Easy Camp Cooking Recipes was published in 1934 by Borden Co. The cookbook centres around the combination of camp cooking and the powdered milk product, KLIM. KLIM had been originally produced by the Merrell-Soule Company in 1920. During the early-twentieth century, the cookbook is reflected a period in which milk had become a staple in the Canadian diet during a period of economic crisis and labour shortages. This led to concerns of quality emerged as Canadians sought healthy and safe consumption of products. In addition, the cookbook also reflect on gender disparity and expectations on cooking.

By the mid-1930s, milk was considered an indispensable commodity during an economic depression Canada had been experiencing. At the beginning of the decade, milk had been relatively affordable for the general public, and 1932, the price had dropped down to 9 cents a quart. However, this was at the expense of what milk producers were paid at a low of $1.30 per hundred pounds of fluid milk. As a solution, the Milk Control Board (MCB) was created in 1934 to battle this dilemma. Through intense regulation, the milk industry had  become exclusive, where licensing was restricted and financial bonds were required of all Ontario dairies. Eventually due to lower operating costs, in addition to active opposition from groups such as the Toronto Housewives Association, prices were lowered. In the face of an economic depression, powdered milk had become a viable option because of its longer shelf-life. With Borden Co. being one of the four largest dairies in Toronto, in conjunction with the rise of chain supermarkets, and expansion of dry milk production during the Second World War, KLIM may have been the answer for a lot of lower income families seeking to stretch their food budget.

With milk being asserted as a necessity rather than a luxury, the issue of not only cheap, but also safe and healthy products emerged. In one study done in 1924, KLIM was tested for quality in different storage containers under different temperatures. KLIM in doubletite tin cans was proven to be the superior container for storage. In a room temperature of 20℃, KLIM in the doubletite tin cans lasted up to twelve months, without sacrificing much in flavour. From this conclusion, having KLIM as a centre focus in Easy Camp Cooking Recipes makes sense as the longer shelf life without refrigeration makes it an essential part of camp cooking.

Milk has traditionally been geared as a biologically female product, due to the belief in providing essential nutrition for infants and children. However, this is challenged with Easy Camp Cooking, with powdered milk as the main focus used by the male authors. The Depression led to great labour shortages for men, and an assumption that women were also stealing jobs from men. With influences from Chatelaine, a leading magazine for female fashion and beauty, as well food advertisements, men had begun to feel that women were dominating their world. Men began to take more interest in cooking, but there existed a great difference between a woman cooking and a man cooking. For women, they were responsible for food preparation for the family, as well as cleaning up, something that was considered a responsibility and a chore. But for men, cooking had become enjoyable because it was seen as a hobby, where men had more flexibility in how and when they wanted to cook. A clear distinction was also made between indoor cooking and outdoor cooking. Before, there existed a stereotype that men were incompetent in the kitchen. Thus, the kitchen remained a female realm, and home-cooking was done by housewives. However, the stereotype of men’s incompetence in the kitchen evolved, to their incompetence with indoor cooking, but their excellence and exclusivity in outdoor cooking. Camping takes place outdoors. This would mean that cooking, which was traditionally hailed as a woman’s duty, is different and becomes masculine when it is cooking outdoors. Easy Camp Cooking Recipes reflects this gender disparity, with all the authors being men.

By contextualizing Easy Camp Cooking Recipes, it is apparent that the cook represents many social events and changes during the early-twentieth century, with the relationship between milk and the Depression, and changing gender norms on cooking.