In praise of old kitchen gadgets
- August 11, 2008 10:52 AM |
- By Tara Kimura
by Tara Kimura, CBCNews.ca
I have become an eBay stalker, hunting listings for retro, obsolete kitchen gadgetry. I mostly blame my friends Brad and Erin who recently introduced me to the now defunct Ice Pet — a hand-cranked machine that expertly shaves round blocks of ice into ultra fine slivers of ice.
Blender ice, in my opinion, pales by comparison. The Ice Pet, when cranked quickly and with pressure cuts the ice into fine, powdery flakes but when the speed is slowed, it produces larger, chunkier morsels. Instead of the loud clamour of the blender, the Ice Pet whirrs quietly much like ice skates quickly moving across a frozen pond. The blender may be faster but the Ice Pet wins for function and design.
Don't get me wrong, in just about any kitchen supply store I am constantly wowed by inventive kitchen gadgets, including strawberry slicers, boat-shaped ice cube moulds, fancy whisks and heavy Dutch ovens. But if I had to choose my favourite three gadgets it would be my old but unbeaten potato peeler, my grandmother's simple but elegant milk jug and of course my trusty Ice Pet. There's an emotional attachment to the items, but I truly believe that in most cases, the old adage that "they just don't make them like they used to" certainly is true.
What old kitchen gadget do you prize? What obsolete kitchen supplies do you wish they would start making again? Where do you search out second-hand appliances?
About the Authors
- Elizabeth Bridge is a producer with CBC's Digital Archives project. She got her start in the kitchen baking brownies and making fudge but is still trying to get pastry right.
- Andrea Chiu
is an associate producer at CBC Radio Digital. Though she loves to eat, cook and discuss food,
don't ask her to bake. It never turns out well. She tweets as @TOfoodie on Twitter and organizes food and wine events in Toronto called FoodieMeet.
- Amber Hildebrandt
works for CBCNews.ca in Toronto. Growing up on a farm in Manitoba, she acquired an insatiable appetite, but it was during a stint in Japan that she developed her discerning tastebuds and foodie ways.
- Tara Kimura
is a multimedia producer for CBCNews.ca.
- Andree Lau
is a CBC web reporter in Calgary. Her journalism career includes seven years as a CBC-TV reporter. Her own blog called "are you gonna eat that?" chronicles her eating adventures (including sampling snake and camel hoof tendon).
- Jessica Wong
is a CBCNews.ca writer who loves to eat and cook, as well as discuss, read and watch programming about food, sometimes all at once.
- Kevin Yarr
, CBCNews.ca's writer in Prince Edward Island, wrote about food and beer for national and regional magazines before joining the CBC. He acquired a desire for new tastes on his first trip to Europe, and an appreciation of eating locally and in season when he finally settled down on P.E.I.
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Comments (15)
I prefer the old none electric gadgets in my kitchen. I still use mu mothers old wood handled potato masher and I will not use an electric can opener.
Good glass and pottery.
I use a 20 year old glassware baking tray. It is virutally non-stick, and super easy to hand wash.
I use old corningware bowls inhereted from my grandmother (made in the 50s). Unlike tupperwear there is no worry of melting or staining; they are microwave safe, and are cleaned with a quick swipe of dish cloth.
They aren't gadgets perse, and similar products are still available, but I never actually see anyone else using them.
They aren't gadgets, but cookware from the time before dishwashers is pretty wonderful stuff.
I also have an unparallelled old potato peeler, and it has spoiled me for any other peeler.
I must admit that I actually prefer to use the old kitchen "gadgets". I frankly find that the new wonder appliances frequently make for much more work and irritation. For example, my sister, who is a gadget freak, bought a lovely meat slicer to shave ham for sandwiches (among other functions.). I watched her shave ham with it one day when I was visiting. She brought it out, set it up on the counter, put in the ham, shaved a quantity sufficient for our sandwiches, put the ham on a plate, took the slicer apart, washed it in hot soapy water, dried it, put it together again, put it away, and made our sandwiches. How much simpler would it have been to cut the ham thinly with a sharp knife, wash the knife and cutting board, make the sandwiches and enjoy them? My favourite old time kitchen gadget is a sharp knife!!!!!
I have a Mandolin style veggie slicer that belong to my Great Grandmother. She bought it for $5.00 in the early 1920's. it has never been sharpened, and would still take off a finger if you are not careful. It is my favorite kitchen tool, even if i do have to wash it by hand.
I have a thing for classic mortar & pestels, particularly from the 60s.
I'm torn on the subject. I love my grandfathers survival can opener (one curved blade that folds against a leverage bar) and my grandmothers old hand-crank ice cream maker. I'm also a big believer that a kitchen is not a kitchen without a good knife. However I love my kitchen-aid mixer. After the above mentioned, it is easily one of the most used pieces in my kitchen.
I used to have a potato ricer...Do they still make those? You put boiled potatoes into the 'cup' with holes and squeeze the lid down onto the potatoes. Pieces of potato oozed out of the holes and voila you had mashed potatoes.
This was a versatile kitchen utensil. It could mash both cooked vegetables and fruit...peels and all...
I have an ice cream scoop from my Grandfather's general store. It dates to the early fifties, has a solid wood handle and a brass cup with a lever that pushes the ice cream out into your bowl. Releases the ice cream without sticking evey time! Plus as a bonus, I can remember him scooping a cone full of butterscotch ripple for me.
I lust after my friend Pearl's lemon juice squeezer. It is similar to a potato ricer in form; you drop the lemon half in, press down, and voila! lemon juice without the seeds or pulp, and no skin irritation from all the acid. Lacking that, I use my reamer with the pouring spout.
The top gadget that actually lives in my kitchen is my apple peeler, given to me for Christmas many years ago by my now deceased Mother in Law.
I love my antique grater. My mum got one from her grandmother and it was the best kitchen gadget we owned. Drop in a piece of cheese, some carrots, chunks of cabbage, whatever, turn the handle a few times, and you get perfectly grated food without the risk of skinning your fingers on the blades. When it came time for me to move out that was the one item I wanted to take with me but my mum refused. Instead, my parents and their friends searched antique shops for months to find me one and another for my brother. To this day, it is still my most coveted kitchen gadget; sturdy as an ox and so versatile.
For Elke, first off, they do indeed still make potato ricers and I agree that they are fantabulous!
For me, my favourite kitchen gadgets are simple and very much irreplaceable...the glass and tin nut grinder with the little spokes on a rotating lever...the old biscuit cutter that seems to be the perfect size for butter tart shells and cutting toast circles for egg-in-a-hole...the most perfectly worn-in spurtle.
tara , you now what is good!!! my family had one in the 70'S and i cant find it anywhere in the garage. and i looked at the goodwill store in gardena ,and i hit the jackpot!! ,i found one in the box with the containers ,covers ,instructions, i dont think anyone ever used it. im so happy, it works best with light pressure , turn it fast , for light snow like hawaiian shaved ice. got my cherry snow cone juice at smart and final for $2.25, killer. best stuff in the world.nick.
yo tara, i also really love collecting the old pyrex bowls and stuff that my mom served her holiday and various meals in . cool retro colors and designs, i recently noticed rachael ray ,using some pyrex on her cooking shows like 30 minute meals . the big blue bowl that she uses, i have the exact color and design at home. love your blog on the icepet. see ya soon , nick
I think I have a kitchen gadget. Can someone tell me what it's used for: It's 15 1/2" long; 1/2 round 10 1/2" long tubular with a pointed tip and a handheld slide going down the tube.