General Chat

My Kenwood is 43 years old and still going strong but not used as much now there are only the two of us. :-D <3 it.

My scales are ancient. Cream and green enamel with a generous dish to put the ingredients in - pounds and ounces too :-D

We were given a Kenwood Chefette as a wedding present 46 years ago cum August ................ unfortunately, I no longer have it.

It was bought in the UK, and we were moving immediately to the US, then came up here.

I used it in Texas, as the window air conditioner had a 240 volt socket.

I couldn't use it up here, so had it stored away, until some Australians came for a year. They had several appliances that needed 240v, so they devised a means of using them. I lent them my Kenwood ........... when they gave it back, they also gave me the converter they had made. It was a big black thing on a large wooden block that converted our 120v to 240v

I had that converter and the Kenwood on my kitchen counter for about 20 years.

Then I found someone who had just arrived from the UK, and they jumped at the chance to have it and the converter.


I have a set of 6 Prestige kitchen knives, from paring to carving, that I bought one by one, from 1963 to 1967.

We were given 2 carving sets as wedding presents, both still in use ........... my father gave us a Viceroy carving set as part of our wedding gift, that OH still uses when we have guests for dinner. The other set is is used for carving in the kitchen

But my most treasured items are ..................

a wooden rolling pin that had belonged to my mother, dating back to her wedding in 1928

2 beautiful glass serving bowls (for fruit, trifle, etc) that were my mother's, and also date back to at least the 1930s


We have most of our wedding presents still in use ................. from the 12 person china service to the 6 person cutlery set, to the crystal glasses.

The china is still the only set that we have ever had, and it has been used for every meal, every day since the crate arrived in the US in September 1967.

I have a set of 8 small pale green glasses (sort of sherry size) that belonged to my grandparents, but use those only occasionally. They are very thin glass, and seem too delicate

Now there you go Dizzi what other treasures do you have in the loft you will have to get someone to go up and see if you have a fortune there! :-)
Hand Mixers / Bamix / Slow Cookers and Chicken Storage Jars / scales (just like my Mum had) - it's quite unbelievable what is still in use nearly 50 years on - I wonder what this generation will have in 50yrs would be interesting to see

Nolls


I fear not too much!


Most things seem to be made these days with a life span of only a few years.

For example, I'm on my 3rd electric kettle in 2 years ............... the first one I bought over here lasted about 20 years.

Of course, that wasn't helped by the fact that OH left the cord of number 2 trailing across one of the rings on the stove ............ then turned the ring on :-0 :-|


My daughter and her husband were married in 1999, and they have already replaced quite a few of their presents.

Our Kenwood Chef was bought in 1967 for S$ 167 (£21). It was made in Australia - Pty stamped on it. I also bought all the gadgets for it. We took it all over the world when we moved.

The original white bowl was broken during a move overseas and I could only get a stainless steel bowl as replacement. A truly wonderful piece of equipment that worked tirelessly for 21 years until we gave it away. To my knowledge it's still in use today!

I use daily the pallet knife (non-stainless) Margaret was issued in 1960 when she started work at Greggs (of Gosforth) the bakers (today it is Greggs throughout the UK).
She started there as a confectioner / cake decorator trainee in the original shop, for years one of 15 employees in the 'company' at the time.

This knife truly has contributed to hundreds of thousands of meals and parties in our homes over the years. The blade is extremely thin nowadays!

How I wish Margaret was here to use it.

a set six pretty fine rainbow glass dessert dishes with saucer attached - 1956!!! Used occasionally

Mum's carving set still used especially the steel 1931

Prestige copper bottom saucepans - daily use since 1978

just used my Pyrex rolling pin - forgot about that - it was a wedding present in 1959

I have a Kenwood mixer but can't remember how to use it :-S

My Bamix however is idiot proof - the most wonderful piece of kitchen equipment ever - they cost around £100 now [in Lakeland] - as I said, I've had it since 1972 and if it failed I would have to get another one straight away

You can use it to mix somehing in the size of a bucket, or in a small glass container - whizzes through soup and you just hold it under the tap to rinse it off and hang it up - whips cream up a treat, mixes cakes, grinds coffee beans, the uses are endless

Still have quite a lot of T*****ware (edit to remove brand name!) That was bought by OH's first wife in the seventies!

OH was calling at a house once and they had an old knife stuck in the lawn. The house was being cleared so he asked if he could have the knife. It says 'VR' on it. He cleaned it up & we keep it on our knife-rack.

