.for those who savor the look and flavors of yesterday's kitchen.
February 2008
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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.
The company's name quickly shortened to Ekco as the brand name. By the 1930s, kitchen tools and utensils were added to the line after they acquired the A&J Company. In 1939, Edward's son, Arthur, took over the company. From the 1940s there were several acquisitions including a cutlery firm, a metal stamping plant, a wood products company, and a plastics molder. All were combined under the Ekco name. By the 1950s, the company was heralding itself as "the greatest name in housewares," and to be honest they did make just about every imaginable kind of pan, utensil or gadget.
The company continued to expand during the 1950s and 1960s into such product categories as shoe trees, garment stretchers, bathroom fixtures, and storage lockers. In 1965 Ekco was acquired by American Home Products and continues in operation today. If you go to any kitchen store, you'll still find an array of Ekco products proudly bearing the name. If you'd like to know more about Ekco products, I recommend the following books, "Spiffy Kitchen Collectibles" by Brian Alexander and "Hot Kitchen & Home Collectibles" by C. Dianne Zweig.
Heat in saucepan 1 can (19 ounces) tomatoes, 1 medium onion minced, 3 Tablespoons minced green pepper, ½ cup diced celery, 1 bay leaf, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook slowly until the celery is tender. Remove the bay leaf. Add ¾ cup soft bread crumbs, and 2/3 cup canned peas, drained. Using one half the mixture, place equal portions in 4 individual casseroles. Sprinkle each with cheddar cheese (about 1/8 cup). Repeat using the remainder of the mixture. Make a dent, and break one egg into each depression; sprinkle lightly with salt. Bake about 15 minutes in a 350 degree oven or until the eggs are set.
"The Kate Smith, Company's Coming, Cookbook," by Kate Smith, Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1958..
If you have a favorite recipe to share, please send it to mamas@tias.com and we'll pass it along.
Tony has a question:
I remember visiting my Aunt Lucille's house as a kid and the thing I remember most is that she was always baking, or canning. One of my all time favorites were her pickled eggs, now these weren't the pickled eggs with beets, these eggs were still white once they were pickled. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to make them?
4. What is it? Ekco / Ovenex Heart Baking Pan
I don't know if this is true but my customers tell me that nothing is as good for baking as the old Ovenex pans. I certainly sell a lot of them. There must have been something magical in the old tin and aluminum manufacturing process because everything just seems to cook, roast and bake better. I know I wouldn't give up my mama's turkey pan for anything and I have four sister-in-laws all begging me for it when I die. Ekco made every kind of baking pan imaginable and nobody could compete with their prices. This heart shaped pan has a quilted texture which was typical of Ovenex pans. The book value is $15-$18 but they can be found for much less. I would have to say the market value is about $6.00-$10.00 depending on condition.
Due to the death of a friend, I have acquired two "Happy Day Griddles" manufactured by the William Watkins Co, Evanston, Ill. They have been very well used but look like they could clean up well with a little work. Can someone tell me a little about these?
Jen asks;
Have you seen the colored Aluminum Picnic Plates? I have been looking for them for years. They are so neat, The colors are the same as the Colored Aluminum Glasses.(Purple- Pink-Red-Green-Gold-Blue-Yellow-Magenta) I really hope to find them someday, at a reasonable price, I have (1), it's in pretty bad shape. When I was young, I ate popcorn out of the Glasses it kept it real warm. If I drank kool-aid from them, it was so cold you couldn't hardly hold the glass.
If anyone can help answer these questions, just e-mail me at mamas@tias.com.
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.
Ekco Utensils - The $.39 Cent Marvel
When I was young, one of my favorite places to go was the Ben Franklin Five and Dime store. I would spend a lot of time wandering the aisles dreaming of what I would buy when I was grown up. It was almost as good as the Sears & Roebuck catalogue that came every year. I remember well the Ekco gadget displays and I was fascinated by them, probably because we didn't have a lot of them. Yes, you really could buy them for $.39 cents in the 1950s. I confess that I'm a hand held gadget junkie. You can still find me gazing at gadgets in kitchen stores across the country. I just love buying them and finding out they actually work. Now, I sell a lot of gadgets and utensils. I still find the old ones are the best. They work well and seem to last forever, whereas the newer ones seem to have a much shorter life span. I'm still using the Ekco vegetable peeler, paring knife, eggbeater, and other gadgets I purchased 39 years ago as a young bride. I've tried others but always seem to go back to my ones made by Ekco. The first one pictured is an Ekco Miracle Ice Cream Scoop. It has a bright red plastic handle and sells for $10.00-$15-00. However, you can find book value on them up to $35.00 if they have the original box. The second one is an Ekco Ice Pick. I still have my mama's that we used to break up the big square ice blocks with in the summer to ice up watermelons and pop in big washtubs. These sell for between $$8.00-$12.00. I haven't really found a book value on them.
