cooking measurements
Drew & Tami
This reminds me of something...
We used to live near Mt. Vernon, and we'd go often. One time, they were
doing a "food" focus...it was pretty cool... lots of realistic looking fake
colonial food. They handed out a recipe for Martha Washington's Christmas
Cake. I don't guess I brought it with me to Japan...too bad. If I recall
correctly, it used a dozen eggs, a ridiculous amount of flour and some odd
spices. But this is what I remember, and loved: at the end, the directions
were "bake until done"!
My MIL and I cracked up at this, and it's become a footnote to all of our
family recipes.
Tami, looking forward to re-visiting Mt. Vernon, and other fun places in the
land of dead white men.
Canada. It was for some kind of self-saucing pudding and it called for
butter the size of an egg. I suspect the recipe was handed down through
generations and was written before eggs were graded for size <<<
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
We used to live near Mt. Vernon, and we'd go often. One time, they were
doing a "food" focus...it was pretty cool... lots of realistic looking fake
colonial food. They handed out a recipe for Martha Washington's Christmas
Cake. I don't guess I brought it with me to Japan...too bad. If I recall
correctly, it used a dozen eggs, a ridiculous amount of flour and some odd
spices. But this is what I remember, and loved: at the end, the directions
were "bake until done"!
My MIL and I cracked up at this, and it's become a footnote to all of our
family recipes.
Tami, looking forward to re-visiting Mt. Vernon, and other fun places in the
land of dead white men.
>>> I recall requesting a recipe from a woman who grew up insmall-town-Ontario,
Canada. It was for some kind of self-saucing pudding and it called for
butter the size of an egg. I suspect the recipe was handed down through
generations and was written before eggs were graded for size <<<
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Joyce Fetteroll
On Mar 9, 2006, at 6:31 PM, Drew & Tami wrote:
this one) doesn't have the "bake until done" line :-/ Though it does
have a ridiculous amount of flour!
http://www.mountvernon.org/learn/explore_mv/index.cfm/pid/289/
Martha Washington's Great Cake
(One of Mrs. Washington's favorite recipes)
Take 40 eggs and divide the whites from the yolks and beat them to a
froth. Then work 4 pounds of butter to a cream and put the whites of
eggs to it a Spoon full at a time till it is well work'd. Then put 4
pounds of sugar finely powdered to it in the same manner then put in
the Yolks of eggs and 5 pounds of flour and 5 pounds of fruit. 2
hours will bake it. Add to it half an ounce of mace and nutmeg half a
pint of wine and some fresh brandy.
Notes on making Martha Washington's Great Cake:
In making the great cake, Mount Vernon's curatorial staff followed
Mrs. Washington's recipe almost exactly. Where the recipe called for
5 pounds of fruit, without specifying which ones, 2 pounds of
raisins, 1 pound of currants, and 2 pounds of apples were used. The
wine used was cream sherry. Since no pan large enough was available
to hold all the batter, two 14 layers were made and stacked (note:
the original was one single tall layer). The layers were baked in a
350 degree oven for 1.5 hours. Should be iced with a very stiff egg-
white based icing, flavored with rosewater or orange-flower water.
Travel channel's adaptation:
http://travel.discovery.com/fansites/taste/recipes/washington_cake.html
10 eggs
1 pound butter
1 pound sugar
1 1/4 pounds (20 ounces) flour
1 1/4 pounds (20 ounces) fruit
2 1/2 teaspoons ground mace
2/ 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
2 ounces wine
2 ounces French brandy
Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Separate egg whites from yolks and set yolks aside. Beat eggs whites
to the "soft peak" stage. Cream butter. Slowly add the beaten egg
whites, one spoonful at a time, to the butter. Add sugar slowly to
egg whites and butter — again, one spoonful at a time. Add egg yolks.
Add flour, slowly. Add fruit.
