My rare?/ hard to find vintage appliances

[dometicsavant]

Hello everyone! So I just got some new purchases in and wanted to share some of my newest finds. Some of them, especially the lady Casco chef mate- are very rare or hard to find. The other photos I’m including are my other appliances I own and adore using! Enjoy
Lady casco chef mate: blender, stand mixer, bean grinder, juicer, knife sharpener.
Jet-o-matic ranch grill: stainless steel griddle (with removable top)
Farberware 2 1/2 quart electric casserole set
General Electric percolator (I use twice a day)
Sunbeam automagically egg cooker (used twice a day)
General Electric 10speed hand mixer
Montgomery ward 12 speed stand mixer
1949 Westinghouse roaster oven (r-91)
Farberware Electric frypan
2 salton warming trays
(Not shown- lady vanity electric knife. Blades shown on my wall)

Please share anything you have or own that’s rare, every day use or if you have any stories connected to what you see I have!

 

[sarahperdue]

Super collection!

Timmy,

Thanks for sharing. I love the style of the Farberware appliances.

I have the older Sunbeam egg cooker with poaching tray. It's the appliance I went from never knowing it existed to being certain I couldn't live without it in about 30 seconds. I sometimes make mini quiches in the poaching cups.

I also have a similar Farberware electric skillet. In my opinion, electric skillets are one of the "forgotten appliances" of an earlier era that really stood the test of time. Nothing, in my opinion, heats as evenly as a high quality electric skillet.

Daily drivers--Sunbeam C30 vacuum Coffeemaster. More trouble than drip or percolators, but worth it.
Nesco Roaster oven found on the curb with all original paperwork.
Sunbeam orange and woodgrain custom select blender. For those of you who remember Kelly,
I mentioned that I needed one, and he popped his in a box and shipped it to me.
This is just a start...

Large appliances--
GE P7 double oven--Never installed until I bought it from Craigslist
GE Americana refrigerator from my friend John, mixrman
GE wall fridge also from mixrman
Frigidaire turquoise double wall oven

Timmy, your closet is also beautiful--a level of organization and lack of clutter that I can only dream of attaining.

Sarah

 

[rp2813]

I agree that if you don't have a Sensi-Temp burner or the equivalent, an electric skillet offers a solution.  I have a Farberware, but it's the buffet server without the long handle, which I prefer.

 

I had a similar vintage Sunbeam egg cooker and a later Oster, but I couldn't get them to cook eggs to my liking, so went back to poaching, soft and hard boiling in a pot on the stove.  A friend has a Sunbeam and swears by it.

 

That's a very interesting Lady Casco mixer.  Right up there with the Presto that rocked back and forth as far as designs that never caught on are concerned.

 

[lordkenmore]

>In my opinion, electric skillets are one of the "forgotten appliances" of an earlier era that really stood the test of time. Nothing, in my opinion, heats as evenly as a high quality electric skillet.

Interesting thought about "forgotten appliance". I haven't used those words, but I have thought--or at least wondered if--they are forgotten by many in today's world. About 10 years ago, I heard an older woman, even, commenting about getting an electric skillet, and how handy it was when she was staying extended periods in a place that had a limited kitchen.

I've noticed, too, that the selection is pretty limited. I haven't aggressively gone electric skillet shopping, but it seems like the ones I see are always cheap $30 models. It's been years since I saw anything better.

My mother used electric skillets a lot. I remember her having them even when I was very, very young. And later on, it seemed like the electric skillet was one of her go-to choices in the kitchen. It's very likely she used it more than any stove top pan.

I, myself, oddly haven't used them much. I, too, have forgotten in the sense of actually using, even if I haven't forgotten the existence of electric skilles. I think I had a bias when young--a feeling "well, why not just get good pans for the stove that will last forever?" More recently, it's been a case of me just doing things with a regular pan automatically because that's what I've done so long. But at point I did use an electric skillet regularly because I had no stove or even hotplate to use. It fixed that problem--but I also noted some niceties, like the thermostatic control. Maybe I should dust off the skillet and start using it again.

 

[lordkenmore]

Sarah

I've got a dumb question. In your second photo it looks like there is a mini Sunbeam vacuum pot to the left of the big Sunbeam. What is that? Is it just decorative? Or is there some functionality (e.g., sugar holder)?

 

[ea56]

My Mom had a Presto Submersible Electric Frying Pan that she bought in about 1958, when they first came out, and she used it EVERYDAY for years. Finally in about 1982 I bought her one of the new, large Presto Electric Frying pans, (even though her old one still worked after almost 25 years if constant use), and she used that one until she passed away in 2004. About a year ago I happened to run across the thank you note she sent me and she remarked about how nice it was to be able to make so many pancakes at once in her new pan.

She even used to make Pineapple Upside Down cakes in the first Presto, one of my Dad’s favorite desserts.

