Tools of the Trade

[Red Cat Jenny]

I thought amongst all these wonderful recipies, that there should be some section for discussion and hopefully display of cooking, eating and storage implements.

So have at it :)

[Red Cat Jenny]

To begin I have recently read the following: Can anyone verify?

Early 18th century

The four-tined fork has become the rule in Germany. In England, though, forks still have two tines and are not so helpful for scooping up bites of food. Knives there had begun to be fashioned with wide, almost spoon-shaped (though still flat) tips, the better to use them for conveying food to the mouth. Also that the fork was used to push the food onto the knife and food was eaten from the knife. Which was done this way in many places until the Civil War.

[Red Sea Trade]

The distinctive American method of eating began to develop, from what I have read, in the 17th century. The method I speak of is the odd, time-consuming method of: 1)Fork in left hand, knife in right hand. 2) Cut meat. 3) Put down fork and knife. 4) Switch hands. 5)Pick up food and eat.

Nobody else on earth does it like that, and one historian has theorized that it came about when European cutlery and table manners began to evolve and Colonials were left behind. Americans essentially eat as if the fork had not been developed.

I am left-handed, and so do not have to go through all those gymnastics. This allows me to shovel down my food twice as fast.

[Tartan Jack]

Why shovel, when you can enjoy and savor the food?

-That is unless it is an open bowl and a "free-for-all" . . . THAT is another matter entirely!

[Ransom]

It's probably not a period cooking item, but.....

Grill Pan

Get one that also comes with the iron weight with the handle on it, so you can press either bacon, or pannini (?) sandwiches. Fish is especially good cooked on one of these (not pressed though), and it makes food taste as close to being BBQed as you can get. I bought a fairly cheap one, just to see how they worked and if I would use it. Wow, love it so much I'm going to buy a better quality one.

[Tartan Jack]

What WOULD period personal-sized cookware look like and what pieces were there?

What I have found in my searches are primarily American Rev. and large cast-iron pots and pans. Those would be used to feed large families and groups of soldiers, not one or 2. I have found references to "tin pots" and "tin pans," but only picts of tin coffee/tea serving pots and tin cups.

[Red Sea Trade]

Most of the personal sized cookgear that one typically sees for sale is conjectural at best. The ubiquitous "corn boiler" that one sees at everything from Renaissance Faires to Civil War reenactments is pretty dubious (although extremely convenient).

For my own small-scale cooking, I carry a sheet-iron skillet with a wrought iron handle. It is vastly lighter than cast iron and fits well inside my snapsack. It can also double as an eating plate, which is handy. The handle is long, which makes it a bit unwieldy, but keeps me from scorching my hands.

I also have a mid-sized, lidded tin kettle, larger than the corn-boilers but much smaller than the squad size camp kettle that I use for larger groups. Both my kettles came from Carl Giordano, and have provided many years of service.

[Tartan Jack]

Most of the personal sized cookgear that one typically sees for sale is conjectural at best. The ubiquitous "corn boiler" that one sees at everything from Renaissance Faires to Civil War reenactments is pretty dubious (although extremely convenient).

For my own small-scale cooking, I carry a sheet-iron skillet with a wrought iron handle. It is vastly lighter than cast iron and fits well inside my snapsack. It can also double as an eating plate, which is handy. The handle is long, which makes it a bit unwieldy, but keeps me from scorching my hands.

I also have a mid-sized, lidded tin kettle, larger than the corn-boilers but much smaller than the squad size camp kettle that I use for larger groups. Both my kettles came from Carl Giordano, and have provided many years of service.

Any way you could post a pict or 2?

[Red Sea Trade]

I own the largest and the smallest, although I have a domed lid for the small one that isn't shown. I will have to dig around to see if I have any shots of the skillet.

[Red Sea Trade]

Here's one almost identical to mine, although I think the handle on mine is a whisker slimmer. This one is from Carter and Jasper.

[celtaban]

What WOULD period personal-sized cookware look like and what pieces were there?

Panther Primitives has what they claim to be a historically correct, hand-forged, folding frying pan, circa 1774, 8" in diameter and 2" deep, a good size for a haversack. The handle folds over the bowl of the pan. It's $75, and the catalog # is 3097-116-2. Unfortunately, I can't post a link; you'll just have to download the catalog or call 'em. Crazy Crow also has two folding pans, considerably cheaper. Go to www.crazycrow.com, click on "camp supplies," and then on "hand forged ironware." They have a nifty brazier, too.

