Memory Monday: Cooking Terms

My mother's maternal grandparents

COOKING TERMS AND PRICES FROM THE LATE 19^TH CENTURY

As a writer of historical romance, I often wonder about the prices of foods in the late 19^th century. And when I look at a cookbook from that time, I find measurements that I don’t understand. Also, I never thought how to be frugal in the way meat was cooked. Thankfully, I found a book that helps out a lot.

Twenty-five Cent Dinners for Families of Six was written by Juliet Corsen and published in 1878. (This book was published four years after my great-grandfather came to America.)

 Below are a few excepts from Juliet Corsen’s book.

In calculating the cost of the receipts I give you, I have used the retail prices asked in Washington market, and in ordinary grocery stores, at this season of the year; the average is about the same as that of past years, and probably will not change much; so that I believe I have not placed too low an estimate upon them.  (Preface vi)

The following table shows how much is wasted in the different ways of cooking we have just spoken of.

Four pounds of beef waste in boiling or stewing, about one pound of substance, but you have it all in the broth if you have kept the pot covered tightly.

In baking one pound and a quarter is almost entirely lost unless you have plenty of vegetables in the dripping pan to absorb and preserve it.

In roasting before the fire you lose nearly one pound and a half.

Do not think you save the waste in the shape of drippings; it is poor economy to buy fat at the price of meat merely for the pleasure of trying it out. (p. 15-16)

The following table will give you some good hints about measuring;

there are four teaspoonfuls in one tablespoon;

two tablespoonful in one ounce;

two ounces in one wineglassful;

two wineglassfuls in one gill;

two gills in one good sized cupful;

two cupfuls in one pint;

two pints in one quart.

One quart of sifted flour, thrown into the measure, and shaken down, but not pressed, weighs one pound.

One quart of Indian corn meal, shaken down in the measure weighs one pound and three ounces.

One quart of fine sugar weighs one pound and a half. p. 18

As a reminder from an earlier blog post, here are some of the prices for food from the same book.

Price of food

Rice, 1 pound             10 cents

Flour, 1 pound           4 cents

Molasses, 1 gill           2 cents

Macaroni, 1 pound  15 cents

Cheese, 1pound         16 cents

Peas, dried, 1 pint      5 cents

Onion, 2                        1 cent

Bacon, 1 pound         16 cents

Oatmeal, 1 pound      8 cents

Salt Pork, 1 pound    16 cents

Beans, dried, 1 pint   6 cents

Lentils, 1 pound        10 cents

Indian Meal, pound  4 cents

Cabbage, 1 head          3 cents

Bread, 2 pounds          6 cents

Suet, 1 pound               8 cents

Milk, pint                     4 cents

Sugar, 1 pound           16 cents

Currents, 4 ounces      4 cents

Turkey, 1                   20 cents

Butter, 1 pound         32 cents

I hope this information is helpful when you write or read something from the past.