My Grandmother's Cookbook 1

The Beginning:
Desk Equipment
Top Drawer:  wooden spoon, Tablespoon, Teaspoon, measuring spoon, fork, pearing knife, case knife, spatula, salt and pepper shaker, biscuit cutter, glass cup, aluminum cup
Lower Drawer:  rolling pin, hot pad, strainer, soup dish, scrub brush
Large Drawer: front-double boiler, stew kettle, pie pan
                         back- 2 bread pans, frying pan, service plate, egg ------, mixing bowl,

When I think of all the gadgets in my own kitchen and I dont have many of the things I would like to have, I dont have many of the "dreamy items" that every "well stocked American kitchen" should have.  Were these truly the ONLY items that were needed in the kitchen in 1928? 


The next page details the method of grading for this class.  When you look at the standards and compare them to grading points of today?  Quietness?  Attitude?  Speed?  And look, neatness was different than cleanliness.  Can you imagine what would happen today if our students were given grades for their ATTITUDE in class?  Or Quietness?  Gee, we might have a whole different standard of behavior in class.

Points of grading
Accuracy-
Neatness-
Quietness-
Attitude-
Speed-
Cleanliness- 

Keep in mind as we go that this was a HOME EC class.  Again, not what we think today of being a Home Ec class in the least.  Each recipe or set of notes in her book were formed in terms of EXPERIMENTS.

FORM of EXPERIMENTS

Aim: ---------------

Method: ---------------

Conclusion: -----------------

What would happen today, if we looked at what goes on in our kitchens around the country, and what gets served on the diningroom table as proveable science experiments, instead of something just thrown together to keep people from whining?  

The next page lists more Equipment  I am gathering that maybe they had to bring these things from home. 

Equipment
2 dish towels
2 tea towels
2 hand towels
2 lifters
2 White aprons
1 large notebook

RULES
1 Wash your hands when you come into the labatory.
2 Rings and bracelets should not be worn.
3. Do not lay handkerchiefs, hats, or books on labatory table.
4.  Keep desk in order while working
5. Always wear your apron and hand towel.
6. All waste water should be oured through sink strainer.
7. Put all dry garbage in garbage pail.
8. Wash each tea towel at end of each lesson, fold and hang up.
9.  Put all equipment in order for checking at end of each lesson.

I think these are enough things to think about for one night.  What can we say about the differences in the past and present?  I so much more understand the way my Grandmother was around her home.