Museum Cooking Implements

 

Object
Image
Movie
Description
Apple Corer 1
None

Paring machines (1845 Howland) were also the focus of much inventors' attention. According to Franklin (2003, p. 15) "with the advent of cast iron gears in 1850, inventors waged a furious battle to perfect the paring machine. By 1890, after well over 100 patents, home-use parers faded in popularity; most new designs were for larger commercial models." Here is one of these later apple paring machine. (See # 22 in the same series of photos for hand paring tool.) There also are peach stone pitters and parers and potato parers. Paring machines ranged from rather simple to elaborate systems of gears and were considered to be great labor-saving devices.
The first widely known mechanical parer was patented in 1803 and a drawing of it presented in Willich's Domestic Encyclopedia (1803-04) for "rural readers." Apparently many farmers proceeded to make their own based on this drawing. There have been many many patents since then, ranging from simple to complex. Like the ones photographed, they are either mounted on a table or board or are made to screw onto the edge of a table (see example below).
As seen in the photographed parer, the apple is placed on a fork, which is attached to a shaft, and when the handle is turned a knife peels the apple. This is a large cast iron parer, "Bonanza Parer" by Goodell Co, was made for commercial establishments such as hotels (Franklin 2003 p. 22). It was patented in the late 1880s and introduced in 1890.
See below for more examples of parers

Apple Corer 2
Apple Corer 3
None
Apple Corer 4
Beetle

This heavy wooden pestle-like implement was used for pounding food and tenderizing meat. Wooden hammers or mallets were also used for this purpose.

Beetle 2
None

Pestle or hammer (1845 & 1815 Howland; 1940 Miss Leslie): depending on the recipe and use, there are a variety of pestle-like, wooden mallet and hammer types of instruments for tenderizing meat, softening fish, mashing and pulverizing food. Here we have a variety of types of meat tenderizers (also called meat beetles-see A1-2)

Beetles
None

The next photos show a variety of potato and vegetable mashers, also called beetles (see B1-2), which are used in multiple ways as evidenced in this cookbook (1884 Mrs. Lincoln's). Here (p. 248) the potato masher (or pestle) is to be used to press finely chopped meat tightly into cloth bags, much as a sausage stuffer is used to press chopped/ground meat into casings. Potato mashers are often rounded heavy wooden objects with handles and flat bottoms.
Many of the wooden items were hand made. The more "contemporary" potato mashers use metal.
This genre of equipment-food mashers/beetles-are the oldest kitchen utensil still being used today. The most popular use of them is for mashing potatoes and for pounding meat to tenderize.

Box with Pots
None

Bain-Marie (1904 Russell): This apparatus keeps cooked food warm. A large tin pan partially filled with boiling water is placed where the temperature will remain hot but not boiling. A pot of cooked food is placed in the hot water. The term bain-marie also refers to a special small high-sided pan with lid and handle. (Illustrations also in Parloa)

Bread Grater
This tool was used to grate bread much more substantial than the fluffy bread of today. Bread was more easily grated with a bread grater while still fresh rather than stale and dry. Bread graters varied greatly in appearance with the most common style being a large cylindrical style with a handle at the top.
Brown Glazed Bowl
None
A decorative piece, this Rockingham Ware with its brown over yellow glaze was used during the mid-late 19th century.
Bucket
None

Copper kettle and stick (1869 Lea): Copper is an excellent conductor of even heat, which is especially important in the process of cooking large amounts for a long time, such as in making apple butter. In this photo is a large copper kettle and an especially unique stick with a paddle-like appendage with holes used to sir the cooking apple butter. The design of this stirring stick is such that the sides of the kettle can be easily scrapped, and important point when making apple butter. It also must be long because one stands when stirring. Making apple butter with this equipment is considered old time and is often the focus of local Midwest autumn festivals. Decades ago making apple butter was like a work bee when family and friends would congregate to help. Bushels and bushels of apples had to be peeled, cored, and quartered and then cooked with fresh cider until very thick in large copper kettles over an open fire. Some took turns stirring for it had to be constantly stirred, while others prepared the containers to hold the butter when done.

