Some new additions!

[veg-o-matic]

It's been a busy month or so around la cuisine de veg-o-matic and I finally got around to taking some pictures.

And now, doing my best breathless Jackie Kennedy voice, let's begin the tour.

First up for those who missed it, is the lovely coppertone GE TCF 17 D fridge

 

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Across from the fridge is the Caloric double oven range. And lest anyone think it's just a plain old range, it says in no uncertain terms that it's a Prestige range.

 

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Here's the full frontal. It was kind of a mess when I got it, but a lot of elbow grease, a bottle of Greased Lightning, and some epoxy spray paint later, it cleaned up pretty well.

The knobs were a gift from Kenny Goatfarmer, the Fransciscan salt/pepper shakers and spoon rest were a gift from the Bethann Foundation.

The Carousel O' Spices was a NIB Goodwill find for $6.50.

 

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Requisite lighted shot. The oven lights don't work but I have a new switch on order that I hope will fix the problem.

 

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Also new in the collection is the lovely Trash Cart. Keeps the trash hidden and has storage space for spices and whatnot.

Hmmm. But what's that thing on top?

 

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Why, it's my NuTone Kitchen Center! I haven't wired it up yet, but I thought it would be better to install it here than to carve up my countertop. I stole the idea from an old NuTone brochure--they offered their own cart for portability.

Unfortunately, I can't keep that top from discoloring, no matter how many coats of mineral oil I put on it.

 

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Mounted on the side is another recent purchase, a MIB Touch 'N Tear wrap dispenser. No more fumbling with those cardboard boxes!

 

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And finally, my new microwave, or as I like to call it, The Mighty Radarange. This was a gift from the Fred Hooverwheelaway Stachnik Endowment for the Appliances.

(By the way, anyone know what model it is? There are a couple of stickers on the back but neither gives a model number, unless it's so small I can't see it.)

 

[roto204]

Wow!

VERY nice, Veg! I love that thousand-and-one-uses trash cart! :-D

 

[hoover1060]

absolutely beautiful!!!

Thanks for the tour Jackie... er ... Um I mean Veg, looks very nice! The Nutone built into the cart is a great idea!
I love the coppertone fridge, and that range is to die for!!!

 

[volvoguy87]

Your microwave and range.

Veg, your microwave is an RRL series. I don't know the number, but it's a great machine. I use an RR-9. Your range looks exactally like the Whirlpool double oven range that was builder's spec when my folks bought their house new in 1986 in Manassas, VA. There was another version that had a microwave instead of the upper oven. I may be able to find an instruction book for it when I am home later this month. The only difference between your range and my parents' is the control panel to the left of the upper oven, otherwise it is all the same, even the exhaust fan on top.
My folks got rid of their range last year, but there are still a few kicking around the neighborhood. The most common problems are sticky automatic gas plunger valves on the lower oven, especially if it has not been used for a while. I'll always remember the slow igniter on the stove. That sound was a constant part of my childhood. Ka-tink.. tick, tick, tick, tick, foomp!
Let me know if you want me to look for some spare range parts for you.

Enjoy,
Dave

 

[maytagmark]

Great Kitchen!!!!

Brings back memories,as a child we had the Sunbeam can opener,the Corningware coffee pot and a Coppertone bottom freezer fridge,It was a Coldspot,it must have had a bad wire somewhere because sometimes if you were barefoot and touched the handle it would give you a little shock, It was retired to the garage around '78 and a avacado Frigidaire replaced it, Yours looks very nice. Mark

 

[maytagbear]

Please, please, dear Veg---

All of it is very nice, but please consider not keeping the Franciscan Starburst items on the cooktop all the time, and particularly not when you're running a cleaning cycle in the oven.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[appnut]

nces. Both the stove and the fridge are absolutely gorgeous!! Whew!!!

 

[48bencix]

Double oven

I love the double ovens in a unit range. And, you have a really nice one. I really don't know why they don't make them anymore. It looks like you have a built in exhaust above the top oven too. GE made a similar model.

I like the upper unit to be a real oven, not microwave, for those times like Thanksgiving where you really need those two ovens. Yes, I know Maytag and others make a unit with the two ovens, but that lower one is a real hassle to use.

Martin

 

[lightedcontrols]

Veg!

You are TOO cool! Mark

 

[swestoyz]

The King of Cool ~

Yeah for Bob - lookin great! So when is it time to feast?

Ben

 

[southernmdgeguy]

Great Pictures

The touch and tear got me, I knew what it was from the first side shot, my folks had one that was still working when they moved, they left it for the new owner as she liked it. Where did you find that?

