Growing up, what was your favorite room in the house? For me it was the kitchen. Not only was the kitchen the place where mom would let me lick the beaters after making cake batter, but it doubled as our dining room. The family and I gathered around our tiny formica table to share countless meals and conversations. For many of us, the kitchen holds a special place in our memories for reasons just like those. In recent years, however, the kitchen has experienced quite a few changes. Thanks to technology and and a quicker pace of life, some of the charming nuances of the kitchens we grew up in are no longer present; but we won’t let those memories fade! Check out our list below of things you just don’t see in the kitchen these days, and let us know what you’d add to the list in the comments section when you’re done!
Grinding Your Own Meat/Nuts/Coffee
If you wanted to help out in the kitchen and get in an arm workout too, the grinder was the tool for you. There’s nothing more satisfying than grinding your own meat, and it allows you to get creative (for instance, throw some bacon in with your beef the next time you want to grind up meat for hamburgers).
Defrosting The Freezer
Speaking of workouts, nothing was more difficult than defrosting the freezer. Yes, kids these days will be shocked to learn that there was a time, not too long ago I might add, when refrigerators did not automatically defrost themselves. This is one of the things on the list we can’t say we miss all that much.
Making Coffee With A Percolator
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Close your eyes for a minute, and try to remember the sound the percolator would make when someone was making coffee. That sweet smell would fill the air and the melodic popping of the percolator let the whole house know that your morning cup of joe was mere seconds away!
Using An Actual Cookbook
While it’s quite convenient to be able to pull up any recipe on your phone or iPad at a moment’s notice, there’s something we miss about flipping through an actual cook book. Feeling the pages in your hand as you search for that perfect recipe is something we definitely miss. *Bonus memory: how many of you remember the recipe cards? My mom had recipes written on everything and kept them in her well-worn recipe card box.
Churning Your Own Butter
Yet again, we’re glad we don’t have to solely rely on churning our own butter. Yet if you’ve ever had homemade butter, we doubt you’ll argue with us when we say that it just tastes better. Especially when you compare it to margarine; did any of you eat margarine growing up because it was supposedly healthier for you?
Flour/Sugar/Coffee Canisters
Now these are something we definitely want to bring back. Mom’s kitchen may not have been high tech, but it sure was organized. If you’re looking to add a touch of nostalgia to your kitchen, these canisters are a great, inexpensive way to do so. Plus, having easy access to the cooking essentials is always nice!
Making Preserves and Canning Them
My parents grew up during the Depression, so they were taught to never waste a thing! If vegetables began to go bad, in to the brine they would go! Not to mention all of the delicious jams and preservatives we had access to… today’s store-bought varieties just can’t compare!
Beautiful Jadeite Dish Sets on Display
Perhaps some of you still have a few Jadeite dishes around (or even better, maybe you collect them!). If so, good on you! We just can’t get enough of the beautiful pastel colors, and displaying these dishes is another great way to add a nice nostalgic touch to your kitchen. Extra points if your dishes were handed down from your parents… we just love it when they have a story!
Making Everything From Scratch
The thing we miss the most about the old kitchens we grew up in is the delicious, homemade food that Mom used to make in them. Pasta sauce, cookies, butter… no matter what she needed, she could find a way to whip it up.
We hope you enjoyed this trip back to the kitchens of yesterday. While these activities might be gone (some for better and some for worse), they’re definitely not forgotten.
