Cooking Up History

On cover: The Health of your family depends entirely upon you. The cover is a bright magenta colour with a scene of a woman placing a hot dish onto a table in front of a seated person. On the top of the cover are the words: Less labour less cost in the cooking of your daily food. On the bottom of the cover are the words Super health aluminum, Guarantees better health.

From the images to the language used within this cookbook, it is evident that Super Health Aluminum Co. Limited cared about healthy eating, innovative cooking methods, and selling their products. The cookbook reflects a time when Canadian society was focusing more on nutritious food and convenience in the kitchen. Although waterless cooking was endorsed in The Health of Your Family Depends Entirely Upon You, other companies and appliances such as the Lorain Oven and the Duro Aluminum Waterless Cooker also recognized how the waterless cooking method could preserve nutrients in food and assist women in preparing healthier meals for their families. 

The Health of Your Family Depends Entirely Upon You was published in 1935 during the period known as the Great Depression in Canada. Healthy eating had become more of a priority for many households in the early 20th century as homemakers were pressured to be providers of both health and healthcare. This message is evident in the title of the cookbook, which proclaims rather clearly that a family’s health is dependent on women's efforts. The cover of the cookbook includes an illustration of a woman serving another woman a dish prepared in the Super Health Aluminum cookware. Both of the women appear supple and healthy, which supports the company's claim that their cookware produces superior foods. It is also mentioned in the cookbook that the cookware was tested and used at Kings College for Women in London, UK. 

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The Great Depression was an event that affected many people and caused severe financial strain for many families across North America. Although the price of the products being advertised in the cookbook is not included, it is likely that most families at the time would not have been able to afford such new and innovative cookware, despite claims that it would save families money. More so, it would have been middle- and upper-class families who could afford the Super Health Aluminum products and benefited from their cooking techniques. 

Regarding healthy eating, The Health of Your Family Depends Entirely Upon You references the benefits of waterless cooking and the scientific research conducted by Sir Wm. Arthuthnot Lane, Dr. Harvey Wiley, and Dr. Allerton S. Cushman. These experts and others considered aluminum a safe metal to be used for cookware in the early part of the 20th century. The inclusion of a page dedicated to quotes from the aforementioned physicians/scientists discussing the progress of the research around aluminum and the waterless cooking method demonstrates the progression of food science and food safety. It is important to note that the details of the scientific research conducted are not shared but, rather, the general outcome of the studies is provided, which may be attributed to the assumption that readers would not have been able to understand the specific details about the studies conducted. It is also possible that the company did not actually have data to back up its claims about the effectiveness and health properties of its cookware. 

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