Bundt
None

Turban-shaped mould (1832 Miss Leslie) (MSU#11369CW) for baking almond cakes in the 1800s. Molds are not a necessary part of cooking but used to form food into fancy shapes. There were a wide variety of molds, e.g., aspics, jellies, custards and puddings, ices, mousses, vegetable or rice, cake, and so on.

Butter Mold
None
Butter molds were used to form butter into a decorative shape such as the floral motif used here. Shown here is the carved side of the molds into which the butter was placed along with a yellow plaster cast that shows how the butter would look once removed from the mold.
Butter Mold 2
None
Displayed here are three different butter molds: a round wooden mold that has a design carved into the top, a rectangular wooden mold and a glass butter mold with wooden press and handle.
These molds were “for preparing butter for the table in houses where neatness of appearance is studied”. (quoted by Franklin 2003, p. 190, from American Agriculturist)
Butter Paddles
None
These are examples of the two familiar types of paddles used to work the remaining liquid out of butter once it is removed from the churn. Butter being worked was usually placed in a wooden bowl.
Cabbage Thing
None

Potato slicer (1884 Mrs. Lincoln's) (see S1-6, another version for vegetables, including potatoes and cabbage). This is another example of a vegetable/potato/cabbage slicer. A long wooden frame with a steel cutting blades in the center. When cabbage is to be cut, the frame end must be braced in some way, e.g., against a wall (or I have seen it place on two chairs, a galvanized tub beneath, and a second person bracing the chair) Cabbage is pushed across the blade and slices fall into a receptacle below. Sometimes the blade can be adjusted for the thickness of the slice desired, which might be important when the vegetable being cut is thin potato or cucmber. Often there also is a wooden block or frame for use in slicing smaller vegetables.

       
Can Openers Image None

From left to right: manually operated-cast handle, forged steel blade, from mid-19th century [MSU No. 13952]; another from mid 19th century [MSU No. 1170.1]; with cork screw-this style is still available today [MSU No. 1310.245]. These types are worked by pulling the blade up and down around the edge of a can.
Another still available today, the blade cuts along the edge of the can as the handle is turned [MSU No. 4906.65.2]; an example of a can opener that is fastened to the wall and worked by turning handle.

Cauldron

Scotch bowl: (1884 Mrs. Lincoln's) a lidless slope-sided kettle with bail handle, of iron or fireproof pottery, usually for making thick Scotch broth barley soup or for porridge. It is lidless because porridge has to be stirred constantly (Franklin, p. 190).

Cauldron 2

Three-legged cast iron pot . A 2-pail or 3-pail pot is a measure for the size needed in this recipe. A similar measure is "1 bucket." Both buckets and pails are for carrying, as well as measuring, dry and wet materials, although a pail is more than likely for wet. 1 pail is about 2 gallons.

Cauldron 4

Scotch bowl: (1884 Mrs. Lincoln's) a lidless slope-sided kettle with bail handle, of iron or fireproof pottery, usually for making thick Scotch broth barley soup or for porridge. It is lidless because porridge has to be stirred constantly (Franklin, p. 190).
Two are photographed here: one of iron (MSU# 2312.15) is black and sooty on bottom and sides from cooking in open fire or in a stove hole; the other is pottery.

Ceramic Cup

Nappy (1890 Burr): a round shallow pottery bowl, flat-bottomed, sloping sides. Some sources say it was used for cooking; some were large enough for several quarts of milk. They ranged from 3"-12" diameter. The commonest of yellow and white ware. Nappy is from Middle English, nap, meaning bowl.

Chopper 1 Image Movie

Single wooden handle and hand made, double crescent bladed knife [MSU No. 4001CW] and wooden chopping bowl. This is also called a chopper or mincer. Parloa, however, didn't like this type of chopper. She states, "A chopping knife with only one blade is much better than one with two blades. The blade should be almost straight across. When it is rounded a good deal, much time and strength are wasted in chopping (1887, Kitchen Companion).

