Tasteful Inventions

Walter E. Diemer: Dubble Bubble Bubble Gum

2012-01-08T18:23:00.000-05:00

Today is the day that the man who invented America's 1st Bubble Gum was born. Looking for more info and some Bubble Gum recipes? Then check out today's post over at Months of Edible Celebrations!!!

Harold Baker: Chiffon Cake

2011-03-05T22:55:00.000-05:00

Today, we celebrate two inventions baked into one.

Oil is the Key

The story of the Wesson Oil and Snowdrift Companies begins at the Southern Cotton Oil Company founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on March 5, 1887.

From the 1770s to the 1880s agriculturists and cooks sought to develop culinary oils from plants. Thomas Jefferson's attempts to introduce the olive into the agriculture of the United States, as a partial substitute for lard in cookery met with limited success...In the first decades of the nineteenth century, planter experimentalists began the commercial scale production of benne oil, establishing it as the primary salad oil and the second favored frying medium in the southern United States. It enjoyed acceptance and moderate commercial success until the refinement of cottonseed oil in the 1870s and 1880s. Cotton seed, a waste product of the south's most cotton vital industry, was turned into a revenue stream as David Wesson and other scientists created a salad oil and frying medium designedly tasteless and odorless, and a cooking fat, hydrogenated cottonseed oil (Cottonlene or Crisco) that could cheaply substitute for lard in baking. Gastronomica: The Journal of Food and Culture

The Cake

The notion of combining beaten egg whites into a batter prepared with egg yolks and oil belongs to creator and professional baker, Harry Baker. Baker owned a Hollywood pastry shop at 341 Larchmont Boulevard in Los Angeles, California. bake me a cake...

Gail Borden: Portable Soup-Bread

2011-02-05T09:17:00.000-05:00

After six years of experimenting, on February 5, 1850, Gail Borden received U.S. Patent #7,066 titled "Preparation of Portable Soup-Bread." In essence, it was a traveling meat biscuit packed with protein.

When Gail Borden, a surveyor and land agent at Galveston in the recently annexed state of Texas, heard of the starvation of the Donner Party and the hunger of the others who were trying to cross the continent, he was stirred to invent a way of making food more potable. The Americans, the Democratic Experience by Daniel Joseph Boorstin; available @google books

Unfortunately, I can't get to posting about the trials and tribulations of Borden's first patent. However, Jana @ Time Travel Kitchen, not only explores Borden's invention, she also includes a modern version of Borden's Meat Biscuit recipe for those who dare...
Don't worry, it looks much more appetizing than this:

Charles Goodnight: Chuck Wagon

2010-03-05T19:02:00.002-05:00

Cattleman Charles Goodnight was born on March 5, 1836. Legend has it that Charles Goodnight invented the Chuck Wagon in 1886. You can read more about Charles Goodnight and his invention @ Months of Edible Celebrations where I celebrated some chuck wagon cookin.'

Thor Bjørklund: Cheese Slicer

2010-02-11T21:42:00.007-05:00

Have you ever contemplated the origin of the cheese-slicer? I'd venture to say no. Well, perhaps, maybe yes. After all, you are reading my "invention of the cheese slicer" post for Inventors' Day:)

A cheese slicer, put simply, is an instrument for slicing cheese. Pretty basic huh? So what's to post? Well, it appears, the cheese slicer has a history. Yes, cheese has a rather romantic history also but today, I would like to focus on the cutter itself; the handheld cheese slicer.

The Ostehøvel (Norwegian for "cheese slicer") was patented on February 27, 1925 by Norwegian carpenter, Thor Bjørklund.

...If you love cheese, you should have a cheese plane. These are often called Norwegian cheese planes because they were invented in Norway and patented in 1925 by Thor Bjorklund who was a carpenter. He designed the cheese plane based on a carpenter’s plane to give thin and uniform slices of cheese...source: Charlottes Cheese Dreams

Yes, it seems, Norway has made other contributions to the world of inventions. For example, did you know it was a Norwegian who invented the paper clip. His name was Johan Vaaler and he was granted a patent in 1899. Hey, someone had to do it!!! The invention of Post-It Notes is an entirely different story.

We better get back to the cheese slicer before the cheese spoils:) According to legend, Mr. Björklund became a bit agitated when on a hot summer day he couldn't quite get his packed lunch of cheese to slice as thin as he would have liked. Since he was a cabinetmaker by trade, it occurred to him that he might be able to use the same principle for slicing cheese as he did for planing wood. The original hand-held cheese slicer was made of metal and can be seen here. Because of its ability to cut thin slivers of cheese, Norwegian houses wives loved it. It was an immediate success. In merely two years after its invention, the cheese slicer was being mass produced in Lillehammer Norway. I found an image of the original cheese slicer at wikipedia along with the story of the invention.

Apparently a cheese slicer is great for slicing cucumbers too!!!

Thor Bjørklund & Sønner AS, that opened its doors in 1927 was Norway’s only producer of the traditional Norwegian cheese slicer (ostehøvel), and the first in the world. Since the beginning the company has produced over 50 million cheese slicers. During the pioneering years a total of 50-60 work operations were used on each cheese slicer, and one hour was used to produce each slicer. Today, approximately 7,000 slicers can be produced in one hour. (source)

There are those who believe the cheese slicer was first imported to American shores as souvenirs brought home by visitors to Norway. If you're lucky in your travels on the internet, you may find yourself right smack in the middle of a cheese paring celebration on February 27. That is the day the people of Norway pay tribute to Thor Bjørklund and the cheese slicer. Have FUN!!!

Resources 1. What is a Cheese Slicer?

Happy Birthday Nicolas Appert

2009-10-23T17:54:00.003-04:00

Of vineyards, tree, and garden sauce, There should never be any loss. If fresh picked and quickly canned, When winter comes it will be in demand. Collin Class Cookery 1931

Today is the birthdate of Nicolas Appert; the reputed "Father of Canning."

Charles E. Hires: Hires Root Beer

2009-08-19T20:12:00.002-04:00

Charles Elmer Hires was born in Elsinboro Pennsylvania (some say Elsinboro New Jersey) on August 19, 1851. As a son of a farmer, Charles was quite sure he did not want to spend the rest of his life toiling the soil like his father. Instead, he began experimenting with powdered roots and extracts developing medicinal syrups and tonics when he was a young man...

You can find root beer recipes and a timeline of Mr. Hires' journey to root beer fame at a posting I did titled: Mr. Hires and the Black Cow.

W. K. Kellogg: Corn Flakes

2009-02-19T12:00:00.004-05:00

The Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flake Company was founded by Will Keith Kellogg on February 19, 1906. There are those who believe the invention of Corn Flakes by W. K. Kellogg changed the way we eat breakfast forever. There were those who would disagreed...There is more about The Marketable Flake and The Funny Jungleland Moving Picture Book (with images) @ my other blog, Months of Edible Celebrations. Come see...:)

Mixing It Up...

2009-02-05T22:52:00.003-05:00

Today may just be the optimum day to celebrate the invention of the "egg beater" or is it the blender? Visit my other blog Months of Edible Celebrations where we "Mix It Up for Black History Month..."

Christian K. Nelson: Eskimo Pie

2009-01-24T08:31:00.002-05:00

On January 24, 1922, the United States Patent Office granted the patent for the frozen novelty, Eskimo Pie. Patent number 1,404,539 was granted to Christian K. Nelson, the inventor of the "I-Scream Bar," (later to be renamed Eskimo Pie:) The patent is available for viewing at google patents. Below you will find a small portion of that patent.

The present invention relates to confectionery and has for its object the production of a commercially practical coated brick or block of ice cream or the like...It is the primary object of this invention to provide a frozen dainty comprising a form retaining block or brick of ice cream or the like, also to provide encasement therefor which facilitates its ready handling...

You can also view the Eskimo Pie Corporation Records at the archives section of the National Museum of American History which contains oodles of information pertaining to the chocolate-covered ice cream treat, and its inventor C. K. Nelson. Here's a taste:

The inspiration for the invention of Eskimo Pie was a boy's indecision in Nelson's confectionery store in 1920. A boy started to buy ice cream, then changed his mind and bought a chocolate bar. Nelson inquired as to why he did not buy both. The boy replied, "Sure I know-I want 'em both, but I only got a nickel." For weeks after the incident, Nelson worked around the clock experimenting with different methods of sticking melted chocolate to frozen ice cream until he found cocoa butter to be the perfect adherent.

Also available for "tasting" are a few Eskimo and Inuit recipes at my other blog where I celebrated Eskimo Pie Day in March.

Resources

1. Nebraska Food & Beverage manufacturing history

What are you doing for Cotton Candy Day?

2008-12-07T20:12:00.013-05:00

Spinning, Spinning, & Spinning!
I need a favor. The next time you go to the dentist for your yearly check up, ask him or her if they ever heard of a guy by the name of Josef Lascaux. If they haven't, which I'm quite sure they have not, tell them this: Cotton Candy was invented by a dentist! You can get into details later. I just want to know the reaction. I would do it myself but, I just went to the dentist on my last trip back to PA. I wish I would have remembered then this would have been a really cool post! Even though he never received a patent, dentist Josef Lascaux introduced cotton candy at his dental practice in Louisiana. If he gives you the impression such a story is mere fluff, assure him with this: William James Morrison a prominent dentist, author and civic leader from Nashville, Tennessee patented the first electric cotton candy machine on January 31, 1899! His partner in crime was John C. Wharton. No, he wasn't a dentist but, he was a candy-maker, also from Tennessee.

Happy Cotton Candy Day!

Originally called “Fairy Floss”, the process of making Cotton Candy was invented by four men: Thomas Patton, Josef Delarose Lascaux, John C. Wharton, and William Morrison. In 1899, Morrison and Wharton were able to patent the first electric cotton candy machine, which used centrifugal force to spin and melt sugar through small holes. In 1904, these two Nashville candy makers introduced their invention of how to make cotton candy to the St. Louis World’s Fair. Due to fair goers’ curiosity, these inventors sold approximately 68,655 boxes of cotton candy for 25 cents a box for a total of $17,163.75. Back then and today this is a great deal of money, just think of the profit that you could make today selling such a low cost and enjoyable product!

There's some spin concerning the fourth man involved in the history of cotton candy; Thomas Patton. It seems, Patton also had a cotton candy invention. His Fairy Sugar was gas fired!

William Morrison and John C. Wharton are generally credited for the cotton candy invention, some sources say that another vendor by the name of Thomas Patton also had a cotton candy invention patented. Patton had been playing with the process of caramelization - that is, boiling it until it turns into a caramelized state (about 320 degrees Fahrenheit). His machine differed from the cotton candy machine of Morrison and Wharton -- his was gas-fired. The machine rotated a plate around to create the strands which were collected and served on a cone...Cotton Candy Net

The cotton candy machine patent (U.S. Patent #618,428) filed by William Morrison and John C. Wharton is available at google patents. The drawing are also available. If you have a moment, you really should take a peek at them. You'll probably be surprised to discover, they aren't much different then the ones you see at your favorite fair or carnival. I want to be a cotton candy vendor! Come on, you have to admit, it sure is fun to watch cotton candy spin. I was disappointed when I took my grand kids to the Idaho State Fair this past summer because the cotton candy was pre-bagged. They didn't get to see it made:(Perhaps, when they get a little older I'll buy them the toy cotton candy machines:) I bought a pink one for Tabi and a blue one for Noah. Neither liked it. I think it was the fuzzy feel and before I could tell them it would melt in their mouths, it had melted. Yes, they both got sticky chines with just one lick! It's probably better they didn't like it, my daughter wasn't to pleased with their sticky hands and mouths. (party pooper:) The kids don't eat that much sugar anyway. I was surprised to read that cotton candy doesn't actually have as much sugar as one would think. Cotton candy is 99% sugar. Other ingredients include food coloring and air. A 1 oz serving of cotton candy contains approximately 105 calories and no fat. In addition, there are 26.3 grams of carbohydrates in this serving. Since cotton candy is made completely from sugar, all of the calories come from the carbohydrates.

Cotton candy was fantastically successful in 1904 and is still very popular at fairs today. Modern machines work in much the same way as the original. The centre part of the machine consists of a small bowl into which sugar is poured and food colouring added. Heaters near the rim melt the sugar and it is spun out through a myriad of tiny holes into a large bowl which catches it. The operator twirls a stick or a cone around the rim of the large catching bowl and picks up the candy. Because candy floss consists of mostly air portions, servings are large. A typical candy floss cone will be a little bigger than an adults head, and they look enormous to a child. However, although they are bad for the teeth as are all sugary snacks, they are not particularly high in calories because they contain a fairly small amount of sugar. A typical candy floss contains less sugar than a can of most (non diet) soft drinks. source

Sugar Coated Spinning

The machine used to design cotton candy may not have changed much but it sure looks like the the construction has. Take a look at this woman preparing Apricot Meringues (Meringues D'abricots) I don't think so...The recipe (and the picture) comes from the 1891 edition of Larger Cookery Book Of Extra Recipes by Mrs A. B. Marshall. It's available on line at chest of books. (as are other vintage cookbooks:) This is what she writes about Spun Sugar.

Put half a pound of water and one pound of best cane loaf-sugar in a perfectly clean copper sugar-boiler or thick stewpan; cover the Spinning Sugar pan over, bring to the boil, remove any scum as it rises from time to time, and continue boiling until the liquid forms a thick bubbled appearance (commonly called the crack); then take a small portion on a clean knife or spoon (or the finger may be used, but must be well wetted with cold water and used very quickly), and plunge it immediately into cold water, and if it is then quite brittle and leaves the knife or spoon or finger quite clear it is ready for spinning. If it clings or is at all soft or pliable, continue the boiling until as above. When ready take a small portion on a fork or spoon, and rapidly throw it to and fro over a slightly oiled rolling-pin; continue until sufficient threads of sugar are obtained.

Take half a pound of finely sifted castor sugar, and mix with it a teaspoonful of Marshall's Apricot Yellow and a saltspoonful of Vanilla essence; rub it well together and allow it to thoroughly dry. Put in a whipping-tin four large fresh whites of egg and a pinch of salt, whip them quite stiff, then add the prepared sugar by degrees, taking care not to stir the mixture more than possible after adding the sugar. Take a hot baking-tin, rub it all over with white wax, then leave it till cold; put the meringue mixture into a forcing bag with a plain pipe and force it out on to the tin in portions of about the size of apricots, dust them over with castor sugar, and put into a moderate oven till quite dry and crisp on the top, but the under side should be somewhat soft; then take them from the tin, and by means of an egg work a little well in the bottom of each, holding the top of the meringue in the hand; return them to the tin and place them in the oven (care must be taken that the meringues are not hurried in the cooking or they will lose their colour); when quite dry remove from the tin and set aside till cold, then place in each of the little wells a small round of cooked apricot; place another meringue on the top of this, mask them over with Maraschino glace (vol. i.) coloured with a little apricot yellow, and dish up round a pile of stiffly-whipped cream sweetened and flavoured with vanilla; serve as a dinner or luncheon sweet, or for any cold collation. These meringues can be kept ready for use if put in a dry place.

In 1949, Gold Medal Products launched a cotton candy machine that had a spring base. This updated cotton candy maker was much more dependable. Today, cotton candy is mass produced on two different types of machines. "One machine is semiautomatic and is used to make single servings that are sold at carnivals and amusement parks. The other is a fully automated machine that produces large volumes of cotton candy for widespread distribution." If you scroll down the page a bit, you can read about the manufacturing process, cutting and packaging, as well as information about the coloring of factory produced cotton candy. source

Cotton candy is made from sugar and food coloring. Modern cotton candy machines work in very much the same way as older ones. The center part of the machine consists of a small bowl into which sugar is poured and food coloring added. Heaters near the rim melt the sugar into a liquid and it is spun out through tiny holes where it solidifies in the air and is caught in a large metal bowl. The operator of the machine twirls a stick, a cone, or their hands around the rim of the large catching bowl, gathering the candy into portions. We at Dandy Cotton Candy can make virtually any flavor or color combination of cotton candy. Some favorites that we have produced in the past are Strawberry Banana, Coffee, and Pumpkin Spice. What does the future of cotton candy flavors bring? As long as you can think of it, we can create it! source

They say cotton candy has gone up-scale. I wouldn't know, I've never spun sugar at the Four Seasons in New York City. (Now that I know, I'll just have to make it my business to change that:) Cotton Candy has been on the menu at The Four Seasons since around 1950 where it was served as a special occasion treat for those celebrating birthdays or anniversaries. These huge poofs may just be the most expensive amorphous solid you've ever seen!

The quintessential tongue and sweet answers to numerous names. In the United Kingdom, cotton candy is called "candy floss" and "fairy floss" in Australia. In Greece and India cotton candy is known as "old woman's hair" albeit in their respective languages. And in France, it is called Barbe à papa, which means "Papa's beard."

Here's an idea for a quick cotton candy party. Head to the freezer for a few scoops of ice cream. Grab some bowls, don't forget the spoons and create a cotton candy sundae. Sprinkle with candy sprinkles! Not in the mood for ice cream? Try the "Sweet Nostalgic" Cotton Candy Cupcakes created by Cakespy. If you want to make your own home made cotton candy, check below. Happy Cotton Candy Day!

