Old Kitchen Equipment
Last night I was watching a house-hunting show on which the couple viewed one home that came with a built-in, although centuries-old, coffee maker and commented on it, and it made me think: You know, I have an uncle who still has a harvest gold stove that must be from the easrly seventies. And my grandmother had a stove from the thirties, which still functions very well.
So, do any of you have really old kitchen equipment that still works? Or have you entered a potential home, dreaming of the latest and greatest, and been greeted by a microwave from the stone age? Do you like using them, if they still work, or do you prefer newer ones?
I myself don't mind older equipment, as long as it works and is safe, but I have to admit that I dream of one day owning all new, beeautiful kitchen equipment. But then, I guess that I would neeed to be able to afford my own home first....ah, well. I can dream...
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20 Comments:
One of the selling points for me when I found my apartment was the kitchen with original pink gas stove and oven (late 50's??). Think Barbie's Dream kitchen come to life. I dread the day either one dies and gets replaced with a brand new white appliance.
StripeyChef at 11:21AM on 12/30/08
When Mr Tomato and I were looking at existing houses before we built this one, I too found a pepto pink kitchen. The house was lovely a century old brownstone. The kitchen made me ill. Even the floor was pink tile.
The realtor said do you want to see the rest of the house and I said no.
I decided on the new kitchen with a house built around it. I think you should go with what makes you happy but do your due diligence and look at what is available. You might find your dream kitchen with a house attached to it LOL.
JerzeeTomato at 11:43AM on 12/30/08
My grandmother (80) has an International Harvester refridgerator that she got as a wedding gift 60 yrs ago. She keeps in the garage for drinks and extra storage.
kyle25 at 11:53AM on 12/30/08
My BIL likes the retro stuff, and he recently remodeled his kitchen. He bought an old stove and bought a new refrigerator with a front that looks like an old-style fridge. I haven't seen the remodel yet, but when MIL saw the fridge, she thought the new one was something he was getting rid of, so it must look pretty authentic.
I'm happy with new appliances, but if I went with old stuff, I'd go with seriously old, not just 50's. BUT -- I'd probably only do that if I could have 2 kitchens -- one old kitchen to play in with a big old round wooden table to sit at with guests, and a second kitchen with all of the modern appliances.
While I'm not afraid to mix colors and styles with mad abandon, I don't think I'd want my ktichenaid mixer sitting on the counter with a crank operated telephone replica on the wall next to it.
dbcurrie at 12:30PM on 12/30/08
The early 70s is old? It's only a few years older than me!
Does that make me old?
CanadianFoodieGirl at 1:19PM on 12/30/08
@CanadianFoodieGirl, No offense, but... yes.
schwartz at 1:45PM on 12/30/08
@CanadianFoodieGirl: Sorry, I should specify - given that kitchen trends change almost as fast as clothing trends, I used old. Not necessarily old in the grand scheme of things, but certainly old considering what is poopular now, like granite, stainless steel, et cetera.
And the 1970's is only a few years older than me, too.
Traveller at 2:07PM on 12/30/08
Oh whoops. I misread and thought it said you were IN your early 70s. :P
schwartz at 2:22PM on 12/30/08
You gave your age away with "Stone Age Microwave." That is hilarious!
My mother had an ancient stove in her last house, which she loved. It was enormous, with enough room in the middle to rest her biggest pots. There was even a warming drawer, pot storage, and a separate broiler. It was white porcelain and everything worked great - even the clock and timer. Probably from the 40's or 50's. From the 60's on, most of them were crap and not made to last. I had harvest gold in my previous house. Yuk! Stainless steel and black in this one, but not the best, by any stretch.
Mom's kitchen decor in the 50's was pink and gray. Too cool for words. The appliances were white. No dishwasher. I'd have to agree with Jerzee about Pepto Bismol pink, but Mom's kitchen had pale pink, a whole different acid reducer. :-}
PerkyMac at 2:45PM on 12/30/08
You might find your dream kitchen with a house attached to it LOL.
Jerz - these words are prophetic. When we began looking in ATL for a house, the realtor was under strict orders that I was to see the kitchen last. If the kitchen was magnificent but the rest of the house was falling down around it, I would have shouted "SOLD!"
We got lucky - BF put a bid on a great house with a fabulous kitchen. There's even a place for my 20 quart Hobart mixer to live.
