Seal-A-Meal. We have one and still use it for some things. But for the most part you are correct…ZipLoc bags are just as good.
Do you mean popsicle molds? I use them all the time, although they’re not Tupperware brand like we had when I was a kid. Mine I got at the dollar store, I think. I use them to make fruit juice or pudding popsicles - my kids love 'em and they don’t have the artificial colorings or too much sugar (I cut the juice with half water for both drinking and popsicles).
My parents had a countertop electric can opener/knife sharpener in the 70’s, but this one had a third function that crushed ice. Googling around I’m wondering if it was a fever dream because I can’t seem to find any sign that this was an actual product.
And my dad still uses an electric knife once or twice a year for turkey dinners. It probably is a '70s vintage model and still works just fine.
They’re still sold at Macy’s and other large department stores. I use mine to carve Thanksgiving turkey.
To some extent, the potato ricer has been replaced by the mandoline/V-slicer, hasn’t it?
But you still need a double boiler to make proper scrambled eggs – they can’t be microwaved. Also for things you need to whisk continuously, like hollandaise sauce.
I used Seal-A-Meal, but had to limit it’s use because the bags are astronomical in price. They were great for camping. I seal frozen prepared food in them, and only had to boil water to heat. No dirty pans that you can’t wash at the campground. You know that emergency supplies sealed in one will not get wet. The bags are very resistant to tearing because they are made from thick strong plastic. The zip locks can pop open no matter how good they say they are.
Why do you need a double boiler for scrambled eggs? I just cook them on low heat. Since eggs cook at a much cooler temp than boiling water, I dont’ see the point…
Also the thing with the electric knife…
What a weird thing, now that I think of it. I have always seen my mom use it on thanksgiving and xmas and thought nothing more of it. “It’s the knife to use when carving big meats” I always thought. But then really, why not just use a good, normal knife? I had no idea at all.
Yes, ours is a vintage 70’s model as well. The blades seem to be sharp still. I don’t know where you’d get a replacement set. Probably couldn’t.
I think ours is a black and decker.
They work quite well for marinating. The one we have creates a partial vacuum in the bag before it seals it up. Put in a slice of meat and some marinade. Vacuum and seal. Toss it in the freezer. When you open it back up some time later, the meat is pre-marinated. No worry about freezer burn or leaking.
I also want to try it for a pseudo-tamale. We should be able to fill it, seal it, and toss it in the water.
You make your scrambled eggs in a double boiler? I’ve never heard of such a thing - thought everybody made them in a skillet?
Food saver machines are quite popular and kick the shit out of a zip lock bag. I use my food saver all the time. I will buy a 20lb box of burger patties and then put them into 2 burger packages. Or if I go to Costco and buy a tray of 4 steaks, I will vacuum pack three of them, and cook the fourth. The vacuum sealing prevents freezer burn.
It keeps the meat so well I have had to start writing on the bag when I sealed it up, because the two year old stuff looks just like the new stuff.
fiddlesticks you are not on drugs, I remember those.
FWIW, we use a percolator daily.
My mother’s closet bulges with the orphaned electric appliances of the 70’s and 80’s:
The electric wok
The yogurt maker
The Dazey Seal-a-Meal - The Tilia Food Saver kicks that right to the curb.
The crock-pot with non-removable liner - such a pain to clean!
The donut baker - nearly 18 inches in diameter, this thing was a sort of waffle iron for making cake-type donuts.
The electric ice crusher
The hand-cranked ice crusher - now, you just press the “crushed” button on the fridge.
The one-at-a-time electric sandwich press - impractical for a family of six.
Not electric, but memorable, was the bean sprout grower. Think she used it once and decided that she did not like bean sprouts.
Now for a thing that nobody seems to use any more - strawberry hullers.
I’m surprised she didn’t have the Hot Dogger.
I find the temperature much easier to control with a double boiler. Having the flame right under the cooking surface makes it hard to avoid making it too hot.
I bet Black and Decker would be able to provide replacements. Anyway, why wouldn’t it be possible to get them sharpened wherever one gets ones kitchen knives sharpened?
I have a Seal-A-Meal (although I need to pick up some more quart-size bags for it) and it’s great for people like me who live alone. I can stock up on meat and fish when it’s on sale and not have to worry about freezer burn.
I never thought of this; I’ll have to try it the next time I buy meat.
We use our fondue pot quite often. In fact, we had Johnny L.A. over for a 3 course fondue dinner this past New Year’s Eve. You can even see a picture of us using it that night, here (also pictured is Spiny Norman). We don’t, however, use oil to cook with, but seasoned chicken broth (with herbs picked fresh from my garden - YUM!).
And you can have my Foodsaver when you pry it from my cold, dead hands. We, too, buy bulk meats at Costco, divvy up into serving sizes (2 pork chops per bag, 2 lbs of chicken thighs per bag, etc.) for freezing. Cheese absolutely lasts waaaay longer than in a ziplock bag, and they make for great icepacks, too – no leaking! We even seal various other things in it, as well, right in the bags they came in, such as frozen fruit, dried fruits and nuts, etc.
If you use a Mehu Liisa steam juicer, you don’t have to strain your juice for jelly.
I’ve got a genuinely obsolete kitchen gadget – a hand crank, wooden-paddle butter churn that screws onto a very jar, sturdy glass jar. I remember helping to crank it when we made butter, when I was a (very small) child. I don’t use it now, though – it adorns the top of one of the bookshelves, as a family heirloom/nostalgia item.
Regarding popcorn poppers, I remember the cheap Mirro electric one we had when i was a kid. I progressed to the air popper when I was in grad school, and then to microwave popcorn. Now, with all the news on bad conditions for factory workers in the microwave popcorn factories, I think I’ll go back to popping it on the stove in an ordinary lidded pot.
So when people say in posts you can have something when you pry it from their cold dead hands, is it a will and testament we can collect on?
I haven’t seen one in years-but handy to have, in case the pop tab breaks off a can of beer!
I don’t. I measure by weight, not volume, so it doesn’t matter there. I always used to sift, but over time I started leaving it out more and more often–and never noticed a difference. If the flour is “chunky” or I need to measure by volume, I’ll stir it a little bit with a fork first, but that’s it.
Once in a while, I’ll make a recipe that says something like “absolutely do not neglect the sifting step, or millions will die!” In that case, I avoid genocide by running it through a food processor for a few seconds. But I’m unconvinced it matters for the vast majority of baked goods.
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</joyful babbling>