The cookbook Health and Happiness from Whole Meal Waterless Cooking: More Nourishment, Finer Flavour, Lower Cost was likely published between 1930 and 1935 during the Great Depression. From October 1929 to August 1933, a series of events led to an economic depression that greatly affected Canadians, especially women and the working class. For many Canadians who were unemployed or having difficulty retaining employment, the costs of both domestic and imported foods increased due to inflation. For instance, many Canadians struggled to afford "luxuries" like dairy products and finer cuts of meat. In their place, Canadians were encouraged to grow and eat hardy root vegetables like onions, carrots, potatoes, turnips, and parsnips, and opt for cheaper cuts of meat. Dry goods such as flour and sugar were rationed by families, as well as spices.

Well into the 20th century, women were still expected to maintain the household by overseeing a host of domestic responsibilities, such as purchasing food, meal prepping, and cooking. During the Great Depression, women faced even more pressure due to reduced household incomes and were forced to budget even more carefully despite taking on more responsibilities and a larger workload. Unfortunately, the high costs of food and the lack of income meant many women experienced guilt for not being able to provide their children with nutritious food that would keep them healthy. Corporations such as Duro Aluminum Limited recognized that Canadian women were desperate to make quick, affordable, and healthy meals that did not require expensive ingredients. Thus, the company decided to create a cookbook for their new appliance, the Duro Waterless Cooker.

The cookbook promised that the quick and inexpensive meals would provide the maximum amount of nutrition possible. They claimed that “cooking the waterless way is recommended by leading health and cooking authorities, and the strongest boosters for waterless cooking are the many housewives who are enjoying its many advantages.” To emphasize the benefits of the cooker and the recipes provided, the company argued that the cookware would save women time, reduce gas and electricity bills, and prevent food waste. However, many Canadian families could not afford many of the new domestic technologies that were supposed to reduce women's workloads. Although Duro Aluminum Limited recognized and targeted families impacted by the Great Depression by encouraging the use of root vegetables and cheaper cuts of meat for the recipes in their cookbook, many Canadian families still could not afford the luxury of new and innovative cookware.

In the period after the First World War and before the Great Depression, Canada experienced a significant wave of immigration. While the 1921 federal census indicates that the majority of the population was British (55.4%), French (27.1%), or German (3.35%) in origin, many of the immigrants arriving in the 1920s were Italian or Polish. Many settled in and around Toronto and other regions in southern Ontario. As immigration created a more culturally diverse nation, Canadians' palates began to adapt to include dishes that were not native to Canada. Over time, recipes such as the Italian Spaghetti featured in this cookbook became dinnertime staples as the required ingredients became easier to procure in Canada. We also see international dishes with some Polish and Slavic influence, such as recipes that used the spice, paprika, which is a staple in Slavic cooking, and other regional dishes like Irish Stew. Health and Happiness from Whole Meal Waterless Cooking: More Nourishment, Finer Flavour, Lower Cost reflects how much Canada was a cultural mosaic by the 1930s, and in southern Ontario especially. Duro Aluminum Limited was based in Hamilton, Ontario, and because Hamilton had a history of being an industrial hub, many of the immigrants arriving in Canada in the postwar years sought unskilled labour positions in places like Hamilton. It is possible that the incorporation of Italian recipes and Slavic spices was an acknowledgement from Duro Aluminum Limited that its local community was comprised of people from a variety of racial, ethnic, and cultural groups.