Resources

1. History of Cotton Candy
2. Who invented cotton candy?
3. William J. Morrison (1860-1926): Co-Inventor Of The Cotton Candy Machine
4. What Is Cotton Candy?
5. How is Cotton Candy Made? (sweetened images:)
6. I Love Cotton Candy! (discussion group of cotton candy lovers')
7. Spun Heaven (gourmet magazine article)
8. Cotton Candy has gone upscale!
9. Nutritional Information for Cotton Candy
Recipes
1. Jacques Homemade Cotton Candy (Jacques Torres @ food network)
2. Homemade Cotton Candy Recipe
3. Diabetic Cotton Candy Cookies
4. Cotton Candy Ice Cream Bomb (food network recipe; easy, even for me:)
5. The Complete Confectioner By Eleanor Parkinson 1864 @ Feed America

Alexander Pierce Anderson: Puffed Rice

2008-11-22T15:39:00.003-05:00

Another short post. This time to announce a birthday tribute going on over at my other blog in celebration of an amazing man by the name of Alexander P. Anderson; the inventor of Puffed Rice! Check out A Shot at Puffiness! "See" ya there...

Sylvan N. Goldman: Shopping Cart Inventor

2008-11-15T10:58:00.003-05:00

This is going to be a quick post in honor of Sylvan Nathan Goldman, who was born today, November 15, 1898. I posted about his invention of the shopping cart in June when the first shopping cart was introduced at the Piggly-Wiggly supermarket chain in Oklahoma City. Check out Scoping Out the Shopping Cart. The story of his invention is quite interesting, really:)

FYI: Today is also National Bundt Pan Day. Do you know what a Bundt Pan is? Have you ever experienced a Bundt Cake? Who actually invented the Bundt Pan? All these questions and more are answered at my National Bundt Pan Day post at Months of Edible Celebrations. Drop by...

Dr. John Thompson Dorrance: condensed soup

2008-11-11T22:37:00.005-05:00

A rich warm tomato soup with a toasted melted cheese sandwich has a way of just hitting the spot. To my little belly's mind, they are the quintessential dynamic duo. When is the best time to sit down with a comfy bowl of tomato soup? Any time. You see that's one of the best things about tomato soup; it can be served either hot or cold, winter summer, morning, noon and night (and for late night snacks too.) I suppose you could say, tomato soup is just one of those things we take for granted. There when we need it for warmth and comfort, ignored at its fruit. It's hard to imagine a time without tomato soup and yet, dear visitor, dare I say, a time did exist when there was no tomato soup until it was invented. "What!" you say. "Tomato soup is just made out of pureed tomatoes. I could have invented that!" Perhaps...

A man in harmony with tomato soup, John Thompson Dorrance was born on November 11, 1873 in Bristol, Pennsylvania. Today as a matter of fact! Now, Dr. Dorrance didn't invent tomato soup. For the true inventor of tomato soup, we would have to gaze into the story of a man by the name of James H. W. Huckins of Boston, Massachusetts. He received a patent titled "Improved Tomato Soup" on May 2, 1865. If you don't believe me, follow his link to the patent number. What Dr. John Thompson Dorrance did was developed a way to reduce the water content in soup while retaining the nutrients and flavor. John Thompson Dorrance first prepared canned soup concentrate in 1897, while working on a laboratory at the Campbell's Soup Company. You can read all about the Joseph A. Campbell Preserve Company on my other blog. It's a Pop Quiz:) Let's get back to John Dorrance, after all, it is his birthday we're celebrating.

John Dorrance

By all accounts, Dr. Dorrance was a visionary. The son of John Dorrance and Elizabeth Cottingham Thompson, John Dorrance had a fine education. "As a youth he attended Rugby Academy, Philadelphia; then entered the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the famous "Boston Tech," where he took his B. S. in 1895. Going abroad, he studied at the University of Gottingen, Germany, and graduated with the degree of Ph.D. in 1897." A brilliant chemist, he received offers to teach chemistry at Goettingen, Columbia University, Cornell University, and Bryn Mawr College, but decided instead to join the Campbell Company in 1897. While in Paris, his inspiration for the marketing of canned soup fell upon him while observing the methods which were used in Parisian restaurants. He was convinced if he could find a way to lock in the goodness while reducing the bulk, which would in turn reduce costs, the American housewife would gladly purchase it at their local grocer. (A little reminder folks, up until that time, poor quality control in canning was a common source of spoil and food poisoning.) He was right. Dr. Dorrance was an expert in scientific agriculture and husbandry. He devoted much attention to developing improved varieties of fruits and vegetables. In 1911, he moved to Pomona Farm in Cinnaminson, New Jersey where he planted and tended to the tomatoes he had growing even on his front lawn. He was looking for the "perfect strain to make into tomato soup" as evidenced in the conservatories and gardens of his home. At his urging, the company embarked on a vast advertising campaign. The first ads were in trolley cars. The company felt women were their consumers and women rode trolley cars. Next the company's strategy included children, another aspect of targeting women, hence, the Campbell Kids were "born." As a result of Dr. Dorrance's persistent methods, applied both to production and commercial development, Campbell's Soups today are known wherever people eat soup. At his death, in 1930, he was the third richest man in the United States.
Resources

1. Scannell's New Jersey's First Citizens and State Guide By William Edgar Sackett
2. Soup & sandwich photo from wikipedia

Nicolas Appert: Father of Canning

2008-10-23T22:53:00.007-04:00

Two hundred and forty eight years ago today, a boy, who is now said to be the "Father of Canning," was born near Paris, France. Nicolas François Appert, was a son of an inn-keeper whose roots were firmly planted in farming. Nicolas had a uncanny sense of discovery. As a young boy, his family's farm provided the natural exploration he craved. Like their ancestors before them, Nicolas Appert and his eight siblings new life on the farm meant hard work. It also had its rewards, which young Nicolas learned quickly to preserve. Sadly, there isn't much information available about Appert's young life. I did find the following information at the French version of wikipedia which has been translated to English.

Nicolas Appert was familiar from his youth with the trades of cook and confectioner, and patterns of food storage. After spending 10 years in Germany, Karlsberg Castle of Christian IV of Deux-Ponts-Birkenfeld, he moved to Paris in 1784 and opened at 47 rue des Lombards, a boutique confectioner called Fame. As a store retailer, after a few years, Appert becomes wholesaler, employs six staff and correspondents in Rouen and Marseille. After engaging in revolutionary action (from 1789 until 1794 (when he spent 3 months in prison), he focused his work on solutions to conserve wine. Taking into account several criteria (change in taste, cost and nutritional value,) in 1795 he developed the process which made possible the art of Appertizing, or preserving food sterilized by heat in a hermetically sealed containers, canning which is also called tinning.

“if it works for wine, why not foods?”

Perhaps, we should reflect on how canning influences our daily lives. I don't take canned foods for granted. Do you? First thing in the morning I reach for a canned pound of coffee. How many times have you sat down to a quick lunch of tomato soup and a tuna fish sandwich? If you chose to whip up a batch of "home made" tomato soup, I bet there's a slew of canned vegetables in the pantry, canned tomatoes included. I don't know about you but, when I have such an inviting lunch before me, I need a glass of milk. Anyone for some chocolate milk. Hershey's comes to my mind, canned. I'm sure, like me, you don't give much thought to opening a can whether it be with a a rotary opener or the more modern day electric can opener (which also has a fascinating history. see below:) So, what is "the art of canning?" Where does it belong in the timeline of the Historical Origins of Food Preservation?

...Canning is the process in which foods are placed in jars or cans and heated to a temperature that destroys microorganisms and inactivates enzymes. This heating and later cooling forms a vacuum seal. The vacuum seal prevents other microorganisms from recontaminating the food within the jar or can. Canning was the newest of the food preservations methods being pioneered in the 1790s when a French confectioner, Nicolas Appert, discovered that the application of heat to food in sealed glass bottles preserved the food from deterioration. He theorized “if it works for wine, why not foods?” In about 1806 Appert's principles were successfully trialed by the French Navy on a wide range of foods including meat, vegetables, fruit and even milk...

It is my belief, if it weren't for the fact the French government offered a prize of 12,000 francs for a method of preserving food, Appert's memory may have faded into canning oblivion. “An army marches on its stomach,” it was because of Nicolas Appert's dedication to finding a way to keep the French Army and Navy bellies fed that he experimented by trial and error with the container sterilization of food. Feeding the servicemen safely was very important to Napoleon Bonaparte. It took Appert approximately 14 years to perfect his method. According to food author Jane Grigson, as reported in the British newspaper The Observer, "François Appert (Nicolas) grew his own tiny peas to be sure of their perfect freshness when he processed them." It was a long time ago so no one is firm on the exact date but, it is said he was awarded the prize of 12,000 francs from the now Emperor Napoleon around 1810...

Nicholas Appert’s invention was tremendous; however, he did not fully understand it. Although, Appert was the first to successfully can meats, fruits, and vegetables it wasn't until another Frenchman by the name of Louis Pasteur unfolded the secret of food spoilage that it was fully understood others.

By the mid-1800's canning was fairly widespread as a commercial industry, yet for average middle class people, canned food was little more than an expensive novelty. The technology of the day was a far cry from what we know now. Cans were heavy, stoppered with cork and often sealed with lead, which, as any member of the Franklin Expedition would have told you, was downright hazardous to your health. The interesting thing about canning in those days was that nobody knew how it actually worked. Sure people understood that in order to preserve food it was essential to keep air away from it, but they didn't know why. No one had any concept of microbes then (Louis Pasteur had yet to undertake his groundbreaking research), and most people ascribed food spoilage to the theory of spontaneous generation. source

It was thought that the exclusion of air was responsible for the preservations. It was not until 1864 when Louis Pasteur discovered the relationship between microorganisms and food spoilage/illness did it become clearer. Just prior to Pasteur’s discovery Raymond Chevalier-Appert patented the pressure retort (canner) in 1851 to can at temperatures higher than 212ºF. However, not until the 1920’s was the significance of this method known in relation to Clostridium botulinum. source

Nicolas Appert never actually reaped the full benefits of his methods. Yes, with his prize money he opened the first commercial cannery in the world and his system of sealing food in glass bottles and subjecting it to heat, was described in a book published, with Charles Appert, in 1810, L'Art de conserver les substances animales et végétales. In 1920, The Book for All Households; Or, The Art of Preserving Animal and Vegetable substances for Many Years was translated into English by K. G. Bitting, M.S. Bacteriologist, at the Glass Container Association of America. The full text is available at google books online.

The art of Appertizing, or preserving food sterilized by heat in a hermetically sealed container, was conceived a little more than a hundred years ago as a war measure to provision the French forces upon the sea. It played a most important part in provisioning the armies in the recent war and in providing succor for the millions of starving civilians. But this role is far less beneficent than is the furnishing of good, wholesome, palatable, nutritious food at all times and at any place under peace conditions.

"Until the 1920’s, canned foods remained primarily for military usage. It was during WWI that the American government campaigned citizens to grow and can food at home so more supplies would be available to the armed forces fighting overseas. From this came the slogan, “Back up the cannon with the canner.* If necessity is indeed the mother of invention, then, the timeline of commercial canning must include Emperor Napoleon and his army. Today, we must be careful when scouring grocery shelves not to tumble the stacks into the aisles. From soups to canned fruits, dog food and Spam, canned food is as much a part of our American culture as Andy Warhol's tomato soup posters. So the next time you reach for a can of anything, remember, you have Nicolas Appert to thank. As a matter of fact, each year on October 23, Canned Food Day and National Canning Day are celebrated in tribute to young Nicolas François Appert, who became the "Father of Canning." Maybe he isn't forgotten...

FYI: The first tin cans, invented in 1810, were heavy-weight containers that required ingenuity to open, the directions on the can read, "Cut round the top near the edge with knives, a chisel and hammer or even rocks!" Not until 1858, when canners started using thinner metal, did Ezra Warner invent an instrument dedicated to opening cans, the can-opener. Yes, dear reader, cans were invented before the can-opener!

Resources

1. Can Can: History of Cans
2. Forgotten Inventors: the can opener
3. What Can a Can Be Besides a Can?
4. The Observer article
5. Nicolas Appert
6. Canny Cooks

Bars & Stripes: They Have My Vote

2008-10-20T21:26:00.012-04:00

Like most, you probably never gave much thought to the Technology of the Bar Code. I mean really, why would you? I certainly hadn't, until, last week. It isn't like they aren't everywhere. Indeed they are. Don't believe me? Make a beeline over to the fridge and grab some milk. Hey, while you're at it, pour yourself a glass. Mmmm...good huh? Carefully put the milk back where you found it and take notice to the mysteriously coded label attached to the container. Yes, its those numerically coded bars, which are darker, and stripes, which are lighter. Just like this one.

This portion of the bar coded Presidential Election cup was purchased at a local 7-11 convenience store here in New York and given to me as a gift. Actually, I had two, one of each. I'm not a 7-11 type person although, I'm not real sure as to what a 7-11 type person is. Frankly, I don't buy anything in 7-11 and that's the reason why someone gave me the cups. Anyway, my first instinct was to say thank you and pretend to admire them. "Cool," I said. As I was twisting one around, I noticed the blue arrow with the words above it which read, This is How We Count Your Vote! It seems, whether your pouring for Obama or pouring for McCain, 7-11 has your number. The convenience store has been doing this for the past three elections by keeping track of which cup out sells the other. For some, the 7-11 coffee cup poll is the only one they trust. How does it work? Simple, they tally the bar codes.

In some form or another, bar codes or more "officially" called Universal Product Codes have been around since the 1890 U.S. Census. Granted, they weren't as sophisticated as they are now but the theory was pretty much the same beginning with punched cards. The daunting task of "How do we keep track of something that is forever on the move?" began with a thesis written by Wallace Flint who envisioned a way of automating the grocery checkout process. I guess it makes sense. The most noticeable to me is the lack of inventory sales retail stores once had from season to season. Everything in the store went on sale. Then the store would close for at least two days and inventories were laboriously conducted. In very basic terms, the department stores then had a fairly good idea of which products were selling and which needed to be ordered. Wallace Flint's idea proved to be too costly in the 1930's but, he is credited with the laying the foundation for the barcode through his detailed thesis and drawings. He also played a supportive role in the initial use of the Uniform Product Code (UPC) as vice-president of the National Association of Food chains some 40 years later.

In 1932 an ambitious project was conducted by a small group of students headed by Wallace Flint, son of a Massachusetts grocery wholesaler, at the Harvard University Graduate School of Business Administration. Wallace Flint wrote a master's thesis in which he envisioned a supermarket where customers would perforate cards to mark their selections; the punched cards were then handed to a checker who placed the cards into a reader. The system then pulled the merchandise automatically from the storeroom and delivered it to the checkout counter. A complete customer bill was produced and inventory records were updated. source

The "Bullseye Code"

Perhaps, Bernard Silver, of Philadelphia PA was listening under the eaves of a partially opened window at Philadelphia's Drexel Institute of Technology when he over heard a conversation between a local grocery store manager and one of the deans at the school. It seems the grocery store manager was seeking a more convenient way of logging information about his customers purchases. Now, we all know eaves dropping is impolite. Actually, it is quite rude to listen to someone else's conversation. Perhaps even ruder was when Silver decided to "dish the dirt" to his friend Norman Joseph Woodland, a twenty-seven-year-old graduate student and teacher at Drexel Institute of Technology. Both young men were intrigued by the request of the grocery store manager. Woodland ran with the idea. Really, he did. He hightailed it to a nice quiet beach front community in Florida and got to work.

His first idea was to use patterns of ink that would glow under ultraviolet light, and the two men built a device to test the concept. It worked, but they encountered problems ranging from ink instability to printing costs. Nonetheless, Woodland was convinced he had a workable idea. He took some stock market earnings, quit Drexel, and moved to his grandfather's Florida apartment to seek solutions. After several months of work he came up with the linear bar code, using elements from two established technologies: movie soundtracks and Morse code. source

Problem solving is often a motivating source of inspiration. Communication is still another. Morse code is a combination of them both. So what is Morse Code and how does it relate to Universal Product Coding? According to wikipedia, Morse Code is a method for transmitting information, using standardized sequences of short and long marks or pulses, dots, dashes and spaces. Dots, dashes and spaces are arranged in such a way to represent letters, numbers and even punctuation marks.

These codes have an alphabet made up of dots and dashes in various combinations which stand for individual letters. The Morse Code is so widely used that it does not qualify as a "secret" language, but it can be very mystifying to one who does not know it. It has a definite advantage over the Semaphore Code in that it can be sent in many ways--by whistle, buzzer, tapping, flags, or even by using the clenched and open hand during daylight hours. By night, lights of any kind can be used. source

Morse Code is not considered a secret language for the same reason that shorthand, ASCII code (American Standard Code for Information Interchange:) and bar coding are not. All of these methods of character coding are universally standardized and easily available to anyone who chooses to learn and use them. Scouts have their own form of secret messaging. Then we have the Pigpen Cipher and the code breaker. All forms of encryption. Sound familiar?

On October 20, 1949, fifty nine years ago to the day, "gossip monger" Bernard Silver of Philadelphia PA and Norman Joseph Woodland of Ventnor, NJ filed an application patent for a Classifying Apparatus and Method." An invention which "related to the art of article classification." You can see their patent #2,612, 994 and diagram at the google patent website. Here is the introduction to their invention:

This invention relates to the art of article classification and has particular relation to classification through the medium of identifying patterns. It is an object of the invention to provide automatic apparatus for classifying things according to photo-response to lines and/or colors which constitute classification instructions and which have been attached to, imprinted upon or caused to represent the things being classified.

On October 7, 1952, Norman Joseph Woodland and Bernard Silver were granted their patent. The "Bullseye Code" patent was Bernie and Norm's solution to an inventory tracking system. It was a "series of concentric circles that were scannable from all directions, using regular light." You can learn more about the History of Bar Coding at the Barcoding Inc. website which shares some insight from the inventor himself Norman Joseph Woodland.

Understanding Bar Codes may seem a bit confusing at first. But, once you get the hang of it, you too can learn to decipher the hidden message on the Presidential Election cup. Below, are a few "rules."

"A Universal Product Code (UPC), also called a bar code, is a product description code designed to be read by a computerized scanner or cash register. It consists of 11 numbers in groups of "0"s (dark strips) and "l"s (white strips). A thin bar consists of only one strip; thicker bars consist of two or more strips side by side. The first number in the code describes the type of product. Most products begin with a "0"—exceptions are variable weight products such as meat and vegetables ("2"), health-care products ("3"), bulk-discounted goods ("4"), and coupons ("5")-Since it might be misread as a bar, the number 1 is not used. The next five numbers describe the product's manufacturer. The five numbers after that describe the product itself, telling its color, weight, size, and other distinguishing characteristics. source

Breaking the Code

We have barely touched upon the long history of the bar code. It would not be until June 26, 1974 that the first bar code item would slip through the register at the local grocery store in Troy Ohio. It seems kind of ironic that the first item to be scanned by the $10,000.00 unit would be a pack of Wrigley's chewing gum. Sticky fingers, secret codes, what's next Human bar-coding? UPC codes are everywhere now. Sometimes in the most obvious places and sometimes hidden. Sure we may now be aware of the bar codes found on grocery items, library books, sale items, and even pieces of luggage. You may be surprised to discover some of the less obvious uses. Rental cars have hidden bar codes attached to their bumpers. Honey bees have had teeny tiny bar codes attached to their wings to spy on their mating habits. I've left a few links for you to explore more about bar codes and their uses below. Have FUN breaking the 7-11 code.

Resources

1. Bar Code History
2. U.P.C. Uses (you may be surprised to discover other uses for barcode technology)
3. Morse Code and Phonetic Alphabets (make up your own)
4. Alphabet to Morse Conversion (try your luck:)
5. Bar Code Controversy

Bending Straws with Joseph B. Friedman

2008-09-28T00:10:00.000-04:00

Back in January of this year we celebrated Drinking Straw Day at Months of Edible Celebrations. It just so happens, today is another day in drinking straw history. On September 28, 1937, patent number 2,094,268 was issued to Joseph Bernard Friedman for his new invention, under the title Drinking Tube. Curious?

My invention relates to drinking tubes and more particularly to that type of drinking tube known in the trade as a "soda straw" which, while sometimes actually made from a straw, is usually wound or otherwise formed from oiled paper, paraffin paper, Cellophane, or the like. The main object of my invention is to provide a soda straw or similar drinking tube with a flexible section so positioned that the tube may be bent during use without substantially reducing the diameter of the straw.

The "flexible straw" invention and drawings are available at google patents online. Aren't they just amazing? Who was Joesph Bernard Friedman? Why did he create such a relatively simple yet useful innovation?

Joseph B. Friedman

I doubt Joseph Friedman woke up one morning and decided to invent the bendable straw. He may have been doodling it for years considering his flexible version of the beverage straw was not his first invention. No dear visitors, although Friedman would later obtain two additional U.S. patents and three foreign ones in the 1950s related to its formation and construction, the flexible straw was only one of a number of inventions Friedman had developed or had begun the process of developing. Like Mattie Knight, "Mother of the Grocery Bag" Joseph Friedman began his inventing career at a pretty early age.

...This was not Friedman’s first invention. In 1915, when he was 14, the Cleveland native had come up with the “pencilite,” for writing in the dark. He offered to license his invention to a manufacturer if it would pay the patent-application fees. The company did not accept his offer but, evidently unaware of his age, expressed an interest in his inventive abilities. He received his first patent in 1922, for an ink gauge for fountain pens. In the 1930s he sold this invention to the Sheaffer Pen Company. By then he had moved to California and started a family. To support his wife and four children, he worked briefly as an optometrist but primarily as a real estate broker...excellent source

Lucky for us, the family of this hard working part time optician, real estate, insurance salesman, and inventor saved many of the papers and artifacts of his career. In 2001, they were donated by his family to the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History which has an excellent article titled The Straight Truth About the Flexible Drinking Straw available online at the Lemelson Center.

Resources 1. Drinking Straw Day 2. Grasping at Straws 3. Mattie Knight 4. Got Chocolate Milk Straws?

The Genuine Scoop!

2008-09-04T00:22:00.002-04:00

Let's see, what do we know about the history of ice cream in America? Well, here's some ice cream trivia for you. "The first recorded reference to ice cream in the New World was found in a journal entry by a Mr. Black of Virginia dated 1744. It described a dinner party at the home of Maryland's governor, Thomas Bladen, who served a dessert of ice cream made with milk and strawberries." We all know George Washington loved ice cream. And, "ice cream frequently appeared in visitors' accounts of meals with Thomas Jefferson" at Monticello. As a matter of fact, the Library of Congress has Thomas Jefferson's treasured ice cream recipe on their website. James Madison also loved ice cream and his wife Dolley Madison (Dolly Madison) gave ice cream her gracious sanction by serving it in the White House. What else do we know about Ice Cream in America? It seems we know much about prominent people and their love of ice cream but, how much do we know about those who perhaps, are not as famous. Take for instance, the ice cream cone. Was the ice cream cone invented in America? Some say Italian emigrate Italo Marchiony produced the first ice cream cone in New York City in 1896. Gee, I wonder how he got the ice cream from the tub to the cone; the scoop? No. The ice cream scoop wasn't invented in 1896. Hmmm...this sounds like the story of the can before the can opener. You see, the ice cream cone was invented before the ice cream scooper. It wasn't until almost one year later on February 2, 1897 that the “Ice Cream Mold and Disher” (the ice cream scoop) was invented. But, by who. Was it by someone who ate a lot of ice cream? No again. It was invented by an African-American by the name of Alfred L. Cralle who probably ate very little ice cream (ice cream was still the dessert of the rich) but noticed people who tried to dip ice cream into those cones sure did have a difficult time doing it.

Alfred L. Cralle

Alfred L. Cralle was born today, September 4, in 1866. Born in Virginia, Alfred Cralle attended local schools and worked with his father in the carpentry trade as a young man. When he was older, he continued to work with his father in the carpentry business but had a desire to learn more about the mechanics of how things worked. Thank goodness for us, Alfred was sent to Washington D. C. and enrolled in Wayland Seminary, which was a branch of the National Theological Institute. The school was created in 1865 by several Baptist groups to help educate African-Americans after the Civil War. Today it serves as the premier historically black institution of higher education as Virginia Union University. Unfortunately, there isn't much more information available online about Alfred L. Cralle but there is no doubt that his invention was indeed patented by him.

The Scoop

Alfred Cralle moved to Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, where he worked as a porter in a drug store. The idea of an ice cream scoop came to him when he noticed ice cream servers having the most difficult time trying to get the popular confection desired by the customer into the cone they also were craving. What to do? There had to be a better way. The ice cream would stick to everything but needed at least two hands to get into the cone. Some servers found it so frustrating, they would simply use their fingers to push the ice cream into the cone. Not too sanitary I'm afraid. Something was needed to release the ice cream and make for one handed dispensing; the first ice cream scoop with mechanical lever action was patented by Cralle on February 2, 1897 when Alfred L. Cralle was only 30 years old. Now everyone could enjoy eating their favorite ice cream cone thanks to Alfred L. Cralle's invention. It was strong, inexpensive, and it could be shaped like a cone or a mound. Not only that but today more than 200 years after his invention it is still his prototype which is used as the basis for the modern day ice cream scooper. Alfred Cralle's Patent number: 576395 is visibly available at the USPO and also at the google patent website.

...This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in ice-cream molds and dishers, and has for its object to construct a disher that may be conveniently operated with one hand. The invention has for its further object to construct a disher of the above -described class that will be extremely simple in its construction, strong, durable, effectual in its operation, and comparatively inexpensive to manufacture; furthermore, a disher of this class that can be constructed in almost any desired shape mold and that will have no delicate parts to become broken or disarranged.

It seems to me, many innovative minds have developed a number of other ways to enjoy ice cream. You can see some vintage ice cream dippers in here or take a look at the first hand-cranked ice cream freezer patented by a Philadelphian woman by the name of Nancy Johnson. Wow! another day to celebrate ice cream in September. Her patent was issued on September 9, 1843.

The hand-cranked churn, which also uses ice and salt for cooling, replaced the pot-freezer method. The exact origin of the hand-cranked freezer is unknown, but the first U.S. patent for one was #3254 issued to Nancy Johnson on September 9, 1843. The hand-cranked churn produced smoother ice cream than the pot freezer and did it quicker. Many inventors patented improvements on Johnson's design. source wiki

There are so many indispensable tools and innovations serving up one of America's favorite desserts. Perhaps, you will find the invention of the Eskimo Pie a source of inspiration. There's also the invention of Baked Alaska up at the top left corner to explore. In the meantime, I'm off to Idaho for the Idaho State Fair. You can be sure I will be seeking more information on any tasteful inventions that passes over these lips.

Resources

1. What do you know about the history of ice cream?

National Inventors' Month

2008-08-12T22:20:00.005-04:00

I wouldn't be a very "tasteful" hostess if I didn't mention August is National Inventors' Month, now would I? Yes, National Inventor's Month is a month long celebration of invention and creativity which was started way back in 1998. (I actually had a food related invention website then too:) It is the brainchild of the United Inventors Association of the USA, the Academy of Applied Science, and Inventor's Digest Magazine.

How does one celebrate Inventors' Month? I suppose the best way to celebrate would be to remember and appreciate all the significant men, women and yes, children who planted their seeds and watched them grow, so we could enjoy the harvests; every day.

Personally, I'm not much of an inventor although, I do sometimes think of myself as a "Mad Scientist" in the kitchen. I'm forever creating meals (especially dinner meals) of odds and ends, this and that, and putting them all together. If the meal delivers oooo's and ahs, I tell my family to enjoy it for the moment as it may never come again. I suppose, the process begins at the grocery store. Take the shopping cart for example, who invented it and how? As I stroll up and down the aisles, yes, I'm a stroller in the grocery store, I'm always looking for something new to try. How else would I add to my concoctions. Sometimes, you can catch me in the salad dressing aisle absorbing all of the different combinations. I rarely use salad dressing as a marinade but, I adore all the various denominations of oil and vinegar. So, I think to myself, who invented Wishbone Salad Dressing or Thousand Island Dressing for that matter? You see what I mean, it gets so I can't go into a grocery store and not wonder. But that's not the half of it. As I daydream in the kitchen, while I'm waiting for the pot to boil, I wonder about such things as who invented the thermometer, the teabag, the blender...? In case you have this insatiable appetite for more more more, I have listed a few inventors and their inventions. Most of them have something to do with food but I did add a few in just because...

Tasteful Inventions III
Dr. Cyril P. Callister Vegemite Gustave Le Gray Waxed-Paper Negative Smith Brothers Medicated Cough Candy Benjamin Eisenstadt Sweet'N Low History of Milk Cartons Madeline M. Turner Turner's Fruit-Press	William Angrove Wine Cask Thomas Edison Waxed paper H. David Dalquist Bundt pan Momofuku Ando Instant Noodles Frank Epperson The Popsicle Pierre Fauchard False Teeth	Mike Debenham Presto pop-top can The History of the Corkscrew Herb Peterson Egg McMuffin Gail Borden Condensed Milk Guy L. Tinkham McCord Ice Tray George Stephen Weber Grill

Happy Inventors' Month! Don't forget to check the other lists and inventors in the sidebar. I think you will find Margaret (Mattie) Knight quite motivating. She was only 12 years old when she had her first invention patented.

Perky Shredded Wheat

2008-08-01T15:07:00.018-04:00

The glances over cocktails

That seemed to be so sweet

Don't seem quite so amorous

Over the Shredded Wheat

On August 1, 1893, lawyer and inventor Henry Drushel Perky and William H. Ford received US patent #502,378 for a "Machine for the Preparation of Cereals for Food." The cereal biscuit they had in mind was to be called Shredded Wheat. Now, Perky's original intention was to sell the machines but he soon discovered the cereal biscuits were more popular than the machines. By the autumn of 1893, Henry Perky set up his Cereal Machine Company and was operating a small bakery in Denver, Colorado to make the cereal biscuits, a restaurant to serve them and a fleet of horse-drawn wagons from which to sell them door to door.

Denver lawyer Henry Perky was en route by train to Watertown, New York to enlist a friend, William Ford, in a new undertaking...Perky who had always preferred inventing to pleading cases in court, was, at the age of 47, in search of a method for processing corn so it would remian edible after being dehydrated. During his Watertown experiments he developed a machine that could press wheat into shredlike strips. When baked, these strips became delicious biscuits...Top Seller USA by Molly Wade McGrath pg. 71

The Cereal Aisle

Walking up and down the cereal aisle in a supermarket, is like entering a maze of question marks. You’ll see dozens of brands of cereal. How do you know which one taste the best? Is it the box with the brightest packaging? Which is the healthiest, low fat or low sugar? Do you shop for low fiber and forget about the salt, sugar and fat content? Americans have had a love affair with cereal for breakfast for decades. Sometimes, dinner. How many times have you skipped your evening meal only to raid the pantry for a big bowl and some cereal? Do healthy cereals really exist? A good breakfast cereal can be the perfect start to the day and although there are those that claim Shredded Wheat may be bland, it is high in dietary fiber. As strange as it may seem, my grand daughter, Tabitha, who will be 6 in November happens to like Shredded Wheat. She's been eating the little straw cakes now for years:) Most other kids’ cereals are notably lacking in fibre, often with a lot of sugar or sodium thrown in. Highly processed, low-fiber, sugary (or often salty) cereals are more like treats than a health food. With all the marketing hype around many cereals it can be difficult to tell just how healthy they really are.

Meet Shredded Wheat

Some of the pictures decorating this page are from an undated Shredded Wheat recipe leaflet. The recipe leaflet is beautifully lithographed. Others are from another Shredded Wheat recipe booklet titled For All Ages, Shredded Wheat published in 1926. My thinking is, the one with the vibrant young man is probably earlier.

Eat Shredded Wheat all the Food, all the Bran, in the Whole Wheat Health is the most priceless of all human possessions...Health comes from eating the right kind of food and from taking the right kind of exercise. What is the right kind of food? The food that has in it the necessary elements for furnishing energy and for building healthy tissue. The whole wheat grain is such a food.

The remainder of the booklet contains Shredded Wheat dishes. There's Shredded Wheat porridge, Shredded Wheat Bread, Shredded Wheat Gruel, and Shredded Wheat Cookies. If you would like any of these recipes, just ask.

Shredded Wheat at Home

In 1926, the "Home of Shredded Wheat" was in Niagra Falls, New York. The facility produced all varieties Shredded Wheat cereals and the Triscuit crackers too. "The Palace of Light" (center) was built in 1901 by industrialist Edward Andrew Deeds who had supervised the electrification of the National Cash Register Company (NCR) in 1899.

"In 1901, drawn by the idea of inexpensive electrical power for baking, and the natural draw of a popular tourist attraction, he hired Edward A. Deeds to build a new plant at Niagara Falls, New York. Deeds became a director of the National Food Company. Perky invited a large number of notables to a special luncheon. Canadian author Pierre Berton describes the bill of fare: "...a Shredded Wheat drink, Shredded Wheat biscuit toast, roast turkey stuffed with Shredded Wheat, and Shredded Wheat ice cream." The city fathers backed him anyway! The factory itself was called "The Palace of Light," and was white-tiled, air-conditioned, well-lit with floor to ceiling windows, and equipped with showers, lunchrooms (a free lunch for women – men had to pay 10¢), and auditoriums for the employees. It even had a roof garden with a view of the Falls. A representation of the factory appeared on the Shredded Wheat boxes for decades." (wiki)

"A temple of cleanliness to house the purest and cleanest of foods" The Palace of Light had its warehouse facility ovens installed around 1918. There, Perky's “little whole wheat mattresses,” were produced by the machines he had developed.

Five Beautiful, Sunlit Factories Shredded Wheat is made in five beautiful sunlit, sanitary factories-two in Niagra Falls, NY, one in California, one in Canada, and one in London, England. One of factories at Niagra Falls, which is known as "The Home of Shredded Wheat," is visited annually by more than 125,000 visitors from all parts of the habitable globe. Each of these beautiful factories is open to visitors..."Breakfast cereals come and go, but Shredded Wheat goes on forever"-with constantly increasing sales from year to year, always clean, always pure, always wholesome-the most real food for the least money.

Why Shredded Wheat
The Shredded Wheat Company (1904) claimed Shredded Wheat was good for all ages because it contained "every element the human body needed prepared in a palatable and digestible form." They also touted the whole wheat benefits which had nothing added or taken away.
The process for making shredded wheat was really quite simple at the factory. First, the wheat was passed through a cleaning machine which removed the dirt, chaff and foreign material as well as defective and broken grains of wheat. The grains were then cooked in steam and while soft they were drawn into shredded wheat strands. The filaments were then formed into biscuits or little loaves and baked in ovens until they were crisp and brown. The crispness of the baked shreds of whole wheat, was another benefit touted by the company.
Seventy five percent of all human ills are traced to self-poisoning through constipation. In order to prevent this condition food should contain some indigestible fiber, known as "roughage." Thousands are prodding their liver with pills when all they need is roughage in their foods. Bran, which is the outer coating of the wheat berry, is the best roughage for stimulating bowel movement. All the bran of the whole wheat is in Shredded Wheat. (For All Ages, Shredded Wheat (1926)
Shredded Wheat Recipes
Oddly enough, there aren't very many recipes for Shredded Wheat in either of these recipe booklet. There are colorful pictures of dish suggestions and a few shredded wheat serving tips but, not really very many recipes. One suggestion offered is for Shredded Wheat party shells.
To make a patty shell out of a Shredded Wheat Biscuit, crush in the top of the biscuit with the bowl of a spoon, making a hollow in the biscuit. Fill the hollow with fruits, creamed vegetables or creamed meats...To make a hot dish for a cold day pour hot milk over the biscuit, adding a little cream, salt or sweeten to taste.
The other recipes include, Shredded Wheat Bread, Shredded Wheat Porridge, Shredded Wheat Gruel, Shredded Wheat Cookies and Shredded Wheat Pancakes. One recipe I found, which I think is unusual, is a recipe for Shredded Wheat Baby Food. The recipe claims, Shredded Wheat Baby Food "has saved the lives of thousands of babies whose stomach could not digest mother's milk or cow's milk." The formula for preparing Shredded Wheat baby food is as follows.
1/2 pint, 1/2 pint milk, 1 Shredded Wheat Biscuit, 1/16 tsp. salt, 2 tsp. granulated sugar. Bring the water to a boil, then add the Shredded Wheat Biscuit and cook slowly for fifteen minutes. Remove from the fire and add the milk, salt, and sugar, then strain through a fine cheese cloth. When cool set away covered in a cold place until needed. When ready to use heat the required amount to 98 degrees F. and give by means of a feeding bottle.
Pictured are a few more colorful suggestions.

