The book even includes a section on "Diabetic Dishes," listing desserts that can accommodate substitutions of saccharin tablets for sugar. The offerings ranged from Frappéd Clam Juice (an icy delicacy to "tempt the invalid") to ice box cookies. To assist these new refrigerator owners in discovering the wonders that awaited them, Bradley provided more than 100 chilled recipes. It is almost like having an Aladdin's lamp and not knowing the right way to rub it." The author of General Electric's 1927 cookbook Electric Refrigerator Recipes and Menus, Alice Bradley reflected that "to many people electric refrigeration is still such a novelty that they scarcely realize the range of its possibilities. Taylor Foundation Object Project features a General Electric monitor top from the 1930s, the first commercially successful home refrigerator, as well as cookbooks published to accompany the appliance. These marketing tools recognized that home fridges and freezers provided not only utility and convenience, but an exciting new way of preparing and serving food in the home. Manufacturers offered their customers cookbooks full of recipes that took advantage of the refrigerator's cooling power. By keeping food reliably chilled at a consistent temperature, refrigerators came with a special perk-the novelty of "cooking with cold." The electric refrigerator made the whole process exponentially easier: no ice chipping, no hand cranking. "I shall never forget my amazement at seeing a brisk Yankee housewife lay hold of the handle of the ponderous tin cylinder, and whirl it with such will and celerity, back and forth, back and forth, that the desired end came to pass in three-quarters of an hour."Īnd yet, this innovation still required quite a bit of hard work: first, chipping ice off of a large block and crushing it to pieces small enough to fit into the ice cream freezer (Harland recommended chunks "smaller than a pigeon's egg"), and then nearly an hour of tedious cranking. In her 1871 bestseller Common Sense in the Household: A Manual of Practical Housewifery, author Marion Harland raved about the tool: Replacing the old method of turning a bowl full of ice cream mixture by hand in a bucket of ice, the machine used a hand crank for speedy results. One early example, patented by Nancy Johnson in 1843, combined an inner chamber for churning with an outer pail for holding ice. By the 19th century, folks wanting to make ice cream at home relied on manual freezers designed specifically for the task. The delicacy required a surplus of sugar, salt (both expensive, imported products), cream, and labor-plus an ample supply of ice, which had to be cut out of rivers and ponds during the winter and stored with the hope it'd last until summer.Īs the ice industry grew, so too did ice cream's popularity. But, in the early days of the republic, making ice cream at home was strictly a luxury for the elite. First Lady Dolley Madison served the treat at her husband’s inaugural ball. George Washington ate it at Mount Vernon. What better way to celebrate the refrigerator than with Americans' favorite frozen treat?Īmericans have loved ice cream right from the start. Home electric refrigeration hit the mass market less than 100 years ago. They keep our food fresh, our leftovers edible, and the ice cubes flowing. Our trusty fridge and freezer are the unacknowledged heroes of our family's kitchen. On my hands and knees in a puddle of ill-fated vanilla goop, I explained why I'd set out to replicate a 1927 ice cream recipe. My historical experiment had sounded far more appealing before I'd spilled cream and sugar all over the kitchen. I thanked my brother for his astute commentary and began mopping up the sticky mess. "Seems like a lot of work for a little ice cream." In celebration of the first electric refrigerators (and their tiny built-in freezers), intern Mary Kate Robbett tries her hand at an ice cream recipe from 1927. Taylor Foundation Object Project explores "everyday things that changed everything." One innovation that definitely fits that bill? Electric refrigeration, introduced to American homes in the late 1920s.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |