American Girls Cookbook: A Peek at Dining in the Past With Meals You Can Cook Today

by American Girl, Jeanne Thieme

Describes the preparation and serving of foods during three time periods in American 1854, 1904, and 1944. Includes recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner meals.

Genres: Cookbooks, Nonfiction, Childrens, Cooking, Middle Grade, History, Historical

62 pages, Spiral-bound

First published June 1, 1966

Reviews

[Abby]

This was the first cookbook I ever did any cooking out of. My friend Sam and I made many a lunch out of this to our parents' great joy. A classic.

[Miranda Reads]

This is truly a treasure of a cookbook!!

The American Girl Company started with three main girls - Kirsten (1854), Samantha (1904), and Molly (1944) - who all have their own series, companion short stories, and nonfiction books.

Now, I have already reviewed Kirsten's, Samantha's, and Molly's individual cookbooks. Then I discovered this book - which had all three of the girls in it and was published before the individual books.

If you (like me) are curious about what the difference is between the 3-in-1 vs the individual books, I've chronicled it below.

Initial Differences

The biggest difference is that each girl has only a few recipes compared to their individual cookbooks. Kirsten's section contains breakfast, Samantha's is dinner, and Molly's contains lunch recipes. The individual cookbooks expand the girls' recipes to include Breakfast, Dinner, and Favorite Recipes.

Additionally, the individual books also tend to contain more asides/photographs from the eras with little blurbs. They also have updated photographs and hand-drawn images that showcase the recipes.

Kirsten's Section -- 1854

Kirsten's section begins with an introduction to Swedish-American food traditions (in general), followed by what cooking and kitchens were like, and the rules for setting the tables in the 1850s. This does contain some new information compared to the individual books' introductions.

The recipes are almost identical in the Breakfast section, with the main differences are:
--Hard-Boiled Eggs with Pork Sausage-- contains instructions for making the hardboiled eggs (buy the pork sausage patty in store). The individual book does contain a recipe for pork sausage patties.
--Round Rye Bread-- has a slight difference in milk content but otherwise identical.
--Section talking about Jam, Preserves, and Cheese.

In Kirsten's individual cookbook, she also has recipes for Dinner and Favorite Foods (which I evaluated in Kirsten's Cookbook.

Samantha's Section -- 1904

Samantha's section begins with an overview of the rules and etiquette that she would be expected to follow. We learn about how the dinner was served in courses and given a sample menu, along with explanations for all of the items included. Much like the individual cookbooks, we also see a section on Servants and Serving, as well as Setting the Table.

The recipes are almost identical in the Breakfast section, with the main differences are:
--Cream of Carrot Soup-- the recipe calls for 2lbs of carrots while the individual book requires half the ingredients.
--Salmon with Lemon Butter-- is included in this cookbook but not the individual one
--Roasted Beef Tenderloin-- requires only salt and pepper. The individual cookbook also calls for lemon and parsley.
--French Salad-- contains very slight differences in ingredient ratio for both salad and dressing.
--Ice Cream Snowballs-- requires "fancy cookies" while the individual cookbook specifies "ladyfingers"

In Samantha's individual cookbook, she also has recipes for Breakfast and Favorite Foods (which I evaluated in Samantha's Cookbook)

Molly's Section -- 1944

Molly's section in this book varied the most compared to her individual cookbook. We first talk over what would be typical in a 1940s school lunch and then discuss Molly's Basic Seven (seven different kinds of foods that children were encouraged to eat). From there we learn about shopping and shortages and how lunches were packed during her day.

Here are the differences in the recipes themselves:
--Victory Garden Soup-- contains the same ingredients but the portions are very different when you compare the two soups.
--Hurray, Hurray for PBJ-- are known as the PBJ Roll-Ups in the individual cookbook
--Lettuce? Try it!-- is included, which is peanut butter, mayo, banana, and lettuce
--Applesauce cupcakes contains a recipe for cream cheese frosting. The individual cookbook says to use your favorite frosting.

For the previous two girls, their cookbook sections were almost put word-for-word into the individual cookbooks under the appropriate headings (breakfast, dinner). Molly's recipes were split up into various sections in her individual cookbook. For a full evaluation of Molly's Cookbook, check out the link!

Overall Thoughts

If you aren't sure if you should purchase the 3-in-1 cookbook OR the three individual cookbooks, I would lean towards the individuals.

While it was fun to read the different blurbs and highlights based on each girls' section of the cookbook. I prefer the individual cookbooks because I like that we get more recipes and more historical asides than in the 3-in-1.

[Sara]

I had this book as a little girl, before the individual ones came out. I remember trying to make some of the stuff from Molly's section, because most of the recipes were beyond the scope of my kitchen skills.

[Kimberly]

*3

[Meghan]

I liked Kirsten's Swedish recipes and Samantha's are foods I enjoy. Molly's foods are a little lame since we are no longer under rationing. Some of the information for each girl was repetitive in various sections.

[Shannon]

I have had this book since I was a teenager. I kept it all these years and now use it the kitchen with my younger cousins and nieces. It is a great introduction cookbook for girls. Goes over measuring, basic ingredients, timing, etc. It also gives an insight into history and how cooking became what it is today.

[Susan Howson]

Some of my earliest memories of cooking are from this book. I remember looking at the sirloin tied up with twine and being like "Pssh, I can do that. ONE DAY." Sirloin tied up with twine? Tomorrow night? See you at 7pm.

[Robyn]

I got this way back in the early 1990s. Some recipes we've tried in my family include the peanut butter & jelly sandwich flags (Molly),the cupcakes (Kirsten), & our favorite dish by far--the corn fritters (Samantha).

[Heather]

A cute book for historical minded girls and boys.