THE SECRET OF KITCHEN HAPPINESS.
Mrs. Newton C. Wing, Chairman Home Economics.
Atlanta Woman’s Club Cookbook, 1921
House-work may be made either a delight or drudgery, according to the mental attitude which accompanies it. It is impossible, naturally, to love one’s house-work, if one does not have the proper equipment and if one’s house, especially the kitchen, is not properly arranged, ventilated and lighted. We realize that few houses are built which follow any scientific arrangement as to the kitchen. Speed the day when the architect and the experienced house wife will together plan all kitchens. In building a new house, the housewife should insist on having the kitchen built as she desires, always considering, of course that it harmonizes with the general architectural plans of the house.
Even if a house wife employs servants, she can not secure that servant’s contentment or best efforts, unless she saves her time and strength by labor-saving methods.
MORE EFFICIENCY MAY BE SECURED
I. By having a small kitchen, (but not crowded).
II. By covering walls with washable materials such as tile, enamel, or any good washable paint.
III. By covering the floor with linoleum, one with dark background being preferred. Wax well after laying.
IV. By grouping certain apparatus and utensils, according to their use. Common sense shows that many steps are avoided if:
First—The sink, with its two large drain boards, one on eachside, is placed next to the dining room or pantry. Ideal arrangement consists in having a dish-window opening directly between the dish-closet and the sink. This should be large enough to allow the passage of the wire dish drainer filled with dishes. Soiled dishes are placed on right hand drain board, where they are picked up by the dish-washer’s right hand, scrubbed under running water, by brush held in left hand, and then placed in dish pan. When pan is full, place one tablespoon of washing powder over dishes (this is enough to cut grease, but does not make water soapy) , fill pan with very hot water. With dishmop tilt plates until easily grasped by left hand, rub with dish mop, and place in dish drainer at left. Very much hotter water may be used than in the old fashioned way of using a dishcloth,—the hot water filling the two-fold purpose of
cleaning the dishes and making them dry more easily. When drainer is full, pass thru dish-window or carry to dish-closet. This leaves room for washing cooking dishes and by the time these are done the china dishes are dry and sparkling and may be put away in the china closet without wiping. This is much more sanitary than the old way of wiping with dish towel, which is never perfectly dry and clean except for the first dish. Towels of best linen toweling should of course be used for glasses and silver. Sinks and tables are generally built too low. Housewives should insist on having sinks built, so that, without stooping, one may touch the inside floor of the sink with the flat of the hand. The same holds good with the tables (note the height of kitchen cabinet table). For the average person, the height of sinks, etc., should be 36 inches.
Second—The stove should be next to dining room door on the other side from the sink to facilitate serving. Thus a tea wagon can be used both to take food directly from the stove to the dining room table and also to bring soiled dishes from the table to the sink.
Third—Grouped on opposite side from the stove, should be the kitchen cabinet, and working table with store closet near. If table is on casters, it can be rolled over near table or sink when needed.
Fourth—If the kitchen is sufficiently large there should be a rest corner with a desk and bookcase above for working on kitchen accounts and for keeping cook books thus utilizing the spare minutes which often occur in the kitchen while meals are cooking.
NECESSARY IN THE KITCHEN
KITCHEN FURNISHINGS AND APPURTENANCES.
1 chair (or more).
1 rocking chair (if there is room).
1 white porcelain table on rollers (should have drawer)
Book shelf for cook books, etc.
Electric toaster.
Ice-cream freezer.
Fireless cooker.
Refrigerator.
Meat grinder.
Ice-pick.
Ironing-board.
Waffle iron.
Tea wagon.
Electric flat iron and rest.
Electric washing machine
As far as we’ve come, I don’t know many cooks who couldn’t make do with this list, although I’m not too sure what a fireless cooker is. Sadly I have no servants and I can’t remember what a day off looks like. This is a real glimpse into life in Atlanta at the turn of the century.
Katherine Martinelli told us about these remarkable cookbooks from the Library of Congress digital collection of American Church, Club and Community Cookbooks from the late 19th and early 20th century. I’ve got nothing done since I found them. If you don’t see me for another week, I’ll be reading cookbooks.
- 2 eggs.
- 2 tbls. sugar.
- 2 tbls. butter.
- 1 teaspoon salt.
- 1 pt. milk.
- Flour to make thin batter. (I used about 2 cups flour)
- 2 large teaspoons baking powder
- Separate the eggs
- Beat yolks and add sugar and salt
- Melt butter then add milk and flour and stir to combine.
- Beat egg whites until stiff (but not dry) peaks form
- Stir one spoonfull of whites into the mixture to lighten and then fold remainder of egg whites and baking powder
- Bake in a hot waffle iron.
Great post!
I’d love to have a week reading cookbooks – sounds dreamy and delicious, just like these waffles!!
Thanks Ashley, lovely to meet you! I appreciate your comment very much.
I seriously need to get a waffle maker!!
My waffle maker broke and I thought there was no need to get another one, until now.
I saw Katherine’s post about the Library of Congress treasure trove of cookbooks too! I’m going to be spending a lot of time there – I love reading cookbooks! Mrs. Wing’s essay is wonderful – love the kitchen arrangement tips! And Mrs. Harding made a mean waffle. Really fun post – thank you.
So this is where you have been hiding, inside turn of the previous century delightful little cookbooks!
This is such a cute post:)
Tea wagon, porcelain table (with a drawer), ice cream freezer, fireless cooker……wow! Dainty.
Fireless cooker….maybe she is talking about some sort of hotplate/pan?
That was such an interesting read. Yeah, no servants here either! Those waffles look delicious!!
The waffles look fantastic!!!!! I don’t have most of the things listed there hahaa
i have a deep affection for old cookbooks, i will have to check out the link! the waffles look great!
