I mentioned last year that I
freeze my milk to save money when it is at a good price ($2 a gallon). This freezer has saved an unquantifiable amount of money, time and stress.
Back in the day, before sexy sold, they had practical advertising that wasn't limited to small print or a footnote. It would appear this was carry over from the days of WWII posters that promoted growing victory gardens and recycling your waste.
This practical ad from General Electric in the 1947 edition of Better Homes and Gardens sells us on the 5 benefits of a freezer at home.
Since the writing is very small, I'll enlarge the 5 sections for you to read. At the time of this ad, these types of freezers had been around for 10 years already, according to the advertisement.
Tip #1- You don't have to shop in bad weather! An 8 Cu Ft Chest freezer that holds 280 pounds of food. They still come with 2 baskets (plastic) and Energy Star wasn't even a twinkle in anyone's eye yet. Today you can buy this freezer for around 300-350.00.
Tip #2- You eat better food and pay less for it! Flash frozen fruits and vegetables can keep for up to a year when you find a good deal at the store. That way you can make that 150 calorie strawberry shortcake dessert in the picture above.
Tip #3- You can do a month's baking in one day. (
No exclamation point there, must not be as exciting.) They suggest you freeze pies, cakes and rolls. We freeze homemade soups and spaghetti sauce for use through the winter and into the spring. Some people even
freeze leftovers in ice cube trays.
Tip #4 - You can feed unexpected guests at a minute's notice! Also nothing says love from family and friends, when they bring over food for you to keep in the freezer and heat up later, while sick or after having a baby.
Tip #5 - Dad's fish and game add to your larder. (
Not as exciting either, I guess.) I had to crack up at the picture. It looks like Dad hit a deer on the road, driving home from work and just decided to bring it on home to toss into the freezer! I also noticed they don't want to promote the killing of animals illegally just to fill up the freezer - "depending on local game laws".
I had to
look up what a larder was- "
A larder is a cool area for storing food prior to use. Larders were commonplace in houses before the widespread use of the refrigerator."
There you have it, a 1947 steel GE chest freezer that probably weighed more than the 124 pound hard plastic ones we have today. I love taking a step back in time and grabbing the timeless wisdom, enjoying a historical moment and laughing at the rest.
The only thing I don't get is how, before microwaves, you were going to feed unexpected guests with food theretofore undefrosted?
I LOVE my freezer. We had an 18 year old upright until we got a foot of water in our basement recently. I wasn't sure we could afford a new one, but bought one anyway (and this is an Energy Star, can't wait to see our electric bill go down!). I cooked professionally once upon a time and find it hard to make small portions when it's practically the same amount of work to double or triple a recipe. I agree though, a lamb roast for unexpected company won't be thawed quick as a wink!
I can see that in the trying times that we live in, not that they are really trying to Westerners, people will make more of an effort to not live beyond their means. It will lead to cooking more than is required and making good use of the freezer. Just look back a couple of generations for those that didn't have everything instantly available and who knew how to save. Remember the ants and the grasshopper story?
Anony-many foods can go from freeze to table in an hour or hour and a half, with minimal thawing in water. In fact, even today, I cook frozen food (that I have cooked myself) in the oven, not in the micro wave-these things are often not completely thawed.
There was a monster of a freezer in the basement when I got this house, but inside there was probably 8 cubic feet of freezer space. Most of it was insulation and motor! (Or whatever they used to operate it). I loved the looks of the old thing, though. :)
We buy nonfat dry milk, which isn't as bad as I remembered it when I was a kid, but we've been off whole milk for quite awhile. It helps keep my cholesterol low, it's much cheaper and it'll last at least a month.
Loved this post. Just laughed my way through it!