Tag: Thanksgiving

A Memorable Thanksgiving With Vintage Flair

Thanksgiving is a time-honored American tradition. The holiday is often celebrated eating a great home-cooked meal, surrounded by family and friends. It includes gathering in the kitchen in the morning to make that pumpkin pie or prepare the turkey while creating memorable moments.

When you’re congregated in the kitchen making all the side dishes and trimmings, have you ever stopped to think about how Thanksgiving dinner was made in your grandma’s kitchen? While some things never go out of style, kitchen appliances have come a long way… which is something we should all be thankful for.

In grandma’s kitchen, you had the feeling of being home. There was love and warmth around every corner. You also knew you were going to get a hearty home-cooked meal; not taking seconds was a serious offense. During after-dinner clean up, dishes had to be washed and dried by hand, which was no fun at all.

The day after the big feast probably involved some Black Friday shopping and then maybe cleaning the oven; after all, the oven just had its biggest day of the year. Back then, ovens were cleaned manually (or “womanually”). This involved spraying the oven with toxic cleaners, letting it soak, putting on rubber gloves, then mopping dirty toxic sludge out with rags. (Don’t forget to open the windows to let the toxic fumes out.)

Speaking of the cleaning your Grandma had to do, we would be remiss not to mention the nasty task of defrosting the refrigerator. This task included emptying the fridge and freezer, storing everything in coolers, letting the fridge warm up, and then chipping the ice out of the freezer with a steel spatula. Once the cleaning was completed, you could finally put the food back.

Today’s kitchen is not your Grandma’s – now, you can fit your unique personality into Thanksgiving without giving up the modern conveniences. Much like their original 1950s counterparts, retro fridges today offer customized shades and a range of styles to choose from. The outside may look foreign to those of the millennial generation, but its features are not.

Here are just a few bells and whistles to expect:

  • Self-cleaning ovens
  • Convection ovens for faster, even, precise baking and broiling
  • Programmable ovens for baking and self-clean
  • Warmer drawers
  • Frost-free fridges
  • Ice makers
  • Large functional freezers
  • Filtered cold water dispensers

It’s fun to look back to the days of June Cleaver, when evenings only consisted of the family dinner and  the fellowship around the table was the most important part of the day; and Thanksgiving dinner perhaps the most important meal of the year. The innovation of modern technology in kitchen appliances has helped preparing Thanksgiving dinner come into the 21st century, but some things like the warmth and love of family and friends while eating great food will never go out of style.

Tasty Thanksgiving Recipes

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, which means it’s time to share great food with the people you love most.  Alas, another perfect opportunity to cook up some retro recipes in your dream kitchen!

The Northstar Model 1947 36-inch 6-burner range will be your best friend during the holiday season. You’ll be able to multitask in style, while cutting your cooking time in half! Six burners, a self-cleaning true-convection oven, and a storage drawer, make this range unstoppable.

We know each family has their own turkey tradition, so we’re serving up some side dishes that will blow your mind.


Broccoli and Corn Casserole

broccoli-and-corn

(Serves 10)

Casserole:

1 16oz can creamed corn
1 10oz frozen chopped broccoli, cooked and drained well
1 beaten egg
½ cup Ritz cracker crumbs (about 12 crackers)
1 tbsp minced onion
2 tbsp margarine
½ tsp salt
Dash of pepper

Topping:
¼ cup Ritz cracker crumbs (about 6-8 crackers)
1 tbsp margarine

Squeeze all excess water from the chopped broccoli.  Mix all casserole ingredients together and pour into a casserole dish.  Sprinkle topping on top.  Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.


Almond Asparagus

(Serves 10)

1 lb fresh asparagus spears
2 tbsp butter
2-3 tbsp sliced or slivered almonds
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
2-4 tsp lemon juice

Cut fresh asparagus into 2 inch pieces.  Cook covered in a small amount of boiling water for 6-8 minutes until crisp/tender.  Drain and remove from pan.  In the same pan, melt butter, and add the almonds.  Cook and stir for 2-3 minutes.  Add mushrooms.  Cook and stir until tender.  Add lemon juice and asparagus.  Toss to coat the vegetables, heat through, and serve.


Frosted Cauliflower

cauliflower(Large head serves 8, small head serves 6)

1 head cauliflower
½ cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp lemon juice
¼ dry mustard
1 ½ tsp dried parsley flakes

Steam the entire cauliflower head for about 15 minutes until it is crisp/tender. Blend the mayonnaise, Parmesan, lemon juice, dry mustard, and parsley flakes, then coat the cauliflower.  Bake for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees or until the frosting begins to brown.  Remove and serve whole.