FYI: "Never Eat Shredded Wheat" is a common childhood way of remembering the Cardinal Points on a compass.
Resources
1. Shredded Wheat History Chronology
2. Shredded Wheat Bakery- Niagara Falls, NY (image)
3. Kids Cereal: Popular = Unhealthy
4. Shredded Wheat & Eggs
5. The Marketable Flake

Fooling Around with Fatty Acids

2008-07-15T16:54:00.010-04:00

It's hard to believe margarine was actually invented. What is even more fascinating to me is the history of margarine. When the process for developing margarine was first patented by Hippolyte Mege-Mouries the theory was to attempt to duplicate butter. In essence, a manufactured substitute for butter; or a butter substitute. On July 15, 1869, French chemist Hippolyte Mege-Mouries received his patent in Paris. The first margarine formula was originally comprised of finely minced beef suet which was heated with water. Chopped sheep's stomach was added as was potassium carbonate. The sheep ingredient was added for it's digestive enzymes properties which aided in the separation of the fat from the suet tissue. The remaining fat was then bleached with acid, digested with bicarbonate of soda and sliced udders. All was then churned with milk, water and coloring agent. The solids were then settled and the remains were a butter substitute, margarine, butterine. The name, oleomargarine, was inspired by the oil drops (oil of pearls) that remained and the Margaric acid which was used. The Greek word for pearl is also margaritari. The new solid fat or substitute for butter was a preview to the edible synthetic fat we use today. Ingredients used in margarine today can be soybean or vegetable oil churned with milk products and chemicals. Here is an excerpt from the History of Margarine from the National Association of Margarine.

Margarine was created by a Frenchman from Provence, France -- Hippolyte Mège-Mouriez -- in response to an offer by the Emperor Louis Napoleon III for the production of a satisfactory substitute for butter. To formulate his entry, Mège-Mouriez used margaric acid, a fatty acid component isolated in 1813 by Michael Chevreul and named because of the lustrous pearly drops that reminded him of the Greek word for pearl -- margarites. From this word, Mège-Mouriez coined the name margarine for his invention that claimed the Emperor’s prize. (source)

The term margarine may have been coined by Hippolyte Mège-Mouries but, it may have taken him quite a bit longer to concoct his invention if it hadn't been for the isolation process of fatty acids by Michel Eugène Chevreul, a true innovator in his own right who is credited with many chemical discoveries. Imagine what he must have accomplished in his 102 years. As an inexpensive substitute for butter, margarine initially caused fierce competition among manufacturers and quite a bit of confusion to consumers. As a matter of fact, when margarine was first introduced in England, it was called butterine. Butter producers objected and by virtue of the Margarine Act of 1886, the term margarine became the official "legal" term rather than butterine. Many margarine companies continued to call themselves "butterine" companies. When the Act of 1886 was passed, various imitations of and substitutes for butter, the principal ingredients of which were the fats of cattle and swine, were being manufactured and sold in large quantities. It was a flabby, greasy, sickly-looking compound of animal fat and oil that looked frankly, unappetizing. Although manufacturers had to pay a 10 percent duty if they colored the butterine a rich yellow tint to make it look more like butter, they did so quite willingly. Customers were more likely to spend to get more for their money on a butter substitute than the real thing. One account describes the process used by some manufacturers to make the final product more appealing. Men drove spades into the butterine which was 40 percent oleo oil, some cotton-seed oil, and questionably the rest was milk. Workers threw handfuls of it into machines that turned out two-pound pats and dropped the pats before women who wrapped wrapped them neatly." The high point for butterine came when it was given an award for good taste, appearance and color at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893 as you can see in this New York times edition published October 26, 1893.

It is surprising to discover that by 1902, the term butterine was still in use by many manufactures whereas a pound of real butter sold from 20 to 25 cents, Butterine was available for 15 to 18 cents a pound. But, the American people still did not fully accept margarine. In 1930, the per capita consumption of margarine was 2.6 lbs. The per capita consumption of butter was 17.6 lbs. In the 1933 edition of The Story of Crisco, butterine is only mentioned once along with oleomargarine and lard components as suitable butter substitutes. Butterine has now made a tentative reappearance, being used informally from time to time as a term to describe spreads that are a combination of margarine and butter.

The patent of this invention was bought not by the French but by the Dutch who dominated the production of margarine for several decades. In 1870 or 1871, Hippolyte Mège Mouriez confidently revealed his invention to two Dutch entrepreneurs. The Dutch entrepreneurs, Jurgens and Samuel van den Bergh took his ideas, improved on them (keeping their improvements secret) and established a thriving margarine business that in the 20th century merged into the multinational conglomerate Unilever. Mr. Mège-Mouriez died a pauper.

The Federal Margarine Act of 1886 was the capstone of a movement to prevent consumers from enjoying the cheaper spread, which was introduced in 1874. The advocates of the Act, and of earlier state laws regulating the packaging and sale of margarine, argued they were preventing unscrupulous wholesalers and retailers from masking margarine as the more expensive dairy butter and duping unwitting consumers... Mège-Mouriès was given a French patent for his process in 1869 and a U.S. patent in 1873. His American patent was bought in 1874 by the U.S. Dairy Company, which went on to introduce margarine to the United States. The company opened 15 factories over the next seven years, with five in New York state. It and its subsidiary, the Commercial Manufacturing Company, made both margarine oil and margarine butter and led the industry with nearly 10 percent of the market. By 1882 the firm produced 50,000 pounds of margarine butter a day and more than half the 20 million pounds annually produced in New York state alone. (source)

Resources
1. History of Soy Oil Margarine
2. Margarine History
3. The Entire History of Margarine (interesting website in Denmark)

Bigger than a Breadbox

2008-07-07T10:56:00.009-04:00

It's the day after Independence Day and I'm preparing this post in celebration of sliced bread which will be 80 years old on July 7th of this year. Now, don't get all your bread crumbs unseasoned, I'm not talking about a slice of bread. I'm talking about Otto Frederick Rohwedder and the invention of the first machine to slice bread. Otto Frederick Rohwedder is fondly remembered as the "father of sliced bread" for good reason. Before the debut of the first loaf of sliced bread on July 7, 1928 at the Chillicothe Baking Company in Chillicothe, Missouri, he experienced his share of challenges.

Bigger than a Breadbox

The invention of the bread slicer was not a surprise to Otto Frederick Rohwedder. He had conceived the idea in the early 1900's. Some say it was 15 years in the making. Why so long? How difficult could it be to design a machine that could both symmetrical slice and wrap loaves of bread in the 1920's? Ah, if that was all there was to marketing an invention in untested waters. No, Otto had his share of trying times. There were the financial difficulties for one. I'm going to say Otto Frederick Rohwedder was a successful man before he had the notion to design a mammoth sized bread slicing machine. (It was approximately five feet long and three feet high.) He married Carrie Sophie Johnson in 1905. He apprenticed to a jeweler, he graduated North Illinois College with a degree in ophthalmology. When he came up with his innovated idea, he owned three jewelry stores in Missouri. Yes, I would say he was doing just fine. Although personally Otto may have been doing well financially, it was going to take more than the sale of his three jewelry stores to finance and revolutionize the baking business. He needed backers. Well, it seems he had enough money to draw up the plans, build a prototype and contract a factory to produce his first slicing machine. Unfortunately, fate stepped in and all of Roh's (he liked to be called by Roh) efforts went up in smoke. There was a fire at the factory in Illinois where the machine was suppose to be built in 1917. It would take years for him to come up with new financing. Then, he met with skepticism. Bakers rejected the notion that a sliced bread machine would keep the bread fresh after it was sliced. They argued it would become dried and stale. Otto forged on. He added a device that automatically wrapped the bread in wax paper to keep it fresh.

...The crust of a loaf is dry and very hard and the inside soft and application of knives usually results in flattening of the loaf. It was impossible to satisfactorily slice bread, a slice at a time. So the inventor adopted the principle of simultaneously cutting all the slices of a loaf in a single operation. Two banks of thin sharp steel blades are utilized, held truly in two frames so placed in relation to each other that one bank of blades moves upward while the other bank moves downward. The cutting edges are all in the same plane and alternated so that while one blade moves upward its immediate neighbor moves downward. This alternating movement satisfactorily creates a compensation of pull so that a clean sharp cutting without disturbing the shape of the loaf results. As the blades pass through the soft bread, the loaf closes immediately behind the blades and keeps the air out. These perfect surfaces of slices fit snugly against each other and adhere surprisingly, thus retaining the freshness of the bread. Means for carrying the loaf to the blades and passing the loaf through the blades are but few of the many mechanical difficulties which have been overcome. The machine has been developed until today it is capable of perfectly slicing 1,200 to 1,400 loaves per hour...source

The Delivery

Not a deed would he do, Not a word would he utter, Till he's weighed its relation To plain bread and butter. James Russell Lowell

Otto Frederick Rohwedder's un-yielding patience (15 years) and determination were finally rewarded when Frank Bench, a baker and friend at the Chillicothe Baking Company agreed to use the machine. Nowhere in the world were bakers selling sliced loaves of bread before the first loaf-at-a-time sliced bread was sold 80 years ago today on July 7, 1928. How proud Roh must have been when that first loaf emerged. Customers, although ambivalent, tried the perfectly sliced Kleen Maid Sliced Bread from the Chillicothe Baking Company. No, they were not quick to adapt to the uniform slices perfect for making sandwiches but, the demand, popularity and convenience was enough to encourage Roh to have another machine built. Otto Frederick Rohwedder didn't become rich because of his invention. As a matter of fact, when all was said and done and the first sliced loaf was delivered, the Great Depression became evident. Otto Frederick Rohwedder sold the second bread slicer to a baker from St. Louis by the name of Gustav Papendick. Papendick improved the cutting action of Roh's bread slicer and devised a way to keep the slices together, he added changes which allowed for cardboard trays to hold the sliced bread. He applied for a patent on May 22, 1930 and was granted his patent #1970379 on August 14, 1934. I have included links to both Rohwedder's and Papendick's patents in the resources below. The popularity and convenience of sliced bread was propelled even further when consumers realized that the sliced bread fit perfectly in the Pop-Up toaster invented by Charles Strite in 1919. As for Roh, the stock market crash of 1929 gave him no choice but to sell his invention to the Bettendorf Company where he became executive of the Rohwedder Bakery Machine Division of Micro-Westco. The first slicer invented by Rohwedder was destroyed but the second machine is housed at the Smithsonian Institution. If you stop over at the Sliced Bread Photo Album, there are wonderful photos of the Rohwedder Bread Slicer manufactured at the Bettendorf Company in Bettendorf Iowa in 1933. Two other contributions offered to the success of Roh's sliced bread were the promoting done by Holsum Bread, and in 1930, Wonder Bread. Yet, it really wasn't until the industrialization of bread production in the 1950s that sliced bread really took a hold.

Crumbs and Recipes

Pictured is a promotional recipe book for Taystee Bread dated 1933. Five years after that wholesome day, Taystee offered the following in its Purity Bakeries booklet.
How To Care For Bread:

Good bread comes wrapped in a moisture proof and dust proof wrapper, which protects it from all foreign odors or flavors.
The wrapper should not be removed until the bread is wanted, then open one end of the wrapper, slide out the bread and return the unused portion of the loaf.
The bread box should be scalded and aired at least once a week, and should be kept in a dry place.
Do not allow broken portions of bread to accumulate in the box, as they are apt to mold and spoil the flavor of all the bread in the box.
Keep bread crumbs in a glass topped fruit jar in a dry place, but do not allow them to stand too long.

Sliced bread offers you the added convenience of bread that is already sliced and ready to serve. No waiting, no knives to bother with, no cut fingers, no uneven slices, no crumbs, no waste. Every slice is uniformly perfect.

How To Toast Bread:

Toast is more appetizing without the crust. Take out the slices you wish toasted and remove the crust before toasting. (this makes me laugh, the purpose of sliced bread was suppose to be no cutting. Now you have to cut off the crust before toasting?)
When toasting under a gas flame, light the oven at least five minutes before making the toast. Spread on the toaster and toast quickly, as long toasting dries out the bread. (this is 1933 remember)
For buttered toast have the butter creamed or softened so it will spread easily and quickly. Serve as soon as the toast is made.

The pictured recipes are from yet another bread recipe book titled 88 Mealtime Surprises made with Bond Bread I chose this one for the recipes because the recipes are in color and I am just going to scan them. This booklet is dated 1931. Beneath the Bureau of Food s Sanitation and Health seal on the back inside cover read the words. Sliced or Unsliced, There is No Bread Like Bond. I've chosen recipes included in the section Bread As A Baking Ingredient to share because, these were thrifty times and the recipes embrace the use of bread crumbs as a left-over. If you click the image to enlarge, the recipes you will find include, Orange Macaroons, Brownies, Ginger Cake, Apple Sauce Cake, Crumb Muffins and Spiced Muffins. All baked with bread crumbs as an ingredient!
Did you know sliced bread was banned during WWII? If you want to know more about the banning of sliced bread during WWII, visit Bread Toast Wonder at my other blog. How about this tease of crumbs? When was the expression "The best thing since sliced bread'' first coined? This link will reveal the answer.
One has to wonder, What was the best thing before sliced bread? A "hero" a grinder, a "sub?" Perhaps, a push sandwich. I know, a po' boy was the best thing before sliced bread, to many New Orleanians anyway. You see Clovis and Benny Martin had invented the sandwich a year before the sliced bread machine was commercialized. What about a "sandwich" of salami, cheese and pickled vegetables on a round sesame seeded loaf invented in 1910 by Salvatore Lupa in 1910. That would be a muffuletta. Although, the debatable Reuben sandwich consisted of two pieces of rye bread, corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and Russian dressing, it was probably served on pre-sliced sliced bread. As was the Hot Brown sandwich which was quite popular at The Brown Hotel in Kentucky in the 1930s. Some believe, Tinned chicken was the best thing before sliced bread. source
Resources

1. What's a Breadbox?
2. Otto Rohwedder @ foodreference.com
3. Bread slicer Inventor Lived in Albion (excellent article)
4. Otto Rohwedder Inventor of the Week @ MIT
5. New Machine Delivers Fresh Bread Loaves Ready Sliced.
6. The Cyber Toaster Museum
7. Home of Sliced Bread
8. Otto Rohwedder's patent #1,867,377
8. Gustav Papendick patent
9. Build Your Own Bread Slicer
10. The History of the PBJ Sandwich

Fortunes by the Coffee Grinds

2008-06-20T18:20:00.014-04:00

Black as the Devil; Hot as Hell; Pure as an Angel! Note these well. Then- "Sweet as Love!" Writes Talleyrand. I've tried it and My coffee's Grand!

I never gave much thought to the invention of the coffee filter until I did a post on the invention of the coffee percolator back in December of 2007. That is the day I learned about Melitta Bentz. If the name has a grain of familiarity to you that is because, Melitta (the company) is famous for its coffee filters, coffee and coffee makers. So, the question is, when was the first coffee filter invented by Melitta Bentz? Well, according to the Melitta website, Melitta Bentz "received a patented registration on her invention on June 20, 1908." That's 100 years ago today!

"At a trade fair in Leipzig, Germany, in 1909, Melitta Bentz caused a stir with coffee filters made from blotting paper taken from her son's school supplies. Prior to Bentz's innovation, "most people simply boiled their coffee, which overextracts and turns the brew bitter," explains the coffee historian Mark Prendergrast. Not only that, but removing the grit from the coffee proved difficult. In Bentz's solution, brewed coffee passed through the filter from a grounds-catching brass cup into a porcelain pot, drop by drop, and the filters produced a mellow, smooth brew. Drip coffee was born." (source)

I thought it might be interesting to go back to an issue of American Cookery Magazine published in the same year and lucky for me, the same month to see if there was anything written about coffee. Although there were no articles pertaining to coffee, I did find this query on page 55 of the June-July issue of 1908 for Turkish Coffee. The subscriber to the magazine from Cleveland Ohio requested a recipe for Turkish Coffee. Here is the reply.

To make Turkish coffee pound the freshly roasted coffee beans in a mortar. Turkish coffee pots are small coffee pots without a cover, and with a handle like that of a saucepan. Use rather more coffee than in making black or filtered coffee. Pour the water over the crushed berries; let boil up once, remove from the fire, stir, and return to the fire, to boil again; repeat a third time, when the coffee is ready to serve. This coffee is not clear, but rather thick and muddy. It is served in tiny cups much smaller than the ordinary after-dinner coffee cup. The cups are thimble-shaped and rest in a copper or silver frame made with a handle. Cream is not used. The coffee is partaken with a tiny spoon.

