# The Cookbook of the United States Navy, 1945



## jamesgpobog

http://www.hnsa.org/doc/cookbook1945/pg434.htm

Sorry if posted before...


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## Varley

James,

Thanks for that. I intend to use it.

Interesting. I listened to one of the wartime 'home economics' guru on the wireless. One of her comments was on Yorkshire pudding. She started off using the formula which is in all the recent books - 4 oz. flour to one egg (say 2 oz.?). The guilt could then be clearly heard in her voice when she went on to say that the recipe could be made foolproof by the simple expedient of doubling up on the egg (guilt, as this would have been tantamount to treason in the rationed environment).

I have often thought that a pre WWI cookbook would have the latter ratios.

I note the USN cookbook is part way between the two. Not so sure about the medium oven though - no other recipe I have ever seen proposes anything but a hot (usually smoking hot) oven.

(I use the guilty ratio and the only failure I have ever had is with some 'Chefey' 'organic' flour to which I had treated myself as a Christmas present - Yorkshire pancakes. Now I only use locally milled).


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## Pat Thompson

Greetings,

USN culinary excellence, hmmmm. I remember a scene from a movie years ago(Can't remember the Title) where the lunch menu on some American warship was "Hungarian Goulash", Mince and Chicken Fricassee. Anyway the first steward went into the galley and asked for "One Mince" which was duly ladled out of a large tureen. The next steward went into the galley and asked for "One Hungarian Goulash", another ladleful but from the same pot. A third steward went into the galley and asked for "One Chicken Fricassee", at this point the cook threw a total wendy and complained that "Nobody told me there was Chicken Fricassee on the menu". He then broke an egg into the mince/goulash pot, stirred it round a bit and dolloped a ladle-full onto a plate and declared, "One Chicken Frickassee" which the steward took out to the mess.


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## alan ward

I will never forget the first time I saw a modern breakfast buffet in a dockside diner in Long beach Ca.There was stuff on there I didn`t even recognise and determined I would enjoy breakfast there next day and miss the meal on board.


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## ben27

good day jamesgpobog.sm,yesterday.13:12.re:the cookbook of united states navy,1945.i must say the u.s navy ate well,i spent time in 1945. on there ships and you had a lot of choice.there book has great recipes even by todays standards.thank you for posting,regards ben27


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## Samsette

*US Navy Chow*

The US Navy's re-enlistment rate must be the world's highest.(Thumb)

It looks good enough to satisfy the old French Line first class passenger menu.


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## tunatownshipwreck

My dad had me believing the navy cookbook was no more than two pages. He wasn't a cook, but his 20 years in the USN had him able to prepare pancakes, navy bean soup, hot dogs, coleslaw and "SOS" (last word is "shingle").


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## jamesgpobog

Samsette said:


> The US Navy's re-enlistment rate must be the world's highest.(Thumb)
> 
> It looks good enough to satisfy the old French Line first class passenger menu.


Navy chow really is pretty good for the most part. The beef is not Prime though, sometimes things are a little tough. Our burgers were greasy, I couldn't eat them. It helped having a cook who cared about doing the best with what he had.


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## jamesgpobog

tunatownshipwreck said:


> My dad had me believing the navy cookbook was no more than two pages. He wasn't a cook, but his 20 years in the USN had him able to prepare pancakes, navy bean soup, hot dogs, coleslaw and "SOS" (last word is "shingle").


 Yeah, hot dogs (tube steak), and SOS. Man, do I love SOS. Never ate much of the navy beans, probably because of my youth, but the soup is held in high regard and loved by many to this day.


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## tunatownshipwreck

jamesgpobog said:


> Yeah, hot dogs (tube steak), and SOS. Man, do I love SOS. Never ate much of the navy beans, probably because of my youth, but the soup is held in high regard and loved by many to this day.


My dad made the soup fun to eat for my brothers and I with this sage piece of Navy lore: 
Beans, beans, the musical fruit
the more you eat, the more you toot
the more you toot, the better you feel
so let's have beans for every meal.

Of course, there are other versions.


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## ALAN TYLER

Makes very interesting reading maybe a bit more exciting than our own Board of Trade cookbook which I still have copy of. The cole slaw recipes are certainly alot different from the usual cabbage and carrot and onion with mayonnaise you get in most UK establishments. The cole slaw I was shown on my 1st trip was and still is in my opinion the best.......cabbage,carrot, onion, grated apple (skin on), lemon juice, vinegar,olive oil, black pepper, sugar.


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## Jeff Taylor

My father in law taught me the bean poem also--he was a gunner on destroyers in WWII. He also confided in me that it was never wise to eat raisin bread, because the raisins weren't raisins, if you get my meaning. He was sunk at Casablanca and returned on QE(1) no doubt leaving behind some initials carved in the handrails, and later sunk on a picket destroyer in the Pacific during the Kamikaze attacks near Okinawa. Tough duty.


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## Dickyboy

tunatownshipwreck said:


> My dad had me believing the navy cookbook was no more than two pages. He wasn't a cook, but his 20 years in the USN had him able to prepare pancakes, navy bean soup, hot dogs, coleslaw and "SOS" (last word is "shingle").


A bit like Poo on a Plate eh?(Jester)


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## tunatownshipwreck

Dickyboy said:


> A bit like Poo on a Plate eh?(Jester)


That translates well.


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## Keltic Star

Varley said:


> James,
> 
> Thanks for that. I intend to use it.
> 
> Interesting. I listened to one of the wartime 'home economics' guru on the wireless. One of her comments was on Yorkshire pudding. She started off using the formula which is in all the recent books - 4 oz. flour to one egg (say 2 oz.?). The guilt could then be clearly heard in her voice when she went on to say that the recipe could be made foolproof by the simple expedient of doubling up on the egg (guilt, as this would have been tantamount to treason in the rationed environment).
> 
> ..........................................


They come in the frozen section for $2.49 a dozen. No mess, no fuss, no problem.

Duck...incoming!


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## Varley

Not home made? Frozen? My body is a temple! (to Bachus!) - if you like'em, eat'em.


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