How much have our recipes changed since the days of tomato aspics and boxed cakes? In this nostalgic photo series, food photographer Aphra Adkins recreates a handful of vintage recipes to see whether they have withstood the test of time.
Growing up, my mother lamented the trips to the grocery store when she bought Jell-O, only to discover that the packaging had shrunk since the last time she bought a box. The prices for ingredients seemed to remain the same — or, God forbid, they rose — as the packaging grew ever smaller. Not only was she overpaying for pantry staples, but her cherished recipe collection was now in danger — would a jellied Waldorf salad set with a fraction of the gelatin?
Haunted by the impending demise of easy baking, I assembled a collection of old-fashioned concoctions for a radical baking experiment. Do these recipes withstand the test of time — surviving shrinkflation and pleasing the modern palate? These are the results.
-
Jellied Waldorf SaladRating: 1/10Believe it or not, gelatin salads were a staple in the American diet at one point. Ubiquitous in American cookbooks from the 1950s and ’60s, these recipes attempted to make homemade meals that last the week. Sick of eating wilted salads? Try submerging your produce in Jell-O! This recipe from Aphra’s grandmother instructs cooks to combine red apples, walnuts, and celery in lemon-flavored gelatin. As it turns out, the quantity of gelatin in a package has not changed enough since the 1950s to prevent this recipe from setting. However, the jellied Waldorf salad was anything but a success. While somewhat visually appealing, this recipe’s bizarre combination of textures was shocking to the modern palate. -
Molded Garden SaladRating: 2/10Another prime example of the legendary gelatin salad, this molded garden salad from Betty Crocker’s Picture Cook Book is the 1950s and ’60s in a tin: green onions, cucumber, radishes, celery, and cauliflower suspended in lemon-flavored gelatin. As Aphra’s family chipped away at the dish over the week, the vegetables never oxidized and never lost their crunch – equal parts alarming and practical. Again, shrinkflation did not prevent the gelatin from setting, but the dish was not popular with Aphra’s family. -
Snow PuddingRating: 3/10The Essential New York Times Cookbook poetically describes this one as “puffs of meringue setting sail on lakes of custard.” Lucky for this recipe, meringue is mostly air, so the envelope of gelatin in each custard “lake” successfully supported its respective puff without any casualties. Unfortunately, the texture was an issue for the taste testers again. Aphra’s main criticism: “There is absolutely nothing to chew.” -
Raspberry Dream CakeRating: 5/10This saccharine daydream calls for a box of white cake mix and a package of vanilla pudding mix. At the time, a box of vanilla pudding mix was 3.75 ounces. Nowadays, the packaging has shrunk to 3.4 ounces, but this did not affect the cake too much. Aphra’s bigger complaint was the color. The fresh fruit and baby pink icing livened it up, but the cake itself was surprisingly dense and disappointingly muted in color. -
Green DessertRating: 6/10Aptly named, “Green Dessert” is a layered dessert casserole, featuring a nutty crust that supports layers of white fluff and mint green pistachio instant pudding. Growing up, this quirky dessert was a family favorite on birthdays and holidays. While the recipe was edible — tasty even — the lesser quantity of pudding threw off the ratio of the layers. There simply was not enough magical green to balance out the neutral white and brown layers, dampening the desired effect. Another qualm: Aphra noted that those who are unfamiliar with this dessert might find the artificial coloring concerning. -
Banana PuddingRating: 7/10Banana pudding: Nostalgia incarnate. This dessert is still an essential at summertime picnics and potlucks for good reason. Consisting of vanilla pudding, sliced bananas, vanilla wafers, and whipped cream, the components of banana pudding quickly lose their individual identities, readily transforming into a heaping bowl of glop. The vanilla wafers, naturally light and crisp, become a sort of soggy cake as they soak up the moisture from the other ingredients. But this is the desired result. Despite the changes in the ingredients’ quantities, the recipe was definitely recognizable. Aphra says it was delicious too, as long as the texture is not too off-putting. -
Dump CakeRating: 7/10Finally, a dump cake! This is the quintessential cake for the busy homemaker — simply dump the ingredients into a dish and bake. The instructions require minimal measuring and absolutely no stirring. More of a cobbler than a true cake, this recipe calls for one package of yellow cake mix, one can of crushed pineapple, and one can of cherry pie filling. The result: a bright red, sticky concoction. While the standard quantities for cake mix, canned pineapple, and pie filling have decreased over the years, this recipe does not rely on any of these ingredients to rise, set, or thicken, making the amounts unusually flexible for baking. Like the Green Dessert, Aphra felt a little uneasy consuming the cherry red goop, but she admits it was tasty. -
Figs in WhiskeyRating: 8/10Figs in whiskey are not necessarily common at the American dinner table, but the basic ingredients add to the dessert’s appeal, and its simplicity has allowed this recipe to age well. While there are fewer figs in a package today than in the 1950s, that had little impact on the recipe’s integrity. The theme of preservation comes up in many of these vintage recipes as homemakers felt societal pressure to prepare food themselves and needed it to last the week. Notably, using whiskey as a preservative does not come with the same drawbacks as using corn syrup or other artificial preservatives. -
Poppy Seed CakeRating: 9/10Another winner, this poppy seed cake is a classic, moist boxed cake. The addition of poppy seeds enhances the basic batter with a nutty flavor and crunchy texture. The decrease in the quantities of cake mix and pudding mix over the decades canceled each other out, allowing this recipe to retain its signature moisture. -
German Coffee CakeRating: 10/10And this winner is… the German coffee cake! Best enjoyed with a cup of coffee, the German coffee cake relies on boxed cake mix and instant pudding. This recipe comes from family friends who baked one of these cakes before going on vacation, gifting the cake to the hotel staff wherever they stayed. According to Aphra, the recipe was also a crowd-pleaser with her family, holding up well and staying moist for days.
Savannah Beck on Shrinkflation in the Kitchen
09/2023