Comparing modern recipes to old ones

I was looking through my 1947 Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book and could not help comparing to modern recipes.

I had to do a bit of math to determine this wedding gift is 61 years old. I learned to cook with this book as the broken binder and splattered, dog-eared pages testify.

I always date recipes and it is fun to see how long ago old favorites were first made. It was always fun to bake and those days included making several batches of cookies in one day, shaping doughnuts instead of dropping by spoonful into the hot oil.

It is a habit to read new recipes in magazines and newspapers, although realizing I will never make them. Cannot help but comparing differences in cooking and baking through the years.

This old cookbook did not call for mushrooms, commercial sour cream, yogurt, miniature peeled carrots, avocados, artificial sweeteners, canned chicken broth, frozen chicken breasts, olive oil, or a variety of different spices. Pasta was either macaroni or spaghetti and void of fancy shapes and names. Rice was simply rice and instant rice had not been invented. Milk was milk, not 2 percent or 1 percent or skim. Whipped cream was made from fresh cream by beating it and not opening a package of Dream Whip.

One section was listed as meats, poultry and fish and another was dubbed for leftovers in this old cookbook. Shrimp, crab and tuna were included in salad recipes.

Childhood memories include coming home after school smelling roasts or stews cooking. Our Dad liked raw oysters which we bought from the meat market. They were in tiny white boxes with a metal handle, similar to ones we use for Chinese takeout today. Mother also bought Watkins products for special flavorings such as their almond/vanilla mix.

When we went to the grocery store oranges were purchased by the dozen and fresh produce was not in plastic bags. Meat was not packaged individually while hamburger and sausage were weighed according to how much you wanted to purchase when shopping. We used to have our groceries delivered and could telephone in our order.

Shrimp, crab and lobster were unheard of in our home. Mother did cook finnan haddie, which she boiled in cheese cloth and served with boiled potatoes and drawn butter.

We did not know about enchiladas, pizzas, tacos or barbecues. The microwave was not invented for years. I doubt if anyone ever thought there would ever be varieties of frozen meals and other

items available at stores.

Gladys Shay is a longtime resident and columnist for the Hungry Horse News.