Joyce
Answers to common unschooling questions:
http://home.earthlink.net/~fetteroll/rejoycing/
Blog of writing prompts for speculative fiction writers:
http://dragonwritingprompts.blogsome.com/
> But this is what I remember, and loved: at the end, the directionsUnfortunately the only recipe I found (though there were a lot of
> were "bake until done"!
this one) doesn't have the "bake until done" line :-/ Though it does
have a ridiculous amount of flour!
http://www.mountvernon.org/learn/explore_mv/index.cfm/pid/289/
Martha Washington's Great Cake
(One of Mrs. Washington's favorite recipes)
Take 40 eggs and divide the whites from the yolks and beat them to a
froth. Then work 4 pounds of butter to a cream and put the whites of
eggs to it a Spoon full at a time till it is well work'd. Then put 4
pounds of sugar finely powdered to it in the same manner then put in
the Yolks of eggs and 5 pounds of flour and 5 pounds of fruit. 2
hours will bake it. Add to it half an ounce of mace and nutmeg half a
pint of wine and some fresh brandy.
Notes on making Martha Washington's Great Cake:
In making the great cake, Mount Vernon's curatorial staff followed
Mrs. Washington's recipe almost exactly. Where the recipe called for
5 pounds of fruit, without specifying which ones, 2 pounds of
raisins, 1 pound of currants, and 2 pounds of apples were used. The
wine used was cream sherry. Since no pan large enough was available
to hold all the batter, two 14 layers were made and stacked (note:
the original was one single tall layer). The layers were baked in a
350 degree oven for 1.5 hours. Should be iced with a very stiff egg-
white based icing, flavored with rosewater or orange-flower water.
Travel channel's adaptation:
http://travel.discovery.com/fansites/taste/recipes/washington_cake.html
10 eggs
1 pound butter
1 pound sugar
1 1/4 pounds (20 ounces) flour
1 1/4 pounds (20 ounces) fruit
2 1/2 teaspoons ground mace
2/ 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
2 ounces wine
2 ounces French brandy
Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Separate egg whites from yolks and set yolks aside. Beat eggs whites
to the "soft peak" stage. Cream butter. Slowly add the beaten egg
whites, one spoonful at a time, to the butter. Add sugar slowly to
egg whites and butter — again, one spoonful at a time. Add egg yolks.
Add flour, slowly. Add fruit.
Joyce
Answers to common unschooling questions:
http://home.earthlink.net/~fetteroll/rejoycing/
Blog of writing prompts for speculative fiction writers:
http://dragonwritingprompts.blogsome.com/
marji
At 19:34 3/10/2006, Sandra wrote:
reading this, I was visualizing using a drinking straw to test a
cake! I had to read it a couple of times before I got it. (You
would only use a drinking straw if you wanted to take a biopsy of the
cake. Okay, I'm goin' to bed.)
~Marji, who likes to use those bamboo skewers used for ke-bobs, of
which we have too many to count, maybe a lifetime supply.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>I was just telling Holly the other day that cake recipes used to sayOk. So here's how tired and dopey *I* am right now: As I was
>to test with a straw.
>Now they say toothpick.
reading this, I was visualizing using a drinking straw to test a
cake! I had to read it a couple of times before I got it. (You
would only use a drinking straw if you wanted to take a biopsy of the
cake. Okay, I'm goin' to bed.)
~Marji, who likes to use those bamboo skewers used for ke-bobs, of
which we have too many to count, maybe a lifetime supply.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Drew & Tami
This looks like it..I'm pretty sure I didn't imagine "bake until done"-- but
even if I did, it still makes me laugh!
At Mt. Vernon, they had a "replica" of said cake, and it was bigger around
than a large pizza, and about 7" high. My MIL and I have been planning to
try the updated version of Martha's recipe, but we always get sidetracked
making something else, which mostly involves chocolate. Yumm....
I just remembered that I have one of those late 40's early 50's "take good
care of your husband-- be a clever cook" books in storage. I'm thinking it
will be fun to revisit that!
Tami, who will soon be living near Mt.Vernon again, and will be delighted to
have many houseguests who like chocolate!
