From ingredients to gadgets, kitchens today look a lot different than the ones that came standard in most houses just twenty-five years ago, never mind fifty or a hundred.
Just for fun, let’s see if anyone remembers these 8 things that used to be standard practice, but aren’t anymore.
8. Canning and preserving.
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People who grew up during the Depression new how important it was to save up for the winter – and they didn’t want to waste anything, either.
When fresh veggies and fruit from the garden weren’t getting eaten (or there were extras) they got preserved, canned, and put into the pantry.
This is also why your grandma likely always had some yummy jams, jellies, and jars of tomato sauce on hand.
7. Grinding meat.
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If you wanted ground beef or pork back in the day, you had to turn a hunk of meat into those long, thin meat strands with your own arm strength.
The first meat grinder was invented in the nineteenth century.
6. Using physical cookbooks.
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Pinterest has spoiled us, but back in the day you had actual cookbooks or even recipe cards to work from.
As convenient as the internet is, I have to think that knowing a recipe had been tried by a neighbor or family member and was deemed good enough to share had to be worth something – not to mention those priceless notes in the margins!
5. Using a percolator.
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The percolator first made an appearance in 1880, which was before the invention of any other way to brew coffee.
It cycles boiling water through the grounds using nothing but good ol’ gravity.
4. Storing dry goods in containers.
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If you’re from the Midwest, you’ll probably tell me that the practice of storing things like flour and sugar in canisters on the counter has never gone away.
Our canisters these days do a better job keeping in freshness (and keeping bugs out), but the same idea of keeping those everyday ingredients handy applies.
3. Churning butter.
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Your butter might sit out in a dish (or your “butter” might live in a tub in the fridge), but your grandmother probably added cream to a churner and cranked away until it turned into butter.
If you’ve never had it, you’ve got to at least once in your life – it’s creamier and the flavor is lighter than most of the bargain stuff at the store.
2. Keeping bread in a box.
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People used to make their own bread a couple of times a week, and those fresh loaves went straight into a breadbox on the counter.
No plastic waste then or annoying little twist-ties required.
1. Nesting cutters and hand mixers for baking.
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If your mom or grandma was super into baking, she definitely had these tools on hand.
They were required for making pastries, scones, or cookies – and you had to crank that hand mixes and egg beater under nothing but your own power.
I’m happy to report that I’m too young to remember actually witnessing many of these, even if the terms are familiar – and I’m even more grateful for all of the advances that have been made during my lifetime.