You’ll find plenty of things in an older kitchen cupboard that may have been ordinary in the past, but today, they’d look rather out of place.
The big blue can
A can of shortening was an essential in every older kitchen, especially the Crisco brand. You could use it in biscuits and cookies, for example, along with pie crusts and cakes. It even worked as something to stick in the frying pan.
Older households would always have a can of it because they baked a lot more than younger people do. Younger generations are more likely to use butter or bottled oil. That’s if they even cook. Most of the time, they’ll just buy the ready-made dough and skip the need for shortening entirely.
Milk that waited on the shelf
Powdered milk is one of those things that sounds perfect for a survival kit today, but in the past, it was a totally normal grocery item. One of the main reasons it was so popular was that it was so cheap. The fact that it was easy to store and didn’t need fridge space helped, too.
Simply throw the powder straight into a recipe, and you were done. But the use of powdered milk declined a lot during the 1970s and beyond, mostly because fresh milk became easier to buy. You’re more likely to find a carton of plant-based milk than powdered milk in a young person’s house.
The other cooking fat
Lard is hardly the most pleasant of cooking ingredients. But still, many older generations would have a tub in their houses because it was useful for frying or making biscuits. Any savory dishes would taste much better with some lard.
But a lot of younger people don’t feel the same way. For them, it’s much easier to use butter or vegetable oil instead, although you can still easily buy lard in the stores. It’s just not something they’ll get, though.
The darkest bottle in the pantry
The only time young people will have blackstrap molasses today is when they’re following some obscure online recipe. That’s it. They have no other use for it. But for older generations, a can of it was a staple ingredient, as you could use it to make dark breads and gingerbread.
A lot of traditional cookie or sauce recipes called for it as well. The majority of the younger generation will use brown sugar or maple syrup instead because it’s a lot easier. Molasses is a rarity in their cupboards, and especially the blackstrap kind.
Dessert came from a can
All it takes is thirty seconds to take fruit cocktail from the pantry shelf to a dessert bowl. That was part of the appeal in the past. No peeling, no chopping, just a simple dessert that practically every guest would enjoy.
You didn’t need to worry about what fruit was in season either because you had a can of it. But today, younger shoppers have much more variety in the grocery stores. They can get practically any fruit at any time. That’s why they’ll stick to getting fresh-cut fruit or frozen fruit, rather than any canned kind.
Tiny sausages with a long shelf life
There’s no denying that Vienna sausages are versatile. You simply have to open the can and then you can start eating them, or you can heat them up first. Some people like to use them in simple recipes, too.
But younger people have greater access to deli meat and frozen snacks these days, so they’ll go for them. The ease of microwave meals and takeout makes the choice pretty easy, too. There’s no point going for a Vienna sausage when you can have high-quality meat delivered in seconds.
Beef that needed no refrigerator
It made sense to have canned corned beef in the past, as it lasts for years when you store it correctly. That was pretty important for the post-World War II generation who needed their food to last.
They could turn it into hash or sandwiches. They could make a quick hot meal out of it, too. Yet fresh beef and frozen meals are much more convenient to buy, so younger people stick to buying those instead.
A bag that seemed to last forever
Most young people will turn their noses up at the idea of eating prunes. It wasn’t always that way. Yes, the older generation kept these odd little fruits around for breakfast and baking. They’d use them for stewing and snacking, too.
There are almost too many choices for dried fruit now, from mango to cranberries, and younger people are more likely to go for those instead. They might still buy plain prunes, but definitely not a big pantry bag of them.
The grain behind the soup pot
The greatest thing about pearl barley was the fact that you could use it to make a thin pot of soup in almost no time at all. You could also toss some into broth with beef or vegetables for a bit more bulk. It’s cheap and easy to store, so there’s really nothing not to love.
Younger cooks do still cook with grains, of course, but they’re more likely to go for something a little more exotic. You’ll probably find quinoa and couscous in their pantries instead of a basic option like pearl barley.
Mushrooms without the produce drawer
Let’s get one thing straight, young people definitely eat mushrooms. The difference is that they’re going to buy a bag of fresh mushrooms instead of the canned kind, even though the canned variety lasts longer.
Older people would always have a can of mushrooms on hand. They know how to use them for dishes like casseroles or for cream sauces, and having them canned meant they were ready at any time. Fresh mushrooms are available year-round now, though. You can get them at practically every supermarket.
Chicken that stayed put for years
People didn’t buy cans of chicken because they wanted a fancy meal or anything. No, they bought these cans because they were pre-cooked and shelf-stable, ready to use in almost any dish. A can could easily last you for years, as long as you stored it correctly.
This level of convenience was really important in those days. People didn’t have many prepared refrigerated meat options, after all, and they certainly didn’t have the ease of getting a rotisserie chicken at the supermarket. Young people do.
Supper already inside the can
You didn’t need any effort or any cooking skills, really, to have pork and beans. Just open the can and heat it up, then serve. They were a dependable cupboard meal, and they still are, but a lot of young people would rather buy beans and fresh pork separately.
The idea of eating canned meat doesn’t really appeal to them. They don’t even need to cook the meal for themselves anyway because they can just buy microwave pouches and refrigerated meals instead.
Soup lived in an envelope
It’s kind of strange that younger people don’t buy dried soup mixes anymore. They’re just so easy to cook. Add hot water to a packet, stir the whole thing, and you’re done, simple as that. That ease is the main reason they were such a hit with older people.
But younger people would rather get some refrigerated soup or a microwave bowl of soup that doesn’t involve them cooking anything. Even instant noodles require less effort, so it’s bye-bye to dried soup mixes as a pantry essential.
Sardines were simply lunch
There was once a time when opening a tin of sardines and eating it for lunch didn’t feel that strange. It was such a popular meal, in fact, that many companies would ship tins by the case. A can of sardines was an ordinary and practical source of protein for most households.
Some younger people still eat seafood, including sardines, but they’re far less likely to keep a tin of it in their pantry. They’ll either buy it fresh or have the frozen kind.
Pie started with a dry mix
A lot of older people had a smart trick for making homemade pies. They wouldn’t make it all themselves. Instead, they’d use powder from a box to make the crust, and Jiffy made the most popular kind of pie-crust mix. It was so simple to make.
You don’t even need to bother with that mix these days, however, as you can simply get some refrigerated dough. Frozen shells also work as an option. The truth is, the old ‘shortcut’ feels like extra work that you don’t really need to do anymore.
Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.
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Check your pantry for 13 items that have most likely already gone bad
