05 September 2008

Did You Know Your Fridge is "An Aladdin's Lamp"?

A couple of years ago, I was fortunate enough to acquire a vintage recipe book that was originally published in 1927 by the General Electric Company entitled "Electric Refrigerator Recipes and Menus: Specially prepared for the General Electric Refrigerator". It's a hardcover book and the original price printed on the title page reads "Price Two Dollars". I was pleased to find that it was authored by a Miss Alice Bradley whose is credited as being "Principal of Miss Farmer's School of Cookery, Cooking Editor of Woman's Home Companion, Author of : Cooking for Profit, Candy Cook Book, For Luncheon and Supper Guests" (that's some resume!).

What is so charming and wonderful about this book is how it instantly transports me back in time to the perspective of the "modern American homemaker" of the late-1920's and what new horizons she was enjoying with the invention and availability of home refrigeration.

I am so charmed by this, that I hope you'll indulge me over the next few posts as I share my reading with all of you. And since the original print is what lends it much of its charm, instead of re-typing the text I've decided to share scans of the original pages with you.

Click on the image to read it in an enlarged size


See what I mean? Reading these words has caused me to reflect on how much we take for granted in the kitchen. To the homemaker of the late 1920's, a fridge was "an Aladdin's lamp" and "a form of health and happiness insurance" for her family. Nowadays we just take that big square thing in the kitchen for granted. Who knew it was such a magical thing? Apparently our grandmothers did!

1 comment:

Reeni said...

After reading that I totally agree with what your saying. Having a refrigerator back then was certainly a luxury for some. How much easier it must of made life for them!

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