Oldies But Goodies

I'm not talking about myself (this is where we all smile) rather old utensils or tools.  Some are still great for their original purpose while others are great for new tasks.

Why would anyone use something old when you can purchase most anything at your local big box store?  You did ask that didn't you???

I still use kitchen utensils from when I first had a home of my own (over fifty years ago.) Plus, I've acquired quite a few utensils and tools from my parents' homes, both their own and some handed down from my grandparents.  

Mom and Dad came from the Depression era and learned to care for their things because they might not be able to afford another.  Yes, they were the "waste not - want not" generation.  Here are a few of the oldies but goodies and how I use them today:

This is a "Kitchamjig" and every kitchen should have it for getting solid things out of liquid: teabags out of a pitcher of tea, a roast out of the gravy and etc.  The old wooden handled ones are about $20 on e-bay.  New ones are plastic and/or aluminum.  Whatever the material, you don't want one that will melt.  

This is one of my favorite garden tools - a putty knife.  It's old
and sturdy, has taken many sharpening and is perfect for
digging up weeds.  Obviously, there are new ones but this old
variety has been long lasting and comfortable to hold.

Every kitchen should have an egg chopper.  This makes the task  (for egg salad, etc.) fast and perfect.  I don't know of any new models that come close to this functional.

These strainers are mostly for loose leaf tea.  The top three are more utilitarian.  The bottom two are from silver sets.  The middle strainer is perfect for straining out seeds and herbs when pouring liquid into canning jars.  All of these are old and pretty darn sweet.

What do the old utensils and tools have in common?  They all need to be cleaned right after they're used and thoroughly dried.  The bottom silver pieces need to be polished occasionally.   If the metal ones start to rust, they need to be buffed with steel wool or one of those sponge scrubbers and then oiled.  I use olive oil because it's handy, safe around food products and doesn't stain my counters.  For garden tools, you could use an oil specific for tools.

What's some of your favorite "oldies but goody" tools and utensils?  

Do you use them or are they memories revisited?   This little collection I don't use but they are from my mother's kitchen.  They all work well and I still maintain them - just because they're her oldies but goodies.