Betty Crocker, considered the most widely-known homemaking authority in the country, receives an average of 60,000 letters a month from homemakers all over the country

Christenson, Walter

English

Betty Crocker, considered the most widely-known homemaking authority in the country, receives an average of 60,000 letters a month from homemakers all over the country.</p

Digital Repository @ Iowa State University (ISU)

New Foods Are Born In Betty Crocker Kitchens by Walter Christenson Technical Journalism Senior BETTY CROCKER, considered the most widely-known homemaking authority in the country, receives an average of 60,000 letters a month from homemakers all over the country. She develops new products, tests foods and recipes, plans television and radio shows and plans advertise-ments in one of the largest Home Service Departments. To do this, it takes all 24 of her. Betty Crocker is a symbol representing the 24 trained home econ-omists in the General Mills Home Service Depart-ment at Minneapolis, Minnesota. The home economists are graduates of colleges all over the country, including Iowa State. TI1e three Iowa State graduates are Helen Halbert, '27, supervisor of Consumer Contacts; Virginia Van · os-trand, '40, supervisor of Product Counselors; and Joan Kiltie, '49, who does general recipe testing. New recipes and methods are developed in the Experimental Kitchen. It was here that the new chiffon cake was born. The results of new recipes are sampled by members of the department at the Tasting Bar. Eye appeal of the product is considered almost as important as taste appeal. Then before a recipe is released, it is tried by homemakers throughout the country. The recipe must fit the budget and tastes of every income bracket as well as the larg-e family, the small family, the young and old. The home-testers are changed frequently so their attitude will not become too professional. Sample bags of flour from General Mills plants all over the country are sent to the Products Control Kitchen. A sample is taken from each new milling. A loaf of bread and a layer of cake are made from each sample to make sure all the flour is up to stand-ard. Samples of the various packaged foods are also tested. H ome appliances Home appliances such as the General Mills iron and steam ironing attachments are tested in the Polka Dot Kitchen. It was designed to show homemakers that it is practical for the small home to have the lau nclry room and kitchen on the same floor level. The employees' uniforms and towels and linens from the dining room are laundered there. Complete luncheons are served in Betty Crockers' Early American dining room. General Mills officials entertain business associates in this room. Other guests include food editors from national magazines, fEBRUARY, 1952 7 home economists from other food companies and from educational institutions. Test luncheons are served here so the staff may taste and criticize new products. The department has 15,000 recipes on file. Only one-tenth of these are actively used; the rest are out-dated. The library contains more than 325 different cook books. Both the recipe file and the library are used in research and in answering questions sent in. Editorial department All printed material put out by the Home Service Department is checked, edited, and proofread by the department's editorial staff. This group also prepares booklets, leaflets, recipe cards, layouts for photo-graphy and the "Betty Crocker Cook Book." The staff synchronizes the radio and television shows and (Continued on page 14) Virginia Van Nostrand (left) and Joan Kiltie, both Iowa State graduates, examine bread baked by Miss Kiltie at Betty Crocker testing kitchens in Minneapolis, Minnesota Lyle McNabb Welcomes You To THE .Jerrace CAFE 8th AND WALNUT DES MOINES MAIN FLOOR SH.OPS BUILDING II 1GLAMOUR 14 Suits Could be you Going everywhere in your Solmar Suit Altogether feminine and slim · in the middle, the way you like to look in Spring's new petal-peplum jacket with full-blown sleeves and far-flung skirt. Pacific's V erdona pure wool worsted crepe. Violet, coral, navy, grey. Sizes 8 to 16. $55. • 'Dhird Floor THE ktW UTICA I DES MOINES _j Betty Crocker-(Continuea from page 7) all advertising in magazines and newspapers. All recipes used in advertisements and over the air must be approved by the staff. Betty Crocker is always willing to help women with their cooking problems. Among those who took advantage of her advice last year was a young bride who wanted to know how to bake peanut butter cook-ies without the peanut butter because her new hus-band didn't like peanut butter. Radio and T-V Four women on the television staff commute be-tween Minneapolis and New York where the Betty Crocker television show is produced. These women prepare all food used in the show. Although the radio and television shows are planned in Minneapo-lis, the scripts are written by an advertising agency which works with the Home Service Department. A home economist, known as product counselor, is assigned to work with each of the General Mills products. She works in the kitchens, helps with ad-vertis ing campaigns, works with sales promotion, follows through on consumer mail and helps develop new service ideas. She keeps in touch with every-thing dealing with her product. Betty Crocker, the woman who receives credit for all the work outlined above, was "born" 30 years ago. At that time, more and more women were writing to General Mills for advice on cooking problems. Rather than have all the replies signed by different authors, General Mills decided to personalize the answers by signing them all with one woman's name. The .namc "Betty Crocker" was chosen. Graduation or Marriage? ?-(Continued from page 5) management. Just think of all the advanced experi-ence you, as a graduate in home economics, have in every phase of homemaking. Future Look to the future. Even if you're married you may work- because you have to or because you want to. In this day, a college degree is almost necessary in finding a desirable job. Also, there's nothing like that degree to give you a feeling of security. Men are much aware of the value of college de-grees for women. Here's Bruce Barton's opinion given in his column in the Des Moines Register as he talks about his wife's college friends. "College gave them something more valuable than just the capacity to make a living. It gave them a love of books, the appreciation of good music, historical perspective, the capacity for inner contentment- for taking the bad with the good. "There sometimes is doubt in my mind as to whether every boy should be sent to college. But I am sure EVERY GIRL SHOULD BE." "For women, after all, are the more important sex. It is from mother to daughter, not from father to son, that the art of civilized living is handed down." Better try to finish college if you can - a degree is your key to security in the future. THE IowA HoMEMAKER 

Betty Crocker Kitchens

https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4008&amp;context=homemaker

Betty Crocker Kitchens

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Digital Repository @ Iowa State University (ISU)