Ten Rarely Seen Kitchen Items That Have Become Antiquated

There are so many ways in which the kitchen has changed just in our lifetimes alone. But, go back even further, and the kitchen becomes another world entirely, full of devices to process food from scratch and a whole other way of looking at things like shopping and washing. They seem quaint to us today, but make no mistake that most kitchens haven’t contained these items in decades! Here are 10 things you really don’t see in the kitchen anymore.

Butter Churns: Once upon a time, butter was made in the kitchen in small batches for the absolute freshest taste possible, now it’s more of a science project for most families.

Pies Cooling on the Windowsill: Back then, baked goods were often cooled on the windowsill or on a table in front of an open window, but now we use cooling racks in a closed kitchen.

Crockery Pots: From flour to lard to sugar, most things were once kept in crockery pots. Stoneware bowls were also much more common than any type in many frontier homes.

Pie Safes: These were used to keep pies and baked goods out of sight of insects and children, with perforated tin fronts that let steam escape.

Shopping Baskets: Before shopping bags, most people used baskets to collect food from the market (or eggs from the chicken coop or veggies from the garden).

Butter Bowl: Before sticks of butter or fancy glass containers were standard, most people scooped their homemade butter into a crockery bowl and covered it with a saucer or piece of cloth before placing it in the cupboard or on a shelf.

Cast Iron Muffin Pans: These heavy pans, often corn-shaped, have nearly gone extinct. They were once a staple for making muffins.

Hearth Cooking Tools: Using a fireplace to prepare food meant a whole host of specialized equipment to turn and remove food safely, like a spit for roasting meat or a salamander for turning baked goods.

Towel Drying Racks: Long before paper towels, cloth towels were in the kitchen on a daily basis. A small rack to dry them on only made sense, and it was often placed near the stove for quick drying.

Washtub Instead of a Sink: Before each kitchen had a sink, the wash tub or basin was the only place to wash dishes, food, and where dirty dishes were stacked before wash time.