Cooking is the last thing you want to do on a hot summer day. The 1950s housewives felt the same way and created this 1950s summer meal plan featuring 1950s recipes.
Reading vintage magazine will quickly show you that homemakers in the ’50s had similar challenges to the ones we face now. It’s so interesting how we think things have changed so much but there are still a lot of things that haven’t really changed.
One thing that hasn’t changed is homemakers didn’t like cooking when it was hot in the 1950s either! In the June 1953 issue of Ladies’ Home Journal, there was an article titled Easy Does It.
It was all about meal planning in the summer to allow for less cooking and avoiding heating up the kitchen on hot days. The author is from Louisiana and says no one cooks more than they have to on those hot summer days.
She talks about how she sticks to simple meals that can be made ahead or in a short time. She also talks about using a pressure cooker and Ovenette.
I had to look up what an Ovenette is. Turns out it’s a small metal cover you put over a burner to create an oven. That’s at least what I can gather from the photos and articles I have found.
What I suggest now for summer cooking is an Instant Pot, which is safer than the older pressure cookers, and a toaster oven or convection oven, which uses less energy and will heat up your kitchen less.
The article gave some summer meal suggestions and it’s always fun to look at what people ate in the past so I thought I’d share the meal ideas. They may even inspire some modern summer meal ideas for you.
1950s Summer Meal Plan
Monday
- Beef Stew (made in a pressure cooker)
- Celery Hearts
- Olives
- Raspberry Ripple Ice Cream (recipe coming soon)
- Iced Tea
Tuesday
- Cold Sliced Ham
- Deviled Eggs
- Pickled-Relish Molds
- Corn on the Cob
- Sweet Cherries with Stems on
- Dipping Sugar
Wednesday
- Frankfurter Loaf
- Green Salad with Sour Cream Roquefort Dressing
- Fruit Gelatin with Pecans
Thursday
- Creole Macaroni and Beef
- Fresh Peas
- Raw Carrot Sticks
- Butterscotch-Pecan Refrigerator Cakes
Friday
- Easy Overnight Baked Beans
- Brown Bread
- Green Salad – Hot Bacon Dressing
- Chilled Watermelon Wedges
She suggests leftovers for other nights. The idea of foods that can be made with minimal cooking and that are generally easy for hot summer days is a tip that continues to be true today.
Today, for example, I cooked up chicken for multiple meals in my Instant Pot. Now I will have less cooking to do during hotter parts of the days and the Instant Pot took minimal time to cook the chicken and didn’t heat up my kitchen.
If you are looking for more ideas for simple meal plans for the summer check out Creating a Simple Menu Plan for Summer on Life With Dee. She has ideas that are more modern but follow the same concept of simple meals will minimal cooking.
I’m working on recreating some of these 1950s food recipes so be sure to sign up below to keep up with new blog posts. You can also check out my post The Best Vintage Summer Recipes for delicious summer recipes.
GIULIA says
nice ideas and meal planning is best deal sometimes you can spend a couple of hours and cook for the entire week using leftovers, more organizations an it’s savvy for your wallet too! This magazine seems really interesting!
Kadie says
I’ve absolutely fallen in love with your blog! I love anything the 1950s & 1960s but love seeing a modern twist on it (especially a green one) and I think you’ve managed to capture that so elegantly! This was a great read. I think too many of us get caught up in a modern lifestyle that we make way more complicated then it needs to be and sometimes we just need to go back to the basics. For that same reason, I love reading about life in the late 19th century and early 21st century, including recipes, homemaking, crafting, etc. I find it so fascinating.
Kadie The Great Canadian Housewife & A Story About A Girl
Stephanie says
Cold meals are great for summer. If you remember, most people didn’t have central air conditioning in their homes. My grandmother had a summer kitchen. Others had a small kitchenette in their basement.
Sharon H. says
I love the idea of cooking a main dish overnight. Good thinking, LHJ!
I need to remember to think of the whole-chicken thing. My husband loves my California chicken salad (the kind with grapes & almonds), but I forget about it because he normally dislikes cold main courses.
We need your excellent articles to spark our creativity, Lisa. Thank you!
Betty Benesi says
Ok, I have another Float Recipe- My other used to pour Squirt over Rasberry Sherbet!