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[WARTIME BROCHURE ABOUT FREEZING FOOD] Frozen Foods: How to Prepare, Package, Freeze, Thaw and Cook

Item #2738

Bridgeport, Conn.: Appliance and Merchandise Dept., General Electric Co., [1941?]. 30 pp.: ill. 22,4x14,9 cm. In original publisher’s illustrated wrappers. Wrappers detached, tears of the spine, but otherwise very good condition.

Scarce. Text in English.
Historically important wartime brochure, issued by the General Electric Consumers Institute, providing comprehensive instructions on the preparation, packaging, freezing, thawing, and cooking of frozen foods.
The brochure likely came out in 1941, the same year the United States entered WWII. It was apparently designed to encourage civilians to preserve and stockpile food on the eve of the anticipated shortages. By promoting the home freezer as a modern necessity, General Electric provided a practical way for families to build food security without inciting public panic. Shortly after the booklet’s release, the government halted the production of GE freezers to divert critical metals toward the escalating war effort. Consequently, as food shortages became a reality, the national focus shifted toward the “Victory Garden” movement, urging citizens to grow their own produce to supplement rationed supplies.
The brochure features an interesting wrapper design, showing a housewife holding a sealed turkey intended for a General Electric home freezer. The text itself provides a step-by-step illustrated guide to freezing vegetables (peas, sweet corn, asparagus, spinach), fruits (strawberries, peaches, apples), meat, poultry, game, fish, juices, puree, dairy products (butter, cheese, cream, eggs, milk, ice cream), and prepared/cooked foods. It also offers guidance on suitable wrapping materials, methods for cooking frozen vegetables, and proper thawing techniques. To assist the home cook, the brochure includes specialized preparation tables for fruits and vegetables, as well as suggested frozen food menus (jiffy baked rice, shrimp creole, and chicken a lacking on waffles).
The General Electric Consumers Institute (Bridgeport, Connecticut) was a premier research hub for domestic science during the 1930s and ‘40s. With the onset of World War II, its mission shifted from appliance marketing to national security, providing vital guidance on nutrition, appliance maintenance, and food preservation to support the “home front.” The Institute was officially closed in 2007.
Overall, important wartime brochure, providing comprehensive instructions on the preparation, packaging, freezing, and cooking of frozen foods.

Price: $250.00