Antique/Vintage Cooking Utensils
The other day I went to this huge, three-story "antique mall" to check things out and I was pleasantly surprised by the huge amount of antique cooking utensils for sale. It really seemed as if every stand inside featured incredibly old (and strange) whisks, egg beaters, graters, pans, etc. etc.
Do any Serious Eaters collect this stuff or use it? Would it be sanitary to? I ended up buying a really heavy, cast iron skillet. Both my boyfriend and my dad thinks it's unsafe-- or rather-- "unsanitary" to use, but I think it's fine. Should I clean it a specific way or take any extra precautions?
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17 Comments:
You will grow to love your skillet. I have five and love them more than the two Calphalon pots I have. Wash your skillet thoroughly with soap and water-maybe with a brillo pad. Dry with a paper towel and take another paper towel and Crisco and grease your pan. If you don't have Crisco just use oil. It will take you doing this every time after you cook with the skillet to build up a "film" that will remain even after you cook and clean it. All but one of my pans are 36 years old. Does that qualify as an antique?
janaatwg at 5:45PM on 09/21/09
I've bought a food mill at an antique store near my place. My mashed potatoes have never been better.
Some people refuse to own anything that has been previously used for food prep. That's their prerogative, but if you are adequately cleaning the item, I fail to see how it could actually be unsafe or unsanitary. To each his own, I'll scour an antique food mill and use it as my own, but used clothes, with or without a 'vintage' tag, give me the heebie jeebies--no matter how much I clean or have them cleaned.
People are complicated. If you are ok with it. It's ok.
BananaMonkey at 7:13PM on 09/21/09
Congrats on your wise purchase. Go to lodge.com and you will find all the info you will need on seasoning and caring for your new cookware.
badbear at 8:20PM on 09/21/09
I like collecting older stove top coffee percolators. I had a friend who bought all of his cast iron frying pans at antique malls. Even if they're rusted they can be sanded and re-seasoned. You made a good purchase.
yayfood at 9:52PM on 09/21/09
The cast-iron skillet sounds like a great find, and it should absolutely be food-safe after a cleaning. I have a beautiful vintage milk glass reamer that Sunkist manufactured in the early 1920s, which I use all the time - I also bought my flour/sugar/other dry goods canisters at an antique mall.
GirlFromJetCity at 11:09PM on 09/21/09
we have some wonderful second hand stores in manhattan and i have a lovely little collection of pitchers, wine glasses, plates, bowls, and other kitchen odds and ends purchased over the years. i use them all and love them. no one, including me, has keeled over yet.
cybercita at 12:18AM on 09/22/09
I've got no problem with used items that can be cleaned well. I'm a little more skeptical about things like wooden or unglazed ceramic items, because you never know when some doofus used something that soaked into the wood/clay, like some funky soap. But if it looks good and the price is right, I've been known to take a chance on a nice cutting board.
As far as metal, most people aren't going to have anything worse in their homes than the machine oils that are used in the production of those items. Metal isn't porous. You wash it, and it's fine.
I love going to estate sales or moving sales where people are getting rid of a lot of stuff. I always check out the cookbooks and kitchen gadgets. There have been times I've bought things without knowing what they were. And sometimes the people don't even know, if it's an estate sale for an older relative.
dbcurrie at 12:48AM on 09/22/09
go buy a bottle of lemon juice, a box of coarse kosher salt, a heavy stainless steel wool scrubber, a roll of paper towels and a bottle of veg. oil. i dont suggest using soap on your cast iron but a good scrubbing with lemon juice, coarse salt and steel wool...then rinsing it in hot water (as hot as you can stand) then use the paper towels to "season" it. spread the oil all over the pan and put it on the stove. turn on the stove and put the pan on high heat till it starts to smoke, then trun off the heat and let the pan cool first before you touch it. Your pan is now cleaned, sanitary, and seasoned. Ready to use :-)
Chef316 at 1:54AM on 09/22/09
The only worry is that someone spray painted it black. So I would sand it with heavy sand paper then wash it real good and then re-season. I had a friend who bought a great cast iron pan and the previous owner did not tell her that it was a display piece and had been spray painted.
JerzeeTomato at 2:16AM on 09/22/09
I've bought antique cookie cutters on ebay. most things can be bleached, or put into boiling water, or soaked in vinegar. Although people could probably do some intentionally bad things to cookware, the odds are pretty slim. (I myself have used cooking things for manipulating polymer clay, and the not good chemicals in there can bond with glass and metal, I understand, so I have to be very careful not to mix them with my utensils intended for cooking).
lemonfair at 8:31AM on 09/22/09
I have a 19th century marmalade shredder. I've never made marmalade in my life, but I like how it looks. Oh for the days when everything was made of iron...
NotAmerican at 9:26AM on 09/22/09
I totally collect that stuff and have been known to score cool cast iron pans for like $4. The older something looks, the better I like it. I went to a thrift store with BF and saw a copper bowl... For $6.99. I walked over to BF and said, "Don't ask questions, just buy this."
I love the old cast iron trivets with smartass sayings on them. I have one that hung in my mom's home all my life that says: A house is made of brick and stone but a home is made of love alone. Another says: Kitchen closed on account of illness - I'm sick of cooking. So far, every single one of my guests upon seeing that trivet says, "That is so not true - you're NEVER sick of cooking." LOL.
Vintage cookbooks are NOT safe in stores when I walk in - I always walk out with an armload. I have a lot of those - the older, the better.
therealchiffonade at 9:28AM on 09/22/09
Big garage-saler here. I love all kinds of old equipment. Like everyone else said, as long as your heebie-jeebie meter isn't going off and you can adequately clean your purchases, you are good to go. I collect mismatched silver for everyday use, along with assorted kitchen tools. If they are in good enough condition (no chipped paint), I run most everything through the diswasher - but I wouldn't do that for your cast iron pan.
sarajane at 11:54AM on 09/22/09
I collect old pyrex bowls, baking pans, etc. I just wash them with soap and water and scrub with baking soda. I can't believe some people collect them just for show-they are better if put to use!
I just bought a ceramic rolling pin from an antique store. It's heavy and will get really cold in the freezer unlike the wooden ones.
xwafflesx at 4:56PM on 09/22/09
I absolutely couldn't cook without my cast iron! All of it, skillets, griddles, Dutch ovens, etc., have been acquired through antique shops, yard sales, junque stores, and with a little care, they cook like a dream and last several lifetimes.
Do a little more research on this and other food blogs. There's a ton of information out there.
By the way, I always season them with bacon grease.
1stmakearoux at 9:14PM on 09/22/09
The amazing thing about vintage cookware and utensils is how much better made they are than most of what is available new today. I have a great old box grater made from heavy grade steel. Try finding a new one as good as mine... you can't! I have a classic 1947 chrome Toastmaster with bakelite trim, cost $5 and makes perfect toast. Teakettles, potato mashers, manual meat grinders, etc. were all much sturdier made in the past.
McNormal at 9:28PM on 09/22/09
My only real concern is with stockpots or other large pans. Sometimes people use them for home craft projects like to dye things. The odds are slim, but you never know.
yayfood at 11:10PM on 09/22/09