...for those who savor the look and flavors of yesterday's kitchen...
January 2007
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1. Welcome! 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.
Marion Harland, "House & Home, A Complete Housewife's Guide, Philadelphia, 1889
4. What is it?
Blue Mystery Bowl
Of course it's a bowl, but I received an inquiry from Rhonda wanting help with identification. It's heavy and she's pretty sure it's old pottery. As she said "I can remember it being around forever." It has some markings on the bottom but they are too faint to make out.
She would also like to know if anyone has any ideas on how to read faint markings, so is there a trick anyone knows. If you do, please share it with us. My first guess was Oxfordware but their bowls are usually blue all the way through. My second guess was Universal, but I'm not really sure. She says this was the smallest in a nesting set of three. It looks to be in fairly good condition and I would probably give it a market value of $15.00-$18.00.
I also have a question for you all to ponder and if anyone can help us out with an answer, it would be appreciated.
I have recently obtained a clay or ceramic, unglazed dutch oven. Are they safe to use nowadays. There are a few minor stains on the inside, but nothing drastic. I have heard that you should never use pottery for cooking that has not been glazed. Is that true?? don' want to poision my family. thanks for any help you can give me. I could not find anything on the web at all. thanks again, Barbara Foley.
For the lady who inquired about the Happy Day Griddle, a reader has a suggestion for you:
One of these sold recently on eBay for $22. Your writer should just put it on her eBay Favorites list and then she will be contacted when someone lists one.
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.
Vessels of Love - Kitchen Bowls
Rhonda got me to thinking about the importance of kitchen bowls. I mean what did they do before they were invented? Which came first the plate or the bowl? Believe it or not I think about these things sometimes when I can't sleep. They're what I like to call the little mysteries of life that amuse us all. In any case it got me to thinking how important the kitchen bowl is to us all. Most of us don't go through one day without using one. The following are some examples that are favorites of mine. The first is an old green ware pottery bowl that I've been told is McCoy but I haven't been able to authenticate it for sure. It's from the 1930s or 40s. Green pottery bowls are more collectible and this one or similar ones usually sell for between $80.00-95.00. The second is a favorite of mine because my mama had this whole set down to the tablecloth. It was a Knowles Utility Ware 6 inch bowl and this fruit pattern was very popular. It sells for $25.00 - $30.00.
The third is the set we all probably remember the most, the Pyrex Primary Color Bowls. They sell for anywhere from $45.00 - $185.00. The high end includes an original set in the box, never used with the original label on them. A more average range is $75.00 - $95.00. The last is an 8 inch Fire King Red Dot Splash Bowl which is the second largest of the nesting set. The average price is $65.00-85.00. Of course all of these prices depend on condition and the present market value.
6. Mama's Kitchen Stories
Mama always hated January. She said it felt like two months instead of one. She would spend the whole month talking about how horrible it was and if she could just get to February everything would be okay. I never really understood what the difference was. I mean February was still winter and you were still pretty much stuck in the house, but to her it was like night and day. Her answer to the problem was the one I hated most. It was time to clean the kitchen from top to bottom. She would empty out everything, put new shelf paper down (you remember shelf paper, don't you) and wash every dish we owned before putting it all back. I hated January too because I hated washing dishes. However I hated cleaning that oven and defrosting the refrigerator and freezer more. For some reason my dear mama decided that would be my job.
My first mistake was doing a good job, because from that time forward it became my job for life. Even after I was grown and married, if I came home to visit, she would have the oven and refrigerator waiting for me to clean. If I didn't make it for a year, I could swear she waited for me. I never understood it because she hated anything to be dirty, but those appliances waited for me to come home. While I cleaned, she would sit at the kitchen table and catch me up on all the gossip of the town. I suppose it was her way of sharing and saying "I still need you."
But you better believe I was one of the first to have a self cleaning oven and frost free refrigerator. I figure I'd cleaned enough of them for two lifetimes.
Do you have a kitchen memory to share. Please send it to Mama at mamas@tias.com
7. Tip of the Month
Want to keep your turkey or chicken from drying out while it roasts, Spray it with Pam. I tried this for the first time this thanksgiving and I can't believe the difference it made.
From Sue in Idaho:
To keep woolens from getting wet in snow, spray them with Scotchguard.
Have you got a great kitchen tip or question, please send it along to mamas@tias.com
8. What's New at Mama's Treasures
The owner of Mama's Treasures has opened a second store on Tias.Com. It can be found on Earthling.com just by hitting the link at the top of the main page. In response to many requests for items of a newer nature, she has decided to focus this store on newer gift items as well as collectibles. She also will be including vintage items that can be used in crafts and creating unique gifts. Many items such as vintage postcards are now sought after for crafts such as scrapbooking or decoupage. The same can be said for old buttons and even kitchen items. There will also be Vintage Collectibles for your home, a line of handmade Soaps and Lotions, crafted Christmas Ornaments, Tools, China, Pottery, Magazine Ads, Cookbooks, Signs & Plaques, Kitchen Items, Jewelry, Candles, Fountains, Wind Chimes and much more to come over the next few weeks.
Inventory in this store is still being added and this will continue for quite some time. The new year means spring and these items will be arriving throughout the months of January and February. Right now there is a 15% Off sale on every order no matter how small and this will continue through January 31st. Her goal is to keep prices as low as possible and have frequent sales so the savings can be passed on to the consumer. Mama's Bargain Shack is located at www.tias.com/stores/bargainshack She invites you to drop by and browse, shop if you care to, and remember she loves to get offers. So come on by and see the new place, Mama's Bargain Shack, the shop where Bargain means Bargain!
Joining my mailing list at Mama's Treasures also makes you eligible for promotional coupons and advance notice of sales. New items added include New Kitchen Gadgets, a West Bend Range Set NIB, an Anchor Hocking Water Jar, Aluminum & Stainless Refrigerator Boxes, Pyrex Stripe Bowls, Hazel Atlas Red Stripe Bowls, Pyrex Pink Butterprint Casserole, Vintage Figural Salt & Pepper Shakers, New Costume Jewelry, Vintage Half and Bib Aprons, Crocheted Doilies, 50s &60s Magazine Ads, Kromex Spice Sets, Pyrex Flameware Coffeepots and Double Boilers, a Speed- E-Whipper, Shawnee Flower & Fern Ball Jug, Kodak Cameras, Glass Refrigerator Dishes, 50s Cosmetic and Medical Jars, Cookie Cutters, Holiday Postcards, Federal Red Gingham Checked Bowls, Unopened Duz & Vel Detergent Boxes, Hazel Atlas Strawberry Bowls, a Fire King Red Dot Grease Jar, Pyrex Aqua Mixing Bowls, Tipp City Range and Spice Sets, Vintage Christmas Ornaments and Nativity items, Aluminum Glasses, Vintage Cookbooks, Enamel Dustpan and Bowls, Red Utensil Box, Pyrex Primary Green Mixing Bowls, Juice Decanters, Pyrex Pink Bowls, Anchor Red & Black Stripe Barrel Salt & Pepper Set, Vintage Sewing & Hankies, Primitives, Christmas, Cookbooks, Potholders and much more. Drop by and visit me at http://www.tias.com/stores/mamas. Drop by and visit me at http://www.tias.com/stores/mamas
9. Helpful Resources
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