Now, of course, the above was the method used for preparing Turkish coffee but how was breakfast coffee prepared prior to 1908? Once again, I refer to another magazine. This one titled The Cooking Club was published in 1902. Page 27 describes the Coffee Making Methods of the day. I was going to scan it but it takes up two pages so, here goes;

Coffee stands first in the list of beverages for the coffee table. To make it to perfection one requires a coffee pot with a double base. A French filter pot is the best. Never boil it if you wish to preserve the aroma. Buy two thirds Java and one third Mocha; the first is required for strength and the latter for the flavor. Always allow two heaping tablespoonfuls of ground coffee to a pint of water. Cover lightly after pouring on the boiling water; let it boil half a minute and set it back to settle. In this way coffee will be clear without the aid of eggs or shells. If it is not possible to procure cream, always boil the milk and use loaf sugar. To make it with common coffee pot; One tablespoonful to each cup and one for the coffee pot. Boil ten minutes and allow time to settle. Fill the cup with three parts of coffee and the balance with cream or scalded milk. Here are some experiments with coffee that are worth trying. when short of cream put a piece of butter in the coffee. Some people prefer this to cream. Of course, good, sweet butter must be used. A pinch of salt added to a cup of clear coffee is preferred by many people, and some add salt to coffee with cream. The addition makes quite a change in flavor.

Melitta's Coffee Filters

I must note, there is also an explanation of the ritual of serving coffee which is quite interesting but will have to wait until a later date. Back to Melitta. It seems that Melitta, a housewife from Dresden, Germany, had a bit of help inventing her coffee filters. By inserting blotting paper from her sons school books into a brass coffee pot filled with tiny holes, she prevented the coffee grounds from getting into the coffee. The principle of the first coffee filter was born and as the saying goes, "revolutionized the coffee industry."

...On December 15th, 1908, Melitta Bentz and her husband Hugo started the Melitta Bentz Company. The response they got was overwhelming and they sold 1200 coffee filters at the Leipziger fair in Germany the next year. Seeing the increasing demand the Melitta Bentz Company also patented the filter bag in 1937 and vacuum packing in 1962. source

"If you want to improve your understanding, drink coffee." Sydney Smith

Spilling the Beans

While some people find coffee drinking rather appealing, me me me, there are those who practice the "art" of coffee cup reading. Yes, coffee grounds can be highly revealing, so they say. I personally have never had my grounds read. As a matter of fact, I was surprised to discover that there are websites (links below) which provide a "reading" online. I hadn't planned on exploring this method of predicting the future but, I just couldn't help myself when I came across this little booklet in my cookbook collection. Simply titled The Oracle it has a copyright date of 1897 and was given "compliments of Chase & Sanborn" Tea & Coffee Importers. (the cover is at the top of the page) Unlike many of the cookbooks in my collection, this little gem is not a cookbook at all. Instead, it is filled to the brim with fortune telling methods. Only an 8 page booklet, it contains Fortune Telling by the Cards, Reading Character from Date of Birth, Signs and Superstitions in Common Use, two beautifully illustrated gems of the months and the language of flower charts, Dreams and their meanings, Palmistry or fortune telling by the palm of the hand, and Fortune Telling by the Grounds in a Tea or Coffee Cup. I would have liked to scan the entire booklet instead, I did scan the two pages for the Fortune Telling by the Grounds section. Intrigued, I had to delve deeper into the grounds at the bottom of a coffee cup that held the clues.

Tasseography (Tasseomancy) or the ancient art of overturning a coffee cup and looking for answers in the patterns left behind by the grounds, wouldn't have much use for coffee filters. The idea is to not filter the grinds. This is what I uncovered @ wikipedia.

Traditionally, coffee readers use Turkish coffee, or any coffee that has grinds that sit at the bottom of the cup. Most of the liquid in the coffee is drunk, but the sediment at the bottom is left behind. It is often believed that the drinker of the coffee should not read their own cup. There are at least two forms of coffee reading. Both require that the cup be covered with the saucer and turned upside-down. Some traditions, such as in Romania, require that the sediments in the cup be swirled around the inside of the cup until they cover the majority of the cup's inside surface. Other traditions, such as Turkish and Middle Eastern, do not require this swirling but do require that the cup be turned towards yourself for showing your own fortune. The coffee grounds are given time to settle and dry against the cup before a reading begins. Many interpretations for symbols exist, but one common thread is the color of the symbols. Since most cups used are white or ivory and the grounds are dark, strong contrast exists for the symbols. White is considered a "good" symbol foretelling of generally positive things for the drinker, while the grounds themselves are considered to form "bad" symbols. Symbols can be many things, including people, animals, and inanimate objects. Usually, the fortune teller will group nearby symbols together for a prediction. After a reading, the drinker will be asked to "open the heart". This is done by placing the right thumb at the inside bottom of the cup and twisting clockwise slightly. This will leave an impression behind that the fortune teller will interpret as the drinker's inner thoughts or emotions.

Aki's website has simple yet detailed instructions on the preparation of Greek coffee which she says is actually Turkish coffee.

"Greek" coffee is really Turkish coffee. It's usually made from Brazilian coffee beans, which are ground into a fine powder. Greek coffee powder, as with all types of coffee grinds, does not dissolve in water. The grinds release their flavour and colour in water when made properly and the grinds (powder) remain behind in the cup. Some folks like to read their future, or fortune, with the accumulated coffee grinds. source

Tasseography is a fortune telling oracle. Usually the coffee fortune telling is composed of poetic imagery that rarely includes a precise statement. For example, this is what The Oracle booklet says.

Into a white cup or other white vessel, pour the grounds of the coffee or tea. Move the vessel briskly to spread the grounds over the surface. Drain off superfluous moisture, and in the lines and figures those of the omens may be found.

You should be able to see the list if you enlarge the scanned image. Here are a few of the revelations possible.

Straight lines foretell long life, peace and tranquility.
Long and wavy lines, losses and great vexations.
Human figures, marriage and a forecast of love.
A crown indicates honor...

I am certainly not an expert on the art of reading coffee grinds, I did find a few clues along my travels. The way it works is, you prepare a pot of pure coffee, no instant coffee or coffee with milk. Some say it is best to do this with a group of friends. Sort of a coffee klatch for the future. Go ahead, have a piece of coffee cake or another desirable sweet. While everyone is chatting and drinking their coffee, relax and enjoy the company. Try to concentrate on a question you would like answered. "In order for a fortune reading to be accurate, you need to be in a contemplative mood." When you're done, and gulp before you drink the coffee grinds, put the saucer on top of the coffee cup. Then, make three horizontal circles with your cup, and with a quick movement turn the coffee cup with the cup saucer upside down. Let it cool slightly. Observe what symbols or images you can see. In very basic terms, the symbols close to the border are associated with the future. The pictures which you can see on the walls of the cup are the present. The grounds on the bottom of the cup are events from the past and also significant sentimental matters. A wide variety of subjects may be seen, such as finance, travel, politics, love, and matrimony. An expert coffee cup reader is suppose to be able to interpret the shapes for you and give you a more accurate reading.

Traditionally the handle of the cup is the person being read, provided the cup you are using has a handle. The deeper into the cup you go the further away into the future is the event/or situation. The symbols closer to the handle would represent the now or current time frame. 1/2 way down the sides of the cup would be probably 6 six months or so. Now this will change if you read the cup every day. For example if the coffee grounds/tea leaves look like a ring and is very close to the handle -the person will get married. It doesn’t mean they will get married over and over to different people if you keep seeing the ring. What surrounds the ring will tell you the circumstances around this pending marriage. source

Friendship in a Cup

The day wouldn't be complete without at least a few recipes to celebrate the invention of the coffee filter. Once again, I must make reference to an issue of American Cookery Magazine. When I found this recipe for Coffee Parfait, in the Friendship in Cup booklet published in 1941, it looked so familiar I had to find out why. I remembered I had just seen a recipe for Cafe Parfait in the March 1903 issue of American Cookery. Gee, I thought to myself, has the recipe changed in 38 years? Surprisingly, it didn't change much. I've scanned them both. See if you notice any difference. The Cafe Parfait recipe is from 1903 and the Coffee Parfait recipe is from 1941. The following recipe is not exactly a Semifreddo as it is chilled rather than partially frozen. It is so easy to prepare I thought I would include it as a treat for the first day of summer. Oh, okay, the first full day of summer isn't until tomorrow. It's called Coffee Marshmallow Dessert and it is from a small booklet also published by Chase & Sanborn in 1941. Of course, you can use any strong coffee. Think of the possibilities of this simple dessert. A quick grating of cinnamon or nutmeg. Any of the flavored coffees would probably add an interesting depth. What about almond toasted marshmallows?

Coffee Marshmallow Dessert
1 cup hot strong Chase & Sanborn Coffee 24 marshmallows, cut in quarters 1/2 cup cream, whipped
Pour hot coffee over marshmallows; stir well until marshmallows are melted. Chill until mixture begins to thicken; fold in whipped cream. Pour into sherbet glasses and chill about 3 hours. Serves 5

Another "forgotten" recipe seems to be ice box cake. Someday, I would like to post a whole day of ice box cake recipes but today is not the day. I often wonder whether there is a person associated with the first ice box cake but that too will have to be another endeavor. The recipe for Coffee ice Box Cake is enhanced by the use of lady fingers. I always prefer lady fingers as opposed to Angel food cake but, either will do. Since this post is getting much longer than I intended, I have scanned a few more recipes for your enjoyment.

Resources

1. Melitta Bentz (very brief bio)

2.Melitta Website good info

3. Coffee: Before It Was Good to the Last Drop

4. History of the Coffee and Espresso machines

5.10 Fantastic Uses for Paper Coffee Filters

6. Smart Uses for Coffee Filters

7. Coffee Tasseography - Fortune Telling with Coffee

8. Victorian Fortune Telling with Coffee Grounds

9. Ancient Art of Reading Coffee Cups

10. Online Coffee Reading

11. Personal coffee cup Reading Story

12. Read the coffee signs!

13. Coffee Ground Reading Oracle

14. Behold the Oracle of Starbucks

15. Interactive Coffee Factory

16. Growing Coffee Arabica at Home

17. Notable Coffee Quotations

The following links are from my other blog:

December James Mason & the Percolator
April National Coffee Cake Day
January (Gaelic) Irish Coffee Day

Scoping the Shopping Cart

2008-06-04T00:01:00.003-04:00

So you stopped at the grocery store on your way home from work and like so many of us you said to yourself, "Oh I don't need one of those shopping carts, I'm just picking up a few things." Next thing you know, you're doing a balancing act trying not to drop the eggs while holding onto the gallon of fat free milk with your pinky. The bread is holding on by a plastic tie so you unconsciously stick it under your arm. Squish, now you have to go all the way back to the bread aisle, and as we all know, it's way over by the dairy aisle, which you just left picking up the milk, eggs, and bread. You spy the bakery counter as you're quickly about to turn down the aisle. The freshly baked goodie cart is wheeled out and the tantalizing aroma catches you off guard. You reach out your hand, while making the turn and grab for a freshly baked Hungarian Cheese Cake which will add a bit of flavor to the "home cooked" meal you are concocting in your head. Whoops, there goes the bread right from under your arm. Your reflexes get the best of you, you go to grab it before it hits the toddler, pushing her junior size shopping cart, right on her little noggin and splash, crack the eggs slip right out of your hands followed by the milk which has turned your poor pinky to an interesting color lavender. As your shaking your hand to get the blood flowing, a kind elderly gentleman comes to your aid, basket in tow. "Oh, I don't need one of those" you tell him shaking your finger uncontrollably back to life, I'm just picking up a few things." He gives you a puzzled look. You thank him and he walks away.

I've done this more times than I care to share. You know, you have too. Sometimes, I make it through, groceries uninjured. Most times not. Do you know why? I certainly don't. I have actually left the store after one of these traumatic, not to mention embarrassing episodes, got in my car and scolded myself. "Why don't you just get a shopping cart or at least a basket when you stop at the store." You know you never wind up getting "just a few things." And, even if you do, "what's the big deal? I've never noticed, probably because I'm set on correcting the errors of my ways, but, I'm sure people must be wondering what the heck I'm doing yelling at myself in the car. Perhaps, they think I'm talking on phone. That reminds me. Once, I had quite the similar scenario going on while I had the cell phone tucked under my ear like the leaning tower of Pisa. I remember it like it was yesterday. Rolling oranges, I have to stop doing this to myself. It isn't like I can never find a shopping cart when I need one. They may scarce in the department store but at least most of the items I have in my hands are soft and cuddly or should I say, scrunched and wrinkled. I promise myself I will stop the torture and get a shopping cart the next time. Will I? I doubt it. But, if I do, I will quietly thank Sylvan Goldman for my newly discovered grocery transportation. I will vow to return the shopping cart to the "Put Shopping Carts Here" place designated in the parking lot. I will carry an extra sanitary wipe to clean off the handle and I will put my eggs in the safe seat where toddlers will be free from flying debris. Finally, I will once again thank Mr. Goldman from the bottom of my heart for inventing the grocery shopping cart today.

The first shopping cart was introduced on June 4, 1937, the invention of Sylvan Goldman, owner of the Piggly-Wiggly supermarket chain in Oklahoma City. With the assistance of Fred Young, a mechanic, Goldman constructed the first shopping cart, basing his design on that of a wooden folding chair. They built it with a metal frame and added wheels and wire baskets. Another mechanic, Arthur Kosted, developed a method to mass produce the carts by inventing an assembly line capable of forming and welding the wire. The cart was awarded patent number 2,196,914 on April 9, 1940 (Filing date: March 14, 1938), titled, "Folding Basket Carriage for Self-Service Stores." They advertised the invention as part of a new “No Basket Carrying Plan.”
The invention did not catch on immediately. Men found them effeminate; women found them suggestive of a baby carriage. "I've pushed my last baby buggy," an offended woman informed him. After hiring several male and female models to push his new invention around his store and demonstrate their utility, as well as greeters to explain their use, shopping carts became extremely popular and Goldman became a multimillionaire. Goldman continued to make modifications to his original design, and the basket size of the shopping cart increased as stores realized that their customers purchased more as its size increased. wikipedia

Resources

1. the (all american) history of shopping (carts)
2. Telescoping Shopping Cart Invention
3. Shopping Carts @ Engines of Our Ingenuity
4. Sylvan Nathan Goldman: Inventor of the shopping cart
5. History of the shopping cart
6. Gathering Thoughts & Groceries
7. Sylvan Nathan Goldman biography

Frederick McKinley Jones: Inventor

2008-05-17T17:42:00.005-04:00

In the historic timeline of truck refrigeration, there stands a place for a man by the name of Frederick Jones. Born on May 17, 1893, Frederick McKinley Jones is often credited with "transforming the food industry and America's eating habits with his invention of a practical refrigeration system for trucks and railroad cars." As in most "innovative" proclamations, there are those who dispute the accuracy of such a statement. It is not the purpose of this post to credit or discredit any of the informative websites which I have stumbled across attesting to the accuracy of such statements. Instead, I would like to celebrate the birth date of Frederick McKinley Jones who indeed had a natural mechanical ability and inventive mind with which he independently enhanced by reading, studying and being productive!

Fred Jones was born in Cincinnati, Ohio to an Irish American railroad worker and an African American mother. It's believed that his mother died when he was very young, although, others say his mother abandoned both him and his father not long after he was born. Like most inquisitive children, he always took things apart. His father found raising a child alone very challenging and at the age of 7, Frederick McKinley Jones was sent by his father, to live and be educated at a Catholic church in Covington, Kentucky. Father Edward A. Ryan, a Catholic priest, took care of Fred and encouraged his interest in mechanics. He gave him responsibilities around the church and rectory which included cleaning, cooking, maintenance, and grounds work. Orphaned at the age of 9, Fred Jones had a very limited education. His formal schooling ended in the sixth grade. (Note: some websites say he was born in Covington Kentucky)

As a boy, Fred loved to work on automobiles so much so that upon turning 12 years of age, he ran away from his home at the rectory and began working at the R.C. Crothers Garage. As the clean up boy at the garage, he observed the methods used by the mechanics. There he became intrigued with gasoline engines and complicated machinery. He also learned about racing cars which eventually would inspire his love for racingand win him a place on regional racetracks. Within 3 years, Fred Jones was made foreman at the garage. Unfortunately or, perhaps, fortunately, Fred Jones was dismissed from the garage around the age of 19. Some say he was fired when he attended a racing competition without permission from his boss. Others say, "he was passionate about race cars and designed and built them for his boss, until a dispute arose over whether or not Jones, a black man, should be allowed to attend the races in which his cars were running."

