Baking Memories: Cake Mix and the Rise of Convenience Foods

The postwar years of the late 1940s and 1950s ushered in a new era of kitchen conveniences. Many of the technologies that made this possible were developed by the American food industry during the Second World War. Did housewives want these easy-to-use products and appliances or were food companies creating a market for their goods by exaggerating the drudgery of home cooking? Using the example of the cake mix, this demonstration will answer this question, highlighting the dramatic changes in cooking habits during this era and how those innovations affect our lives today. Visitors will learn about food history, sample cakes made from scratch and from mix, and take home a copy of a recipe.