Back To Betty - How To Get The Most Out Of The 1950 Cookbook

As I mentioned on Monday there is a new feature on the blog: Back To Betty.

I'm revisiting the 1950 edition of the Betty Crocker Picture Cookbook in hopes of generating new interest in this terrific culinary resource. You can read the first post with the background of the project by clicking here.

Now, if you own a copy of this book and you just want to jump right in, find a recipe, and make it, go right ahead.

But if you really want to get the most out of all the Betty Crocker cookbook has to offer you should probably take a moment and check out the first 28 pages.

Including the endpapers.

Yes, the endpapers.

I've been cooking out of this book for many years but until I started this project I never really looked closely at the endpapers so I missed the handy quick tips that are located there.

And to be honest I never really looked at the first 28 pages either. I was lucky enough to have a mom and grandmother who taught me things like the method for properly measuring flour (never scoop it up using the measuring cup - instead you pour the flour into the cup and then level it off with a knife - as shown on page 7).

Had I taken the time to read those pages I could have saved myself from making a lot of mistakes that actually affected the flavor, tenderness, and overall success of the food I was preparing.

There are basically seven sections at the beginning which cover:

1. An introduction to the Betty Crocker kitchens and the goals of the company and the book. There are some VERY cool pics here of the "test kitchens" - I love looking at the kitchen fashions of the 1950s and these are some great representations.
2. Measuring - all the little tips and tricks for measuring different kinds of ingredients and taking into account whether they are wet or dry or should be tightly or loosely packed etc. There's a great tip here for measuring eggs.
3. Meaning of Terms - Very important so that you understand what the recipe is asking you to do. Includes a whole section of "foreign" and special terms (often these are French). It's fascinating to look through the "dictionary" and see how many terms would need little explanation today since they have become so commonplace on cooking shows.
4. Utensils - this section is most important for the recipes requiring baking - different types of pans bake things differently. There is a pic here of the old fashioned pastry cutter I use - I swear by these old cutters - they mix the pastry without cutting your fingers as you clean them off.
5. Food Storage - A valuable resource to avoid food spoilage. Apparently there are different methods for storing hard cheeses and soft cheeses - who knew?
6. Substitutions  - Explains what ingredients can be safely substituted in a recipe without compromising the outcome. Includes a section on common food equivalents and also equivalent weights and measures. I learned here that I can substitute sweet milk for buttermilk and vice versa by adding either lemon juice or baking soda as needed.
7. Preparation - Some ingredients, like chocolate and nuts need to be handled in particular ways - this section addresses a variety of ingredients with special needs. I just learned how to properly open and deal with a coconut in this section!

The helpful hints and "how to's" don't stop with the introduction but on page 28 we actually start seeing some recipes and the step-by-step instructions and tips become more integrated into the rest of the book. I'll be addressing these other "how-to" sections and "tips and tricks" in later posts as we move through the project. There is a LOT to unpack in this book!

So, if you have a copy of the Betty Crocker Picture cookbook kicking around your house and you haven't truly looked at it in years, maybe now would be a good time to dig it out, grab a cup of coffee (or tea or wine - knock yourself out) and browse through that first section. Even if you've looked at it in the past I bet you will find something interesting and/or enlightening that you barely noticed before.

For those of you who don't own a copy of the Betty Crocker Picture cookbook I'm posting images of those first pages (see them by clicking here).

Hopefully you will be so intrigued by them you will head over to Amazon or Ebay or wherever you find old books and order a copy of the book for yourself.