He exhibited an early passion for the mechanics of the automobile, he then took a job as chief mechanic on a large farm in Hallock, Minnesota, where he was put in charge of maintaining all equipment at the 300,000-acre farm. He next went to work at a garage and farm implement shop, where he again began building and this time racing dirt track cars. He also experimented with early snowmobile design. During WWI, he enlisted in the U.S. Army as an electrician and as a mechanic where he achieved the rank of sergeant. He returned to Hallock in 1919. source

The road to refrigeration technology is paved with many successes and failures with each one contributing to the vast amount of perishable food we have learned to depend on from state to state and country to country. Certainly, refrigeration history did not begin with Frederick Jones but, Frederick McKinley Jones has been awarded his place in the history of the transportation industry by the U.S. Department of Defense and the Bureau of Standards, when he was hired as a consultant. He was also honored as the first African American to be elected into the American Society of Refrigeration Engineers. By collecting parts from junk yards, and by using a two-cycle engine (of his own invention and patent), he put together the first, successful system for mobile refrigeration. The original patent , which was applied for on November, 16, 1939, was basically for "the application of existing refrigeration technology to transport refrigeration. The technical challenges included building a structural frame and refrigerant tubing connections that would stand up to the constant pounding of road vibrations." source PDF

During his life, Frederick Mckinley Jones was awarded sixty-one patents. Forty were for refrigeration equipment. The United States government used his portable air conditioner during World War II to preserve medicines and blood serum. A list of his patents can be found here. He was inducted into the Inventor's Hall of Fame for patent #2,303,857 (view below Air Conditioner for Vehicles) and into the Minnesota Inventors Hall of Fame both available for viewing on the internet. After his death, Mr. Jones was also the first African American to be awarded with the American National Medal of Technology. The National Medal of Technology is an honor granted by the President of the United States to American inventors and innovators that have made significant contributions to the development of new and important technology. It is the highest honor the United States can confer to a US citizen for achievements related to technological progress. source

Air Conditioner for Vehicles: Our invention relates to air conditioners for compartments of vehicle carriers and has for its primary object to provide in conjunction with a vehicle carrier, such as a truck, railroad car or the like, a means of conditioning the air within the compartment of said carrier by tempering, humidifying and circulating the air therein, which means shall be conveniently attachable to and removable from such carrier and which shall automatically effect the desired air conditioning within the compartment of the carrier. In the transporting of goods, particularly perishable goods such as vegetables, fruits, eggs, dressed poultry and the like, what is known as trucks have come very largely into use because of their mobility, accessibility for loading, and capacity for rapid transportation and smooth carriage of their contents. However, even though trucks move largely at night, conditions of weather, particularly hot weather, have presented serious difficulties. Suitable means for cooling or otherwise tempering or conditioning the air in the compartments of trucks have not been available...patent

The journey made by Frederick Mckinley Jones lasted 68 years. He toiled at the rectory, worked as a garage mechanic, adapted his skills in the movie industry and served his country in WWI. He was also Vice President of engineering at U.S. Thermo Control Company (Thermo King Corporation) which he co-founded with partner Joseph A. Numero. Below is information from the Thermo King website

A prolific inventor throughout his life, Fred Jones' inventions included a snow sled driven by a car engine and airplane propeller, a portable x-ray machine, a condenser microphone, a sound system for early "talking" motion picture theaters, a theater ticket-dispensing machine (patented), the first reliable refrigeration system for trucks (patented), the first reliable front mounted truck refrigeration unit, a portable refrigeration unit for the US Army in World War II, atmosphere controlled boxcar for rail transport, refrigerated containers for ship-board transport, and an improved two-cycle gas engine (patented), among others.

In 2007, Thermo King company officials dedicated an expanded research and development center in Bloomington, Minnesota., to Frederick McKinley Jones. You can read about the dedication in an article by Tom Berg at Heavy Duty Trucking. There is so much available information paved along the information highway that we haven't yet been able to discuss. Perhaps, with the help of the links provided below, you will venture out and discover the fascinating life Frederick McKinley Jones.

In its heyday the Saturday Evening Post was one of the most popular and widely read magazines in the United States, if not the world. So when the publication ran a feature article May 7, 1948, on Fred Jones, it was recognition not only of his fascinating life, but also the importance of Joe Numero's young U.S. Thermo Control Company – later to be renamed Thermo King Corporation. read on...

The Refrigerator Container: In the summer of 1938, Harry Werner, a Minneapolis trucking company executive, met Joseph Numero, a manufacturer of movie theater sound systems, for a round of golf. Afterwards, as the men made their way to the clubhouse, Werner complained to Numero that he was losing loads of chicken to the hot weather. read on...

An American Innovator: During a blistering summer evening in 1937, Fred Jones sat in his car near a lake in Minnesota. The heat was unbearable. He rolled down a window for a breath of fresh air. To his dismay, when he rolled the window down his car filled with mosquitoes. Up the window went to keep mosquitoes out. Down the window went for some air. This cycle of opening and closing the window continued until he reached a point of total frustration. “Why doesn't somebody make a gadget to air condition a car, like they do in theaters?” he said. read on...

Resources
1. Frederick M. Jones @ MIT
2. Fred McKinley Jones @ Black Inventors.com
3. Excellent Blog about the Hallock Movie Theatre where Jones worked
4. Frederick McKinley Jones Hallock's Handyman (video)
3. Thermo King Company History (not Thermo King website excellent & informative)
5. Thermo King Dedication
6. Minnesota Goes to War: The Home Front During World War II By Dave Kenney (google books pages 149-150)
7. This Day in Ohio History By Rebecca Goodman, Barrett J. Brunsman (page 214 google books)
8. Revolution in Transportation for Agriculture
9. Railway Refrigeration
10. Willis Haviland Carrier
11. Refrigerator Coined?

Cheerio Cheerioats

2008-05-01T07:33:00.005-04:00

When my sister and I were younger, we use to have Cheerio races. You know those little bowls of O's over flowing with milk. Yes, Cheerios were around when I was a little girl. As a matter of fact, you may not know this but CheeriOats (that's what they were called before the name change in 1945) have been around since May 1, 1941. I bet you're wondering what a Cheerio race is, or not. Well, it has a lot to do with the Cheerio Effect. see resources "An example of the cheerio effect is the phenomenon whereby breakfast cereal tends to clump together or cling to the sides of a bowl of milk." Of course, we didn't know there was actually a name for the races we had. We were just kids trying to pass the breakfast clock away. Not that Cheerios weren't fun to eat anyway; we were kids entertaining ourselves. We would take our places at the table. Me at one end, my sister at the other. Ready, Set, Go! The task at hand was to eat all the Cheerios in the bowl without knocking off the tiny little O's that clung to the side of the bowl. Whoever had the most Cheerios left on the side of the bowl was the WINNER! Hey, it didn't take much to amuse us. We invented a new game and we didn't even know it would someday have an "effect" added to it.

That reminds me. I forgot to reveal the person who invented Cheerios. I suppose with all the aggressive advertising General Mills did, some might think that General Mills (the company) invented Cheerios but, no that's not the case. They were invented by a man named Lester Borchardt. Not only did Minnesota physicist, Lester Borchardt invent Cheerios, he has at least 11 other inventions and patents to his credit. He even helped come up with the process to fortify milk with vitamin D. Thank goodness for that! Mr. Borchardt did indeed work for General Mills. His boss even tried to stop him from working on the machine to puff cereal. I suppose he should have listened but instead, he continued with his project and lo and behold, two months later, Cheerios were "born." (his machine was used to puff Kix too!:) One more "O" of information, it is said, that Lester ate a bowl of Cheerios everyday of his life. Gee, I wonder what his cholesterol number was? It must have been darn good, he lived until he was 99 Oh alright, two more drops of Cheerio trivia. The first Cheerio mascot was Cheeri O'Leary (she was a girl:) and the first CheeriOats' slogan was "The Breakfast Food You’ve Always Wanted!" source

Boy, General Mills must have sure wanted everyone to taste those little circles of "O's." I suppose it was because they believed them to be quite healthy. It seems that General Mills was pretty darn glad Cheerios were the first healthy oat cereal. Cheerios' health appeal stems from its lack of artificial flavoring and coloring, and of course, its low sugar content. Personally, I think the best thing about Cheerios is that you don't need milk to eat them. That's pretty cool because you can take them everywhere with you. I know my 5 year old grand daughter certainly appreciates toting her oats. I made her a Cheerio bracelet that she can nibble on anytime she wants. It's much better than those candy bracelets. You can make it with Honey Nut Cheerios too! General Mills promoted the Cheerio goodness in many ways. Through the years, they used television, radio anything they could do to keep Cheerios in the limelight. Sometimes they changed the cereal box, once they even showed a bowl of the oat cereal topped with strawberries, along with one Cheerio being used to dot the "i" on the cereal box. Heck, they even called on The Lone Ranger, to make sure kids ate Cheerios. Oh my, don't tell me you don't know of the Lone Ranger. The Lone Ranger was a radio program that eventually was brought to TV after it had spent years only being on the radio. I think it was in the early 50's. Still before my time but, we did have reruns you know. Anyway, he was a masked Texas Ranger in the American Old West, who galloped about righting injustices, usually with the aid of his clever American Indian partner named Tonto, and his horse Silver. He would famously say "Hi-yo Silver, away!" to get the horse to gallop. Kids who were "lucky" enough to get their parents to buy boxes of Cheerios were sometimes rewarded by finding lucky prizes in the cereal box. They could discover the Lone Ranger’s silver bullet, or perhaps, his flashlight pistol. I must say, parents didn't always approve of these marketing techniques, actually, they still don't sometimes.

There are some other cool things that can be done with Cheerios besides eating them. You can check out the Cheerios Effect, discover how electrical charges attract and repel, or visit Science Experiments for kids to experience the "Swinging Cereal." The links are listed below. I found this recipe for Cheerio Cookies @ Cooks.com. It sure does sound good. Mr. Breakfast has an interesting Cheerio Muffin recipe that makes 12 muffins. Hmm...they may make a good treat for Mother's Day. I don't know how healthy they are but I'm sure Mom won't mind. Wow! there sure are a lot of recipes that use Cheerios. There's another link below for Cheerio Bars. Have FUN! and Enjoy!

Cheerio Cookies 3/4 c. melted butter 1 1/2 c. sugar 1 egg 1 tsp. vanilla 1/4 c. water 1 1/2 c. flour 1 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. soda 1 c. oatmeal 1 c. raisins 4 c. Cheerios cereal 6 oz. chocolate bits Mix together in order. Drop on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes. Yield: 4 1/2 dozen.

Resources

1. Cheerio Effect @ wiki
2. Scientists explain the ‘Cheerio Effect’ @ The Science of Food Blog
3. Cookies In Heaven (blog) has more info about Lester Borchardt
4. Cheerios Website
5. Breakfast Cereal Character Guide this is where you can see the mascots for many cereals including Cheerios
6. Making Friends with Franklin An Experiment with electrical charges that uses Cheerios @ the Smithsonian Educational Website
7. Science Experiments for Kids
8. Cheerios Fun
9. Cooks.com
10. Cheerio Muffins
11. Cheerio Bars

McDonald's Debut

2008-04-15T15:51:00.004-04:00

"Work is the meat in the hamburger of life"

~Ray Kroc~

Today, April 15, 2008, I would like to share a few highlights from an autobiography written by Ray Kroc with Robert Anderson. The title of the book is Grinding It Out, The Making of McDonald's. Originally published in 1977, Grinding It Out is the personal "rags to riches" story of how Ray Kroc at the age of 52 founded the McDonald's hamburger franchise chain and built it into the "Golden Arches" known in almost every corner of the world. I chose today to share this book because, on April 15, 1955, Ray Kroc with the help of others, opened his first Mcdonald's in Des Plaines, Illinois. I guess, you could say today is the anniversary of McDonald's as we know it today.

...I had one close friend who was quite interested in the venture. He had a son-in-law named Ed MacLuckie who was looking for a job and who had expressed a liking for the food service business. Ed was working a wholesale hardware territory over in Michigan at the time and it was not going well. So I talked to him...I hired him as a manager of my first store. Art Bender, the McDonald brothers' manager, came to Des Plaines and helped Ed and me open that store on April 15, 1955. It was a hell of an ordeal, but the experience was to prove invaluable in opening other stores. (pgs. 70-71)

I must admit, I'm not a huge fan of any menu items offered by the local McDonald's here on Long Island. That's not to say I haven't experienced McDonald's. Like most, I have. Admittedly, I never gave much thought to the person behind the McDonald's enterprise which is probably an error on my part. Perhaps, since the food doesn't agree with me, I haven't been fair in the judgement of how Ray Kroc brought his dream to life. From the preface by Paul D. Paganucci, Darmouth College:

Every now and then a unique and vibrant personality like Ray A. Kroc comes along, a flesh and blood example of a Horatio Alger story, who illustrates in practice what one is preaching and who repudiates the laments entirely. Grinding It Out, Ray Kroc's autobiography and the history of McDonald's Corporation is a dramatic refutation of all who believe that risk takers will no longer be rewarded. It reminds us that opportunity abounds, that all one needs is the knack of seizing the chance that exist, of being in the right place at the right time. A Little bit of luckhelps, yes, but the key element, which too many in our affluent society have forgotten, is still hard work-grinding it out...Grinding It Out will be uniquely valuable to those who aspire to build their own enterprise, whether the potential founder is in his or her late teens, early fifties, or at any age in between.

By comparison, the characters found in many of the dime novels written by the American author Horatio Alger certainly illustrate the achievements possible with hard work, determination and courage. However, Alger's characters do not typically achieve extreme wealth; rather they attain middle class security, stability, and an almost solid reputation within society which isn't the case with Ray Kroc. Within the signatures of Ray Kroc's book, the tone of Horatio Alger's cultural and social ideals fester deep and yet they are hidden. The lives of the two men are unparalleled. Ray Kroc was born in Oak Park, just west of Chicago's city limits in 1902. His father left school when he was in the eighth grade but managed to capture a job as a Western Union employee when he was 12 years old. He had slowly worked his way up through the ranks of the company but instilled in his children the need for a complete and higher education. Ray Kroc admits, "I was the wrong kid for that." Alger's father was a stern Unitarian minister who wanted his son to follow him into the religious world. He was tutored at home by his father until the age of ten, when he was admitted to the Gates Academy in Marlborough, Massachusetts. A year after graduating from Gates, he was admitted to Harvard at age 16. For the next four years, he studied under Henry Wadsworth Longfellow with the intention of one day becoming a poet. After graduating, he devoted himself to teaching and writing, with uneven success. Kroc's success was "born" by experimentation while Alger's was steeped in observation. Ray Kroc in Grinding It Out:

They called me Danny Dreamer a lot, even later when I was in high school and would come home all excited about some scheme I'd though up. I never considered my dreams wasted energy; they were invariably linked to some form of action. When I dreamed about having a lemonade stand, for example, it wasn't long before I set up a lemonade stand. I worked hard at it, and I sold a lot of lemonade. I worked at a grocery store one summer when I was still in grammar school. I worked at my uncle's drug store. I worked in a tiny music store I'd started with two friends. I worked at something whenever possible. Work is the meat in the hamburger of life. (pg 15)

Alger's early life revolved around education and teaching. He eventually came to the conclusion that he liked neither for his purpose. Instead, in 1866, he moved to New York City, which proved to be a turning point in his career. He was immediately drawn into the world of impoverished young bootblacks, newspaper boys, and peddlers. He spent much time of his time with young men and often ate his meals and slept at the Newsboys' Lodging House. Alger's empathy with the young working men, coupled with the moral values he learned at home, formed the basis of his first novel Ragged Dick. The book was an immediate success, spurring a vast collection of sequels and similar novels. From the Preface Ragged Dick; or Street Life in New York with the Boot-Blacks:

Several characters in the story are sketched from life. The necessary information has been gathered mainly from personal observation and conversations with the boys themselves. The author is indebted also to the excellent Superintendent of the Newsboys' Lodging House, in Fulton Street, for some facts of which he has been able to make use. Some anachronisms may be noted. Wherever they occur, they have been admitted, as aiding in the development of the story, and will probably be considered as of little importance in an unpretending volume, which does not aspire to strict historical accuracy. source

The story of McDonald's didn't actually begin with Ray Kroc. Its historic "rebirth" may have been nurtured and sometimes demanded by him but, it was also the vast numbers of people who contributed their time, energy and ideas that propelled the McDonald's franchise. It was also Ray Kroc's firm belief in himself and his product, whatever that product was, milk shake machines or paper cups, that made his investment worthy in the making of McDonald's. And, a little bit of luck.

In the early 1930's in Southern California there developed a remarkable phenomenon in the food service business. It was the drive-in-restaurant, a product of the Great Depression's crimp on the free-wheeling lifestyle that had grown up around movie-happy Hollywood. Drive-ins sprouted in city parking lots and spread along highways and canyon drives...Aspiring starlets worked as carhops, glad of any opportunity that would help them pay rent and exhibit their charms at the same time...One of them had his girls zooming around his parking lot on roller skates...Into that strange scene came my future mentors in the hamburger business, the McDonald brothers, Maurice and Richard, a pair of transplanted New Englanders. Maurice had moved out to California in about 1926 and got a job handling props in one of the movie studios. Richard joined him after he was graduated in 1927.

The above is an excerpt from chapter 6 of the book. It details the shrewd innovative mind of Ray Kroc and the journey which begins his career as "Hamburger King." He quickly picks up on the possibilities of a drive-in hamburger restaurant. "Of course, the simplicity of the procedure allowed the McDonalds to concentrate on quality in every step, and that was the trick" he wrote. In 1954, he approached the brothers with the idea of opening a lot of similar restaurants for them. Surprisingly, the notion fell upon him not because of the profit hamburgers could produce but because he saw it as a way to sell more multimixers. Admittedly, Ray Kroc never thought to simply copy the McDonald's brothers plan, the idea never crossed his mind. Before long, they drew up an agreement. During the course of negotiations, Kroc learned the two brothers had licensed 10 other drive-ins. He had no interest in them but he wanted franchise rights to their operations everywhere else in the U.S. The buildings would have to be exactly as theirs including the newly drawn up plan for the golden arches. The name McDonald's would remain to his satisfaction. "I had a feeling that it would be one of those promotable names that would catch the public fancy" he wrote. He agreed with the contractual clauses that obligated him to follow their plans right down to the last detail including signs, menus and unit plans. "I should have been more cautious" he wrote.

This seemingly innocuous requirement created a massive problem for me. There's an old saying that a man who represents himself has a fool for a lawyer, and it certainly applied in this instance. I was just carried away by the thought of McDonald's drive-ins proliferating like rabbits with eight multimixers in each one...The meeting was extremely cordial. I trusted them from the onset. That trust later would turn to blinding suspicion. But I had no inkling of that eventuality.

