Good Things and How to Cook Them was written and published sometime between 1917 and 1918, during the latter part of the First World War. During the war, both Canadian men and women were recruited to serve in the war, though women's contributions largely occurred on the home front. Especially, women were asked to enter the paid workforce and fill a variety of roles that were vacated by men who had enlisted in the armed forces. Between 1914 and 1918, approximately two million women were working in jobs that men were doing before the war began. With more Canadian women out in the workforce, older children often had to assist with meal preparation for the family. This may help us understand why the cookbook contains such simple and straightforward recipes. The cookbook also assumes that the reader (likely a woman) had a certain level of cooking competency. Most homemakers acquired their cooking skills from their mothers, observation, or trial and error. The recipes in this cookbook list the ingredients in the order that they should be included during preparation. In many cases, the ingredients are listed without an indication of the exact quantity needed, and it is at the cook’s discretion to decide the amount to add. This suggests that most homemakers at the time were experienced in the kitchen and only needed basic food suggestions for the recipes. A unique feature of the cookbook is the recipes devoted to "Invalid Cookery." In this section there are several concoctions that would have been considered helpful when any kind of sickness was in the household. In the latter part of 1918, the emergence of the influenza pandemic may have influenced the inclusion of this section. It was thought at the time that the virus, nicknamed the "Spanish flu," arrived in Canada via soldiers returning from the war. This cookbook may have been beneficial to the women in Canada whose loved ones became ill and they required special foods and recipes to help them in their recovery. 

Another notable feature of the recipes in this cookbook is that they do not mention the kitchen appliances needed to make the dishes. This may suggest that most homes at the time, or at least the ones that had this book in their collection, all had the standard and common appliances of the era. Most Canadians were using coal-burning or wood-burning stoves though electric stoves were also available and appearing in more homes. Because cooking technology at the time was still fairly rudimentary, the recipes in the cookbook reflect what most homemakers had at their disposal. Along with cooking for their families, Canadian kitchens in the First World War were used to prepare food for Allied soldiers serving overseas. The Canadian Red Cross was an important organization during the war, especially for its efforts to organize food care packages that were sent to the Western Front. Women across Canada packed food parcels that contained homemade jams and jellies, preserved vegetables, and canned goods. Women on the home front were also expected to ration available food supplies so extra goods could be sent overseas to soldiers and civilians in Europe who were facing food shortages. Especially, the Canadian government urged women to conserve and limit their consumption of beef, pork, dairy, and wheat products. Therefore, there was a need for homemakers to change their food choice and preparation methods and get creative in the kitchen. Many recipes during the war years included food substitutions so that in-demand goods could be saved. It was important to minimize food waste and keep dishes simple and healthy, as Good Things and How to Cook Them suggests.