***> But this is what I remember, and loved: at the end, the directions
this one) doesn't have the "bake until done" line :-/ Though it does
have a ridiculous amount of flour!***
even if I did, it still makes me laugh!
At Mt. Vernon, they had a "replica" of said cake, and it was bigger around
than a large pizza, and about 7" high. My MIL and I have been planning to
try the updated version of Martha's recipe, but we always get sidetracked
making something else, which mostly involves chocolate. Yumm....
I just remembered that I have one of those late 40's early 50's "take good
care of your husband-- be a clever cook" books in storage. I'm thinking it
will be fun to revisit that!
Tami, who will soon be living near Mt.Vernon again, and will be delighted to
have many houseguests who like chocolate!
***> But this is what I remember, and loved: at the end, the directions
> were "bake until done"!Unfortunately the only recipe I found (though there were a lot of
this one) doesn't have the "bake until done" line :-/ Though it does
have a ridiculous amount of flour!***
Sandra Dodd
On Mar 10, 2006, at 3:48 PM, Drew & Tami wrote:
to test with a straw.
Now they say toothpick. But people used to use "broomstraw," and if
they didn't live where there were clean living sticks, they might (I
have seen it) just pull one right off the broom. Seems yucky now,
but when I was a kid I didn't think about it much, because at that
point I could smell cake.
For bread pudding they say stick a knife in deep and if it comes out
clean it's done. WIth cakes it's some thin, dry stick.
"Until done" isn't so crazy, if you know the test method.
In the Middle Ages they used to bake in "coffins," which were
temporarily-built things, basically a crust that they didn't intend
for you eat. So a pie could be HUGE, and would be in a big flour and
water and oil pan, and you could build a lid for that and "fasten it"
as edges of pie crusts are fastened, but when it's all baked, you
just spoon out the insides and let the coffin become pig food, or
maybe if enough of the juice is in it, the top and sides could be
eaten by the beggars who might come by, or kitchen help. But the
very bottom would have cinders in it and ashes, because of the way
the ovens worked (like the adobe hornos of the Rio Grande valley, or
some pizza ovens and kilns. The fire is built right inside, and then
when it's hot, the fireplace is cleaned out quickly, the food put in,
and a door closed/made/fastened on. Those coffins could be
attractive or not.
Sandra
(channeling for a moment there the SCA alternative self of Mistress
AElflaed of Duckford, Mistress of the Laurel, but it's passed now)
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>I was just telling Holly the other day that cake recipes used to say
> ***> But this is what I remember, and loved: at the end, the
> directions
>> were "bake until done"!
to test with a straw.
Now they say toothpick. But people used to use "broomstraw," and if
they didn't live where there were clean living sticks, they might (I
have seen it) just pull one right off the broom. Seems yucky now,
but when I was a kid I didn't think about it much, because at that
point I could smell cake.
For bread pudding they say stick a knife in deep and if it comes out
clean it's done. WIth cakes it's some thin, dry stick.
"Until done" isn't so crazy, if you know the test method.
In the Middle Ages they used to bake in "coffins," which were
temporarily-built things, basically a crust that they didn't intend
for you eat. So a pie could be HUGE, and would be in a big flour and
water and oil pan, and you could build a lid for that and "fasten it"
as edges of pie crusts are fastened, but when it's all baked, you
just spoon out the insides and let the coffin become pig food, or
maybe if enough of the juice is in it, the top and sides could be
eaten by the beggars who might come by, or kitchen help. But the
very bottom would have cinders in it and ashes, because of the way
the ovens worked (like the adobe hornos of the Rio Grande valley, or
some pizza ovens and kilns. The fire is built right inside, and then
when it's hot, the fireplace is cleaned out quickly, the food put in,
and a door closed/made/fastened on. Those coffins could be
attractive or not.