As for old "equipment" - nothing old with a motor being used right now. I do have a crock that was my grandmother's; a dutch oven that was my grandmother's, a cutting board that was my mother's and a couple of other things. I'm extremely sentimental. If I attach meaning to something, it's not likely to ever see the garbage in my lifetime.
therealchiffonade at 3:00PM on 12/30/08
Uhhh...when I married Mr. Meatloaf 14 years ago, I moved in the house he'd bought years ago. (It's a great house, and I love it; no problem there.) The only one of the kitchen appliances I've replaced is the stove; the others are - oh, gosh - harvest gold. The dishwasher and refrigerator work very well, and so do the washer and dryer. We do have a good appliance repairman and every so often, we say, "Oh, the next time it breaks down, we'll just replace it," but what's $75 compared to quickly doing some research, scouring stores, doing without whatever it is while we wait for a new one to be delivered, learning how to use the new one and hoping it's well-made?
I hate the color, too. But hey, function is beauty.
lemons at 4:14PM on 12/30/08
If the microwave doesn't say "radar range" I don't want it.... but then again, I don't need to wear welding goggles either when I heat something up....
Pavlov at 4:23PM on 12/30/08
i totally saw that exact show last night! I would have kept the coffee maker if it worked - great conversation piece.
im closing on a house soon and have to redo the kitchen - i'm hoping to keep the faucet, which look like it's from the 30s or 40s... just to keep a little piece of history in the new design.
nalega at 4:36PM on 12/30/08
my 1970's crock pot that i still use for cooking my dog food!
my bathroom has avocado sinks and "frankie fongoole" brass fixtures...and my shower stall is harvest gold....
all vintage 70's. i used to be ashamed of the bathroom, but now i think it's retro cool. and if people are going to judge me by it??? well, i'll call frankie on them and they can take a dip in the river....
pooch at 6:46PM on 12/30/08
My mother always proudly trumpeted our stove that cooked 'on retained heat' and was state-of-the art in the 1950s, when my grandma got it. However, she never cooked, and whenever the oven was turned on for about 10 years the smoke alarm went off. And there was that funny gas smell.
After she passed away, I guess about a year--I got fed up and got a new one. Got the gas leak fixed (there had been some very slight but sure seepage from the old oven). And baked a sheet of chocolate chip cookies, brownies, and bar cookies immediately, which was impossible on the old unit.
I do have a refrigerator from the 1950s or 60s that still works and the cabinets date from the early 70s. However, the quirkiness of gas leaks and some of the charms of old appliances doesn't trump my fondness for safety and calibrated oven temperatures.
HeartofGlass at 7:25PM on 12/30/08
Up until I was 7 or 8 years old, we had a refrigerator I'm guessing was vintage 50s, maybe 60s, that had a round steering wheel like thing to open the door. I remember it so vividly because I used to stand in front of it and pretend like it was my steering wheel (pathetic, I know). I have no idea what the brand was, but everyone one I described it to has never heard of such a thing. If anyone remembers or has ever seen a fridge with a door opener like that--I'd love to know!
When we got our shiny new fridge, life was much more boring.
gourmetgal at 8:40PM on 12/30/08
I have this serious old waffle iron that weighs a ton and is all chrome I would think from the early forties? The electrical cord that is a rope and has material on it rather then the cords that are plastic . It still works. My mother used all her stuff till it would die, so we had an old Westinghouse stove that she had till about 10 years ago that she got when she moved here in 1950.
pjracz10 at 9:30PM on 12/30/08
We didn't buy the house that had it, but one we looked at had a circa 70s food processor built into the counter. You kept the bowl and blades in the cabinets, but the controls and the motor were built flush to the surface of the counter.
chanterelle at 1:18AM on 12/31/08
I seriously love old junk, but one has to consider the energy use of older appliances. @lemons, its not just $75 you're paying for the repair, but likely 100s of dollars over the years that you haven't replaced it with an energy efficient model. Now if only I could get an energystar fridge in avocado green....
Embackus at 6:01PM on 12/31/08
My mom had one of those built-in Nutone units; it was pretty cool. It had all kinds of attachments - like a mixer and a blender and a meat grinder. It was still in the house when mom sold it in the 80's but it's probably gone now because the house was flooded after Katrina.
RegrettableFoodie at 2:06PM on 01/02/09