using champagne glasses as measuring devices, but never teacups. (see marie antoinette) 

i'm more of a teacup man.


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## valscookbook (Oct 27, 2008)

It is very interesting.  As a matter of fact, the measuring of food had its headstart in the 1800s.  They started sending their wifes and daughters to cooking school. Before then, it was a pinch her and a splash there.


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## GhettoRacingKid (Oct 27, 2008)

I heard about that.  

I learned it actualyl from good eats.  Tea cups used to be used to emasure alot fo stuff and make cup cakes if im not mistaken.

Ive always been interested in old school books.  my old chefs used to use ones from like the 1600s and the problems they ran into were that alot of ingredients dont exsist any more and they have to find out what it is called now or wa suitable replacement.


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## quicksilver (Oct 27, 2008)

All the pasta my dad's nonna, my great nonna, made she used a teacup - if she measured at all that one could see. Boy, wish I had those recipes now! She died in the late 60's, in her 90s.

Val, this is the second time seeing you post about this 1800s cookbook.
Please, please tell us the name of the book,  and the name of some of the food recipe titles. Those books are so hard to find as not many recipes werewritten down for publication.  Post some recipes for us all. I love reading old recipes like you mentioned.


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## Michael in FtW (Oct 27, 2008)

With the exception of pints, quarts or weights - most home cooks had their cooking "measuring" tools and methods - a certain teacup, teaspoon or tablespoon they always used to measure things for their recipes and their own way of doing it - level or heaping, a handfull varied by hand size, a pinch could be a big or little one, a piece of butter the size of a hen's egg could also vary depending on the size of eggs your hens were laying (small, medium, large, extra large). My grandmother had hers and nobody had better touch them! By using the same tools and measuring techniques they could assure some uniformity in reproducing their recipes. This didn't always translate into success when going from one cook to another because there was no standardization of size or volume. 

Fannie Farmer , circa 1896, did a lot to standardize how things were measured (and the volume of those measurements) and how recipes are written (what we are accustomed to these days) in her famous cookbook. Actually - she was the Shirley Corriher, Alton Brown and Harold McGee all rolled into one of her day.


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## luvs (Oct 27, 2008)

www.bartleby.com/87/

an entire plethora of information!!!


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## larry_stewart (Oct 27, 2008)

My grandmother made her soup in a specific pot ( which I inherited ).  Most of the ingredients were exactly measured out, but the amount of water was to fill the pot up until 1 inch from the top.  Any other pot wouldnt work.  I never even tried to figure out the exact measurement of water, I just always use the same pot when i make it


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## jpmcgrew (Oct 27, 2008)

antique recipes-19th Century recipes and cooking hints from the 1800's-


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## GrillingFool (Oct 27, 2008)

Here's one from the August 1900 issue of The National Baker, a trade magazine for bakers...

This issue had mostly cakes and tarts...

RATAFIA LUNCH CAKE
One ounce of ground bitter almonds, half a pound of blanched ground sweet almonds, 2 pints of suar, one pint of eggs, one pint of yolks of eggs, one quarter pint of warm water, one pound and three quarters of flour, one basting-spoonful of vanilla, half a ound of bright red French cherries cut in halves, one quarter a pound of Angelique, 1/4 pound Sultana raisins, 1/4 pound currants. Beat sugar with the eggs and yolks and water, over a slow fire in a bright copper kettle with an egg whisk very light, as for sponge cake. 
When thick, beat until cold; sift sweet and bitter almonds with the flour and mix this with the above, add the fruit last. Line two square, greased pans with paper. Divide mixture in both of them and bake in a moderate oven about one hour and a half. When cool, ice with fondant icing and flavor with essence of bitter almonds. Decorate with split, blanched Jordan almonds, angelique and cherries. 

Queen's Shortbread
Mix 4 pounds of flour, 2 of granulated sugar, 2 of butter together; add 6 eggs and some lemon extract, make all into a smooth paste. Roll out to about half an inch thick. Cut into shape and sizes and bake on greased tins in moderate oven. When cold ice with water icing and decorate with fruit or varigated Scotch comfits.

One from the 1904 White House cook book:
Cucumber Catsup
Take cucumbers suitable for the table, peel and grate them, salt a little and put into a bag to drain overnight. In the morning season with salt pepper and vinegar to taste. Put in small jars and seal for use in the winter. 

A Brine to Preserve Butter
First work your butter into small rolls, wrapping each one carefully in a clean muslin cloth, tying with a string. Make a brine, say 3 gallons, having it strong enough of salt to bear up an egg. Add half a TEACUPFUL of pure white sugar, and 1 tablespoonful of saltpetre, boil the brine, when cold strain carefully. Pour it over the butter rolls so as to more than cover them, as this excludes the air. Place a weight over all to keep rolls under the surface. 

The book also has cures, household tips, hints, formulas and such. Here's an interesting one...

RELIEF FROM ASTHMA
Get a muskrat skin and wear it over their lungs with the fur side next to the body. It will bring certain relief. Or soak a blotting paper in saltpetre, then dry, burning at night in patient's bedroom.  Another excellent recipe: Take powdered liquorice root, powdered elecampane root, powdered anise-seed, each one drachm, powdered ipecac ten grains, powdered lobelia ten grains; add sufficient amount of tar to form into pills of ordinary size. Take 3 or 4 pills on going to bed.

Need I say please don't try the above formula?

Fascinating stuff! Pity my White house cook book is falling apart.


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## valscookbook (Oct 27, 2008)

*Pumpkin Pie - 1888*

1 pumpkin (substitute with squash)
6 eggs
8 tablespoons sugar
1 quart milk

Peel and slice pumpkin. Boil it in boiling water until it is tender enough to rub through a serve with a potato masher; mix with custard made with beaten eggs with sugar and milk; flavor with spice and grated lemon rind; Bake in a deep earthen pie plate lined with pastry.