Chris you have just reminded me I have 2 very heavy cooking pots one huge one, one smaller there should be a third but was pinched! Mum started B&B during the war and she told a friend how she needed to get some bedding/cooking things well next week bedding arrived then pots & pans oh Mum was so pleased until she realised they were all on the black market she nearly died and could hardly use the darn things (think she hid the pots unless she was using them lol) well I have them and they are as strong as ever make jam/soup in them never burn anything...now I would be lost without them.
Ann I got a Bamix as a wedding present but could never get it going so it was never used and didn't like to tell the person who gave us it!
Barry we kept my mum's bowl alas it didn't fit but I still have it and used it sometimes but it is made of a glass/china substance? easy to clean think she bought it about 1951 now mine is a plastic thing and many a time it bounces of the floor thank goodness it's not breakable.
Well Sylvia I don't think kettles are made to last more than a couple of years if that at the moment I am using a £5 one I got out of Woolw**** s sale along with a £5 toaster both of mine went the same week so was glad I had bought the 2 of them...the only thing is the toaster is small and you can only toast 1/2 the slice of bread so you either turn bread halfway through or have half and half bread/toast...what were the makers thinking :-D will get a new soon But son usually pays well over £50 for kettles and they last about 18mths can't get him to buy a cheaper model! :-|

Tupperwre - still using pieces I bought in the sixties

I got rid of the last of my Tupperware when we renovated the kitchen 3 years ago, and ended up with reduced storage space.

I bought them about 1968/69, but I hadn't used them for years!

I do still have the bowl for my Kenwood ...... the other guys didn't want it!

I don't often cook or bake these days .......... but that bowl still comes out when I'm mixing pancake batter, or soneone want to whip cream :-D


Nolls ............ I'm beginning to think not many things are made to last these days!!


We got new fitted carpets in 1999, and were told to expect it to last only about 10 years. It was replacing carpeting we bought in 1977

Our fridge gave up the ghost about 5 years ago .......... we had bought it in March 1972. The men who brought the new one said a) they had never seen a model like ours (!!) :-0, and b) not to expect the new one to last longer than 10 years, if we were lucky.

Same thing when the cooker gave up the ghost one year later ........... that had been also been bought in April 1972.

The living room couch and chairs were bought in late 1973, we've had them recoveed once, in 1999

Our bed and bedroom chests of drawers were bought in 1968 ............... solid teak :-D. I think our daughter has her eyes set on them, especially the bed!

OH Yes Ann still got 4 pieces of Tupperwear 3 bright orange 1 yellow containers one for Plain flour one for SR flower and smaller one for sugar and 1 cake tin all in perfect condition, about 10yrs after I bought the tall ones went to a T. party and asked if they could get a replacement top expecting to pay for it got one free that was 20yr ago! Great buy.
Sylvia bought a fridge just 5yrs ago, this winter it started frosting up and became a freezer called the engineer out "Sorry such and such has gone its not repairable"?? so now we have to buy another new one, the laugh is we bought this one because we thought the one we had had broken and moved it to the garage, after the new one came OH tried it out and it is now singing merrily in the garage we keep juice and drinks in it so in fact nothing wrong at all but can't bring it in now as it's past it's best . Bought a couch when we moved it broke within 8mths got a new one broke again in 5mths got another model so far so good ! I bet your daughter has her eye on the furniture so would I

I've got an old "Chef"--she's 79 this year,,but she only cooks 3 meals a week now...I do the rest....Strange thing is,,every time we have company they all come on my day for dinner... Haven't worked that one out yet......LES.....PS A couple of years ago she was helping ladies clean the church,,I was mowing the grass,,I went past the porch and she's on her knees scrubbing the slabs....I said to her,,,You never told me you were an old scrubber!!!...The other ladies curled up with laughter,,,I RAN....Les.

OH Les How could you it's a wonder your still here tsk tsk!!
Well your visitors either like your cooking soo much they come on your day OR perhaps methinks someone is being quite crafty .... now I wonder who that could be :-D

Got a couple of old Toasting Forks, Still use them and a Hoover Major works well,just emptying the bag is a bit dusty but the motor is as good as new. :-D

OH! I would love one of the toasting forks brings back memories of my g/ma sitting me down at the fire and making toast for tea .... there is nothing to compare toast made by a fire Mmmm!
Wish I had kept my very old Hoover without the paper bag/cylinder but thought it was too messy to keep, as I said before been through so many vacuums they are not worth the money.

Nolls, this one still" Beats as it Sweeps as it Cleans" just have to service the motor about once a year,Even the light on the front still works,and its the same bulb.As for the Forks, use them often in Winter, putting Beef Dripping with Black Pepper on the Toast in front of the Open Fire. :-D :-D :-D

I bet the cleaner would beat hands down the modern ones ....Now then was never a fan of beef dripping love black pud though not sure I could take the dripping no not today thanks .....will have real butter though again something that's not on the menu very much now-a-days ............don't know what dietitians would say about your beef dripping :-D