1800's foods Anne Wren's Cookbook 1830's - 1870's Specialty Foods admin  

February 1800’s Potato Cakes & from the Early 1900’s Potato Cake

Anne Wrens book 1836 – 1877

Potato Cakes   Jane Holmes

Half Dozen meaty potatoes, boiled & rubbed through a sieve with a little milk & sugar.  One pint of milk, one pint of flour, 3 eggs – a little of butter, half teaspoon of soda, one of cream tartar or better, one of yeast powder. 

Albany New York 1902 through 1940’s

Potato Cake         

4 cups flour

3 potatoes

3 tea spoons B.P.

1 tea spoon salt

Butter the size of an egg

Wet with milk or water.  Enough to make a soft dough.  Roll.  Cut in squares.  Bake in a moderate hot oven.

Spokane Valley Washington late 1800’s thru the early 1900’s

Potato Cake    

INGREDIENT REFERENCES and MEASUREMENTS

I have found several references that explains the equivalents to our modern measurements.  Just a few examples are;

Gill – Pronounced Jill; equal to a quarter of a pint; or four fluid ounces which equals ½ cup. 

Lump of (something) the size of a Turkey’s egg – equals 4 ounces

Lump of (something) the size of a chicken’s egg – equals 2 ounces.

Lump of Butter the size of a walnut – equals 1 ounce. (can also be 1 rounded tablespoon)

A Victorian measurement of a wine glassful, will not be the wine glass we think of today.  They were much smaller, about ¼ cup to ½ cup.  So, when using a recipe that askes for a wine glass full be sure to use a lot less than you would think about using from today’s size of glass.

Quite a few of these recipes call for; a coffee cupful. A teacup full, and a wineglass full.

A coffee cupful = 1 cup.

A tea cupful = 1/3 cup, I have also found it to be ¾ cup.

A wine glassful = ¼ cup, ½ gill or 4 T.

A Tumbler = ½ pint or 1 cup

Oven temperatures are seldom given in the old books and recipes; most times the only say something like a slow oven or quick oven.  These are the equlivent to today’s oven temperatures;

A very slow oven equals 250 to 275 degrees.

A slow oven equals 300 to 325 degrees.

A moderate oven equals 350 to 375 degrees.

A hot or quick oven equals 375 to 400 degrees.

A very hot oven equals 400 to 450 degrees.

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