Eddie

 

[lordkenmore]

>about 1982 I bought her one of the new, large Presto Electric Frying pans, (even though her old one still worked after almost 25 years if constant use)

My mother had a large Presto for many years--much wider than the common squarish electric skillets. Harvest gold, with IIRC a non-stick coating inside. I think she got it in mid-70s, and used it until the late 1980s. It still worked electrically (although the thermostat control was replaced once), but the handle mounts had gotten too flimsy, she felt, and the inside coating was worn.

I wish I could report 25 years of service life, but I don't think my mother ever saw that with any electric skillet. (I know of at least one other, maybe two, electric skillets that came before the Presto.)

 

[sarahperdue]

Salt shakers

Good eye, John,

The miniature is a set of salt and pepper shakers. I've been resisting them for years. I found a pair on eBay for a good price and caved. Aren't they cute?

Sarah

 

[lordkenmore]

Thanks, Sarah!

Those are cute!

Now I want a set. (My rational side now says: You must be strong and resist, John. Must be strong. Must resist. Must be strong. Must resist. LOL)

 

[lordkenmore]

The Sunbeam-style salt and pepper shakers reminds that there are other things that have some function, but are styled to match some bigger item.

One of the things that I really wanted once was a kitchen radio styled to look like a refrigerator. I think Westinghouse might have made these, and I also think I recall--but don't quote me on this--that there were even deals once where that radio would get included as a perk if you bought the refrigerator.

 

[dometicsavant]

Sarah: thank you so much for sharing those photos! I have to say I am in love with your nesco roaster oven. It’s so beautiful and the design is so eye catching!

I never thought I’d be using my egg cooker so much. For years I’ve been making a big batch of poached eggs once a week that I would eat every day on top of a heated steamed potato. A wonderful friend who’s also a vintage enthusiast received an oster egg cooker for his birthday from his husband and asked if I would adopt the sunbeam! Ever since I got it 2 months ago I’ve only made poached eggs once. I now enjoy soft/medium boiled eggs, fresh, every day and I will never go back to my big batched eggs again!

As for my farberware skillet- I find it does heat so evenly and quickly. My pancakes never burn and or stick! I’ve also made meatballs, pasta with fresh sauce right in the pan and I’ve also made cornbread in it! It’s easier to clean than my stove top and for that it gets major points.

I also have a sunbeam c30 coffeemaster, I didn’t include a photo of it because I plan on selling it (I don’t drink coffee and I use my percolator to make hot water for tea. 2x’s a week I make a big pot of coffee for my husband in my GE percolator, though)

Beautiful appliances! Thank you for sharing. I love looking at these photos. I hope to one day have a house where I can also have vintage major appliances too!

RP2813Ralph)

I have a buffet style farberware skillet too. I’m getting it cleaned up to maybe sell one day (though I say this so often but just end up keeping everything haha)
When it came to my sunbeam it took me a bit to catch on to it, loved it from the start but there was some trial and error to get used to it.

Ea56 (Eddie)
Thank you for sharing that story! A testament I the quality of products of yesterday. Must’ve been amazing back then when these items first came out and how they changed everything. I’m so happy your mom was able to enjoy such long services from her appliances and that it made her happy to use them.

LORDKENMORE: (John)

These small appliances are definitely part of a forgotten era. They came in such handy when you needed an extra burner or even just make it a small meal and serving and keeping it hot! I know they make stuff similar but I question the longevity of them. And you’re right, they’re cheap. This farberware back in the day would’ve been a couple hundred dollars- with that comes good quality work that’s lasts.
I recall my grandma using a deep oster skillet for when she made things like fried pork chops and a flat griddle too but I don’t remember what she used that for and I think only recently did she pass these on to my mom since my grandpa is so bored he’s started the cooking now haha.


I’m started a YouTube soon to showcase me using appliances beyond just heating up water or turning it on. For me, anything that saves time, energy and makes cooking fun is A+ in my book. I want to bring vintage appliances for viewing beyond photos in a way that’s fun and entertaining I’m also going to be sharing more on here!

 

[lordkenmore]

>I know they make stuff similar but I question the longevity of them.

I question this, too.

Certainly I've heard horror stories about modern percolators that only last a very short time before breaking down. Indeed, I've heard many such stories, and I guess I'd be more inclined to gamble on a well-worn vintage percolator from Goodwill than a new percolator.

And I honestly wonder if that wouldn't be an issue with electric skillets too. I wonder how long the thermostat might last. I also wonder how long the non-stick coatings might last.

One other thing I have noted: I think the modern electric skillets feel light compared to older models. Which, I'm thinking, may not necessarily be a problem for life span, but may negatively impact cooking ability. (Heavy aluminum should heat more evenly than a "lets make this thing as light and cheap as possible!" design.)