Chopper 2 Image Movie

All metal with multiple sharp heavy blades. The bottoms of the blades are slightly rounded for use in a wooden bowl. Patent date is stamped on the handle 1893. [MSU # 1310.769]

Churn
None

Butter churn (1869 Lea): a tall, narrow wooden cask/barrel with manually operated churn. Before it is used it would be filled with water to cool the churn and swell the barrel.
In the 18th century, butter became a standard part of the American diet. It was usually made at home in wooden or stoneware churns. This was an arduous process requiring time and stamina. Cream, poured into the cask, is agitated with the churn (dasher) until particles of butter float to the surface. The butter is removed, washed, and then worked in a wooden bowl with a wooden paddle to remove excess moisture. Salt was added, which flavored and preserved the butter, and sometimes carrot juice was used for color (especially in the winter when the cream is very light in color). It was kept in stone crocks or wooden boxes. What remains in the cask is buttermilk. (Real buttermilk is churned not cultured.)

Churn 2
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(Ice cream) tin freezer (1884 Mrs. Lincoln's): people have been eating ice cream for centuries. The precursors of ice cream and sherbets were the Ancient Chinese, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, etc. Each had own recipe. The first ice cream was a frozen milk, a food of the privileged and rich (had to have ice brought to them from mountains). The English enjoyed ice cream for decades before the American colonial period. (An erroneous legend says Dolly Madison introduced ice cream to America at a White House reception during Madison's administration.) Before the end of the 18th century, entrepreneurs in Philadelphia and NYC were establishing public ice cream parlors. Early 1900s ice cream and soda parlors very popular.
After Civil War geared mechanisms were applied to home ice cream makers; the first thought to be in 1846. There were 50 different examples invented in this period (another example of inventors going wild); the most familiar is the bucket model in which is placed a narrow tin canister with a dasher and tight lid and around which is layered chipped ice and salt. This is manually turned with a handle. (the preceding 2 paragraphs are taken from Alice Ross's article "Aren't we lucky")
This photograph is of the canister with lid; the handle is attached to the paddle inside the canister, which churns the contents. The churning and temperature of the melting ice cause the contents to thicken.

Churn 3
Movie

Bread maker [MSU Museum Cat. No. 4775.63] This tin container is the No. 8 Universal Bread Maker by Landers, Frary & Clark of New Britain, Connecticut. It won a gold medal at the St. Louis Exposition in 1904. The instructions embossed on the top are as follows: "Put in all liquids first, then the flour. Turn the handle for 3 minutes. Let the dough rise in the pail. After rising, turn handle until dough forms a ball. Take off the cross piece and lift out dough with the kneader." Bread machines were made for quite a long time from the 1890s on. They came in different heights and capacities.
The advertisement for the Universal at the time stated that making bread with their machine was superior to hand kneading, "Directly opposite to hand kneading is the work of the Univrsal. . . .In hand kneading the particles of flour are necessarily pressed together, and the liquid does not thoroughly moisten each particle of the starch granules, while with the bread maker these particles are lightly held apart until thoroughly wetted. . .and kneaded" (Franklin 2003, p. 109). [What a sales pitch! But this was the beginning of what eventually became the wonder bread syndrome.-YL]

       
Confectioners
None
Confectioner’s bag and tin nozzle with parchment interliner: Like those used today, this confectioners bag would be filled with frosting, the open end twisted shut, and then squeezed, forcing the frosting out through the tin nozzle on the end in order to decorate a cake. This bag is from a set still containing the illustrated instruction page.

Crank Thing
None

Wire sifter: sifters of this kind are quite versatile and found around the world. The gauge of the wire screens varies in size and each is used for different tasks, e.g., rubbing through herbs, sifing flours and grains, grating dough.