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## valscookbook (Oct 27, 2008)

Ever heard of Milk Toast?


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## Adillo303 (Oct 28, 2008)

yes

AC


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## bethzaring (Oct 28, 2008)

you bet

the man who raised my father was a banker in Martinsville Indiana.  After his wife died, my great aunt, he used to go to a restaurant on the town square every day and was served milk toast, don't remember what meal it was, but he ate it daily for 16 years, until he died.


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## letscook (Oct 28, 2008)

I always heard of it - that back many years people would have that for an upset stomach.  They would make the toast very dark and put warm milk over it.
supose to asborb bad acid in the stomach. 

Who want to have milk when you stomach is upset. ick   give me a gingerale


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## JoeV (Oct 28, 2008)

Mom used to make it sometimes for us when we were sick. White toast with sweet butter and warm milk poured over it. That was in the 50's, and I never learned what it was supposed to do, other than comfort us, which it did. We always liked it.

JoeV


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## africhef (Oct 28, 2008)

loved it when i was a kid with a little cinnamon, sugar and butter


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## mcnerd (Oct 28, 2008)

Bread soaked in warm milk would draw out puss and impurities, but it doesn't work today because both products have changed how they are made.


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## JMediger (Oct 28, 2008)

I had never heard of it until I met my honey.  He made it for me one night after we were married when I was sick and I feel in love with him all over again!  Dark toast, good butter, sugar and warm milk.  How is that _not_ going to make you feel better?


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## elaine l (Oct 28, 2008)

I have only heard of it when referring to a wimpish type person.  Never realize it was actually something to eat!


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## valscookbook (Oct 28, 2008)

When I shared that recipe to some friends - one told me, their father use to take it when he had a hangover - said that was the only thing he eat during that time.


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## valscookbook (Oct 28, 2008)

Did you know, they use to check whether or not they could eat eggs by putting a candle light behind it.

What were they looking for?


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## deelady (Oct 28, 2008)

They were looking to see if the embryo was developed yet or if it was still a yolk.....


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## valscookbook (Oct 28, 2008)

Isn't that something.  Today, I was told they place the eggs in refrigeration to stop the development of embryos.


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## Michael in FtW (Oct 28, 2008)

valscookbook said:


> Did you know, they use to check whether or not they could eat eggs by putting a candle light behind it.
> 
> What were they looking for?


 
It's called "candling" and they still do it today although in a little more modern way - they use electric lights, and in large scale operations they have computers to do the looking, accepting and rejecting (although they are still spot checked by humans). 

Like deelady said - they were looking for signs of embryo development. Sometimes this was just a "blood spot" in the yolk - didn't mean they were not safe to eat, just not aesthetically pleasing to most people. It was also a way to identity fertile eggs that could be incubated to hatch new chicks. FWIW: unless the egg has been fertalized it will not grow an embryo - even at room temp.

I'm not sure when people started putting fresh eggs in the "ice box" to prolong their "shelf" life - but refrigeration (starting with the egg farm and in the grocery store) has been common for some years now.


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## Constance (Oct 28, 2008)

I've known several older people who used a teacup and the palm of their hand to measure. That's what they learned growing up, watching their mothers cook. 
My first ex's Aunt Gert was one of them. She made what they call "cat's head" biscuits, because they were that big. They made great ham sandwiches. Her husband, who grew up on the bayou around Gonzales, La, found her picking cotton in southern Miss'ippi. She was 13, and he was in his early 20's. He bought her her first baby doll and her first pair of shoes. 
She was a wonderful person, and a big woman. When my then husband, big tough football player that he thought he was, started getting mean with me in front of her one day, she grabbed him in a bear hug, picked him up off the floor and squeezed the devil out of him, all the while saying, "You quit bein' mean to that girl!"
And she wouldn't let him down till he promised!

The other was my second ex's Aunt Lily. She was was a tiny little woman who looked like a dried apple doll, and made an old fashioned cornbread with no flour and no eggs...did require buttermilk, which was why I learned to make my own. 
She also made some fine chicken and dumplings, and always swore you needed a good, fat country hen to make them good. 

Her cornbread tasted gritty to me, but I learned to make it for my ex and his family, and I also learned how to make the dumplings (rolled, like noodles, but not). 
She also used a teacup, but I eyeballed the one she used, and made a pretty good stab at it. After watching her, I knew what it was supposed to look like, and I now think mine are actually better than hers.


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## valscookbook (Oct 28, 2008)

Wow, that's great.  I love Chicken and Dumplings.  My grandmother use to make that. It was always good.


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## BrazenAmateur (Oct 29, 2008)

I think period cooking is totally neat.

I'm particularly fascinated by Tudor-style cooking, i.e. right when they were first getting sugar and other things brought in by explorers that had previously not been available to the English.

Their roasting methods in particular fascinate me but are unbelievably time-intensive.  Constant rotating, basting, heat management, et cetera.  

I'd like to try my hand at some 19th and 18th century American recipes too.  I've done the stone-ground slow grits from Anson Mills, which is very "period", and I've done things like hoecakes, but I know there are cookbooks out there with a lot more recipes of this vintage.  It seems neat to me.


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## AuntieV (Oct 30, 2008)

When I am home I still use my Grandma's Jewel Tea Coffee cup in my flour. I learned to cook with that cup. When we were cleaning out her house I retrieved it, her cook book and my apron she made for me when I was 6. The cup has a hairline crack and no handle so I know it is the same one.


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## quicksilver (Oct 31, 2008)

jpmcgrew said:


> antique recipes-19th Century recipes and cooking hints from the 1800's-


 
I love the article titled *How to Cook A Husband *, at
that site. Thanks jpmc.


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