I’ve collected these snippets of baking tips from vintage cookbooks and magazines dating from the 1940′s through the 1950′s…the Timeless Wisdom collection is a regular feature on Tipnut where I organize and share all kinds of tips from the past.
Vintage Baking Tips
- Butter and sugar can be creamed easily when butter is hard by warming the sugar slightly.
- Light-colored molasses can be darkened to make dark gingerbread by adding a teaspoonful of melted chocolate to each cup of molasses.
- Cream which is hard to whip will whip quickly by adding a few drops of lemon juice.
- Molasses can be prevented from sticking to the measuring cup if the cup is first greased with butter or lard.
- Shortening can be measured exactly. If recipe calls for 1/3 cup, fill measuring cup two-thirds full of water, add enough shortening to bring water to top of cup, pour off water and you have exactly 1/3 cup of shortening.
- Sour milk can be made by adding two (2) tablespoonfuls of vinegar to one (1) cup of sweet milk and then letting it stand for a few minutes. Your baking will be just as light as if real sour milk were used. Also see Handy Substitute Recipes For Baking.
- Whipped cream substitute, delicious in flavor, can be made by adding a slice of banana to the white of an egg and beating until stiff. The banana will dissolve completely. Also seeSubstitute For Whipped Cream Recipe.
- Cornstarch is sometimes used in place of eggs when recipe calls for more than you have on hand. A tablespoonful is used for each missing egg. In making custard, omit one or two eggs, and use cornstarch instead (1/2 tablespoon for each egg).
- Custards will not curdle so readily if a tablespoon of flour mixed with sugar is added.
- Boiled frosting will not be brittle or break when cut, if a teaspoon of vinegar is beaten into the frosting when the flavoring is added.
- Add one tablespoonful of jam or jelly to cookie dough. It will add flavor and make the cookies stay moist longer.
- Doughnuts will not absorb grease if a teaspoonful of vinegar is added to cold fat.
- Fruit Cake: When baking, place a cup of water in the oven to keep enough moisture in air and prevent cake from drying out while baking. Also see Fruitcake Baking Tips.
- Muffins: Drop a teaspoonful of peanut butter in each muffin pan, over which pour batter. This gives muffins a delightful nutty flavor. Also see 10 Tips For Baking Muffins.
- When a recipe calls for a quantity of melted butter, take care to measure the butter after melting, not before.
- To soften butter, fill a small china bowl, one just sufficiently large to cover the butter, with boiling water; let stand a minute or two or until thoroughly heated, then empty the water and immediately turn the hot bowl upside down over the butter. In a few minutes, the butter will be softened so it is just right.
- When separating the yolk from the white of an egg, if you drop a portion of egg yolk into the whites, moisten a cloth with cold water, touch to the yolk and it will adhere to the cloth.
- Never beat egg-whites in an aluminum pan, as it is sure to darken them.
- When baking a milk pudding, place the dish in a tin of water in the oven. Then prevents the pudding from burning or boiling over.
- When cream will not whip, add the white of an egg to your cream–chill it and it will whip.
- To avoid lumps in batter, add a pinch of salt to the flour before it is wet.
- How to sugar doughnuts? Shake the sugar and doughnuts together in a paper bag. The same method may be used with flour and chicken, or salt and french fried potatoes.
- Raisins for cakes and breads will be plump and juicy if soaked in warm water before being added to the batter or dough.
- Zip up your gingerbread and molasses cookies by adding a bit of grated orange peel to the batter.
- If chilled ice-box cookie dough shatters when cut with long sharp knife, let stand at room temperature for 1/2 hour to soften very slightly before slicing!