I have a "hi low" GE range in the upstairs kitchen, circa 1984 but it has the weak microwave on top (now storage) but the rest works well. I still bake in either my 54 Stewardess GE oven or the 56 Starflite Philco ovens though.

Thanks for sharing,
Scott

 

[petek]

Faboo kitchen Veg... I wanna Touch'n Tear now!!!!!!

 

[selectomatic]

NuTone Kitchen Center:

Is it as functional as it is cool? Just looking at it makes me want one, but what's your honest opinion as far as functionality?

As to the butcher block, I was told that Salad Bowl Finish was the thing to use on food-prep surfaces.

-kevin

 

[tlee618]

Fantastic kitchen Bob, what a great idea for the Nutone kitchen center. Do you have many of the attachments for it? Would love to see some shots inside the refrig and freezer.

 

[veg-o-matic]

Just for you, Concetta!

Here's the fridge open. I don't know what those white dots are...

 

[veg-o-matic]

Thanks for the compliments!

Lawrence, I was going to run the Franciscan stuff through a self-cleaning cycle. Am I not supposed to do that?

Actually, I'm not at all sure about the NuTone Kitchen Center as I still haven't wired it up yet. Heck, I don't even know if it works! It came from ebay (natch) and I have the mixer, blender, grinder, knife sharpener and maybe something else, along with a whole bunch of literature. It really needs a new knob, as the little metal piece that keeps it firmly on the shaft is missing. One can get them on ebay, but the price is astronomical!

The Touch 'N Tear came from ebay as well. Came in its original sealed box. I remember buying one years ago at Revco (drug store) when the price was reduced to almost nothing. It seems like kind of a stupid thing, but it's really great for the fumble-fingered (like me) when dealing with Saran Wrap.

Keith thought I was a bit off my rocker (okay, he thinks that anyway, but still...) when I announced I was going to start collecting anything called "Touch 'N Something". He did laugh though, when I started calling the spice rack "The Carousel O' Flavor".

I don't know why they don't make those double ovens any more, either. Seems like a thoroughly practical idea to me, though I'll admit I haven't used the upper oven yet.

Oh, one more thing. That Radarange has a defrost setting called "Accu-Thaw" that is the BEST defroster ever. It thawed a pound-and-a-half of ground beef with absolutely NO cooking around the edges.

veg

 

[partscounterman]

Love the vintage appliances!

Your "new" stove and fridge are just too beautiful! That kitchen center from Nutone is a way cool idea however, Martha had one when we all lived in St. Paul. The blender attachment was cool, the mixer was OK. I recall that there was some difficultly in removing the chop and slice attachment-kevlar gloves may be helpful there. Seems that using these things would make them really tight on the shaft and the pieces then had to be turned backwords (against the blades) to be removed. Ouch. She only used that attachment once...

Double decker ranges rock! Don't know why these went the way of the doo-doo bird as the newer "gemini" style requires one to bend so far.

David (who sorely needs some small vintage electrics)

 

[tlee618]

Thanks so much Veg, You sure keep a neat refrigerator!!

 

[tomturbomatic]

Congratulations Veg!! I must need a Touch 'N Tear because I am always having trouble with Sarah Ann wrap. I usually have to hold the end of the wrap down on the counter and then do the tearing off with the box low so that there is less tangling. Sometimes it looks like a load out of a Unimatic and has to be thrown away.

The Franciscan ware is just too beautiful. Our next door neighbor who let me come over and help with the laundry had that pattern. Why can't someone make that again like the "new" Fiesta?

Our GE 18.8 Space Saver with the roll out freezer that we bought in 1961 or 62 is in my basement keeping stuff cold. While the rollout baskets did not make the freezer capacity super efficient, they sure made stuff accessible and 158 pounds of capacity was a big step up for us. I guess at 159 pounds the whole rollout contraption would fail and dump everything on your toes. How did they figure 158 pounds?

The main reason that the over under oven design fell from grace was the limited accessibility to pans on the rear elements or burners and the condensation on the areas over them. I loved my first Americana, but I was very careful to always use splatter screens when frying to avoid grease getting on the controls and I washed it down thoroughly after any major cooking operation. The upper oven baked perfect pound cakes. I have an earlier one in my basement that was kept so clean by the little old lady who owned it that it looks almost unused. It has the slightly smaller lower self cleaning oven. My first Americana was from a condominium where it had no use.

I hope you enjoy all of your kitchen treasures.
Tom

 

[gansky1]

So many new things in your kitchen, it must be a thrill to turn on the light and look around. I've never seen the wrap dispenser before, was this an eBay find?