The agreement gave him 1.9 percent of the gross sales from franchisees. He had tried to get 2 percent but the brothers would not agree. The brothers were to get .5 percent out of his 1.9 percent which seemed fair to him. The next dilemma which faced Kroc was where to build his first drive-in McDonald's restaurant. The site had to be chosen carefully. It had to be the perfect model where others would be in awe of the attraction so much so that they would want one of their very own. He wanted it close to his home and his job. Remember, at this time, Ray Kroc is employed by the Prince Castle Company the makers of the shake machines he plans on installing in all of his franchises. His plan was to oversee the building of his new site while still working for the company. With the help of his 50-50 partner Art Jacobs, he finally decided on a site in Des Plaines, Illinois. It was a seven minute drive from his home in Arlington Heights, Chicago and a short walk to the railroad station where he could commute back and forth to his job. As noted above, he immediately encountered problems with the McDonald's brothers and after two lawyers tried to negotiate with them, (they also quit working for Kroc saying he was crazy to work under such conditions especially since he was pouring all of his money, time and energy into this project which would inevitable would make the McDonald brothers quite wealthy) he forged ahead and never looked back. If they tried to interfere with the agreement, which they were not adhering to, he would have to hire another lawyer and deal with it then. "Let 'em try" he said. Okay, I should give you a clue as to what's happening with the brothers. It seems that the original plans that were to be followed by all the franchises were designed around desert like conditions. Kroc got in touch with the brothers to inform them that the plan for Illinois could not be the same as those created for the desert. Over the phone, the brothers told him to do whatever he needed to do. When he asked about the written letter, as per the agreement, they said it was not necessary and they couldn't be bothered. Ray Kroc was trying to uphold his part of the agreement so he went out to see them in person and still they were not cooperative. That's just the simple "just" of it.

We have now pretty much come full circle surrounding the opening of the first store on April 15, 1955. However, I have only introduced snippets from what could make fascinating reading especially for those interested in Ray Kroc's many encounters on his journey to success. There are so many people and modern food companies who were at their beginnings at the same time as him. The reading of this book is easy, pleasant and more than informative and yet, you don't feel like hamburgers are being shoved in your face. There are clever lessons to be learned but they are elusive and yet entertaining. Ray Kroc was a talented salesman who could have had as much as an influence on Willy Loman as Arthur Miller did in the most positive way.

An in depth book review of Grinding it Out, The Making of McDonald's can be found at the following website. Although, it doesn't appear the author is updating the information, it is quite informative for the business minded or for those who are in need of research material.

Resources

1. McDonald's Website (History)
2. McDonald's @ wikipedia
3. Where was the first McDonald's hamburger stand? @ Ask Yahoo
4. McDonald's the Historic site with photos
5. Ray Kroc Biography

Months of Edible Celebrations: Bananas Take A Bow

2008-04-10T16:21:00.001-04:00

Did you know that Bananas made their debut in the UK for the first time ever on April 10, in 1633. You can read all about it @ Months of Edible Celebrations: Bananas Take A Bow

Tweaking Twinkies

2008-04-06T07:38:00.007-04:00

Happy Birthday Twinkies

During a time in American history when sharing and "making do" were a way of life it's difficult for the present generation to fully understand the true impact of the "Great Depression." Yet, even during the depression many foods were invented or introduced. Take Twinkies for example. Twinkies were the brain child of James Dewar who baked up the idea on April 6, 1930. One can only imagine what it must have been like to live during a time when raisins were a nickel, double dip ice cream cones were a nickel and a two pack of Twinkies was 5 cents but few had a wooden nickel.
The inspiration for those spongy golden cream filled cakes fell upon James Dewar when he noticed that the pans used to make shortcakes at the Continental Bakeries (where he was plant manager) were only used during strawberry season. These were times of only the bare necessities when bread lines and soup kitchens distributed food for the masses. Dewar figured he needed to be more productive and put all items to good use. What could he do with those pans? The notion of a two-to-a pack snack for a nickel fell into place once he realized he could inject the little cakes with a cream filling and make them a year round product. The first "Little Shortcake Fingers" to roll off the Continental Bakeries assembly line contained a banana cream filling, but the banana cream filling was later replaced with vanilla cream because during WWII, there was a shortage of bananas in the US. Originally, James Dewar gave his new product the name "Little Shortcake Fingers," some say, they were later called "Twinkie Fingers" after Dewar saw a billboard advertisement toting "Home of Twinkle Toe Shoes" while on a trip to St. Louis. Later, James Dewar shortened the name to Twinkies. Presently, Hostess may be "producing" banana creme Twinkies. (I don't know for sure as I haven't had a Twinkie in ages:) Here's an excerpt from Slashfood.

Fans of limited-edition banana-creme Twinkies rejoice! Hostess resumed selling the lightly banana-flavored treats last week and plans to keep them around. slashfood

Howdy Twinkie

It's Howdy Doody time! Nearly all classic processed food offers some sort of comfort. Why? I don't suppose anyone really knows. In her book Top Sellers USA, Molly Wade McGrath has this to say about the decadent popularity of Twinkies.

The cakes were popular and became more so in the fifties when Hostess co-sponsored the popular Howdy Doody show. While Clarabell the clown distributed the cakes to the children, Buffalo Bob sang praise for the benefit of at home viewers. Twinkie the Kid the cowboy snack cake character, pitched Twinkies to the next generation of youngsters and still can be found handing out free samples at parades, fairs, sports events, and other festive functions.

With hundreds of thousands of children in the television viewing audience glued to their TV sets at 5:30 p.m. weekdays, each show opened with Buffalo Bob asking — "Hey, kids, what time is it?" The children in the studio audience "peanut gallery" responded in unison, "It’s Howdy Doody time!" Buffalo Bob Smith did commercials for Wonder Bread, Campbell Soup, Hostess Twinkies and other sponsors that were new to television; which taught marketers the strength of marketing to children. Twinkie the Kid the yellow, anthropomorphized Twinkie appearing as a wrangler who carries a lasso and wears boots, gloves, a kerchief, and a ten-gallon hat was introduced around 1971. He remains the mascot for Twinkies. Twinkie the Kid has appeared on product packaging, in commercials, and as collectible related merchandise. wikipedia

Super Twink!

Do you have a Twinkie in your lunch pail? The sales of those little short cake fingers still continue to soar. They have also squeezed their way into the history of pop culture for years to come. From Superman (who celebrated his 50th birthday with a Twinkie cake) to Archie Bunker who "never went out without a Twinkie in his lunch pail" Twinkies rule!

In the 1970s, comic strips featured Batman, Wonder Woman, and other super heroes using Hostess cakes and pies to fight villians...The popular treats were featured in several big hit films, including Ghostbusters, Grease, Sleepless in Seattle and Die Hard. Who can forget Sergeant Al Powell in Die Hard buying an armload of Twinkies, telling the store clerk they were for his pregnant wife? PDF source

Twinkie Recipes

There's much ado about the food properties of a Twinkie. To most Twinkie die-hard fans, the ingredients don't really matter. They just taste sooooo goood. Between 1949 and 1959, chemists came up with more than 400 additives to help foods survive increasingly complex mass production techniques. During the early 60's, the ingredients used to make Twinkies were changed. No longer was an actual dairy cream filling used. Instead, the filling became dairy free (longer shelf life I suppose). I have tried to gather a few recipes for those who would prefer to indulge in what may be a healthy alternative and I have also included the Hostess website for ideas for using Twinkies in recipes. As an added bonus, there's a wonderful tale of the history of Twinkies at the Cakespy blog titled Twinkie, Twinkie, Little Star: The Story of a Lunchbox Icon which is most interesting and also rewarding especially for anyone looking for a Vegan or homemade Twinkie choice. Enjoy!

Credits

Top Sellers USA by Molly Wade McGrath (1983) pgs. 155-156
Logo image for Twinkie the Kid, harvested from wikipedia property of the Hostess and Interstate Bakeries Corporations.
"T.W.I.N.K.I.E.S. is a series of experiments conducted during finals week, at Rice University. The tests were designed to determine the properties of that incredible food, the Twinkie". (kid safe:)

Resources
1. The Twinkie: Ingredients Revealed (Warning: you may not want to read this:)
2. 1930's Food @ The Food Timeline
3. Foodways in Rural America during the Great Depression
4. The Mysterious Cupcake

Charles M. Hall & Aluminum

2008-04-02T07:22:00.002-04:00

How Do You Spell Aluminum?

How do you spell aluminum? {A L U M I N U M} Me too. That isn't how they spell it in some other countries. The preferred spelling in Australia is {A L U M I N I U M} two I's. In the UK and other countries using British spelling, only aluminium is used. Well, it seems, Charles Martin Hall is considered the originator of the American spelling of aluminum. According to Oberlin College, he misspelled it on a handbill publicizing his aluminum refinement process. The process was so revolutionary, and brought the metal to such prominence, that Americans have spelled aluminum with one I ever since. So the next time you get corrected for spelling aluminum wrong, just refer to wiki. But wait, The Center for Study of Technology and Society begs to differ. Their website states, "The spelling debate dates back to long before Hall was born."

Unlike 12 year old Mattie Knight, who invented her bag machine for safety's sake, Charles Martin Hall (who began experimenting with minerals at the age of 12) was inspired by his chemistry professor, Frank Fanning Jewett, who said the person who discovered an economical way to produce aluminum would become rich. Charles Martin Hall: aluminum’s "boy wonder" did just that. On April 2, 1889, Charles Martin Hall patented an inexpensive method for the production of aluminum. US patent #400666 described as a "process of electro lyzing crude salts of aluminum. (notice the spelling on the patent)

Let's see, if Charles M. Hall was born on December 6, 1863, which he was, he was around 26 years old when he received his patent. Not bad I'd say. But, did he do it alone? Well, we already know he was encouraged by his chemistry professor who provided ideas and materials for him to use in his scientific experiments, which took place in a woodshed behind his family home. Hmmm...it seems his family was of some assistance also. Some credit for his great invention should also be given to his older sister Julia Brainerd Hall. I guess big sisters don't always get all the credit, there isn't much available on the internet about her except to say she also majored in chemistry at the same college as Charles and under the same professor. She did help her brother with his experiments by taking laboratory notes and giving business advice. We can't really forget about German chemist Friedrich Wöhler. If it weren't for his discovery of aluminum in the first place, Charles M. Hall may never have received international fame as a practical chemist for his discovery in relation to the manufacture of aluminum.

It's the commonest metal in Earth's crust, the third most plentiful chemical element on our planet (only oxygen and silicon exist in greater quantity), and the second most popular metal for making things (after iron/steel). We all see and use aluminum every day without even thinking about it. Disposable drinks cans are made from it and so is cooking foil. You can find this ghostly grey-white metal in some pretty amazing places, from jet engines in airplanes to the hulls of hi-tech warships. What makes aluminum such a brilliantly useful material? Explain That Stuff!

The basis of Hall's invention involves "passing an electric current through a bath of alumina dissolved in cryolite, which results in a puddle of aluminum forming in the bottom of the retort." After years of intensive work in which he had to fabricate most of his apparatus and prepare his chemicals, Hall found the solvent he needed: molten cryolite, the mineral sodium aluminum fluoride on February 23, 1886. He produced his first small bits of aluminum using the cryolite, aluminum oxide and homemade batteries. A few months later on July 9, 1886, Charles M. Hall filed for his first patent. Ironically, the process was also discovered at nearly the same time in France by Paul Héroult The production of aluminum by electrochemistry has come to be known now as the Hall-Héroult process. The Hall-Héroult process is used all over the world and is the only method of aluminium smelting currently used in the industry. In 1997 the Hall-Héroult process was designated an ACS National Historical Chemical Landmark in recognition of the importance of the commercialization of aluminum four years after The Joseph Priestley House, in Pennsylvania home of Joseph Priestley, discoverer of oxygen.

Because of his youth, Charles had difficulty getting money to pursue his project. He needed a plant to produce aluminum on a commercial scale. Never deterred, He left Ohio and went to Pittsburgh where he was introduced to noted metallurgist and industrialist Alfred Ephraim Hunt. The electrolytic process, invented by Charles Martin Hall, immediately aroused the interest of Captain Hunt. Together, they formed the Reduction Company of Pittsburgh and in 1888, they began the production of pure aluminum on a commercial scale. At the outset one small mill was started, with a total output of only 100 pounds a day. This was then sold at about $2.00 a pound. The Hall-Héroult process eventually resulted in reducing the price of aluminum by a factor of 200, making it affordable for many practical uses. By 1900, annual production reached about 8 thousand tons. In 1907, the company became the Aluminum Corporation of America (Alcoa). By 1911, the three plants Mr. Hall managed had an annual production of about 40,000,000 pounds. He was also awarded the Perkin Metal for his accomplishments and since he was a major stockholder in the company he became a very wealthy man. Today, more aluminum is produced than all other non-ferrous metals combined.

Great News! Aluminum is highly recyclable. Recycled aluminum foil uses 95% less energy to produce than foil made from virgin aluminum. You can find uses for recycled aluminum foil at Green Options. If you have any innovative ideas for using recycled aluminum foil, I'm sure we would all love to hear them. Just leave a comment. Here are a few to get you started.

Europeans have been recycling aluminum foil for years. You can rinse clean aluminum foil of any food and place it in the same recycling container as you do for recycling aluminum cans.
Cut clean aluminum into tiny pieces (using a paper cutter), and use for whenever you need glitter.
Visit the Alcoa Recycling Company website for some more ideas and fun facts.

Resources

1. The Center for Study of Technology and Society

2. Charles Martin Hall

3. Brief Origin of the Element Names Aluminum

4. Oberlin College Archives

5. Mattie Knight

Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford

2008-03-26T15:27:00.005-04:00

I don't mind saying, I was a bit confused when I was first introduced to Count von Rumford in a book titled The Delectable Past by Esther Bradford Aresty. At first, I assumed Count Rumford was associated with the Rumford Chemical Works Company the maker of Rumford Baking Powder. After all, Benjamin Thompson (ie: Count von Rumford) was an active inventor. He developed improvements for chimneys, fireplaces and he invented the double boiler. He also made numerous practical inventions such as the kitchen range, a dripolater coffeepot and, thermal underwear. The Rumford fireplace was also invented by Count Rumford. So what's all the confusion about? Well, it seems that the name Rumford is distantly "related" to both. Rumford Baking Powder, which was patented in 1859, was invented by a former Rumford professor at Harvard University by the name of Eben Norton Horsford. Eben Norton Horsford was co-founder of the Rumford Chemical Works of East Providence Rhode Island. It was in Count Rumford's honor that Horsford named the baking powder after him.

Count Rumford courtesy of wikipedia

Benjamin Thompson was born on March 26, 1753 in Woburn Massachusetts. There is much detail about the man and his inventions at Dartmouth College. Here is an excerpt from the article.

Benjamin Thompson was born a farmer's son on 26 March 1753 in North Woburn, Massachusetts; his father died before the boy was two years old. During his boyhood years, Thompson had limited schooling. Largely self-taught, as he grew older he sought information from friends and acquaintances. His inquisitive mind led him to pose scientific questions at an early age. But at thirteen, he apprenticed as a clerk to an importer and later worked for a dry-goods merchant. Then he became an apprentice to Doctor John Hay of Woburn, to learn the science and art of medicine.

Have you ever experienced Baked Alaska? Well, it seems Count Rumford also has his name encased in this sponge cake based, meringue topped insulated ice cream dish. Before we get into the discovery of Baked Alaska, I would like to try and clarify how Benjamin Thompson also became known as Count von Rumford. According to Esther B. Aresty, Thompson installed a kitchen range in a Bavarian nobleman's kitchen in 1789. A thankful reward was given as the title of Count.

Thompson was largely responsible for lifting cooking out of the fireplace and transferring it to ranges built-in ovens. In 1789 he installed the forerunner of the modern kitchen range in a Bavarian nobleman's kitchen. A grateful Bavaria rewarded him with the title of Count Rumford for the scientific researches he conducted in that country.

Much like Benjamin Thompson, Baked Alaska is also legendary. Not only does it have a few other names, (omelette surprise, omelette á la norvégienne, Norwegian omelette, and glace au four) it also has a few people who claim to have invented it. Most agree it was invented by Benjamin Thompson in 1804 as a result of his interest in the insulating qualities of egg whites. He named his dish omelette surprise. Others believe it was "reinvented" by Charles Ranhofer as a tribute to Secretary of State William Henry Seward, Sr. who negotiated the purchase of Alaska from Russia on March 30, 1867. The famous Delmonico's chef called his creation Alaska Florida Cake. An earlier theory stems from a column written on June 6, 1866 in a French publication. The author of the article Baron Brisse suggests the dessert was brought to France by the master cook of a Chinese mission in Paris who disclosed his technique to the French chef Balzac of the Grand Hotel. (source) By 1895, Baked Alaska had become a privileged dessert popularized by chefs such as Jean Giroix at the Hotel de Paris in Monte Carlo. In 1896, Baked Alaska found its place in the archives of America's top 100 dishes when it was published in the "Bride's Bible" The Boston Cooking School Cookbook by Fannie Farmer.

The following recipe for Baked Alaska comes from The Settlement Cookbook: The Way to a Man's Heart by Mrs. Simon Kander. Enjoy!

Baked Alaska
Whites 6 eggs, 6 tablespoons powdered sugar, 3/4 teaspoon vanilla, 2 quarts of ice cream, Thin sheet sponge cake. Make two quarts of ice cream after any receipt and when frozen remove the beater and pack it well in the freezer can. Let it stand till hard. Just before serving make a meringue by beating the whites of six eggs till stiff, then beating in, gradually, six rounding tablespoonfuls of sifted powdered sugar. Put a thin, round sheet of sponge cake on a plate suitable for serving, and turn out the mould of cream on the cake. Pile the meringue thickly round the edge and top of the cream, but do not smooth it. Place the dish on a wooden box cover and brown the meringue quickly in a hot oven. Serve at once. The plate should be larger than the cake, and the cake larger than the bottom of the can. The cream will not melt, for the wood and the meringue serve as non-conductors of the heat. This is recommended chiefly for its novelty.

