We all have our favorite vintage kitchen gadgets, which we use regularly and a few we hold onto just because. As a lover of vintage, my kitchen is filled with vintage kitchen items. While there are new versions of each of these items, I prefer the old ones for many reasons. Mostly because several belonged to my mother when I was a child, they were made to last, and in many cases are simpler to use with fewer bits and pieces that tend to get lost or broken. These vintage items can also often be picked up for far less than a newer version. In my case, each of these items also has a personal memory that goes along with it.
The early 1960s Pear Slicer from the Oregon, Washington, California Pear Bureau was a promotional item. You had to send away for one. The bureau was established in 1931 and is still in existence today. My mom had one of these, still in the original box and never opened. My daughter now has it.
The pink aluminum garlic press also was found in its original box, which I still have and use regularly. The 1950s brought about a frenzy of pink kitchen items. I’ve seen loads of vintage garlic presses, but none in this color. My guess is that it was purchased to match the set of pink aluminum Mirro canisters that sat on my mother’s kitchen counter.
My 1959 Kitchenaid/Hobart coffee grinder is my favorite kitchen gadget. I use it every morning when making my coffee. It was found stored on a shelf in my mom’s garage. It works perfectly. So well in fact that it’s been reproduced by the company and you can now buy a new version of it. One of my 20-something friends even asked if I would leave it to her in my will. Hmm…
I spent many evenings chopping onions, garlic, walnuts, and other ingredients in this food chopper. The sound of the blades hitting the wood block and the feeling of the spring-loaded handle bouncing up and down was exhilarating as a kid. It made me feel quite powerful.
Making orange juice on a Sunday morning was a big part of my weekend. I looked forward to squeezing the oranges and getting as much juice as I could out of each half. I still use my glass juicer when adding lemon juice to a recipe.
What are some of your favorite vintage kitchen gadgets?
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