Cooking and Collecting Kitchen Stuff... Do You?

[GrillingFool]

I know that a lot of people who are passionate about something
also collect items along that line....

So, who here has a kicking collection of toothpick holders?
Advertising recipe booklets?
Old enamel or wood handle utensils?
Cook books?
Salad plates?
1800's pickle jars?
Refrigerator boxes?
Griswold cast iron?
Knives?

My Mom collected Depression era glassware, which, of course,
revolved around the kitchen. Some of it I use today... like a nice
Anchor Hocking mixing bowl set, and some vaseline glass ramekins!

I have a great collection of advertising measuring glasses, which are
like a tumbler with measuring marks and a neat graphic ad. They were
popular as give aways until the mid 1970s or so.

So, anyone else into "vintage" kitchen or cooking goodies?
Let's hear it!

 

[jpmcgrew]

I do collect cook books and would love to collect all kinds of cooking things but alas I just dont have the space.I have a few non related cooking collections.People say our house looks like a natural history museum.

 

[kadesma]

With 4 grandkids always here, My refrigerator is alive with little scribbled notes,and pictures of all my babies, so I try but don't completely succeed in NOT collecting things. I have my grandmothers screw to the cutting board meat grinder, several old crocks my grand ma used for dill pickles and sauerkraut, my grandmothers china,potato peeler,potato masher, several dozen cardboard ravioli boxes,all the rollers of every woman in my family that made ravioli,rav cutters.I have a large box with a grater and a drawer to catch and hold the parmesan in, from my husbands grandpa, don't use it much now with the new micro planer, but it sits in repose on a shelf watching over the kitchen..That's about it, or else we would be living in the garage as the collections would have filled the house
kadesma

 

[Katie H]

Omigosh, GF, I can't tell you how many kitchen/cooking things we collect. Let's not even talk about cookbooks. That's a whole other discussion, which is separate thread here.

I began my cooking career many, many years ago with Revere Ware. As a result, we have become collectors of all things Revere. We have quite a collection of this maker's wares. One of our favorite ones is a 12-inch round griddle we purchased at a yard sale for 50 cents. Unfortunately, it was in crappy shape and required many hours of "cleaning" before it was brought back to its original glory. It now hangs "proudly" in our kitchen. We also have a "coffee" obsession, so have many beautiful Revere coffee makers of many types.

Another thing I collect are toys from the '50s because most of mine were destroyed and I've spent many years trying to replace my treasured items. Many of my toys centered around kitchen/cooking themes.

We have a collection of 4 different kinds of china/dishware, along with glassware, flatware, etc., linens, matching fabrics, and other kitchen/eating/dining stuff.

Kinda like Lay's potato chips. Betcha can't collect only one.

When one is into food, whether it's preparing, cooking or serving, collections can become an obsession.

As a result, we hope there isn't a 12-step program for our addiction.

 

[Rom]

my friend has 50million cannister sets...i don't have space...atm

 

[Rom]

actually come to think of it...i have a collection of stove top coffee makers (or perculators/espresso machine things)

my smallest is a 2 cup one that has 2 spouts and you put the cups on the coffee machine and put everything on the stove its really cute ,
this is a pic of a similar one not mine.

http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:ZGQpXZD4ryNz8M:http://www1.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/2955295/2/istockphoto_2955295_coffee_percolator.jpg

i then have one that instead of putting it on the stove it does the same thing but u can plug it into the wall its cool,

then i have a bunch of other ones of diff sizes. (the follownig aren't exact but similar..handles are diff
http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:kMCLi3TGLh9CkM:http://www.hoeijmakers.net/rob/blog/uploaded_images/23052006%28001%29-700702.jpg
One year for my bday - my mum bought me 2 stove top ones of diff sizes and my bf bought me the one that you plug in the wall hehehe I LOVE ESPRESSO COFFEE!!!!!! (in milk - basically a cold "flat white or latte with no froth)

i still have no room, so they are spread here and there

 

[Rom]

bugga, my pics didn't turn out, they are links instead..argh

 

[Loprraine]

Besides cookbooks, I collect:

egg coddlers
Faux Bleu plates / bowls / platters
Linen napkins (aren't they fun to iron!!)
Serving platters

 

[Claire]

Definitely cook books. I finally found a good home for my collection of Gourmet and Saveur back issues. I collect serving pieces that are in the shapes and colors of fruit and vegetables. The piece that started the collection is actually real Portuguese majollica wear, and I have a few others that are, but mostly are basic ceramics, often made by amateurs at their local kiln. My husband and I are at an age (52 and 60) when we feel you should be divesting yourself of possessions, not ammassing them, and we also spent three years "on the road" in an RV. So we've gotten rid of a lot of stuff when it comes to that. But my mom came and collected all of her favorite "vegetable ware" pieces before we had our huge garage sale, and gave them back to me when we bought our next home. I like the vegetable ware because I can use it, and do. Mostly our "stuff" that we still own is from our military life and travels. Even art work. Living in an antique town the way we do, many of our friends' homes are Victorian, with all the pictures and bric-a-brac that goes with it. Just the thought of dusting it all exhausts me. In our house if you see something, there is probably a story behind it. Not something we bought because we needed something to decorate a wall or shelf or mantle. The kitchen and dining area stuff actually is used, even if it is a collection. I make beaded Christmas ornaments, and hang them in the dining room window (at child eye level), and at my annual Christmas party I give them to little girls and boys who are fascinated by the facets and the light that plays off of them. So collections, no matter what they be, tend to not last long in our house.

 

[SizzlininIN]

Another self proclaimed cookbook collector here. I have started to contain myself though d/t my bookshelf is now full and I can't bring myself to part with any that I already have.
I also collect mixing crocks....another where I've halted future purchases. I used to collect red handled cooking utensils but stopped but still have mine proudly displayed in my taller crocks.
I was addicted to colored/patterned pyrex mixing bowls and refrigerator boxes but once I moved into this house I really downsized on them.
I'm what you call eclectic so I have a little of this and that. For display I do collect certain pieces of Frankoma pottery but I'm pretty picky about that and the price has to be really good for me to buy it so thats a slow collection in progress.

 

[GotGarlic]

I collect cookbooks and cut or molded glass serving dishes.