Resources

1. Benjamin Thompson @ wiki

2. What is a Rumford Fireplace, Anyway?

3. Esther Bradford Aresty @ Months of Edible Celebrations

4. Fannie Farmer @ Months of Edible Celebrations

George Mortimer Pullman

2008-03-03T16:03:00.004-05:00

Today is the birth anniversary of George Mortimer Pullman. George Mortimer Pullman was an American inventor and industrialist. He is responsible for developing the railroad passenger sleeping car business. The Pullman sleeping car revolutionized the sleeping arrangements for overnight travel on trains. Before Pullman's invention, passengers had to sleep in their seats which were pulled together for long trips. Below are some resources to explore about George M. Pullman...

George Mortimer Pullman, inventor of the Pullman sleeping car, was born on March 3, 1831 in Brocton, New York. He dropped out of school at age 14, but he had a natural knack for business. He began working with a merchant and then took on an apprenticeship in cabinet-making at age 17. source

The railroad sleeping car was developed during the industrial revolution. Within a few years, its success created huge increases in the transportation industry. This national need for labor provided free African-Americans with new employment opportunities in a new industry. The passenger railroad industry provided national travel for people even before the invention of the automobile and construction of the national highway system, and the advent of commercial air flight. The Pullman Palace Car Company built, owned, and operated the majority of the passenger trains during this era. These luxurious trains were known as "hotels on wheels" because passengers could amuse themselves with social activities and conversation in the lounge cars, eat meals in the dining cars, and rest comfortably overnight in the sleeping cars. Train travel was truly revolutionary because it allowed the common person a higher level of personal freedom and traveling comfort than ever before in history. source

The San Francisco Railroad History website has information about Pullman's invention and also includes a vintage brochure which details the assets of modern travel by Pullman. Unfortunately, the Pullman Porter Museum doesn't mention anything about a chef on Pullman's train who invented the first biscuit mix. Nor, does it mention A. P. Ashbourne an African American who invented the biscuit cutter. In my travels, I did locate a bit of information about Rufus Estes, a Pullman chef who wrote a book in 1911 titled Good Things To Eat. Here is an excerpt from his book which is available at the Gutenberg Project.

In 1883 I entered the Pullman service, my first superintendent being J. P. Mehen. I remained in their service until 1897. During the time I was in their service some of the most prominent people in the world traveled in the car assigned to me, as I was selected to handle all special parties. Among the distinguished people who traveled in my care were Stanley, the African explorer; President Cleveland; President Harrison; Adelina Patti, the noted singer of the world at that time; Booth and Barrett; Modjeski and Paderewski. I also had charge of the car for Princess Eulalie of Spain, when she was the guest of Chicago during the World's Fair.

There are quite a few resources available on the internet in search of George M. Pullman. Here is one from The Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum which has a newspaper which highlights an excursion taken across the continent on a Pullman car dated June 18, 1869. Very Cool!

In 1868, Pullman introduced a dining car, equipped with a kitchen. This was the first passenger car designed exclusively for cooking and serving meals. The passengers took this new innovation immediately. For them it was more comfortable and convenient. Before dining on the trains was made available, passengers had to wait for the train to stop at a designated station and literally run off the train as they usually only had about 20 minutes to eat. Most stations they stopped at were not equipped for such an influx of traffic and those who got to the preset tables first usually got the better food. Dinner served in a dining car was very exclusive. The "hotel car" was equipped with a kitchen for preparing meals, with tables for serving meals and with berths for sleeping, so that passengers could actually live in the car like they could in a home or a hotel. source

Pullman's designs for sleeping cars and dining cars, set the standard for comfortable railroad travel and many other future innovations in railroad delivery.

Catch-Up Day! Inventions

2008-02-22T14:52:00.006-05:00

Catch-Up Day! In order to get organized between my blog @ Months of Edible Celebrations and this recently started blog Tasteful Inventions, I thought it would be best to glean a few of the previous entrees from the past few months @ Months of Edible Celebrations.

The first machine for the manufacturing of toothpicks, was patented on February 20, 1872, by Silas Noble and J.P. Cooley, of Granville, Massachusetts. read on...

Peter Cooper was born in New York City, on February 12, 1791. If not for Peter Cooper's "patent (US Patent 4084) for powdered gelatin derived from the bones of geese," colored gelatin may have slipped into oblivion. Peter Cooper & Jell-O read on...

The origins of Marshmallow Fluff actually go back to 1917. When's the last time you thought about a Fluffernutter? Want some Fluffernutter recipes too? read on...

Who invented Irish Coffee? Is there any truth to the legend? read on...

January 19th was the anniversary of the birth of Thomas Moore. What does Thomas Moore have to do with the history of refrigeration? read on...

We celebrated Benjamin Franklin on the day of his birth @ Months of Edible Celebrations. What were some of Ben Franklin's favorite foods. Did Benjamin Franklin invent the Franklin Stove? read on...

Legend has it that Marvin Stone invented the first paper drinking straw while sipping a mint julep after work. Is there any truth to the legend? read on...

On January 1, 1823, John Wheeley Lea & William Henry Perrins two chemists from Worcestershire, England decided to go into partnership. What fishpickle did they invent? read on...

Dr. Thomas Bramwell Welch who developed the first 'Concord' grape juice in 1869 was born on December 31, 1825 in England. Read about The Wonderful World of Welch's read on...

James Mason patented the first American coffee percolator on December 26, 1865. read on...

Thanks for playing "catch-up"....We haven't delved into the origins of Ketchup: a Condiment Evolved From Fish-Based Sauce @ Months of Edible Celebrations so I hope you will come back and share what you find...

The Brown Bag

2008-02-14T12:00:00.006-05:00

I'm delighted to be posting my first commentary at Tasteful Inventions in honor of Margaret E. Knight. Margaret Ethridge Knight, who held 27 United States Patents and who is often referred to as "Lady Edison" was born on Valentine's Day in 1838. There's a shred of irony to this. Margaret E. Knight invented a machine attachment that, doing the work of 30 people, could cut, fold, and glue flat-bottom paper bags. Margaret Knight's bag machine was patented on July 11, 1871, as patent #116,842. I'm sure you're familiar with those brown paper grocery bags we use to get at the grocery stores before plastic. More importantly, those paper shopping bags which we all can buy at our favorite party supply store or local stationary store. Whoops! no wrapping paper available for that special Valentine's Day gift? I bet you have a stash of beautifully decorated heart bags you can quickly stuff a present in, attach a little note tag to and Wah La! you're set. Hey, don't forget to mentally thank Margaret Knight.

I first became acquainted with the "Mother of the Grocery Bag" a few years ago when I was researching the format for Months of Edible Celebrations. It was then I happened upon a teacher's classroom website of inventors and inventions that I became intrigued. It had never occurred to me to include inventions that were designed, patented and credited to children. I should have know better, after all, the Makin Bacon Dish was invented by eight year old Abbey (Abigail) M. Fleck. Why couldn't 12 year old Mattie (as her brothers called her) Knight have an invention to her credit. But wait, Mattie Knight has more than 90 inventions and at least 27 patents to her credit. This is no small bag of potatoes. Her first invention was not the machine attachment. Her first invention was a safety device for controlling shuttles in powered textile looms. As the story goes, Mattie's father died when she was just ten years old, and her older brothers Charlie and Jim were forced to seek work at Amoskeag Mills, a cotton factory in Manchester, New Hampshire. She would go every day to take them their lunch. By the time she was twelve, she also began working long thirteen hour days. One day, there was an accident at the textile mill. One of the fabric weaving looms stopped working properly, and Mattie witnessed a boy getting stabbed by a sharp steel-tipped shuttle that broke off a loom. He later died. Mattie was very upset and vowed to herself to invent a safety device which would prevent this deadly accident from ever happening again. Over the years, many men had tried to make the looms safer, but no one could make an idea work. Mattie was not deterred by the fact that she was young or, for that matter, that she was a girl. She never cared for things that other young girls cared for. Dolls had never charmed her. People called her a Tomboy anyway. She built sleds and kites for her brothers and enjoyed it. Determined, Margaret Knight spent days drawing sketches and building models. She finally invented a simple stop-motion safety device that held the shuttle in place and shut down the machine when it malfunctioned. That device soon became a standard part on all cotton looms and transformed the textile business forever.

Mattie never received a penny for her first invention. It didn't bother the little girl though. She was happy that she had invented something that would save lives. She didn't expect any notoriety however, such was not the case with her patent of the machine attachment she invented while working at the Columbia Paper Bag Company in Sprinfield, Massachusetts. Following the Civil War, (1868) Mattie had successfully designed her machine attachment and built a wooden model of the device. She then hired machinist Charles F. Annan, who was in the machine shop where Mattie's wooden model was being built, to build an iron version of her invention which she needed to submit with her patent application. The machinist attempted to patent a similar machine, claiming that a woman couldn't have the sense to understand such mechanical complexities. Fortunately, after filing a successful patent interference lawsuit and due to Mattie's testimony, careful diary entries, samples, and knowledge, Mattie defended her work against the man and the court ruled in her favor. Finally being acknowledged by her peers for her ingenuity, Margaret Knight went on to achieve great success. She invented or improved various heavy, industrial machinery, devices relating to rotary engines as well as a numbering machine, a window frame and sash, and a shoe manufacturing and cutting machine. She received patents for a dress and skirt shield, a clasp for robes, and a barbecue spit, several domestic machines, and a compound rotary engine (Dec. 30, 1902) for which she continued to patent improvements. She assigned her engine improvements to Knight-Davidson Motor Company, in New York. She was also Co-Founder of the Eastern Paper Bag Company in Hartford, Connecticut and from there received her royalties.

Paper bag machines today are producing 200 to 650 sacks per minute. End uses of S.O.S. bags include grocery and department stores, fast food restaurants, and bakeries. S.O.S. bags are also found in lunch rooms; on store shelves for consumer products, coffee, pet food, and charcoal; and at home for composting and yard waste.

I decided to include "Love" recipe from a cookbook in my personal cookbook collection titled The Brown Bag Cookbook by John Gould. Published in 1974, The Brown Bag Cookbook contains suggestions and recipes not only for sandwiches but for soups, meat pies, stews, desserts and drinks . It also focuses on the different types of "brown-baggers" including dieters, kids, and picnickers. Sound familiar? From the introduction:

It requires little acumen to state unhesitatingly that America in the skyrocketing seventies is becoming increasingly more expensive to live in. The cost of living charts soar to new heights each month. The economy has become a voracious beast, and many urbanites going out to eat are finding that they themselves are the ones being eaten. At present, for example, a New York luncheon with one drink can easily run $8.00; and large numbers of people have come to the conclusion that, when lunch becomes a $40.00 a week habit, it's time for rehabilitation. The natural result of this situation has been the emergence of the brown-bagger.

Love Soup
An esoteric etymology here: "love" which in tennis means "zero," comes from the French l'oeuf, meaning "the egg." Thus, egg soup.
3 tbs, butter 1/4 cup diced carrot 1/4 cup diced turnip 2 tbs. chopped onion 2 tbs. chopped celery	1/2 tsp. salt 1 cup water 1 chicken bouillon cube 1 egg thyme, pepper
In a covered saucepan, melt the butter and cook the carrot, the turnip, the onion and the celery 15 minutes until tender. Add the salt, the water, and the bouillon cube, and bring to a rolling boil. Break the egg into the soup. It will spread apart immediately, forming bits of cooked egg. Season with thyme and pepper. Makes 1 large serving.
My Note: For a "flashback" into the days of brown bagging it and a delicious looking modern version (including the recipe) of those chocolate, creamy Devil Dogs we once carried in our lunch bags, take a quick trip over to Devil Dog Cake & Brown Bag Legends @ Culinary Types.

Margaret Knight never married. She passed away on October 12, 1914 at the age of 76. The home she rented, The Curry House, at 287 Hollis Street, Framingham, Massachusetts, still stands today. Her workshop at 110 High Street in Boston has become a landmark. Mattie's paper bag machine is now owned by the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D. C., and her formal portrait hangs in the U. S. patent office in Washington, D.C. It is often said that Margaret Knight was the first woman awarded a United States patent however, she was not actually the first: the first female patent-holder was Mary Kies, who patented a weaving process in 1809. There is no doubt in my mind that Margaret Knight rightfully earned the nickname "Lady Edison." I'm already planning to buy my 5 year old grand-daughter a copy of the book Marvelous Mattie: How Margaret E. Knight Became an Inventor by Emily Arnold McCully. I am also looking into the book Margaret Knight, Girl Inventor by Marlene Targ Brill.

Resources

1. Mattie @ Kids Hall of Fame
2. Abigail M. Fleck (Inventor of the Week)
3. Margaret E. Knight @ Paper Industry Hall of Fame
4. The First Mill in America (informative website; the paper museum @ Georgia Tech)
5. Earth Day Groceries Project

Inventor's Day

2008-02-11T01:06:00.006-05:00

Begin your journey on Inventor's Day by exploring this list of what I like to call Tasteful Inventions.

Tasteful Inventions Page I
John Gorrie Refrigeration Pioneer Jim Howe Tums Turner Williams Dover Egg Beater Andrew Chase Refrigerated Railroad Car J. Fish Smith Pixy Stix/Sweet Tarts Thor Bjørklund Cheese Slicer William Russel Frisbie Homemade Pie Pan Louis Auster Brooklyn Egg Cream Charles Leiper Grigg 7Up Robert .S. Lazenby Dr. Pepper Omar Knedlik Slurpee/Icee James Schlatter Aspartame/NutraSweet Ira Remsen Saccharin Lawrence Luellen Dixie Cups Cyrus McCormick Mechanical Reaper Clarence Birdseye Retail Frozen Foods Joseph Priestley oxygen Walter Scott Diners Ray Kroc Restaurant Chains Leo Hendrik Baekelan Plastic	Dorcas Reilly Green Bean Casserole Charles Cretors popcorn machine Ottmar Heinsius von Mayenburg Toothpaste James A. Dewar Twinkies Mildred Day "crispy squares" George Jung Fortune Cookie Henri Nestle Baby Formula Pierre Lorillard Tuxedo Dom Pérignon Champagne Robert M. Green Ice Cream Soda Antoine Perpigna Soda Siphon Valve Pete Conklin Pink Lemonade Richard Blechynden Iced Tea Dr. Robert Cade Gatorade Robert Bunsen Bunsen Burner Benjamin Thompson Baked Alaska Eben Norton Horsford Baking Powder Lloyd Hall Food Preservatives Margaret Knight Paper Bag Machine Charles Goodnight Chuck Wagon

Inventors' Day

2008-02-09T14:25:00.006-05:00

If you happen to "land" at this blog, please note, I'm preparing for Inventor's Day 2008 and will continue to post assorted food inventions I find tasteful and inspiring. Below is a list of inventions and inventors who have contributed not only to the world we dine at, but also to society as a whole. After you're done here, please visit my other blog; Months of Edible Celebrations, a lyrical approach to things we eat...

Tasteful Inventions Page II
Gabriel Fahrenheit Thermometer Luther Haws Water Fountain Thomas Jefferson Consumer Devices Jean Etienne Bore Granulated Sugar Benjamin Franklin Franklin Stove Count Rumford Rumford Fireplace Percy L. Spencer Microwave Oven Leo Hendrik Baekeland Bakelite Roy Plunkett Teflon Marc Gregoire Tefal Calvin MacCracken Hot Dog Roller Ermal Cleon Fraze Pop Top Can Ezra J. Warner Can Opener William Lyman Modern Can Opener John White Lemon Squeezer Moses Coates Apple Parer Sybilla Masters Corn Mill Allene Rosalind Jeanes Xanthan Gum French Chef Mayonnaise Otto Frederick Rohwedder Bread Slicer	Crompton & Co. Electric Toaster Willis Johnson Egg Beater Rufus Eastman Electric Mixer Peter Durand Tin Can William Painter Crown Cap Opener William Lyman Modern Can Opener Henry W. Bradley Margarine Charles Strite Bread Toaster Carl G. Sontheimer Cuisinart Food Processor Ivar Jepson Meatball Maker, Mixmaster Nathaniel Wyeth Plastic Soda Bottle Sir James Dewar Dewar Flask US Army The Spork Everett H. Bickley Bean Sorter Louis Pasteur Pasteurization Nicolas Appert- Food Preservation Henry Perky & William Ford Shredded Wheat Machine Sylvester Graham Graham Flour & Graham Cracker Dr. Bircher-Benner Muesli Cereal Paul Wenner Gardenburger	Ephraim Wales Bull Concord Grape Josephine Cochran Dish-Washing Machine Stanley Mason Ordinary, Everyday Products Beulah Louise Henry Vacuum Ice Cream Freezer Ernest A. Hamwi Ice Cream Cone Clarence Birdseye Frozen Foods Mary Engle Pennington Home Refrigeration Pioneer Gary Thomas TV Dinner Rose Totino Frozen Pizza Crust Jeno F. Paulucci Jeno's Frozen Pizza William A. Mitchell Cool Whip Mickey Rooney "Weenie Whirl" Peter Franklin Cool Dog George Crum Potato Chip Amedeo Obici Planter's Peanuts Marshmallow Fluff Archibald Query Elmer Doolin Corn Chips Charles Roser Fig Newton Abigail M. Fleck Makin' Bacon Orla E. Watson Telescoping Shopping Cart