Old Recipes

[Delmonico]

If one has old family recipes or cookbooks one will often find they use terms modern folks don't understand.  These are not a problem, if you have a guide to follow.  Recipes often don't need exact measurments and using "handfuls" and "pinches" saves doing a lot of dishes.  Also they used things like wine glasses and salt spoons for measuring.  These were items on hand, not something bought in the kitchen section of the local store just for measuring.

St. George has asked if I would post a period recipe from time to time and I said sure, but since this is a Historic Fourm I would post them as if someone would have wrote it down for you in the "Old West."

I mentioned Fanny Farmer in the post on sourdough, she is considered the creator of the modern method of measuring, she was in charge of the Boston Cooking scool in the late part of the 19th century and wrote "The Fanny Farmer Cookbook" still being updated from time to time.

If I post a recipe that the measuring confuses, just post or send me an PM.

These are aproximate:

1 speck = 1/16 teaspoon or what will cover 1/4 square inch

1 dash = 1/8 teaspoon

1 pinch = 1/4 teaspoon

1 handful = 1 cup

1 saltspoon = 1/4 teaspoon

1 dessertspoon = 1/2 teaspoon

1 wineglass = 1/4 cup

1 gill = 1/2 cup

1 teacup = 8 ounce

1 coffeecup = 12 ounces


Dry substances like salt use a level spoon

Semi-solid use as much above the spoon as in it

A heaping spoon is twice as much above as in it

Butter and lard are often refered to as: "a lump the size of a hen egg or a goose egg or walnut."

I have a few more posts to make, then I will get into my moldy old cook books and we will have some fun cause unlike the song, it ain't going to be "bacon and beans most everyday."

[Delmonico]

I have a few minutes here, lets do oven temps.  Remeber close is close enough, if you don't belive me turn on your digital controled moder oven to a set temp.  Now go borrow a dozen oven therm. and set them in the oven.  Most likely you will vary about 50 degrees from lowest to highest.  No problem just cook it till it is done.

Very slow oven = 250-300 degrees

Slow oven = 300-325 degrees

Moderate oven = 325-375 degrees

Medium hot oven = 375-400 degrees

Hot oven = 400-450 degrees

Very hot oven = 450-500 degrees

Note: These are even aproximate, sources will vary on even these.

I will do some digging and find some good ones, if anyone is looking for any old time period recipes or have one they want to know if it could be just post it or PM it to me. 

I use the theroy if every thing could be gotten to make it, someone probbaly did.

[Will Ketchum]

Don't cook myself but I am looking forward to eading your recipes.

Will Ketchum

[Silver Creek Slim]

Don't cook myself but I am looking forward to eading your recipes.

Will Ketchum

Is that eating or reading his recipes? 

Slim

[El Peludo]

Man, Delmonico, this and the cake yeast post sure do bring back a lot of (big word, here) poignant memories for me.  I was brought up in a family with three Grandma's, two regular, and one great.  None of them used measuring tools, to any real extent.  And, a strange thing about them all was that they could go into each others kitchens, and after a bit of orientation, make stuff just like they did at home.  They all kept their flour in a big crock or tin, and there was a sifter in the bin that they used to get the flour out; that was about as close as they came to really measuring, most of the time.  Then, of course, there was the cake yeast; it seems to me, that it did not come in the individual wrapped cakes, exclusively, but thet there was a larger piece that one of them used, and took chunks off of it.  Long time ago. 

[Four-Eyed Buck]

Oh, great, Delmonico! just as I was starting to lose some weight! ::)can't wait to see what you come up with! .....Buck

[Delmonico]

Hairy one, cake yeast is about 1/2 inch by 3inches by 1 1/2 inches,  I bet to save money they put a little bit in a bowl, added a bit of sugar, flour and water and let it grow and multiply before making the bread.  This will work but it takes hours, but since they had lots of time, not a problem.  I vary the amount of yeast often by the time I have to wait fer it to rise.  Recipes are not written in stone, a bit of knowledge of how things work are how new ones are made.  When one uses a small amount of yeast, ya don't have to wory about yer bread taking over the kitchen or a State Historical Park.

FEB.  Just eat the stuff I post, not that nasty fast food and ya should do fine.  Thats about all I eat and I'm large, but not really fat.  6'2'' and about 225. 

Couse if ya need an "Old West Diet" I can give ya one, but my Native American friends must forgive me.

Lakota Diet:

Eat plenty of buffalo meat, don't steal to much corn and beans from the Pawnee, don't trade fer any flour with the whites.

And they thought that low-carb guy was modern.

[Four-Eyed Buck]

Thanks, Delmonico. I'll keep it in mind. Gettin' flour of the white's is too easy...........Buck