Betty Crocker

by Julie Johnson, Tastemaker in Residence

Betty Crocker was the face of cooking throughout my childhood. I vividly recall using recipes from a bright orange, hardcover cookbook.  More specifically, the chocolate chip cookie recipe was always a treasured one and was frequently used to fill the cookie jar.  

The Betty Crocker cookbook was such a treasure that my mother even gifted me THEE bright orange, hardcover cookbook at my bridal shower.  I later learned that she acquired it from an antique store because it was so hard to find.  It still remains with my entire recipe collection and I repeatedly find myself referencing it for basics such as buttercream frosting or even turning back to page 136 for the chocolate chip cookie recipe.

It is fun to reminisce about using Betty Crocker recipes but there is one unanswered question remaining in my mind…Who IS Betty Crocker?  I vaguely remember my mother sharing with me that each part of Betty Crocker’s face comes from a different person but uncertain if that was fact or myth.  So, I decided it was time to investigate and discover who Betty Crocker really is.  

I quickly learned that Betty Crocker was a name developed in 1921 by The Washburn Crosby Company. Her name was used as a way to personalize responses to consumer inquiries. The name was created because Betty was considered a friendly name and Crocker honored a director that recently retired from the company (www.bettycrocker.com). Although my question about her facial features remained unanswered, I learned that her looks were changed seven times over the past century.  This website also includes a very interesting and detailed timeline of Betty Crocker’s journey.  

As I continued on my quest, I entered a few more variations of my search in google and hit the jackpot at https://www.pbs.org/food/the-history-kitchen/who-was-betty-crocker/.  It is noted on this website that the first portrait of Betty Crocker was created by combining facial features of the female staff from a department within Washburn-Crosby.  I guess the moral of the story is “Always listen to your mother!”