Sandra
(channeling for a moment there the SCA alternative self of Mistress
AElflaed of Duckford, Mistress of the Laurel, but it's passed now)
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Dawn Adams
Sandra wrote:
She watched it burn, waiting for the toothpick she had dumped in the raw batter to rise miraculously from the cake. :)
Dawn (who prefers a butter knife for testing cakes)
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>I was just telling Holly the other day that cake recipes >used to sayReminds me of a local radio contest where they wanted people's stories of mistakes with cooking. The winner told of the cake she had made. The instructions said to insert a toothpick and when it comes out clean, the cake is done.
>to test with a straw.
>Now they say toothpick.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
She watched it burn, waiting for the toothpick she had dumped in the raw batter to rise miraculously from the cake. :)
Dawn (who prefers a butter knife for testing cakes)
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Sandra Dodd
On Mar 10, 2006, at 5:51 PM, Dawn Adams wrote:
That is one great story!
Perhaps she was generalizing from the Butterball turkeys. Maybe they
have something like this in the southern hemisphere or in Europe, but
American Thanksgiving Technology developed a turkey with an
indwelling thermometer. When the turkey is done, the plastic inside
part of the thermometer pops out. Just like that toothpick didn't. <g>
Sandra
> The instructions said to insert a toothpick and when it comes out=========
> clean, the cake is done.
>
> She watched it burn, waiting for the toothpick she had dumped in
> the raw batter to rise miraculously from the cake. :)
That is one great story!
Perhaps she was generalizing from the Butterball turkeys. Maybe they
have something like this in the southern hemisphere or in Europe, but
American Thanksgiving Technology developed a turkey with an
indwelling thermometer. When the turkey is done, the plastic inside
part of the thermometer pops out. Just like that toothpick didn't. <g>
Sandra
vicki a. dennis
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of marji
Sent: Friday, March 10, 2006 10:22 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [UnschoolingDiscussion] cooking measurements
* At 19:34 3/10/2006, Sandra wrote:
reading this, I was visualizing using a drinking straw to test a
[Vicki Dennis] And here is how old * I* am. I not only remember when
the recipes said test with a straw but when the "instructions" (whether from
cookbooks or home ec teachers) explained that when you pulled the straw
from the broom to keep track of the direction and to use the "top" part to
stick into the cake instead of the part that had been in contact with the
floor!! Sounds pretty yucky now.....
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of marji
Sent: Friday, March 10, 2006 10:22 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [UnschoolingDiscussion] cooking measurements
* At 19:34 3/10/2006, Sandra wrote:
>I was just telling Holly the other day that cake recipes used to sayOk. So here's how tired and dopey *I* am right now: As I was
>to test with a straw.
>Now they say toothpick.
reading this, I was visualizing using a drinking straw to test a
[Vicki Dennis] And here is how old * I* am. I not only remember when
the recipes said test with a straw but when the "instructions" (whether from
cookbooks or home ec teachers) explained that when you pulled the straw
from the broom to keep track of the direction and to use the "top" part to
stick into the cake instead of the part that had been in contact with the
floor!! Sounds pretty yucky now.....
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Su Penn
On Mar 10, 2006, at 9:39 PM, vicki a. dennis wrote:
that was a thick wire with a loop on one end to hold as you inserted
it into the cake. I loved that thing and miss it whenever I bake a
cake, and nothing else works as well, certainly not a toothpick that
has tiny rough spots. The broomstraw idea doesn't sound half bad to
me...though I'd probably buy a dedicated broom for that purpose.
Su
> [Vicki Dennis] And here is how old * I* am. I not onlyWhen I was growing up, my mother owned a tool called a cake tester
> remember when
> the recipes said test with a straw but when the
> "instructions" (whether from
> cookbooks or home ec teachers) explained that when you pulled the
> straw
> from the broom to keep track of the direction and to use the "top"
> part to
> stick into the cake instead of the part that had been in contact
> with the
> floor!!
that was a thick wire with a loop on one end to hold as you inserted
it into the cake. I loved that thing and miss it whenever I bake a
cake, and nothing else works as well, certainly not a toothpick that
has tiny rough spots. The broomstraw idea doesn't sound half bad to
me...though I'd probably buy a dedicated broom for that purpose.