[Quartermaster James]

Who would have personal cookware, and why?

[Capt. Bo of the WTF co.]

Cookware for the individual (seaman/pyrate) was probably not the norm, but personal eating utensils appear to be quite common, just check out the Whydah information, including a four-tined pewter fork, and several pewter plates that are personalized. Whydah sank in 1717, and many of the crew were english, so there were at least some using these items not exclusive to Germany alone in the early 18th century.

Bo

[Guest]

Who would have personal cookware, and why?

A Buccaneer.....

I like to use my American Civil War tin cup to cook out of (yeah, I know it is way outta period)... I want to make a boiler outta copper (close to the ones shown in the Voyager's Sketchbook), but I'm not 100% sure if it would be more period or not... I just figure, wot I can't boil, I would just poke onto a stick and cook....

[jendobyns]

Interesting. We seem to be fairly thin on information about people having individual cooking equipment, but then nobody has brought up the fact that people tended to live much more in groups than we do today. It was unusual for a person to be completely alone back then. We lived in households, either as members of a family or as retainers/servants. Or at sea or in the army, as part of a group (in the army, soldiers were part of a "mess", I'm not sure if there is a sea faring equivalent). When alone, people very frequently did not cook for themselves, but purchased food that had been prepared elsewhere (street vendors and taverns were available). So you really wouldn't need much more than a knife, spoon, cup and plate or bowl if you are a lowly sailor, probably made of wood, horn, ceramic,and I think we've already covered pewter and tin somewhere else on the forum. More impressive tools and utensils (like some of the items found on the Wydah) are likely to belong to the "better sort", at least originally. Especially something as spiffy as an engraved fork.

A small kettle, like the ones previously pictured, could serve a multitude of purposes, from making soup/coffee/porridge, to heating wash water. We are so used to having lots and lots of stuff it's hard to imagine living in a house with one pot, but there were many households which only had that much.

I know there are some sources for dining etiquette that are relevant to the period, but I have to stop procrastinating and make some buttonholes in a pair of breeches. Hopefully I'll remember to dig up those up when I'm finished.

[wes1761]

Mr. Hand.....If I remember correctly, the boiler in the Voyagers Sketchbook might be a Hudson Bay Co. pot. They were fairly common, but I think they were early 1800's. I'll try to find my doc's on older styles if you would like. Here is a link to making a HBCo boiler:

http://www.northwestjournal.ca/XVI1645.htm

Spun brass kettles were also common....

[Zingara Carmella]

To begin I have recently read the following: Can anyone verify?

Early 18th century

The four-tined fork has become the rule in Germany. In England, though, forks still have two tines and are not so helpful for scooping up bites of food. Knives there had begun to be fashioned with wide, almost spoon-shaped (though still flat) tips, the better to use them for conveying food to the mouth. Also that the fork was used to push the food onto the knife and food was eaten from the knife. Which was done this way in many places until the Civil War.

I not a historian and have no paper trail to verify but I learn to eat like that ( I'm from Brasil and my familly is Italian and very traditional) that's how everybody in my family eats so would make sense being a European fashion I would go all the way with counting ppls age but lets say my grandgrandma probably learned firsthand it.

[Grymm]

I eat my peas with honey

I've done it all my life

It makes the peas taste funny

But it keeps them on the knife

The broad ended knives are designed to be eaten from but remember to eat off the blunt side =o)

[John Maddox Roberts]

Broad-tipped, spatulate knives are frequently seen in medieval banqueting and private dining scnes, but they seem to have been mainly used for serving - the servant would carve meat with the knife, then scoop up the pieces with the tip and transfer them to the diner's trencher. Frying pans with folding handles are found on Roman sites and reproductions are used by legionary reenactors, so they are penty old enough to be GAOP period correct.

[madPete]

Reviving this thread. Looking for a bit of help on Period (1680-1720) cooking utensils.  Not personal utensils, but actual cooking tools.

Can anyone recommend books on the subject?

The plan is to build a traveling cooking utensil set that can fly in checked baggage (a duffel). Also realizing there may need to be compromises with this approach.

Attached is a photo of the Ships oven from the Mary Rose (1511), and a typical 18th century kitchen.