Crock

(1857 Collins; 1884 Mrs. Lincoln's) The recipe calls for a pickle pot or a firkin, for making pickles. Here we have a crock, which still is used for pickle making, but I have not been able to pin point the term "pickle pot." (A firkin being a water-tight barrel)

Crock Slicer Churn
None

The next photo shows a smaller vegetable slicer, a large crock and a tamp. The crock and tamp would be used in making sauerkraut. The tamp is used to press down the cabbage, which is layer with salt in the crock.

Crumb Scraper
None
Most often used before dessert was served, a crumb scraper was used to clean crumbs and other food particles from the table.
Double Boiler

Steamer is described (1890 Abel) as though it is what we call today a double boiler, where the lower 2/3 of a small pot with a lid fits inside a larger pot that holds boiling water. This structure keeps the cooking food away from direct heat. The heat comes from the steam of the boiling water, and food cooks more slowly and is less apt to stick to the pot. (MSU# 1446.lA (kettle) & 1B(pot insert).

Domed Pot
Covered tin pan ????
Egg Pan

Aebelskiver pan (or Ebelskivers pan) [MSU Museum Cat. No. 2003:168.14] Made by Griswold, No. 32. These pans, at least in name, are Scandinavian in origin. Cast iron, round with a short handle with cup-like indentations. Ebelskivers are apple pancake balls made with apple slivers and batter. They are also called muffin molds, egg poachers, apple pancake pans, Danish cake pans and Olie koeck pans.
To quote food historian William Woys Weavers, "Several nineteenth century foundries in this country sold an implement they called an olie-koeck pan. Many signed examples bear the names of J.M. Davidson & Shear, Packard & Company of Albany, or Griswold of Erie, Pennsylvania" (The Christmas Cook, Harper Perennial, 1990, p. 69). This image is a Griswold.

Egg Beaters
None
A popular technological advance in American kitchens, the Dover egg beater, also used for whipping cream or making mayonnaise dressing as well as beating eggs, replaced various other techniques for whipping egg whites. The beater was composed of wire blades attached to two small, cogged wheels. These cogs fit the cogs of a larger wheel turned by a handle, known as the "wheel and axle construction". One rotation of this handle resulted in five rotations of the wire blades. The Dover Egg beater produced a fine close texture because it was not lifted from the mixture while operating and therefore beats less air in than other types of eggbeaters.
       
Food Chopping Knives Image None

Food Chopping Knives (P8011213)These choppers are exactly the kind Parloa recommended: single slightly curved blade. Late 19th century. [MSU no.: upper left: 4629CW; center: 2250.1]

Glass Bottle
None

Glass rolling pin (MSU# 5482.1.1). Many old pins were glass. They could be chilled, which makes rolling out pastry dough easier. Glass pins have either a screw lid or plug at the end; they were usually filled with cold water or ice shavings.

Glass Tumbler

Tumbler (1845 Howland). This cookbook suggests using a tumbler to cut out biscuits (?), probably because the size is appropriate. How little behavior changes over time! How often have we 21st century cooks reached for a tumbler to cut out our biscuits or cookies?

Gourd Dippers
None
Gourd dippers:
Dried gourd dippers were readily made in North America by both Native Americans and others. An opening was cut into the gourd and the contents were scraped out. The outside was then cleaned and dried. Dippers were used much like a ladle and could also be made from such things as burls, coconuts, and coquilla nuts.
Gravy Boat

Sauceboat (1840 Miss Leslie). This is what today is called a sauceboat or gravyboat, but the recipe (at least as much as we received) indicates that this sauceboat would contain stewed onions (and maybe chitterlings). This sauceboat dates from the mid-late 1800s.

Hearth Toaster Image None

Toasters (P8011208) (on p. 6). The toaster on the left is a "stovetop" toaster designed to be used on top of a stove. It was patented in 1898 by George Wilson of Austin, Minnesota. The object was to uniformly toast bread and to catch any crumbs. Today this model and other stovetop toasters are often used by campers. [MSU No. 3012.4]
The other three toasters are designed for toasting on a hearth. The second from the left is hinged at the end of the long handle so the bread holder pivots, making it possible to toast both sides of the bread [MSU No. 4870CW]
The third from the left is a toasting fork [MSU No. 6163CW]. The handle has a ring which when pushed toward the far end of the handle, a piece of bread can be placed between the spread tongs, one of which has a spike which further secures the bread on the toaster.
At the end of a long handle is a brass plate in the shape of a slice of sandwich bread on which the bread to be toasted rested. The plate has many holes that cause the bread to toast differently where there are holes than where there is metal.