 

[sarahperdue]

Stories

Thanks, Timmy. I took the pictures of the Nesco roaster and meal last month when the idea of turning on any heat producing appliance inside the house.

John, you're really going to want one of these too! It's a Hoover Constellation tape measure to keep my buff colored Constellation company.

It's interesting how some of the great stuff got forgotten. My grandmother had Corning Ware. My mother had Corning Ware but ditched it all for something new and trendier. So I was almost 50 when I learned that Corning Ware (original) was better than Pyrex because you could use it on the stovetop and under the broiler.

 

[riverrat]

My magic toaster

When I had breakfast at my in laws for the first time I was amazed by their toaster. It made the perfect toast and it did it by magic. There was no lever to push down. You just put the bread in and Abracadabra, perfect toast. I later found out it was one of their wedding presents and was still working. They were married 67 years ago. I looked on ebay until I found one of my very own, so I too can have the perfect magic toast every morning.

 

[lordkenmore]

Nice tape measure!

As for Corning Ware, it's indeed another "forgotten" product.

My mother had some, and I don't honestly remember her using it, except maybe to store leftovers in the refrigerator. But then she also mostly used the oven for baking. Oddly, she got into a phase of regularly making pot roasts at one point. She'd do them in the oven, using a cast iron skillet with a lid off an aluminum Dutch oven. She'd take the knob off that lid (it wasn't oven proof). It seems like it would be simpler to just grab a piece of Corning Ware and use that. But then a skillet was how my grandmother did it. (My grandmother also had Corning Ware that was probably used a lot--but she also did a lot of oven dishes, like casseroles.)

I have a few pieces, and one is currently my primary oven dish. Although I'm not sure it matters given how little I do with the oven.

 

[dometicsavant]

Robin, beautiful toaster! I’ve seen some videos on YouTube with them and find them magical. If we ate toast more then I’d probably get one too! But alas Jeffrey eats bagels.

Don’t get me started on Corningware. I know my mom has some and used it occasionally but it’s my grandmas I remember. She always had the blue cornflower design set on on the metal expandable trivets with all sorts of foods in each one. I’ve started my own collection of beloved pieces I enjoy using. To the left I have my two newest. A baking dish and roaster pan (the roaster pan I may sell) I find them perfect when you want a middle ground between a full sized 9x13 and a Pyrex space saver. The small saucepan from Corning I use for making and serving oatmeal in. To the rights: the bottom which I believe is a 4quart I keep in my fridge to store 4 pounds of grapes I buy every week. Keeps all the little stems in one place instead of all over the shelves (and then my floor). Great to use for a ziti dish too!
The two smaller ones on top are my favorite and I use them constantly as they fit perfectly in my nuwave oven pro plus (together) I love that they’re stylish enough to bake and serve in and then can be used to store the food right in the fridge (or freezer) I believe the younger generations don’t know much about these because they changed the material so is no longer as durable, dependable or multitasking as the vintage sort.

I do use them on the stove but I try to keep it medium/ low heat. I know it can withstand the high heat but some of mine have been discolored brown and all my tricks (bon ami, simmering hydrogen peroxide, bleach etc) haven’t fully removed the brown from the inside (though I’m not too concerned about it- if a guest can see it it means I didn’t make enough food )

 

[lordkenmore]

I'm probably stating the incredibly obvious... And maybe this is a rant... But vintage toasters--at least all the ones I've seen--were unfortunately geared for the dimensions of 20th century sliced bread. So that is pretty limiting. Bread that should work is still made--and might be made until the end of time--but it's often lackluster at best. I've been buying such bread more often the last year--maybe I should have my head checked LOL--and it's been a sobering reminder of how bad most of it is. (And I'm not buying at the lowest level, either--I've bought organic breads when they are on the daily clearance shelf, and despite a higher price when fresh, they are just about as lackluster as everything else on the clearance rack.) Oddly, one store brand is passably good--but the slices might be too wide for a vintage toaster. (I suppose one could just rip off one edge...)

Currently, I just use a toaster oven. And toast is something I make intermittently--I've been having it more recently, but I can go long stretches without it.

 

[lordkenmore]

As for Corning Ware on the stove--it seems to me that I've heard warnings here that it's not the best match for whatever reason for electric stoves. (I think the bottoms weren't flat enough or something like that.) I think the warning indicated if used keep the heat low. I can't remember for sure.

At one time, before I heard warnings, I used the little sauce pans...but they never really worked well for me, and I seem to recall cleanup was often a nightmare. I definitely do recall switching to regular small pans.

I think Corning had a smooth top stove once, and they made special cookware with special bottoms to use with it. I'm suspecting--but can't say for sure--that would work better with a regular electric stove than regular Corning Ware.

 

[lordkenmore]

>the brown from the inside (though I’m not too concerned about it- if a guest can see it it means I didn’t make enough food

Or else it the dish was so good they just couldn't stop eating!