The third is a small Ekco strainer that still has the original price tag of $.49 cents on it. These have a book value of $8.00-$12.00. The market value is about $4.00-$10.00 depending on condition. The last is an original Ekco utensil set with wood handles in the original box. You don't find very many of these but every once in awhile one comes on the market. They originally sold for under $10.00. The book value now is $125.00-$150.00 and they sell for that much if they are in near mint condition
6. Mama's Kitchen Stories
My grandma and mama never owned a lot of fancy kitchen gadgets or appliances. They never seemed to need them. Most of the ones that came into our kitchen new were the product of trading stamps or premiums. We had a meat grinder because it was considered essential. There was an old chopper and an aluminum sieve. Mostly I remember my mama's paring knife. She did everything with it. She sliced, diced, minced and chopped with that little knife. She even skinned rabbits and squirrels with it. I don't know how she kept it sharp because I don't remember her ever sharpening it. She used it so much that the blade eventually wore down to almost nothing. She was 60 years old when she went to the store and bought a new one. She used it once, put it in the drawer and went back to her old knife. I never understood why new wasn't better when I was growing up. I remember her trying to explain it to me once. She said that when you use something everyday, it becomes part of you and you're comfortable with it. It's like having an old friend keep you company. I was young and laughed. Now I'm 60 and I understand because I have drawers of old friends too.
Do you have a kitchen memory to share. Please send it to Mama at mamas@tias.com
7. Kitchen Tips
Cheryl from Wyoming wrote;
To stop mildew buildup on shower curtains, use pinking shears to cut off the bottom seam of a liner or a non-decorative plastic curtain so the water drips off.
Mark from Missouri wrote:
To get rid of the lingering smell of burnt popcorn in your microwave, fill a large microwave-safe bowl with one cup of water and sprinkle your favorite spice like cinnamon or add several drops of vanilla or lemon extract. Bring to a boil. Let it sit inside the microwave for ten to fifteen minutes to cool down. Simply wipe the walls down with paper towels. Leave the door open to further air it out.
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
Mama's Bargain Shack is a clearance market for some of older merchandise from Mama's Treasures. I add both new and vintage items each month. Yes, you can still make offers even though the prices are reduced. We always have some kind of sale in progress. Mama's Bargain Shack can be found on Earthling.com just by hitting the link at the top of the main page. New: American flag Throws, Key Keeper Racks, Christmas Postcards, Country Garlands and Table Centerpieces, Christmas Ornaments and Costume Jewelry will be arriving in the store this month. I've added over 100 new vintage collectibles from my sister store Mama's Treasures, and I'll be adding more every month. You'll be seeing recently added items such as Germany & Bavaria Fruit Plates, Noritake Soup Cups & Plates, American Flags, Hazel Atlas Glasses, Wade Figures, Pyrex Bowls & Casseroles, Spice Tins, Kitchen Utensils, Cosmetic Advertising, New Plastic Salt & Pepper Shakers, Spice Jars and Range Shakers, Embroidered Kitchen Towels, Primitive Accessories, and much more. Merchandise is being added daily so keep on the lookout for that perfect gift for yourself or someone special. Mama's Bargain Shack is located at www.tias.com/stores/bargainshack. I invite you to drop by and browse, shop if you care to, and remember I love to get offers. So come on by for a visit at Mama's Bargain Shack, the Shop Where Everything is on Sale!
Joining my mailing list at Mama's Treasures or Mama's Bargain Shack also makes you eligible for promotional coupons and advance notice of sales. Over 900 items have recently been reduced 15%-40%. New items added at Mama's Treasures include a Kromex Canister Set and Grease Can, a Sardine Server, a Doughnut Cutter, Aluminum Sieves with Pestles, Red Bakelite Utensils, Pyrex Yellow Stripe #401 Bowls, Vintage Cookbooks, Tipp City Red Poppy Salt and Pepper and Spice Set, a Pyrex Cookie Jar and Cracker Barrel Set NIP, an Androck Green Bakelite Eggbeater, Christmas Postcards, an Aqua Top Kromex Spice Set, an Ekcoline Aqua and White Utensil Set, an A&J Ekco 4400 Red Wood Utensil Set NIB, a Rare Federal Red Harlequin Bowl Set, Advertising Pie Pans, a Black Art Deco Line Range Set, Pyrex Autumn Harvest Canisters. Foley Aluminum Juicers, Tap Icer NIB, Green & Red Bakelite Cake Breakers, New Costume Jewelry, Christmas Nativity Figures, Foley Gravy Forks & Choppers, Duz and Lux Detergent Boxes NIB, DeVault Graters & Peelers in the Original Package, a Springerle Dough Board, an Artbeck Pyrex Baster in the Original Box, Maynard Pink Egg Beaters, Primitive Soap Savers, Plastic Refrigerator Dishes, Hazel Atlas Jelly Jars, Duncan Hines Baster , Vintage Apron Patterns, A&J Ten Piece Red Wood Handle Utensil Set NIB, Pyrex Flameware Teapots, Coffeepots, and Double Boilers, Pyrex Primary Color Bowl Set, Fire King Tulip Bowls, New Vintage Advertising, Libby Pink & Black Pitcher and Glasses, a Lux Timer NIB, Federal Sugar Shakers, Mirro Cookie Cutters NIP, Darners, Buttons, Star Thread Box, Pincushions, Button Covers, Tupperware Measuring Cups & Pin Holder and much more! Drop by and visit me at www.tias.com/stores/mamas. I love to chat, answer questions and I always consider reasonable offers.
Drop by and visit me at www.tias.com/stores/mamas I love to chat, answer questions and I always consider reasonable offers.
9. Helpful Resources
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