A common ingredient in vintage recipes is “sour milk.” Especially during the Great Depression, waste was avoided, and a cake was a good use of milk that had soured or was close to. Instead of having to wait around for your milk to spoil, there is a quick shortcut to sour milk: 1 cup whole milk 1 Tablespoon lemon juice

Another challenge in restoring vintage recipes is deciphering vintage oven temperatures. The oven thermostat was not developed until the 1930’s. Prior to that, a common way to test oven temperatures without a thermostat would be to sprinkle a pinch of flour in the bottom of the oven and gauge the oven temperature by how quickly the flour turned various shades

While attempting to restore the recipes in the original journal, I ran across some interesting measurements: Butter the size of an egg 3 sifts of flour 10 cents worth of nuts A waterglass full of honey Fannie Farmer invented the dry measuring cup in 1896. Cooks before that and for many years going forward tended implement whatever kitchen tools they

In doing the original research for “Sentimental Sweets: Vintage Desserts Made Modern,” I quickly figured out that it would be good to know the historical progression of baking methods, kitchen equipment, and food preservation. The goal is to stay as historically accurate as possible when restoring a recipe. I devised a table for reference, and I’d like to share it