Icecream Scoops Image None

Ice Cream equipment (P7311192-93). Ice cream disher sandwich style or slice molder for ice cream sandwich or ice cream sandwich dippers. Ice cream sandwiches were very popular in the 1920s. They were both a soda fountain novelty and made at home. When made at home, the ice cream was in slices from a brick of ice cream. Until bulk ice cream was available, these sandwich dippers were not useful in homes but sales of them were pitched to soda fountains and ice cream parlors (Franklin 2003, p. 283). More then two dozen styles of sandwich dippers were made during the 1920s. The ice cream was dipped or scooped into the end of this utensil and when the lever on the handle was pulled, the ice cream emerged in the shape of the metal form, ready to be put between two wafers. [MSU No. 222HM]
Ice cream dipper or disher [MSU No. 3638.91] These nickel-plated mechanical ice cream scoopers came in different sizes and shapes and were on the market by the early 1900s. Some were also sold for dishing mashed potatoes.

Jello Mold
None

Jelly molds. Sometimes called food molds and pudding molds. This one, however, was for "jelly." (Jelly meaning gelatin-based such as aspic, etc.) They were used to form food that would set up and hold its fancy shape when it was turn out of the mold and served. Molds were different sizes and made of different materials; their decorative "tops" ranged from simple to very elaborate, animals, flowers, and fruits being common.

Kettle 1

Teakettle: (1890 Abel) teakettles are for heating water. They are covered and have handle and spout for pouring boiling water. Photographed are a cast iron (MSU#24090), enamel (MSU#3057.24), and copper (3940CWb) teakettle. The copper kettle is also known as a "range" kettle, i.e., its pit bottom could sit in a stove hole. Kettles of this type are said to be slightly older. But why is it called a teakettle?
According to Hutchinson (p. 92, 1918): "tea kettles are used only for boiling water. They usually have a wide base. However, a deep pot-shaped style is sometimes sold for use on a coal range, where the kettle may fit down into the stove hole. As they are usually rather heavy when full, the handle is in the shape of a bail which distributes the weight evenly. The bail is usually protected at its central part where the hand comes, by a wooden cylindrical covering, since wood does not conduct heat so rapidly as metal. Sometimes coiled wire is used for this central section, as heat takes longer to pass through the coils than through a straight piece of metal and thus becomes lost. The spout is curved to prevent the water from splashing when it is boiling and is placed at the bottom of the kettle to insure easy pouring. The covers are small, as no foods are cooked in these kettles, and the water can be poured in through a small opening. Tea kettles are made of aluminum, enameled ware, cast iron, nickel-plated copper, and tinned ware."

Kettle 2

Teakettle: (1890 Abel) teakettles are for heating water. They are covered and have handle and spout for pouring boiling water. Photographed are a cast iron (MSU#24090), enamel (MSU#3057.24), and copper (3940CWb) teakettle. The copper kettle is also known as a "range" kettle, i.e., its pit bottom could sit in a stove hole. Kettles of this type are said to be slightly older. But why is it called a teakettle?
According to Hutchinson (p. 92, 1918): "tea kettles are used only for boiling water. They usually have a wide base. However, a deep pot-shaped style is sometimes sold for use on a coal range, where the kettle may fit down into the stove hole. As they are usually rather heavy when full, the handle is in the shape of a bail which distributes the weight evenly. The bail is usually protected at its central part where the hand comes, by a wooden cylindrical covering, since wood does not conduct heat so rapidly as metal. Sometimes coiled wire is used for this central section, as heat takes longer to pass through the coils than through a straight piece of metal and thus becomes lost. The spout is curved to prevent the water from splashing when it is boiling and is placed at the bottom of the kettle to insure easy pouring. The covers are small, as no foods are cooked in these kettles, and the water can be poured in through a small opening. Tea kettles are made of aluminum, enameled ware, cast iron, nickel-plated copper, and tinned ware."

