The War Kitchen

I have lots of cookbooks the Better Homes and Garden Jiffy Cooking 1967, 1968 second reprinting uses lots of instant and canned ingredients perfect for adventurous cooks trying to come up creative use for pantry foods. Since people tend to buy a lot of these type of ingredients in emergencies or in preparation of emergencies I thought I would share a few of the recipes. Something to do with all that Tuna... Tuna Stroganoff Baked Bean Pie uses Luncheon Meat which is code for Spam.  Need something new to do with Instant Potatoes. Jiffy Cooking might not be ration cooking but it is geared toward cooking using lots of long shelf life foods in your daily cooking.

Sometimes it feels like there is forced rationing happen but mostly there is a lack of supplies because of how people are reacting to the news. By now everyone is pretty aware the Covid-19 Pandemic has resulted in rationing at stores of some products, bizarre destruction of food, empty shelves at stores, people panic buying, disruption in supplies, concerns over contaminated food supply, and a need for many to ration some aspect of their daily supplies. In addition many have taken to planting gardens and raising animals as a result of concerns concerning food supply.  In my family’s case we had many of the products, supplies and foods our neighbors began to panic buy already at home in sufficient quantity to weather out most of the continued empty aisle situations. Though with each new panic shopping spree of my neighbors I have often left been baffled on why today suddenly no one could live without bananas or crunchy fried noodles. I still don’t understand the obsessive hoarding of to

My previous blog was on World War II rationing but World War I also had rationing.... From “Win The War” Cook Book pages 14 and 15 the USA Food Administration laid down several dietary plan goals to help ration civilian diets and increase export of food for the War. I think looking at these guidelines might be interesting in meal planning. Wheatless Wednesday ONE WHEATLESS day each week and one WHEATLESS meal everyday; the wheatless day to be Wednesday. By wheatless  we mean no wheat products. Meatless Tuesday ONE MEATLESS day each week shall be Tuesday, and one MEATLESS MEAL each day. By meatlesss we mean to eat no red meat — beef, pork, mutton, veal, lamb; no preserved meat — beef, bacon, ham or lard. Sugar You can materially reduce sugar by reducing the use of candy and sweet drinks.  We will make every endeavor to see that the country is provided with a supply of household sugar On the basis of three pounds per person. Do not consume more. U.S. Food Administration Ca

Ersatz Eggs Powdered Eggs also called Dried Eggs or Dehydrated Eggs became known as Ersatz Eggs in World War II Great Britain. They appear as early as 1912 in camping cooking but the modern method of making powdered eggs was developed by Albert Grant and Co. of the Mile End Road, London in the 1930s using a freeze-drying spray method.  Powdered eggs became a much used ration in WWII Great Britain. Today several versions of powdered eggs are available, whole egg which is what was used in WWII, egg white, and a scrambled egg mixture that includes milk and other ingredients. I suggest using the whole egg if attempting to follow a historic recipe that calls for dried egg before branching off into other options. Modern food options has also created No Egg Egg Replacer and Ener-G Egg Replacer substitute products for Vegan baking, in addition there are some other Vegan cooking hacks to work around a lack of eggs I will explore in another post as they are useful if eggs are unavailable. Po