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In the Looney Tunes cartoon, "Feed the Kitty" (Bulldog Marc Anthony & Pussyfoot), the Misses is shown getting her flour out of a pull open slot drawer, being next to one marked sugar.
Why don't we do it that way? Was it because they are impossible to keep clean? Too easy for pests to occupy? Some other cleaniness reason?
Or is it just that we don't bake like we once did.....long ago.
Drawers like that were found in hoosier cabinets, popular from at least the 1920s. They fell out of favor when "fitted" kitchen cabinets became popular.
Back in those days, people were more likely to bake their own bread, rolls, etc, and have large families. They would buy 50 lb bags of flour, and needed a convenient way to store and access it.
Now, most people have small families, buy bread ready made, and flour comes in neat little 5lb bags that fit in the cupboard.
I have toyed with the idea of the 50 lb bag, due to its cost vs the 4-5 lb bag, but I have never cooked enough to make it worth while....though it would have one advantage.
Back when I was heavy into baking, I was never sure of the status of my flour supplies. It was so cheap and easy to say at the store, "Oh well, buy another!". Well, when I was moving out of that complex, I was finding bag after bag of flour. Maybe with the 50 lb bag, I would have a better idea of what my supplies were.
As it is, the only person I ever met who was buying 50lb bags was a rancher who "had ranch hands to feed".
Now, I bake more with corn meal than flour......and the former comes in only 2 lb bags. This week is an exception since I have divers in the water and I am making 3 or more batches of brownies. But even with that, 3 or so 5 lb bags on hand of flour will cover that adequately....and I use old coffee cans to store. Finally for the left over brownies, they don't come home with me.
In the Looney Tunes cartoon, "Feed the Kitty" (Bulldog Marc Anthony & Pussyfoot), the Misses is shown getting her flour out of a pull open slot drawer, being next to one marked sugar.
Why don't we do it that way? Was it because they are impossible to keep clean? Too easy for pests to occupy? Some other cleaniness reason?
Or is it just that we don't bake like we once did.....long ago.
Real life doesn't resemble the life in cartoons, so there is no reason to think anyone would follow it. We have new and improved ways to store our stuff.
There are other TV programs to watch and learn, if you wish.
The people that I know who bake every single day will often times have one. Those who dont bake every day, dont. Its not hard to have one installed if you desire one.
I remember those bin drawers. They also were used on commercial popcorn machines. When there is a constant need, they are great, otherwise they take up space that could be put to better use and have pest issues. What do you do when you find mouse droppings in your thirty pounds of flour?
The old steel canister sets were much more useful, flour, sugar, coffee, etc.
I've been using plastic containers for flour and sugar that are just large enough for five pounds of flour. A problem I have is that I have bread flour, whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, self-rising all purpose flour, semolina flour, yellow corn grits, masa, pastry flour, and more. A simple container labeled "flour" doesn't cut it.
Hoosier cabinets are no longer mass-produced. In the late 30s, demand for the cabinet style dropped as American kitchens shifted to layouts with built in cabinets. To help preserve its American legacy, the Hoosier Cabinet Museum was established.
.........I've been using plastic containers for flour and sugar that are just large enough for five pounds of flour. A problem I have is that I have bread flour, whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, self-rising all purpose flour, semolina flour, yellow corn grits, masa, pastry flour, and more. A simple container labeled "flour" doesn't cut it.
I have that same problem. These brownies I was making this week? The jar on the counter of a white flour? Is that regular flour, corn flour, or tortilla mix? Went with a new bag of flour for my divers.
Quote:
Originally Posted by harry chickpea
I remember those bin drawers. They also were used on commercial popcorn machines. When there is a constant need, they are great, otherwise they take up space that could be put to better use and have pest issues. What do you do when you find mouse droppings in your thirty pounds of flour?
........
SHRIEK!
Well, not quite, but I was not too happy to find a dead field mouse on the floor last week.......but happy in knowing what did him in.....CATS. But, as said, I have moved to Gamma Vittles vaults to contain my non active stores.
I remember those bin drawers. They also were used on commercial popcorn machines. When there is a constant need, they are great, otherwise they take up space that could be put to better use and have pest issues. What do you do when you find mouse droppings in your thirty pounds of flour?
The old steel canister sets were much more useful, flour, sugar, coffee, etc.
I've been using plastic containers for flour and sugar that are just large enough for five pounds of flour. A problem I have is that I have bread flour, whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, self-rising all purpose flour, semolina flour, yellow corn grits, masa, pastry flour, and more. A simple container labeled "flour" doesn't cut it.
Yeah. You probably need a custom made labels for each kind of flour.
Drawers like that were found in hoosier cabinets, popular from at least the 1920s. They fell out of favor when "fitted" kitchen cabinets became popular.
Back in those days, people were more likely to bake their own bread, rolls, etc, and have large families. They would buy 50 lb bags of flour, and needed a convenient way to store and access it.
Now, most people have small families, buy bread ready made, and flour comes in neat little 5lb bags that fit in the cupboard.
My grandmother had a cabinet with a flour bin like that. The crank sifted the flour. She baked every day.
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