Old-Time Brand-Name Cookbook: Recipes, Illustrations, and Advice from the Early Kitchens of America's Most Trusted Food Makers

by Bunny Crumpacker

The Old-Time Brand-Name Cookbook evokes a warm picture of cozy, sit-down family meals, comforting foods, and good old-fashioned charm. Even if this image is a little kitschy, Bunny Crumpacker's book provides a soothing escape into yesteryear. She collects more than 70 recipes--all replicating meals from the 1890s to the 1940s. The only difference between then and now is that today's chefs have the luxury of electronic food processors and large supermarkets. No longer are cooks chained to the kitchen sink! Crumpacker's recipes require the most basic of ingredients--found in the most spartan pantry--such as a nutritious recipe for a soothing pot of Cream of Onion Soup that takes only 20 minutes and requires nothing more than broth, milk, rice, and onions. The featured deserts are scrumptious and simple--say hello to Jell-o with a concoction for Pineapple Bavarian Cream, and if you have room left, indulge yourself with a bowl of Chocolate Bread Pudding. Color pictures of well-known food icons (Heinz soup, Libby's mustard, Borden's evaporated milk) illustrate this chatty and informative book throughout. Turn back the clock and eat food like Mama used to make! --Naomi Gesinger

Genres: Cookbooks, Food

123 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 1998

Reviews

[Holly (2 Kids and Tired) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This cookbook is quite simply fun. I found it in a used bookstore several weeks ago. Sure, some of the recipes are interesting, but more than that, it's a terrific commentary about food and the evolution of cooking. Along with recipes, there are informative stories about the creation of food products like gelatin and the ability to flash freeze food, which was perfected by Clarence Birdseye.

The photos are vintage, as are the recipes. Some are appealing, such as "Orange Bread" and "Baked Pork Chops with Apples". "Beet Aspic" doesn't sound very good, but it was "up-to-date" in 1928!

I love the little excerpts and anecdotes sprinkled through out the book. They share things like this gem from 1895, "To keep vegetables fresh, place them in a deep dish in about two inches of cold water. Take a piece of linen, soak it in water and spread over all, letting the corners dip into the water to keep the cloth moist. Place dish in a window where the the air can blow over it."

If you can track down a copy, this is just a fun book to read. That there are good recipes in it is simply a bonus.

[ஐ Katya (Book Queen)ஐ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay, the first 37 pages of this book were interesting. The author (really, Bunny Crumpacker?) went into the history of how our kitchens evolved from middle 1800s to 1940s and beyond. However, once it got to the actual recipes, taken from old-time brand-name cookbooks (ie Jello put out a recipe booklet to get you to use jello to cook with), and updated for modern kitchens... there wasn't a single recipe that interested me. Bummer.

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not just recipes, but also the history of kitchens and ingredients as they were introduced into the U.S.