The use of "seasoned salt" is one that still bugs me. I don't keep Lawry's (US brand) on hand anymore but I do have a seasoning with garlic, salt, pepper, parsley that I often have, plus I have celery salt always. So what other "seasonings" does a certain recipe want in the measurement for "seasoning salt"?

I can help you with the "mixed spice" which is often used in baking in Great Britain:
Mixed spice, also called pudding spice, is a British blend of sweet spices, similar to garam masala. It is often used to complement fruits or other sweet foods.

The term "mixed spice" has been used for this blend of spices in cookbooks at least as far back as 1828 and probably much earlier.

Do not confuse mixed spice with allspice. Mixed spice can contain cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, mace, cloves, ginger, and other spices. You can use it to flavor gingerbread, pumpkin pie, puddings, molasses cakes and cookies. I use it when the recipe calls for more than a couple of the spices individually.

Many of us here will be glad to weigh items for you if you just post the request. For the most part, items like a block of chocolate and cake mixes have remained pretty much the same over the years. There would be a major uprising by the American cooks if the manufacturers made big changes I would think.

Teresa

On the other hand, part of the attraction for me of cookbooks from other countries, or earlier times in my own country, is the glimpse they provide into other times and places. This includes different weights and measures and different cultural assumptions. I do pretty well with 18th and 19th century American cookbooks, passably well with modern British cookbooks, and I enjoy struggling my way through my Italian edition of Il Talismano della Felicità.

I don't see it so much as "Short Hand", but rather how recipes reflect the way ingredients were commonly purchased, used, and expressed in recipes at that time, in that place. Each generation contribute new "language" to recipes. Each generation also forgets "language" from the previous generations.

As a matter of fact, many of the old "favorites" associated with namebrand foods - recipes from the backs of boxes, bottles, cans and jars - have been dumbed-down because the new generation can't figure out complicated measurements (like 2/3-cup) and mixing processes (cream the fat and sugar), thanks to no child being left behind, or perhaps no family left in the kitchen after the advent of the mini-van and the microwave oven (please forgive me my little rant).

Manufacturers contribute products that come and go; not to mention the differences in sizes of products from what they once were.

Today, I marvel at people who don't have a scale to weigh ingredients and still struggle to convert measurements rather than simply use a scale, so that's my twist on "change".

It's up to us to fill-in-the-blanks by gaining the knowledge needed and understanding how things used to be. I keep a notebook I call my "Book of Odd Knowledge" that has interesting cooking/baking information in it.

Such as:

-"Yeast" - pre-WWII was fresh yeast and the cubes came in several different sizes, so you have to look at the amount of flour in the recipe to judge how much dry yeast you'll need to use, because recipes rarely denote what size the cube of yeast was. I have fresh yeast to dried yeast conversion charts in my book. These days "yeast" can mean a variety of things, and most people don't always understand the differences and uses of "yeast" today, let alone 60 years ago.

-Powdered Sugar (aka confectioners' sugar, icing sugar): 10X, 6X, and 4X indicates the size of the mesh used to sift it. 10X is smallest and sifted finer. Occasionally you see 10X confectioners' sugar called for in recipes.

Community cookbooks are some of the most "interesting" for oddities. Women's Church Group, Social Clubs, Ethnic Groups, etc. - ALL present their own special spin on cooking, recipes, and local ingredients used.

Speaking from a U.S.A. perspective...
* Cake mixes, although they have changed over the years (remember the brands that added pudding), they have nearly always yielded the same pan size (with the exception of Jiffy cake mixes which made a small 8- or 9-inch cake) and fall into one of three categories. The same categories as homemade cakes.

* "White Cake" is the name of a standard shortened cake (aka butter or conventional cakes). Examples of shortened cakes include the standard plain white, yellow, chocolate and spice - technically, fruit cakes are also in this category.

* An Angel [Food] Cake is an UNshortened cake (aka sponge or foam cakes) is completely different type of cake from white cake. I don't think the names were ever used one for the other.

Knowing the different types of cakes (cakes 101) is helpful, just as knowing the different methods of breadmaking is also helpful when reading older recipes (straight-dough, sponge, or sourdough). Most people are recipe oriented without a lot of the basics of the principles and preparation.

If you have questions about a specific brand, you can always call/e-mail the company (if still in existence) and ask them about the particular product.

Bisquick - aka baking mix (flour, fat, salt, leavening), is a base mixture of ingredients, and has remained much the same for all the years of production as the first "convenience" food - exceptions - they introduced low-fat and wholegrain versions.

You may find these web sites helpful...

Food Substitutions:
The Cook's Thesaurus - www.foodsubs.com
You'll find a substitute for savory there and this site is a good resource for information about all kinds of food.

Heirloom Weights & Measurements:
http://homecooking.about.com/library/weekly//bloldconvert.htm

-Grainlady

I think that pretty much what it comes down to is most cooking is not an exact science. One of my grandmother's "cup" was a certain chipped tea cup that lived in the flour bin.
Recipes that use seasoning salt or spice mix are inexact to say the least and there is lots of room for your own creativity.
What gets to me in some old cook books are things like 10 cents worth of chocolate or a nickle jar of cherries.
Linda C

Hi netla,

Another reason that the cookbook directions can be so frustrating is that they were most likely written for a specific country's market (such as the U.S.) where descriptions are standardized. When the cookbooks get to another country, confusions arise.

Kathleen