Baking Tips from the 1950's: "bakes like mother makes"

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From an old pull out that I found going through some paperwork.

Making and Baking Tips
For scone mixtures use sour milk, whenever possible. This makes scones lighter.
Use a knife, not a spoon, to mix scone ingredients. Mix and shape scones as quickly and lightly as possible.
For all recipes measure raising ingredients accurately. A teaspoon means as much above the bowl as in it, a level teaspoon means flat on top.
Prepare baking sheets and cake tins by greasing well with hot fat before starting to mix the ingredients.
Do not open oven door until the cake has had time to set.
To make sure a cake cooked run a warmed skewer or knitting needle through the centre. If it comes out clean the cake is done.
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Do you have any other old baking tips or general comments?

For one, I know that the teaspoon concept has probably gone in that most of is now have dedicated measuring spoons and if a recipe says 1tsp of baking powder, then I would assume that it was a level measuring spoon full and I have to confess I have never heard of either warming a skewer before inserting into a cake or for that matter using a knitting needle!:eek:
 
I know that a lot of fruit pies call for you to use cornstarch to soak up the berry juice while your pie is baking, but I like to use the old fashioned sprinkling the bottom of the crust with flour method. I remember after my first fruit pie oozed all over the oven, my grandma laughed and told me to give the crust a nice coating of flour. It makes a nice gooey bottom that I absolutely love.
 
Never knew that about scones and sour milk - that is interesting and something I'll have to consider the next time I make a batch of scones!
I often use a skewer to check cakes in the middle - my grandma used to always do that too...but I'd never heard about them needing to be warmed either. I wonder what difference it makes!

My grandma always used to tell me to sift sift sift if it was a light cake, because obviously the more you sift the more light and aerated the flour and dry ingredients would be. She would also always add a pinch of salt to a dry bowl before she would mix anything - something about having the salt in the bottom would always ensure there was no extra moisture in the bowl. That was her little quirk!
 
cupcakechef said:
I often use a skewer to check cakes in the middle - my grandma used to always do that too...but I'd never heard about them needing to be warmed either. I wonder what difference it makes!
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I think they were probably meaning that if you didn't have a skewer then you could use a (metal) knitting needle. Most homes would have had the latter in those days but not all, the former.
 
cupcakechef said:
My grandma always used to tell me to sift sift sift if it was a light cake, because obviously the more you sift the more light and aerated the flour and dry ingredients would be
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I've always been slightly puzzled by the notion of sifting to get air in the flour and also using a light touch and holding fingers up high when rubbing in fat for pastry (as I was taught to do at school and admonished for having a 'heavy' hand!). After all, you then mix water or other liquid with the flour and it turns into a solid mass or (in the case of pastry), a batter. I can see that beating the batter, up to a point, introduces air - but not sifting. I've made cakes without sifting and can't honestly say I notice a difference. But then, cakes are not my forte. Regarding pastry, I never sift the flour and I rub in fat as quickly as I can, then handle as little as possible. Then chill before rolling. That gets good results, for me.
 
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Won't using sour milk make you sick? Or do you mean buttermilk? I know for sure that will make everything lighter.

Also why do you grease before everything is ready? Is there a reason or is it just to make things easier? I have a bad habit of doing that last.

morning glory said:
I think they were probably meaning that if you didn't have a skewer then you could use a (metal) knitting needle. Most homes would have had the latter in those days but not all, the former.
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A skewer works better because the knitting needle is smoother....the wood will soak up any liquid stuff or at least catch it, where as the needle will only catch battery stuff most likely. I use a skewer because it's clear to see if there's something runny. It changes colour and has a coating. It's really helpful.
 
Right, here we go. I have scanned the piece of paper...

20150413_00005_1.jpg
 
I check the center of the cake with a knife, I didn't know about warming it up before inserting it. I have never made scones but that is a good way to use up old milk, I usually but my old milk in muffins or cornbread. An old cooking tip when making cakes was to tap the cake pan on the flour once the batter was in the pan just before it was put into the oven to remove air from the mixture.
 
I think it is meant to remove the larger air pockets that may have formed if you have spooned the mixture over. Some mixtures can be quite dense, and a cake would be ruined if there was a large air pocket. I guess the raising agents (eggs and baking powder) actually create the sponge effect when the mixture if cooked.
 
Oh wow! I didn't know that!

I guess that explains why you're supposed to let pancake batter "rest"...I knew it was to get the air bubbles out but I like them in there, in my experience letting it rest hasn't made it any different, except it becomes a bit thicker and that means more batter per pancake....and that makes it heavier sometimes. But it makes sense that they shouldn't have huge bubbles, I can sure see how that would cause a cake to collapse in or rip open now that you mention it!
 
Alunny said:
Oh wow! I didn't know that!

I guess that explains why you're supposed to let pancake batter "rest"...I knew it was to get the air bubbles out but I like them in there, in my experience letting it rest hasn't made it any different, except it becomes a bit thicker and that means more batter per pancake....and that makes it heavier sometimes. But it makes sense that they shouldn't have huge bubbles, I can sure see how that would cause a cake to collapse in or rip open now that you mention it!
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Looking it up to confirm what I was about to type I came to the conclusion I can't phrase it any better so here is the article.
http://www.thekitchn.com/food-science-why-some-batters-76098

During the resting period, starch molecules in the flour are absorbing the liquid in the batter. This causes them to swell and gives the batter a thicker, more viscous consistency. Any gluten formed during the mixing of the batter is also getting time to relax, and air bubbles are slowly working their way out.

This resting step ensures a thin and uniform structure to the finished baked good, as with the hollow shells of popovers or the paper-thin quality of crêpes. And because the gluten had time to relax, the texture is incredibly delicate instead of chewy.
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