Old, retro, or simply weird kitchen gadgets

epicuric

epicuric

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I am fascinated by unusual, especially well-engineered kitchen gadgets. Some are useful, some are works of art, really special ones are both. Here are a couple of my own favourites, plus a couple I snapped in a charity shop this morning. Do you have any that fall into this category?
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I love them too but not sure I have any. I have such a small kitchen I don't have space. I love the retro green 'n cream flour shaker. Presume the last image is a jar opener (could make a nasty bit of torture kit). What is the one with the yellow handle? A pasta cutter - seems odd as unless its from Italy as no-one ever made their own pasta in the UK in that period (assuming its 50's).
 
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morning glory said:
I love them too but not sure I have any. I have such a small kitchen I don't have space. I love the retro green 'n cream flour shaker. Presume the last image is a jar opener (could make a nasty bit of torture kit). What is the one with the yellow handle? A pasta cutter - seems odd as unless its from Italy no-one ever made their own pasta in the UK in that period (assuming its 50's).
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The flour shaker was a present from my wife - our old one has a very ill fitting lid, and it was only a matter of time before it came off mid shake!
Wrong on both counts! The first is a herb cutter. I remember my grandmother having one, but it only had a single set of wheels attached to a handle. The second is a Victorian, silver plated egg topper. Indeed it would bring tears to the eyes! I am tempted to go back and buy it - I feel the need to see if it actually works. On hard boiled eggs, that is.
 
I can't really say I've got anything too much in this category, but I can offer one item that still gets a lot of use. This is a bottle opener that I acquired in Eritrea. One the back is the word "Melotti" in Tigrigna and English. Melotti is an Eritrean brewery, founded in the 1930s by an Italian of that name during the brief Italian colonial period. The brewery still exists, although it is government owned these days and known as the Asmara Brewery.

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Duck59 said:
I can't really say I've got anything too much in this category, but I can offer one item that still gets a lot of use. This is a bottle opener that I acquired in Eritrea. One the back is the word "Melotti" in Tigrigna and English. Melotti is an Eritrean brewery, founded in the 1930s by an Italian of that name during the brief Italian colonial period. The brewery still exists, although it is government owned these days and known as the Asmara Brewery.

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That looks a good piece of kit. Is it just me, or is there something deeply satisfying in using old, well-engineered equipment that still works as well as it did when first made?
 
epicuric said:
The first is a herb cutter. I remember my grandmother having one, but it only had a single set of wheels attached to a handle. The second is a Victorian, silver plated egg topper. Indeed it would bring tears to the eyes! I am tempted to go back and buy it - I feel the need to see if it actually works. On hard boiled eggs, that is.
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Ah! Its a question of scale which I couldn't tell from the images. You must buy the egg topper. I want it! And please post photos of the result when you try it out.
 
morning glory said:
Ah! Its a question of scale which I couldn't tell from the images. You must buy the egg topper. I want it! And please post photos of the result when you try it out.
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No! It's £35, and I seldom eat boiled eggs. Maybe I can borrow it for a couple of days...
 
epicuric said:
No! It's £35, and I seldom eat boiled eggs. Maybe I can borrow it for a couple of days...
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If its in an antique shop then beat them down on the price. 'What could you do this for?' is the stock phrase. If its only silver plated then its over priced. I'd pay £15 for it but I doubt they would do it that cheap.
 
@epicuric - my grandmother had one exactly like that (but not blue) - I haven't seen one in years. God knows what sort of health-risk they posed ...

@morning glory - where does the £8 reference come from? and is that a lot of money these days in the UK? I seem to recall a mention on here very recently that a packet of ciggies costs £9.....
 
Wandering Bob said:
@epicuric - my grandmother had one exactly like that (but not blue) - I haven't seen one in years. God knows what sort of health-risk they posed ...

@morning glory - where does the £8 reference come from? and is that a lot of money these days in the UK? I seem to recall a mention on here very recently that a packet of ciggies costs £9.....
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I thought I spotted what looks like £8 on the label on the blue part.
 
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