The chafing dish (from the Old French chauffer, “to make warm”) gained a certain cache in the Gilded Age, morphing from a simple brazier in which to gently cook dishes away from fire, to a luxury item made of copper and silver. Its roots were in the 16th century, as early cookbooks recognized the delicacy …
Category: Food
WWI Wednesday: Housekeeping in Wartime
This earlier post on rationing in wartime discusses the change in eating habits and heating methods, and now we’ll look at some recipes that filled the newspapers and cookery books of the day. Leek and Pork Pie Cut up small one bundle of leeks, wash, and place them in salted boiling water. Let boil twenty …
The Planning and Preparing of Thanksgiving Dinner in Gilded Age America
I was humbled and honored to be contacted to contribute to an article on the Smithsonian Magazine’s website about the luxurious Thanksgiving dining habits of the Gilded Age. Read When Thanksgiving Meant a Fancy Meal Out on the Town to learn more about it! For the ordinary middle class housewife of the Gilded Age, the …