When I was about 5 years old I remember being in the kitchen when my mother was in a panic because there was a problem with the pressure cooker. She made sure I was away from the pressure cooker then it suddenly exploded. In a split second everything turned white like a very heavy fog. I could not see anything but white. I could not see my mother she was holding on to me. I could not see the floor I was standing on. The kitchen felt like an extremely warm wet bathroom after a very hot shower. Mom knew her way through the house in white blinding fog, she took me out side. We waited in the yard for a few minutes while the steam went away. Mom was worried more about me getting hurt than herself getting hurt. No one was hurt.Vanisle_BC wrote: ↑Wed Mar 15, 2023 10:54 pmMy recollection of early 'instant pots' - I.e. pressure cookers - involves hot jam all over the kitchen ceiling. The pressure relief must have got clogged and the safety valve blew out. Luckily no one was in the kitchen when it happened: There could have been horrible burns. I'm not sure jam making was even a valid use for the thing. Mother was very careful with it after that.
Both my grannies lived through 2 world wars: For much of the time food variety was just a vague concept. Making something appetising out of the meager rations was the issue. I well remember the 'apple pie' made with turnips and a bit of sugar. Fooled no one!
Sorry for wandering off topic.
BC your right, food in those days was very plain. Salt & pepper was the only spices. There was very few over weight people in those days, food did not taste good enough to pig out like people do now. We only ate food to stop feeling hungry. There was no fast food 65 years ago. People cooked exactly what was needed for each meal, there was very rare to have left overs in the refrigerator. I remember being hungry an hour before bed time and nothing to eat unless someone cooked something. Toast with jelly was the only bed time snack.