The old-school kitchenware that’s due a comeback

How many did you own?

wooden-bowl

There are some less-than-brilliant kitchen relics that are better left in the past (no offence, banana-slicing gadgets, but we can take it from here). However, there’s a throng of useful kitchen items that have fallen out of vogue in recent years – and into the hands of savvy op-shoppers – that ought to make a comeback. 

The avid cooks – and utensil collectors — at taste.com.au have devised a list of the items we think deserve a permanent place in our kitchens (not just our hearts and memories). 

We’re willing to bet at least one person in your family has most of these items in their kitchens. I can’t be the only one out there that owns multiple items on this list, right? 

15 retro kitchenware items we want to bring back:

THAT wooden bowl
We all know the one. It’s resurfaced on restaurant tables recently, it’s served as your family’s favourite chip bowl for decades, and it may just be the most used item in your kitchen growing up. Bring back the wooden-look (is it actually wooden?) bowl set, we say. You have to have the smaller bowls too, for dividing chip portions.

The melon baller
It may have been the 1970s food stylist’s tool of choice, but it’s been years since tiny, perfectly spherical balls of multi-coloured melons brightened up our tables at family gatherings. Children love them, and we want them back. We hope the melon baller is the next comeback kid.

The manual egg beater
According to our expert food team, the manual egg beater is not to be underestimated. Our Food Director, Michelle, tells us some food stylists prefer them to eclectic beaters for well-whipped eggs. Just beat it.

The jelly mould
Specifically, the old-school Tupperware jelly mould. Not only do these large, round moulds (with a bundt-tin-like hole in the middle) form ornate jelly shapes, but they’re also useful for making layered sandwiches (hello, retro jell-o sandwich rings!).

The spring-loaded portioner (or ice-cream scoop)
Be it mashed potato, ice-cream or cookie dough, a spring-loaded scoop is handy for cleanly releasing your food onto a bowl, plate or baking tray without requiring another piece of cutlery to get it out. We think these should be standard!

The egg ring
Where did all the egg rings go? For years, people chose to fashion their fried eggs into perfect circles. Metal egg rings also work to separate eggs cooking in a pan and they can be used as a bread-cutting tool (a la egg-in-hole toast).

The casserole carrier
Each time I prepare a hot dish to bring to a dinner party or gathering, I reminisce about how handy my mother’s fabric casserole carrier bags were. No need to carry the dish out to your car with oven mitts or tea towels, casserole carriers (usually in floral or country-cottage-inspired patterns with wide handles) made you less likely to spill your food. While the rose-covered, contemporary version above might resemble a make-up bag, Mum’s always had a homemade look about them with a drawstring at the top. Crafters, unite. More of these, please!

The soup mug
While we’re just as much onboard with the low-bowl (or pasta bowl) love as the next person, we want to see a return of the 1970s-looking ceramic soup mugs, complete with a handle. Bigger than your average mug, soup mugs were easy to hold and the perfect size for a two-ladle serving of your favourite soup. Then, of course there was the early-2000s revival of the original (see picture above!).

The fondue set
Can you hear the drums, Fernando? Like soup mugs, 1970s-style fondue sets fell off the scene and into op-shops (but for a sudden resurgence in the early-2000s) in a blaze of glory. Sure, they take up a bit of cupboard space, but what could be more enticing than sharing a cheesy sauce (or chocolate fondue) among mates or on a date night? Metal sticks at the ready! (ABBA playlist optional, but recommended.)

The patterned Corningware
Whether you had the iconic vegetable-print ‘L’Echalote La Marjolaine’ Corningware set in your kitchen, or the floral designs of the 1990s (remember that iris pattern?), you’re likely to have been served food from these sturdy cookware dishes. While the flavour of the day for many years has been minimalist cookware, we’re all for the return of fun patterns. 

The iconic vintage tupperware containers
You know the ones: the yellow and orange (or green) canisters with the Servalier lids and fleur-de-lis-style emblem on the front. These handy biccie barrells came in a range of colours, but the orange and yellow hues were seemingly ubiquitous during the 1990s (as were Tupperware parties).

The electric knife
Part chainsaw, part kitchen appliance, the electric knife was once a common site at Christmas time when it came time to carve meats. It’s been a while since we’ve tested one, but we think it might be handy for more tedious chopping jobs, like carving pumpkins, too. Time for a comeback, perhaps?

The potato masher with a difference
Whenever our Food Director, Michelle, spots a potato masher with chevron-shaped slats at the bottom, she buys it. Our source of wisdom on all cooking matters insists they do a better job of creating a smooth mash than the usual criss-cross-based and newer designs.

The sieve with a squeeze handle
Of course you can use a sieve to aerate your flour, but an old-school flour sifter with a squeeze handle is not only more fun (and dare we say, therapeutic?) but does a more thorough job of making lighter, airier and lump-free flour. Our Digital Food Director, Amira, still uses these contraptions to sift flour – and she can’t be the only one, right?

The egg poaching pan
There might be some new-fandangled versions of this invention available in stores now, but the retro, aluminium egg poacher pan gives us all sorts of nostalgic feels. They certainly made light work of poaching multiple eggs at a time, and we’re eager to see them return to our kitchens.

We’d love to know if anyone can still lay claim to all 15 of these items in their home. 

If you like learning about how to make best use of kitchen appliances and gadgets, you’ve come to the right place:

• ‘I just discovered the ultimate formula to convert your fave recipes for the slow cooker’
• 5 genius ways you never knew you could cook an egg
• 6 best food processors In Australia, according to the taste team
  

It doesn’t get much more retro than our classic apricot chicken recipe!

Originally published as The old-school kitchenware that’s due a comeback