The first sentence of an old magazine advertisement for Swift & Company, meat purveyors during World War II, caught my eye:

Swift & Company Tests

The ad says the company’s tests proved a 4-pound roast shrinks about 1½ pounds when cooked on high heat but only about ¾ pound on low heat. It is amazing, the things wartime conditions make prominent.

Meat was a main item on ration. Cooks had to be creative to keep any of it on the table regularly. The Swift ad explains how to make the most of the ration. Be willing to try a wider variety of cuts—this often included organ meats. Store meat carefully both before and after cooking. And cook each cut correctly, extending meat with other ingredients whenever possible.

Can you imagine preparing meat dishes every evening without takeout, Instant Pots or slow cookers? No beer-butt chicken here. Just a homemaker and an oven, and a busy family who had not eaten anything since midday and who would be hungry. Having an extra ¾ pound of meat to serve would be a big deal.

Most cuts of meat needed to be cooked with liquid. Thankfully, magazines in 1944 explained how with advertisements like “The Bride Learns Braising.”

Braising & Other Wartime Necessities

For anyone a bit rusty on braising techniques, it is simple. Season meat pieces with salt and pepper (and anything else you choose); then, dredge the pieces in flour. Heat a small amount of fat in a skillet and when it is hot, brown the meat 3-4 minutes on each side. Add enough liquid—usually water or broth, but you could even use the water from cooking vegetables—to cover the bottom of the skillet about ½ inch. Cover and allow the meat to cook until tender. Check occasionally to be sure some liquid remains throughout cooking.

The “Bride Learns Braising” ad includes a few extra shopping steps. Newly married Judy has to surrender point coupons from her ration book to purchase her veal shoulder chops. But she gets some points and cash back for turning in all of the strained meat drippings she has collected at home. This fat—that many of us would toss in the trash—was urgently needed to make explosives.

Many advertisements from the World War II era included reminders for homemakers to buy war bonds and consider meat as a material of war. Other wartime valuables included metals, paper, silk and all food.

Judy did not have online videos to learn from. Thankfully, she had Auntie Sue who had enough free time both to help her buy the meat and then cook it. What a different world we live in. But we have every bit as much to be grateful for—including the ones who endured global warfare or gave their lives for the plenty we enjoy today.

References

Swift & Company advertisement (from unknown magazine).

“The Bride Learns Braising” advertisement, Good Housekeeping, March 1944.

Beef steaks photo by Kyle Mackie on Unsplash

“You have turned my mourning into dancing for me; You have torn off my sackcloth, and have clothed me with gladness, so that my glory may sing praise to You, and not be silent.
O Adonai my God, I will give thanks to You forever.”

Psalm 30:11-12