Oh these look so delicious. I will have to bookmark this recipe because my husband has been asking for waffles for about two weeks now!
This is such a totally cute post my friend 😀
I love that you have so many antique cookbooks 🙂
Servants? Ummm no not really but waffles? Need a waffle maker right now! 😉
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Love this post Maureen. Aren’t old cookbooks THE BEST! At our Lifeline book fair, I always look out for the old classics. Love your waffles, I could just bite into the monitor now. Deliciousness!
lovely waffles and its good to simplify 🙂
Fun and fascinating to read what the 1921 cook wanted in her kitchen. For all of our gains and changes over the years , we are not so different.
Waffles both look good and easy to make. Must try.
These waffles look amazingly golden and delicious!
I don’t think I’ll ever have a rocking chair in my kitchen, too funny!
Loved this post! And your waffles look amazing! Mine never look that golden… perhaps a have a crappy iron!
i want not wait- I NEED them NOW! she is on the mark with those waffles. hands down a winner
I don’t know what a day off is either. And I don’t know what a fire-less cooker is – is it an oven? And I don’t have an ice pick. That book is an addictive read so I can imagine you being unable to lift your head out of it. And what delicious and perfect looking waffles xx
What tasty and pretty waffles!
I need waffle maker..Like NOW!!!
These really look very seductively delicious waffle..You know what I mean right…LOL
Beautiful!!
What a great post! It’s always interesting to read (and remember) older times and cultures. The tea wagon was interesting. I would LOVE to have a rocking chair in the kitchen, but I would need a much bigger kitchen! Thanks for such a great read! The waffles look just like the ones I grew up eating! I think it’s the same recipe too!
How fantastic – I now want to join you at the cookbook section of the library 🙂 I read a history of Mrs Beeton a few years back and that had a similar effect on me, it is really quite captivating to think back to the times past.
The recipe itself is appealing too 🙂
See… us Atlanta girls know how to run a kitchen! I love love love waffles!
Thanks for the interesting reading. Waffles look so deliciously good. 🙂
This menu will be our weekend breakfast this week! So excited to try. I hope ours will come out as nice as yours. You have picture perfect waffles there!
great minds think alike! I ahve waffles on my post today too!!
Absolutely gorgeous picture!
I never seem to get enough time to post and now that you have directed me towards cookbooks I could be in real trouble! As always I am delighted that when I get time your site is my first stop!
I love, love, love vintage cookbooks, especially Southern vintage cookbooks. Well….I love all cookbooks, actually. But I really, really love vintage cookbooks. You must check out Mrs. Henrietta Dulls’ Southern Cooking. It’s from the 1920’s, too. She was born during the Civil War (US, of course) and wound up being the food editor the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Margaret Mitchell (Gone With the Wind) was assigned to cover her.
Thank you for this post, Maureen. I’ll be focused on digging up these cookbooks in the Library of Congress for the next few hours (okay…days. Alright, already…..months!)
An electric washing machine in the kitchen? Would that be a dishwasher? I sure would not want to do my laundry in the kitchen. Now that we have refrigerator in the kitchen, we can do away with the ice pick.
Great post, thanks.
Love! Waffles are sooo comforting and delicious. These look fanstastic!
It’s pretty hard to like doing house work I must say, but I do know a few people who are constantly and forever at it..it’s a compulsion I’m sure and not out of love for house work. 😛 My grandma in China has 2 maids, they come in for 1 hour each per day and they do different things. The person in the morning will wash the dishes from the night before, wash the clothes and mop the floor. The maid in the afternoon will make food and do odd bits and pieces around the place like wiping the table and things. They are SO useful it always make me feel bad when I come back to Australia! The best is when the dishes are washed for you. I dislike cleaning after my kitchen messes as it gets REALLY messy when I cook. 😛
Love the looks of those waffles! I keep telling my boyfriend that I need a waffle maker but he disagrees. 🙁
I’d be afraid to start reading these books, they sound wonderful as do your waffles, yum! I can sniff and almost smell the deliciousness!
Yummy waffles, I haven’t had them in years. Loved this post. The lists of kitchen necessities made me smile xo
I need a bigger kitchen so I can have a rocking chair in it 😀
Thanks for your lovely comment on my blog just now Maureen. Yes, it was a shocker of a night. I’m sure she’s the same woman that messaged you! It’s amazing how some people live by tearing others down in order to make themselves feel better xx
I love old cookbooks and often pick them up at tag sales. They are so much fun to read. And I’d say you’ve mastered Mrs. Harding’s waffle recipe – they look perfect!
I have recently acquired more than enough cookbooks to add to my already embarrassing collection. We need to start a cookbookaholic anonymous club! These waffles look so good!
I love finding beautiful old recipes! My Grandma shares a lot of her beautiful recipes, I am going to cherish them FOREVER! I love waffles, I need waffles! Hugs, Terra
In the Philippines, having servants is still the order of the day. I grew up having a lot of them and boy did I change when I came over here in the US. Great adjustment but I survived and still surviving.
waffles… ahh i have to bring out my waffle maker… but i don’t make them as good as yours :{
malou
I love taking a peek into those retro books! it really was a different world back then wasn’t it? All of the essentials are interesting: I mean the meat grinder, ice pick, white porcelain table on rollers and rocking chair!
oh this is belgian waffle rite? 🙂 so delicious indeed!
Latest: Arabic For You!
I need a waffle maker for sure. Those look so delicious!
My husband LOVES waffles, I have to bookmark this recipe. If it is up to him, it will be waffles every weekend for breakfast:)
We usually make pancakes sunday morning as a family for breakfast but i think we should start making these waffles!! They look sooo good…..now i only have to get a waffle maker!
Fascinating …. Now I’ll be tied up reading these for weeks 🙂