The modern kitchen is all about the modern gadget. This article is an appreciation post for the traditional kitchen tools which have helped us get this far.
Although the modern kitchen sports a variety of smart gadgets, the traditional ones are those which got humanity to where it is today. Without old fashioned flour milling or labour intensive butter churns, the modern food manufacturer wouldn’t even process our foods the way we can now. Just as with all technologies, kitchen tech had to evolve from somewhere. This article seeks to look at the “somewhere.”
Traditional Kitchen Tools that will Never go Out of Fashion
These traditional kitchen tools help make a house a functioning home. They might be out of style now and again, but they will never go out of fashion. Try a few of them out. Technology is constantly improving our lives but there is a reason we relied on them for so many generations.
The Knife Sharpener
There are too many people nowadays that use a knife until the blade dulls and then lose it in the kitchen drawer. For ever after, we will pull out that knife, try to cut something with it, lament that it doesn’t work, and put that knife back in the cupboard with an angry slam. In the 60s and 70s, no kitchen was complete without a knife sharpener.
This handy tool sits on the worktop and features two sharpening stones on either side of a slit in what is otherwise a solid metal block. You place the knife in the slit and you pull it towards you, through the whirring stones. The knife sharpens and you get to use it again without getting mad. Everybody wins.
The Pestle and Mortar
Anyone who has ever tried to open a hazelnut without a nut opener knows the importance of a good pestle and mortar. The pestle, that’s the stick part, grinds the goods against the mortar bowl. Ideal for turning coffee beans into ground coffee, for grinding herbs and spices, and for numerous other small tasks, this is one item that every kitchen should have… 2022 or not.
The Butter Churner
Have you been to the supermarket lately? Lurpak butter made international headlines by raising their prices 30% in one sitting. In the UK, 250g of butter now costs upwards of £9 – that’s over ten dollars. The butter churner gets around this issue with a little manual labour.
Place your whole, preferably unadulterated, butter into the masonry jar part. Place the lid on top and turn the handle. The handle spins the paddles inside, which churns the milk into butter. It can take some time but do it while you are watching the TV at night, and you will have fresh butter for your breakfast.
The Butter Dish
As an afterthought – remember your grannie had a butter dish? Keeping your butter room temperature should be the law.
The Teapot
The last traditional kitchen tool we want to appreciate today is the teapot. This humble pot can turn one teabag into two cups or more. If you want to save a little money and brew up the best cuppas, this is how you do it.
Traditional kitchen tools like the teapot might never go out of fashion, but they can be in short supply. Keep your eyes peeled when you are in home stores to pick them up for yourself.
