One of the most popular cookbooks of the 1950s was the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook published in 1953 and through its tips, guides, recipes, and illustrations, the imperative for women to re-domesticate was loud and clear. During World War II, the US Government sought to train Americans in frugal living through a number of new programs and incentives. Many of the government programs focused on food resources with the idea that rationing and saving at home would guarantee that our soldiers were well-fed and better able to wage war abroad. In a K-12 teaching resource online, U-S-History.com noted that “Training sessions were held to teach women to shop wisely, conserve food and plan nutritious meals, as well as teach them how to can food items.”[1] As part of its propaganda program, the government produced monthly meal-planning guides that included recipes and daily menus. The Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook (BHG) retained much of this mentality in its pages of the first edition and attempted to address resistance to some of the ready-made products marketed as “shortcuts” in cooking.
Tips and Guides
The 1953 edition of the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook (BHG) sought to continue educating the American cook—typically the woman of the home. There are a number of features that contribute to this didactic and pedagogical approach which encouraged women to return to the kitchen instead of the workplace. First, the book itself has a washable hardcover making it easy to simply wipe off the cover with a damp rag to keep the kitchen clean and tidy. The pages of the BHG are hole punched and the book uses “loose leaf” ring binding so that women can streamline the book to best serve their cooking needs, and to allow for additional materials to be added. The BHG frontispiece explained, “Loose-leaf binding with patented page booster gives you all the advantages of both ring-bound and stitched books. The book lies flat and you can add your own recipes as you choose.”[2] Additionally, the frontispiece stated, “Five rings, instead of the usual three, hold pages securely.”[3] The popular cover still used in the latest edition uses a simple red and white gingham check pattern with its cozy cottage appeal. The cover also has black clip-art silhouettes of a dutch oven, a gravy boat, and a frypan over which the title of the book appears in white lettering. Not unlike textbooks of today, the BHG cookbook was meant to be used not merely read.
In addition to the cookbook’s format, the text inside the front matter and back matter also served to teach women cooking skills and techniques. On the inside of the front cover, for example, there are oven temperature and cooking guides for what BHG imagines are the often-used features. The front cover lists an oven chart explaining what temperature is meant by “very slow oven,” to “extremely hot oven.” It includes a quick index to time and temperatures for yeast breads, quick breads, cake, cookies, puddings, pastry, and candy and frostings. The inside of the back cover is similarly endowed with headings for “weights and measures” and “size of cans” offering conversions for measuring. Continuing with the quick index to time and temperatures, the back cover features roasting, broiling, and thermometer readings each with their own subcategories of meat types. The last item in the index is for fried foods including items such as “doughnuts, vegetable rings, and oysters” to name a few.
One of the unique features is the four-page frontispiece material that begins the cookbook. While the index to times, temperatures, and measurements are common features to most cookbooks, what is not common is the extensive introduction by the cookbook editors. The first page in this series is a traditional cover page with a full-color photo of various pies over which is a white text box with the cookbook title. This cover page includes a tagline, however, which is not a unique feature in cookbooks, but was not common at the time of its printing in 1953. This tagline reads “Every recipe triple-tested by our Tasting-Test Kitchens staff,” letting readers know that they can have confidence that this cookbook will produce delicious meals every time. The next two-pages create a two-page spread with the benefits and features of the cookbook. The page proclaims that this cookbook will provide “delicious, nutritious meals;” will “save time and effort;” will “reduce food bills;” and will provide “perfect results,” including “taste and appearance.” To further encourage women in their cooking endeavors, the BHG also explains that both men and women serve on their testing committee, “so you may be sure that both the recipes and the menus will have the hearty approval of every member of your family.” Finally, the fourth page of this section features a letter by then-director of the Better Foods and Equipment Department, Myrna Johnston. The letter begins, “Dear Homemaker:” in darker and larger font the rest of the letter. To summarize, the letter reinforces the didactic and pedagogical purpose of the cookbook explaining that recipes are “up to the minute,” with the most current favorites, but also providing “old-fashioned favorites.” The letter reinforces the moment of cultural changes in the 1950s by bridging “wonderful dishes Mother and Grandmother made famous” and “modern short-cut recipes.”
As part of the tips and guides which served to educate women in the 1950s, the cookbook also contains another unique feature. Whereas most cookbooks simply begin with the first section of recipes, the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook contains an introductory chapter titled “Meal-planning and Nutrition.” This 55-page chapter (or section) provides a comprehensive guide to nutrition, explaining the importance of recipes that address protein, minerals, vitamins, and “fuel.” Additionally, the chapter provides several examples of meals that address each of these requirements along with a chart demonstrating the values of different types of food such as “1 cup grated raw carrot” or “1 cup of enriched corn flakes.” The chapter explains recommended daily dietary allowances through both examples and another chart, and also covers “calorie tally” for the most commonly consumed items in each category (i.e. salads, breakfast, fruits and berries, milk, etc.). The meal planning section of this chapter spans 18 pages of charts allowing women to select from main dishes, vegetables, starches, and desserts. Continuing with its education, the chapter also features a step-by-step guide with photo illustrations explaining how to pack a lunch box in the most efficient manner, along with yet another chart of ideas for lunch-box meals.
The BHG is not done with its extensive cooking education yet. Before getting to the recipes, the cookbook contains a 23-page section on “Special Help,” which includes various short cuts, pronunciation guides, measuring guides and so forth. The section teaches key terms used in recipes and a passel of photo illustrations demonstrating various techniques. Perhaps one of the most interesting sections in this chapter is that on meat. The page title reads, “Meat is money—take care of it.” The meat section is a two-page spread with photo illustrations demonstrating the proper techniques for handling and storing different types of meat.
[1] U-S-History.com, “World War II Rationing,” in United States History. Accessed 01 November 2017, http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1674.html
[2] Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook, p. 3
[3] Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook, p. 3