Enjoy the holiday season, and try some of our favorite retro recipes.  Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours.

happy-thanksgiving

Give Thanks for Cooking With Pleasure

In Canada, we celebrated Thanksgiving the second Monday of October, a tradition that began in 1957. For those of you living in the United States, Thanksgiving is still to come. And, what better way to enjoy Turkey Day than to bake your bird in one of our Antique Cook’s Delight ranges.

Loaded with state-of-the-art features to make your culinary experience more enjoyable, the Antique range includes a full-size, self-cleaning oven andControlPanOpen a choice of cooktops. 45” models also come with a “stay hot” food warmer, to keep your side dishes hot while you’re finishing off the rest of your meal.

Preparing a turkey for the first time can be a daunting task. You definitely don’t want your turkey to take on an unwelcoming “blackened” taste. To make the job easier, cook your turkey to perfection with the Cook’s Delight range’s “Feather Touch” electric control panel. Conveniently located at eye-level in the upper cabinet, the touch screen allows temperatures to be easily controlled. The indicator lights on the panel and cooking surface let you know which function is being used. The cooktop lights and exhaust fan are also controlled from this location.

Unless you are an expert chef like Rachel Ray, stick to the basics when it comes to cooking your turkey. The cook time depends on the how big your bird is. The rule of thumb for poultry is 20 minutes per pound at 350 degrees, plus an addition 10-20 minutes of roasting time. Be sure to let your turkey rest for 10-15 minutes before carving, this will help keep the meat moist, and scrumptious. It’s also suggested to stuff your turkey with stuffing prior to baking for extra flavor.1855STBlkBisNickel

When it comes to your side dishes, the traditional Thanksgiving dinner typically includes green bean casserole accented with crispy onions; sweet potatoes topped with marshmallows; mashed potatoes and gravy; and fresh cranberry sauce. With this many dishes, you will need to plan accordingly.

Luckily, Elmira Stove Works’ Antique ranges come with a 30-inch or 45-inch cooktop. The 30-inch cooktop comprises four burners; the 45-inch cooktop houses six burners. This gives you plenty of room to prepare your side dishes all at the same time. Sealed gas burners, “Ultra Temp” cast elements or smooth-top electric burners, and even combinations are available, giving you plenty of options to choose from.

Our Antique ranges are accessible in a multitude of colors to complement your kitchen’s design scheme: Black, White, Bisque, Cayenne Pepper Red, Liberty Blue, Jewel Green, Black / White combination, or Black / Bisque combination. Additionally, other decorative metal trim accents are available; including a Victorian trivet, decorative shelf, door frames, leg and front skirt trim – all in Nickel, Antique Copper or Antique Brass.

With all the available options offered with our Antique ranges, preparing your Thanksgiving meal won’t cause stress or headaches; instead it has the potential to renew your passion for cooking.

“Talking Turkey: Non-Traditional Ideas for Your Traditional Range”

Rather than go with the traditional cooking directions for turkey, consider these ideas from a post on amazingribs.com:

  1. DON’T set your bird down inside the roasting pan, which results in the top of the bird being overcooked by the time the bottom is cooked. Instead, set a rack across the top of the pan and set the bird on the rack. This will create even degree heat all around the bird. Put a cup of water into the bottom of the pan to keep the bird even moister.
  2. DON’T cook your bird to 180 degrees. Instead, remove the bird at 160 degrees – it will rise to 165 degrees while you’re carving it. (The USDA changed their guidelines for turkey from 180 degrees to 165 degrees back in 2006. Most recipes are out of date.) At 165 degrees, you’ll have a safe bird that is much moister.AntWarmerOpen
  3. DON’T stuff the turkey. By the time the stuffing is safely heated to 165 degrees, the white meat will be overcooked. Instead, leave the cavity empty, allowing the bird to roast evenly from the inside and out. Bake your stuffing in muffin pans for a tasty, crispy treat. Rub the cavity with the same seasoning you’re using on the outside, and place a cheesecloth packet loaded with aromatics (parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme – sing along if you wish!) in the cavity.
  4. DON’T set the oven at 350 degrees. Instead, go with 325 degrees. This will allow for much more even heating and, with the cavity empty, your bird will cook quite quickly, so you’ll actually be reducing your overall cooking time.
  5. DON’T rely on the clock. Instead, rely on a good thermometer. Yes, we know you want to know roughly how long it will take – for an unstuffed bird, allow about 2 to 2-1/2 hours for a 12-14 pound bird. Add a half hour for every additional four pounds.
  6. DON’T tent your turkey with foil or let it stand. Doing so allows the skin to soften and lose that wonderful crispness you worked so hard to get. Instead, carve the bird as soon as you take it out of the oven.
  7. DON’T carve the breasts while they’re on the bird. Instead, use your knife to scoop the breasts off of the bird. Then carve them across the grain so that everyone gets a piece of breast meat with a nice crispy bit of skin attached to it.

To learn more about Elmira Stove Works’ collection of Antique ranges, visit our website at www.elmirastoveworks.com.