The cookbook was published between 1942-1945 during the Second World War. Canadians were being asked by both the provincial and federal government to help contribute to the war effort. The cookbook represents two critical points which reflect Canadian society at the time it was published: to be resourceful and not wasteful, and to produce nutritious food.

The first point demonstrates how Canadians were to be resourceful and not wasteful during the war which the cookbook demonstrates in a number of recipes. First, we notice the number of recipes in the cookbook. Offering many recipes allows the homemaker to choose a recipe based on the items they can purchase at the store, because of the rationing of food during the Second World War. Therefore, recipes could only be made based on the foods they would be able to purchase, so they would constantly be flipping through the various recipes. The second resourceful component that the cookbook provided to Canadians was that the cookbook provided aid in substituting ingredients. For example, sugar was a commonly rationed good, therefore the Canadian government took steps to help preserve sugar, thereby only allowing icing on wedding cakes.Substituting corn syrup for sugar was a popular alternative. Being resourceful during the war was crucial for society and the cookbook discouraged wastefulness during wartime. When homemakers did not need a certain cut of meat, the cookbook encouraged them to bring it back to their local butcher where the butcher would use it. Therefore, every single part of the meat was to be used to benefit all of Canadian society during the War.

The second point that reflects Canadian society is the production of nutritious food.  The cookbook provides a variety of recipes taking food rationing into consideration. The cookbook offers homemakers various options to make sure the dish was packed with nutrition. During the Second World War, the governments of Canada and the United States recognized the importance of nutrition for the military, and for citizens at home. In consequence, a great importance was placed on physical fitness, including nutrition for soldiers and civilians due to the importance of preserving national security. Governments knew that ‘‘Strength and endurance could mean the difference between success and failure in a military operation’’. This acknowledgement resulted in the government of the United States establish a committee to monitor and help improve nutrition within the American framework of the fight at Homefront and with the soldiers abroad. In 1940-1947, the Committee on Food Habits was established to help find ways for the committee of ‘‘adjusting food habits of the American people’’.

In 1942, following the American example, the Canadian government recognized the failure of Canadians at home who were not getting enough nutrition in their diets. ‘‘Wartime food rations and an economic recession, coupled with a physically active Canadian lifestyle, led to a country of people with relatively poor eating habits’’. In consequence, the Canadian government created Canada’s first nutrition guidelines named Canada’s Official Food Rules. The name was changed to Canada’s Food Rules in 1944. The Canadian government emphasized the importance of nutrition and in 1943, the government introduced the Basic Seven Food Guide promoting a varied diet. The Canadian population did not have a varied diet, therefore the Government emphasized that, during wartime, their usual foods may not be available. This resulted in a shifting emphasis from the importance of number of servings to be served from the dish to demonstrating rationing during the war which would have the homemaker creating varied dishes almost forcefully. Producing food with the highest nutritional value was important to the homemaker. We can then deduce that the cookbook provides so many alternative dishes to ensure that Canadians were receiving the highest intake of nutritional food despite food rationing.