Su
Robin Bentley
When I was growing up, my mother owned a tool called a cake tester
that was a thick wire with a loop on one end to hold as you inserted
it into the cake. I loved that thing and miss it whenever I bake a
cake, and nothing else works as well, certainly not a toothpick that
has tiny rough spots. The broomstraw idea doesn't sound half bad to
me...though I'd probably buy a dedicated broom for that purpose.
Su
You can buy a cake tester from Pampered Chef similar to what you've
described, though probably thinner. I have one and it works very well (and
it's longer than a toothpick, so it doesn't get lost in a loaf pan).
Robin B.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
that was a thick wire with a loop on one end to hold as you inserted
it into the cake. I loved that thing and miss it whenever I bake a
cake, and nothing else works as well, certainly not a toothpick that
has tiny rough spots. The broomstraw idea doesn't sound half bad to
me...though I'd probably buy a dedicated broom for that purpose.
Su
You can buy a cake tester from Pampered Chef similar to what you've
described, though probably thinner. I have one and it works very well (and
it's longer than a toothpick, so it doesn't get lost in a loaf pan).
Robin B.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Sandra Dodd
On Mar 10, 2006, at 8:38 PM, Su Penn wrote:
get a disk out of a computer if the tray doesn't open by itself or
the kind of tool you use to hang Christmas ornaments (other
permutations of partly-straightened-out paper clips).
Paper clips are easier to come by here than broomstraws or
toothpicks, but I never thought of using one.
Sandra
> When I was growing up, my mother owned a tool called a cake testerCan you mostly straighten out a paper clip? Like the tool you use to
> that was a thick wire with a loop on one end to hold as you inserted
> it into the cake.
get a disk out of a computer if the tray doesn't open by itself or
the kind of tool you use to hang Christmas ornaments (other
permutations of partly-straightened-out paper clips).
Paper clips are easier to come by here than broomstraws or
toothpicks, but I never thought of using one.
Sandra
elainegh8
I use a metal skewer to test cakes. Hope that translates well.
BWs Elaine (UK)
BWs Elaine (UK)
Ren Allen
"When I was growing up, my mother owned a tool called a cake tester
that was a thick wire with a loop on one end to hold as you inserted
it into the cake. I loved that thing and miss it whenever I bake a
cake, and nothing else works as well,"
I love my cake tester! I think I got it from Pampered Chef, but I
know lotsa kitchen-type stores sell them. Cheap too...
Ren
learninginfreedom.com
that was a thick wire with a loop on one end to hold as you inserted
it into the cake. I loved that thing and miss it whenever I bake a
cake, and nothing else works as well,"
I love my cake tester! I think I got it from Pampered Chef, but I
know lotsa kitchen-type stores sell them. Cheap too...
Ren
learninginfreedom.com
Su Penn
I love this list...how to unschool my kids and where to get a new
cake tester (or some creative alternative), all delivered to my
mailbox in one handy package.
Here's an unschooly thought related to this. I don't shop
recreationally, haven't for years. I only go shopping when I need to
and spend as little time as possible doing it. The downside to this
is that when I want something that isn't the sort of thing you shop
for regularly, I have no idea where to look and often can't find it!
If I'd accepted one or two of the many invitations I've received to
Pampered Chef parties over the years, I'd probably have been the
proud owner of a new cake tester years ago. It really can be an
impediment not to have browsed around, as I often don't have any idea
what's available out there.
One more example: I'm a fat woman. I have a friend who is also very
fat, and she dresses beautifully. I asked her once where she buys her
clothes, and she said she gets them all over the place. She shops
regularly, and her lover also shops a lot, and they both just pick up
anything they find that will fit Joann and look good, whenever they
find it. I am always needing, say, a pretty dress for a party and not
being able to find the right thing in the two days I have to look.
But Joann would have one hanging in her closet already. It might have
been the only halfway-decent thing available all year at Tent Dresses
R Us, but because she or her lover browse through there regularly,
they found it. Knowing what's available in the market--and what
prices are like--is valuable information that I often don't have.
