Tout de Suite a la Microwave (1977)
In 1937, a patent by Bell Laboratories stated that the company planned to create “heating systems for dielectric materials and the object of the invention is to heat such materials uniformly and substantially simultaneously throughout their mass.” Shortly after World War II, American engineer Percy Spencer invented the microwave, then called the “Radarange,” which was first sold in 1946. The Radarange was nearly six feet tall and cost the modern equivalent of $60,000. And in January 1947, a Speedy Weeny vending machine in Grand Central Terminal—which housed the first publicly utilized microwave—sold cooked hot dogs.
The microwave began to show up in home kitchens the late 70’s, when the countertop version of the product became practical and affordable to a significant portion of the American public. At this time, with more women in the workforce than ever before, the notion of a homemaker spending hours per day preparing the family dinner was becoming less common, and a new cooking machine that promised to save time was a great convenience.
With so many proud new microwave owners in the United States, people were curious about the best foods and options for the new appliance. It was therefore inevitable that cookbooks specializing in microwave-cooked foods would turn up. One such cookbook—and a popular one at that—was Tout de Suite a la Microwave: A Gourmet’s Cookbook of French, Acadian & Creole Recipes (1977)by Jean K. Durkee. The book went through many printings and sold close to 100,000 copies by the early 80’s. In the pages of the cookbook are 197 “nutritional, economical and colorful recipes…” that exclusively use the microwave in food preparation.
To view the book, visit McCain Library Room 305 Monday – Friday from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. If you have any questions about this item or Special Collections’ cookbooks, contact Jennifer Brannock at or 601.266.4347.
References
www.bls.gov/spotlight/2017/women-in-the-workforce-before-during-and-after-the-great-recession.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microwave_oven
Text by Andrew Rhodes, Special Collections Specialist.