...for those who savor the look and flavors of yesterday's kitchen...
February 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.
William Kitchiner, "The Cooks Oracle," London 1827.
4. What is it?
Double-Gripper Jar Wrench
I have only seen these in pictures before and this is the first one I have ever found. It's heavy as the dickens but it does work and works very well.
The bottom wrench is made to hold the jar tightly while the top wrench pivots and opens the lid. It can be found in Linda Franklin's book, "300 Years of Kitchen Collectibles" on page 780. Book value is somewhere between $25.00-$65.00.
Hi, just wanted to drop you a quick note. Oxfordware WAS Universal Potteries, it was a line they put out. They did a lot of different color schemes, solids and decals. From what I understand, most of these wares were manufactured for and sold by Sears Roebuck. Check out www.ohioriverpottery.com, on the "dinnerware shapes" page.
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.
Open Wide - Can and Jar Openers
What would we do without openers? How many of us have stood at a kitchen counters banging on a lid with the end of a knife trying to loosen the thing? Can you get an electric can opener to work? I can't and I still use a manual one. I'll have to rob my own stock if it ever breaks. The first one is a green and cream can opener made by A&J. They were the best thing around in the 1940s and still work great. Book value is somewhere around $10- $15. The second is a Wizard jar opener and I think every kitchen in America probably had one of these or some form of it. Book value is around $6-$8.
The third is an Arcadia jar opener which was made in Arcadia, Wisconsin and I haven't seen too many of these. I couldn't find anything similar in any books so I would estimate the value at $6-$10. The last is one of my favorites. It's a Punch N Cover for cans of evaporated milk. Not only did it open them, it helped keep the milk fresh. Book Value is $12-$15. Of course all these values depend on condition and market value at the time you either buy or sell it.
6. Mama's Kitchen Stories
The only time I remember sitting in our living room was when we watched Television and before that it was listening to the radio. It wasn't a place for doing homework or talking. It was never used for games or putting together puzzles. If I wanted to have a serious conversation with my mama or grandma, they would get up and say "Let's go into the kitchen".
Our kitchen was like the boardroom of a company and a confessional of a church. All of the big decisions were made there with my mama at the head of the table. Every argument I had with my mama was at the kitchen table. Every board or card game I played with my brothers was at the kitchen table. Practically every lesson I learned in my growing years took place at that table. There was no room in our house that was treated with more respect. I think that was one of the reasons my mama cared more about how her kitchen looked than any room in the house. I have to say I feel the same way. There's something about a kitchen that both anchors us and brings us together in a way no other room can.
I still see my mama sitting at that table every day and I often talk over things with her or have a good cry. My dog probably thinks I'm crazy, but I know she can still hear me and she always guides me to the right answer.
Do you have a kitchen memory to share. Please send it to Mama at mamas@tias.com
7. Tip of the Month
To avoid stains in your plastic containers, spray with non stick cooking spray before pouring in tomato-based sauces.
Patricia wrote:
The following might come in handy where you've previously suggested using the sharp point of a steak knife to get old grease out of crevices (Tips - April 2006). I've found that the easiest way to get grease off any glass bakeware, including out of the crevices, is a product called "Corningware Cleaner". It's not hard to find and is sold in hardware stores, big box stores, and major department stores. Although it's similar to toothpaste in consistency, it does a much better job for this purpose. It even removed what appeared to be YEARS of baked-on grease from items I found at garage sales or second-hand stores! I must include one warning. Since it does such a wonderful job, I decided to use it to clean grease around the burner rings on my stove top. Oh, oh! The porcelain finish scratches much more easily than glass, and it didn't even take much scrubbing for the scratches to show up. Even worse, I thought I'd do the ENTIRE stove top; since it was after supper and the light was rather poor, I didn't discover until the next morning that I'd done a real number on the finish. Don't repeat my mistake - but don't avoid a great product because of it either!
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
Starting this month, this newsletter will be coming on a bi-monthly basis. The next edition will be in April. I'm a one woman operation and there are only so many hours in the day for me to keep up with four stores, grandchildren, a dog and a husband who's favorite words are "What's for dinner?" I would like to keep doing it on a monthly basis but I have to recognize my limitations as I grow older and I find myself yearning for naps instead of jewelry.
As of January 10th most of the items from the Half Price Table category were moved to the Bargain Shack. This store will be operated as a clearance market for all her sale and reduced price items from Mama's Treasures. Yes, you can still make offers and even though the prices are reduced, there will always be opportunities for additional discounts. Mama's Bargain Shack can be found on www.Earthling.com just by hitting the link at the top of the main page. This store will focus on newer gift items as well as collectibles. She 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. 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 1940s & 50s Cookbooks, Aprons, Vintage Valentines, Handpainted and Colored Vases, a West Bend Coppertone S&P NIB, New Cameras, Lefton Tomato S&P set, a Foley Rolling Cutter, Vintage Darners, Sewing Books, Aluminum Freezer Containers, Crown Colony, Ann Page and Standby Spice Tins, Wax Paper Dispenser, Tipp City S&P on Holder, Shawnee Pot N Saucers, Pyrex & Fire King Measuring Cups, Vintage Garden Tools, Xmas Cardboard Houses, Nativity Sheep, Butter Crocks, Costume Jewelry, an England Skyline Red Utensil Set NIB, a Pyrex Two Tone Yellow Chip N Dip NIB, Hazel Atlas Dutch Skaters Salt & Pepper Shakers, Federal Refrigerator Dishes with Original Labels, Federal Yellow Dot & Orange Dot Bowls, New Kitchen Gadgets, an Anchor Hocking Water Jar, Aluminum & Stainless Refrigerator Boxes, Pyrex Striped Bowls, Hazel Atlas Red Stripe & Strawberry Bowls, Pyrex Pink Butterprint Casserole, Vintage Figural Salt & Pepper Shakers, Vintage Half and Bib Aprons, Crocheted Doilies, 50s &60s Magazine Ads, Kromex Spice Sets, Pyrex Flameware Coffeepots and Double Boilers. Drop by and visit me at http://www.tias.com/stores/mamas I love to chat, answer questions and I always consider reasonable offers.
9. Helpful Resources
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