From Mama's Kitchen
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...for those who savor the look and flavors of yesterday's kitchen... |
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April 2006
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Mama's Kitchen is a free newsletter about kitchen collectibles. This newsletter is designed to be entertaining and educational, but also a dialogue among those who have a fondness for kitchen items of all kinds. I hope you'll join us for a few memories, giggles, laughs and some useful information about kitchen collectibles. I am not an expert in any field, but I have been buying and selling kitchen items for over 9 years and loving them for a lifetime. Remember collecting anything should be fun. This is especially true when you can use your collection on a daily basis. Please let me know if there is a particular item you would like featured in upcoming issues. |
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| Just when I thought I'd seen it all, I'll come across an interesting gadget or a version of something common that I have never seen. I am fascinated by trivia that is kitchen related. I thought I would share a few of my most recently learned facts about the history of kitchenalia. All of these great facts can be found in the book, "300 Years of Kitchen Collectibles, 5th Edition," by Linda Campbell Franklin. Did you know....
...that a combined rolling pin and dough cutter was patented in 1894 by Charles Goodnough of Nough, Tennessee. ... in 1809 Washington Irving described some tasty treats called dough nuts as an enormous dish of balls of sweetened dough, fried in hog's fat. ...the earliest type of mechanical beater was a bow or fiddle beater. ...works when bow is sawed back and forth. A cord passing through two small holes in support frame turns beater first one way, then the other , as it winds and unwinds on a central shaft. ...in 1809in response to General Napoleon's challenge to find a way to keep food fresh or safe to eat for his fighting troops, the concept of the supposedly long term , airless preservation of food became practical. The French Confectioner, chef, pickler and bottler Nicholas Appert won a 12,000 Franc award by devising a way to put food up in glass containers. ...as far back as 1853 the term "dodger" meaning a soft, flat, pancake sort of patty (usually made with cornmeal), was applied to a minced beef patty called a beef dodger. ..."A chopping knife with only one blade is much better than one with two blades. the blade should be almost straight across. When it is rounded a good deal, much time and strength are wasted in chopping." Maria Parloa, Kitchen Companion,...1887. ..."The art of garnishing dishes is the art of ornamenting them, and making them look elegant, and thus satisfying the eye as well as the palate. Various materials are used for this purpose. Among the most popular are cock' combs, plovers, and hens' eggs boiled hard, prawns and small crayfish, button mushrooms glazed, stamped pieces of vegetables such as carrot, turnip, parsnip, beet root, and truffles, stoned olives, gherkins, fried croutons of bread, aspic jelly, horse radish, cut lemon and parsley.....The task of garnishing effectively is an easy one." Henry Scammel, Treasure House, 1891. ...the Dazey churn was patented by the Dazey Churn & Manufacturing Company in St. Louis, Missouri in 1922. ...the original dover egg beater was patented in 1870 by Turner Williams and was originally called the "Williams Egg Beater. ...a Spurtle is an idiosyncratically-shaped carved wooden stirring paddle, adapted to various uses (like the rubber spatulas we use today)...
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Recipe for:
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Walnut Ketchup |
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1 Gallon expressed juice of tender walnuts
2 lbs anchovies
2 lbs shallots |
1 oz cloves
1 oz mace
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1 oz pepper
1 clove garlic |
Boil or simmer a gallon of the expressed juice of walnuts when they are tender, and skim it well; add 2 pounds of anchovies, 2 pounds shallots, 1 ounce cloves, 1 ounce mace, 1 ounce pepper, 1 clove garlic. Let all simmer until the shallots sink. Put the liquor in a pan till cold, bottle and divide the spices to each. |
"Anthony Florian Willich, the Domestic Encyclopedia”, Philadelphia: A. Small, 1821.
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 The Air-O-Mix was a mayonnaise mixer, eggbeater, drink mixer, and cream whipper. The glass was embossed with directions. It had a conical beater of the type used by the makers of mixer & syllabub churns for at least 75 years before. There was one made by Bentley-Jones, Inc. in Montgomery Alabama. The most well known one was made by Wesson Oil and was named the Wesson Oil Mayonnaise Maker. It appeared in ads from late 1933 through 1934. The book value is $25-$55.
Do you have an odd piece of kitchenalia that you'd care to share or ask others to help you identify? Just e-mail a picture and your thoughts to mamas@tias.com and we'll post it and any responses here. |
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Beaters are used to whip cream, eggs, batter, etc. and generally fall into three broad categories: fixed, mechanical, or rotary. Fixed beaters are guided by hand motion and include simple wire and coiled wire designs. Mechanical beaters involve pushing up and down on the top to create a revolving motion.
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| Rotary beaters involve a geared wheel and crank mechanism where rotating blades create the mixing action. Rotary whippers usually have a faster motion that adds additional aeration to the mixture. |
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One of my favorite memories was sitting in my grandmother's kitchen watching her cook on an old wood stove. It was my job to feed the kindling into the stove and I felt so very important. Cooking was an everyday part of life from gathering eggs to killing the chicken for Sunday dinner. I don't really remember being taught to cook. I think I just absorbed all the wonderful smells and actions that went on around me. What I remember most was the feeling of closeness as three generations would gather to prepare a meal. There was no measuring or fancy equipment. Everyone just seemed to know what to do. One of the most amazing things I remember was my grandmother making meringue for her lemon meringue pie. She'd simply put the egg whites, sugar and vanilla in a bowl, take a dinner fork and start to whip. It was the best meringue I've ever tasted and I've never been able to repeat what she accomplished with any piece of machinery. I asked her years later how she did it and she laughed and said, "Linda, it wasn't me. The eggs were just better. The chickens didn't have all those chemicals pumped into them." I guess she was right, but I still think she had some kind of magic wrist action that made that meringue.
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If you're trying to clean up old baking dishes, put them on some newspapers and spray them with oven cleaner or a product like Dawn Dissolver. Let it sit for 15-20 minutes then go back and scrub. A sharp point of a steak knife is great for getting old grease out of crevices. Have you got a great kitchen tip or question, please send it along to mamas@tias.com |
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The home page of Mama's Treasures has been revamped to make it easier for you to find your favorite collectibles. I've also added a new category called the "Half Price Table." Any item ordered from this category will be discounted 50% after the order is placed. Joining my mailing list also makes you eligible for promotional coupons and advance notice of sales. New items added include Federal Pastel Colored Nesting Bowls, Vintage Cookbooks & Potholders, Pyrex Primary Color Nesting Bowl Set, Wesson Oil Mayonnaise Beater Jar, Pyrex Flameware Teapots, Coffeepots, & Double Boilers, Vintage Sewing & Hankies, Primitives and much more. Drop by and visit at www.tias.com/stores/mamas I love to chat, answer questions and we always consider reasonable offers. |
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- What's it worth? Try Kovels' free online price guide to over 300,000 antiques and collectibles. It can be found online at http://www.kovels.com
- Looking for an expert to help you with repairs, or an appraisal? Or just some help finding an auction house or a collectors club? Try this free service at http://www.tias.com/stores/kovelsyellow/
- Looking for prices for antiques and collectibles?
PriceMiner.com has millions of them. Most items listed include color photos as well. Sign up today at: http://tinyurl.com/c6oqc (Not affiliated with Kovels.com) - Get an online appraisal for just $9.95 from “What's It Worth To You?” http://whatsitworthtoyou.com/tias.htm (Not affiliated with Kovels.com)
- The Latest News regarding Antiques & Collectibles Take a look at http://www.new-antique.com
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Thank you for reading! Thanks for reading! Feel free to forward this to a friend. |
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