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History’s cooking tips that have stood the test of time

April 26, 202110 min read Monika J. Brown

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History’s cooking tips that have stood the test of time

Sage cooking advice from history

Throughout history, people have always cooked and while many things have changed like the ingredients and equipment used, there’s a lot of culinary advice that hasn’t aged at all. From 18th-century meat preparation to 1970s home cooks’ flair for throwing dinner parties, here’s cooking wisdom from centuries past that can still be used today.

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1740s: use fat and lean meat in burgers and sausages

To make the juiciest, most flavorful burgers and sausages, you need to combine lean meat and fat. This technique dates to the 18th century, when a recipe for sausages was printed in English cookery writer Hannah Glasse’s The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy, the most important cookbook of its time. It called for fat and lean pork plus pepper, salt and sage. It also suggests swapping pork for beef to make an early version of the modern hamburger.

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1740s: don’t season meat too early

Here’s another tip from the influential The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy: when you salt meat too early it draws out the juices, making it dry inside. Season a joint of beef right before it goes in the oven and baste it the whole time. Alternatively, salt it 24 hours or more in advance so the brine that seeps out has time to reabsorb and flavor the inside.

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1740s: don’t turn steak until one side is done

The old-fashioned way to broil steaks is on a clean gridiron. In The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy, a recipe suggests: add salt and pepper to 1.5-cm (0.5inch) thick rump steaks, put them on the heat and importantly, don’t turn them until one side is done so you get a good sear. Save the juices they produce to make a sauce and pour it over the steaks along with chopped, caramelized onions.

Take a look at more tips for cooking steak perfectly

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1740s: check meat before you buy it

These days we often buy pre-packaged meat at the grocery store and usually just check the use-by date on it. However, back in the day you inspected what you were buying at the market to check you were getting a good deal. Hannah Glasse says to look for smooth and tender beef with an open grain and a pleasant color. And avoid rough, spongy, yellow or white meat as this signals it’s old.

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1740s: cooked greens should be crisp

If you haven’t got a recipe up your sleeve, a classic way to prepare greens such as asparagus, French beans and broccoli is to boil the veg in plenty of salted water. However, be sure not to overdo it as “all things that are green should have a little crispness”, according to Hannah Glasse.

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1800s: not all recipes need to be followed exactly

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1880s: send gravy to the table very hot

This is a great tip from the 1887 edition of The White House Cook Book – “a book no fashionable bride or matron would be without”, according to former First Lady Frances Cleveland. Make sure gravy is served extra hot as this helps keep food warm. Written at a time when wealthy families had servants, the book also recommends servers pour it onto the plate rather than directly over the meal so guests can choose how much they eat.

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1920s: place a bowl of water in the oven when baking

It’s a myth that having a bowl of water in the oven prevents cakes and bread from burning, but there are some benefits to the old wives’ trick from the early 20th century. The water creates steam which is good if you’re making a cheesecake or custard tart, as dry heat can cause them to turn rubbery or crack. It also helps loaves rise as the moist air stops the crust from becoming too hard.

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1930s: baked apples make a cheap and easy dessert

For a hands-off dessert, give Depression-era baked apples a go. A recipe from Clara Cannucciari, a grandmother who lived through the time, suggests: core a couple of apples and fill the hollows with a mix of sugar and cinnamon. Then put butter in one end to plug the hole and bake for 30 to 40 minutes until the apples are soft and the sugar is caramelized. We bet they’d go great with vanilla ice cream.

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1930s: make leftovers into a different meal

When times were hard, people had to use and reuse. This applied to clothes, furniture, tools and food too. According to Clara Cannucciari. leftovers were never thrown out. You can make a number of different meals with the same spare ingredients. For example, today’s roast ham served with peas can be tomorrow’s risotto and the next day’s ham and pea soup.

Here are some more genius ways to reduce food waste

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1930s: grow your own veg and can the excess

During the Great Depression, families with gardens were at an advantage. Not only is it cheaper to grow your own produce such as carrots, potatoes, peas, apples and peaches, but you can pickle and can what you don’t eat right away. It’s a great tip from Clara Cannucciari’s YouTube cooking channel.

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1950s: pair pork with pineapple

Nothing says 1950s dinner party like ham and pineapple. A large number of recipes from the decade featured the sweet and savory combination, including from Hormel ham and Dole pineapple. Have a go at this blast from the past or make a more fashionable dish by today’s standards like Hawaiian pizza, Chinese sweet and sour pork or tacos al pastor.

Get our recipe for sweet and sour sauce here

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1950s: embrace tinned foods

Whether you’re making a casserole or quick dessert, having tinned fruit and veg in the cupboard is a lifesaver. The convenience food soared in popularity in the 1950s and home cooks relied on it to make many meals. Tinned peaches and pears are perfect for jello, trifle and cake. Meanwhile, tinned peas, tomatoes, sweetcorn and beans are great for throwing into casseroles, pasta dishes, curries and soup.

Now take a look at our best recipes that use canned foods

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1950s: don’t think of cooking as a chore

“If cooking becomes like housekeeping, like making beds, nothing good will come out, just something unpleasant” is a quote from Dione Lucas, the first female graduate of Le Cordon Bleu cooking school and one of the first TV cooks. We agree – making food is something to be enjoyed and an opportunity to be creative.

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1960s: level cups of flour

When you’re measuring cups of flour, make sure that you’re using level cups. This is particularly important in recipes that require precise quantities, such as bread and cakes. Late American TV chef and author Julia Child emphasizes this on her 1960s TV series The French Chef. She instructs viewers to first scoop the ingredient with a measuring device, then flatten the top with a knife.

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1960s: whip cream over ice water

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1960s: sharpen your knives

You won’t get far cooking professional-quality meals without a sharp knife. A good blade is needed to prepare fresh produce properly and is also safer. America’s beloved Julia Child suggests not to look for a knife that “holds its edge”, but one you can sharpen. Then make sure you keep it in tip top condition and store it carefully.

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1970s: presentation is key

Just because you haven’t made everything from scratch, it doesn’t mean you need to scrimp on presentation – 1970s hosts certainly didn’t with their fun and festive food presentation. In a hurry to get food on the table for a special meal? Lay out a carefully-presented spread of cold meats, cheese and crackers. Who cares you didn’t spend the whole day cooking when it looks good.

Here are the retro recipes we think deserve a comeback

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1980s: cook with dry vermouth instead of white wine

Julia Child liked to use a splash of wine in sauces. However, if you find you don’t have an open bottle when you need it, keep dry white vermouth stored in the cupboard. This is what the author suggests in her 1980s series The Way To Cook because vermouth doesn’t go off.

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1980s: press chicken to check if it’s done

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21/21 SLIDES

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