I often think of this when someone around me is getting on an anti-
shopping, anti-fashion, anti-consumption rant.
Su
cake tester (or some creative alternative), all delivered to my
mailbox in one handy package.
Here's an unschooly thought related to this. I don't shop
recreationally, haven't for years. I only go shopping when I need to
and spend as little time as possible doing it. The downside to this
is that when I want something that isn't the sort of thing you shop
for regularly, I have no idea where to look and often can't find it!
If I'd accepted one or two of the many invitations I've received to
Pampered Chef parties over the years, I'd probably have been the
proud owner of a new cake tester years ago. It really can be an
impediment not to have browsed around, as I often don't have any idea
what's available out there.
One more example: I'm a fat woman. I have a friend who is also very
fat, and she dresses beautifully. I asked her once where she buys her
clothes, and she said she gets them all over the place. She shops
regularly, and her lover also shops a lot, and they both just pick up
anything they find that will fit Joann and look good, whenever they
find it. I am always needing, say, a pretty dress for a party and not
being able to find the right thing in the two days I have to look.
But Joann would have one hanging in her closet already. It might have
been the only halfway-decent thing available all year at Tent Dresses
R Us, but because she or her lover browse through there regularly,
they found it. Knowing what's available in the market--and what
prices are like--is valuable information that I often don't have.
I often think of this when someone around me is getting on an anti-
shopping, anti-fashion, anti-consumption rant.
Su
On Mar 11, 2006, at 9:06 AM, Ren Allen wrote:
> I love my cake tester! I think I got it from Pampered Chef, but I
> know lotsa kitchen-type stores sell them. Cheap too...
Sandra Dodd
On Mar 11, 2006, at 2:01 PM, Su Penn wrote:
Not only is it a great encyclopedia and dictionary, it's a shopping
trip on your desk.
I bought Holly a t-shirt online just yesterday. She wanted a Mario t-
shirt, and in looking for one (found dozens of good ones), I came
across a Meat Loaf "Bat out of Hell" t-shirt and she wanted that way
more.
We could've looked at every item in the mall and never found any of
those, but we would've needed to eat lunch, and been tired and grouchy.
Links from those t-shirt sites led to an interesting blog by a Duck
Hunt fan, and to some information on My Little Pony art, and
different artists' renditions of Thor (cartoon character Thor) which
for Holly is a tie-in with the movie Adventures in Babysitting, which
has one of the actors from Rent, which is her current favorite musical.
Sandra
> Here's an unschooly thought related to this. I don't shopgoogle.com
> recreationally, haven't for years. I only go shopping when I need to
> and spend as little time as possible doing it. The downside to this
> is that when I want something that isn't the sort of thing you shop
> for regularly, I have no idea where to look and often can't find it!
Not only is it a great encyclopedia and dictionary, it's a shopping
trip on your desk.
I bought Holly a t-shirt online just yesterday. She wanted a Mario t-
shirt, and in looking for one (found dozens of good ones), I came
across a Meat Loaf "Bat out of Hell" t-shirt and she wanted that way
more.
We could've looked at every item in the mall and never found any of
those, but we would've needed to eat lunch, and been tired and grouchy.
Links from those t-shirt sites led to an interesting blog by a Duck
Hunt fan, and to some information on My Little Pony art, and
different artists' renditions of Thor (cartoon character Thor) which
for Holly is a tie-in with the movie Adventures in Babysitting, which
has one of the actors from Rent, which is her current favorite musical.
Sandra
Angela S.
<<Knowing what's available in the market--and what
prices are like--is valuable information that I often don't have.>>
Yeah, and when you shop only when you need something, you miss all the sales
too.
Angela ~ who hates to shop and never finds a sale unless it's on-line.
game-enthusiast@...
prices are like--is valuable information that I often don't have.>>
Yeah, and when you shop only when you need something, you miss all the sales
too.
Angela ~ who hates to shop and never finds a sale unless it's on-line.
game-enthusiast@...