Kitchen Renovations - week 4

[turquoisedude]

Whoa! I haven't seen that one before! It must be a freezer on the bottom; very ahead of it's time with the roll-out drawers.
Actually, this has now given me an idea for what to do with the pair of GE cabinets that were included with the GE Kitchen Centre I have. Imagine these mounted under the refrigerator - all lit up with the original built-in lights and the radio!

 

[toploader55]

Wow Paul

I rarely check out this forum, but your kitchen is going to be beautiful.It looks just spectacular so far. Good Luck. I'll e-mail you later. Eddie

 

[swestoyz]

Holly cow - this was fast! Things are looking great.

Tell me, how satisfying is it to bake something in a vintage stove, in a kitchen that you've been working on? I need to know - my project has been on going for 2.5 years and I'm just barely now getting ready to work on the kitchen after completing the rest of the house.

Ben

 

[danemodsandy]

GE Refrigeration Centre:

That pic is of a GE idea that was great, but one that not too many people actually bought into. The upper, refrigerator portion is our old friend, the GE wall-mount refrigerator. Added to it is two GE roll-out freezer drawer units, a countertop, and the backsplash storage unit. The freezer drawers are the same ones found in GE's upper-series units of 1958-59. The combination would have made for an awesome amount of very convenient freezer space, but the amount of reefer space was not consistent with the amount of money one would have spent. I'm guesstimating that the whole shebang would have retailled for a grand or perhaps a bit more in late '50s dollars, which was a bloody fortune back then, equal to a bit over $7000 today. We had a '59 GE reefer that was the talk of the neighbourhood at around $400 new - one model below the TOL, with the same freezer drawer seen in this ad.

 

[turquoisedude]

how satisfying is it to bake something in a vintage stove

Ben, for this one it was like climbing Everest! I was lucky that the range on the kitchen centre didn't need a lot of work and I found the parts I needed pretty quickly. I felt a kind of satisfaction and pride knowing that I got the 'dream' range and that I was able to use it! I have been asked what the ultimate test of this oven would be by friends and neighbors - my answer: Chiffon cake. There'll probably be a whole thread about that when I get the counters installed and can move everything back into the kitchen again!!

 

[mattl]

Chiffon cake

Wow, I thought I was the only one around that still makes these! Growing up those where our celebration cakes - Birthdays, Anniversarys, what ever. My mother accumulated about 2 dozen variations of this great cake. I still make them from time to time, even got a copper liner for my Kitchen Aid mixer just for whipping egg whites.

Back on topic, the kitchen is shaping up nicely. I like your choice of wood cabinets, retro, but still modern enough not to look dated. I'm not a preservationist like many here, I like to take the best of the old and mix it with the best of the new.

 

[rayjay]

Chiffon Cake

Hi Matt. Well...another thing in common. lol Is this a Polish thing??? lol

I make the Chiffon Cakes a lot in the summer. Orange, lemon... I have found the best recipe in the New Joy of Cooking cookbok, the one that came out around 5 years ago. I find it to me the moistest lightest cake yet. If you do not have the cookbook, I can send you the recipe. The cake keeps are leat 5 days. Serve it with fresh fruit, and a dusting of powder sugar. At times make a 7 min orange or lemon frostin with it.

Ray

 

[turquoisedude]

mmmm.... Seven minute icing

Ray, that is my all-time favorite icing for a chiffon cake!

I use the old BH & G recipes - if anyone ever would like some, just let me know!!

 

[whirlaway]

Kitchen Center

I have one in my garage,runs quiet as a mouse,but it is only half,full 2dr fridge on top one large freezer on the bottom,a pull out.Counter space in the middle with a illuminated glass behind it and white with gold fleck formica,I got it free they were remodeling their and were going to throw it out.Fridge lights up very bright inside,keeps excellant temperatures.

 

[danemodsandy]

Bobby (Whirlaway):

Is your Kitchen Centre like the one shown, or is it one of the '60s units? The one in the pic was modular; you bought the freezer drawers and the storage backsplash (the piece between the wall-mounted reefer and the countertop) separately. In the '60s, GE made a unit that looked pretty similar, but it was made all in one cabinet, with one big freezer drawer. Now those things are hard to find! If you have one, you're a lucky guy.

 

[classiccaprice]

It's one of the '60s units.... The Americana is a beautiful fridge

 

[swestoyz]

Thanks Paul. Crossing fingers that I'll be at your current state sometime late spring. I bought this GE just days before I closed on the house. Sometimes I forget it is even around!

Thanks for sharing your adventure with us. Quite inspiring!

Ben

 

[turquoisedude]

Awesome range!

Ben, that is a beauty! Can I venture a guess that it's a 1959 model (based on the 'keyboard' surface unit controls)? I recognize the outlet for the griddle attachment that came with these ranges - do you still have that??

 

[swestoyz]

Thanks Paul! It is actually a 1958 built Stratoliner which was a carryover from the 1957 styling. Always thought this was one of the ultimate late 50's styling.

Still needs a good cleaning and detailing of the controls, and I would like to replace the automatic calrod unit with an infinate heat unit. I do not have the griddle attachement for it. While it would be fun to have, I think I can live without it.

 

[whirlaway]

Fridge and stove

The one Ihave is one big unit.Large freezer on the bottom,but the only drawback the top fridge is not as deep as a standard.Any food trays from Costco I have to put in my 1930 Frigidair in my kitchen.I have a stove like the one pictured above only with 2ovens.Its like brand new,it has chrome inside the doors.It came with my 1938 home when I bought it.I think it is a 1958 model.Thanks Bobby