Kettle 3

Teakettle: (1890 Abel) teakettles are for heating water. They are covered and have handle and spout for pouring boiling water. Photographed are a cast iron (MSU#24090), enamel (MSU#3057.24), and copper (3940CWb) teakettle. The copper kettle is also known as a "range" kettle, i.e., its pit bottom could sit in a stove hole. Kettles of this type are said to be slightly older. But why is it called a teakettle?
According to Hutchinson (p. 92, 1918): "tea kettles are used only for boiling water. They usually have a wide base. However, a deep pot-shaped style is sometimes sold for use on a coal range, where the kettle may fit down into the stove hole. As they are usually rather heavy when full, the handle is in the shape of a bail which distributes the weight evenly. The bail is usually protected at its central part where the hand comes, by a wooden cylindrical covering, since wood does not conduct heat so rapidly as metal. Sometimes coiled wire is used for this central section, as heat takes longer to pass through the coils than through a straight piece of metal and thus becomes lost. The spout is curved to prevent the water from splashing when it is boiling and is placed at the bottom of the kettle to insure easy pouring. The covers are small, as no foods are cooked in these kettles, and the water can be poured in through a small opening. Tea kettles are made of aluminum, enameled ware, cast iron, nickel-plated copper, and tinned ware."

Knife Board
None
This soft pine board was used in cleaning knives. The blade was placed on the raised sloped center that was sometimes covered with leather, then cleaned and polished. Other types of knife boards consisted of a long, narrow wooden board with an open box at the end to hold the polishing agent.
Ladle
None

Long handled dipper (1884, Mrs. Lincoln's)/ skimmer (1832 Miss Leslie): the holes in the round, metal end allow liquid and fat to drip off and out of the food item. The long handle helps to keep distance from the hot fat or liquid. Used to remove food from hot fats and liquids. The longer handled skimmer is hand crafted.

Lard Barrel

Lard Barrel (P7311183-86) (Ref. Lea, 1869, oak firkin used to store lard) This wooden container, in which lard was stored, came out of a turn-of-the-century country store in Michigan in the 1940s when it was still in use (and still has lard inside). On farms where pigs are slaughtered and the fat rendered for lard, it was traditional to store resulting large quantity of lard in firkins (barrel of oak bound on the outside with iron bands) or as in this case, wooden "buckets." This object is of cedar, bound with heavy wire hoops and metal bands around the bottom edge and top rim. The label reads "White Champion Pure Lard."

Larding Needles
None
Larding needles or pins:

These long slim hollow shafts of metal with a point at one end were used to insert strips of fat under the skin of meat that was to be cooked. The end of the strip of fat is gripped by the "teeth" at the end of the needle and then pushed under the surface or skin of the meat with the point in a similar manner as making a stitch when sewing. The needle is then pulled back out and the end with the fat is opened, leaving the strip underneath the surface.

Lemon Squeezers
Lemon squeezers, which come in two varieties, are used to extract the juice of lemons for use in recipes. The style represented here is good for rapid work. The lemon is cut in half, placed in the cup shaped receptacle to which a long hand was attached, and then pressed between the two sides of the tool by squeezing the handles together. The juice then runs out through holes in the receptacle.

The second style consisted of a dome like projection and a bowl below it. The lemon was pressed onto the dome and the juice would run down into the collection bowl below.

Machine 1
None

"Centrifugal Ice Cream Freezer" is embossed on this item. It works the opposite of the above freezer described. Here the ice and salt are put intot the metal cylinder that closes at the end and is turned (handle is missing). The mix for ice cream is put in the wooden box/container. When frozen the ice cream comes into the drawer seen in the photo. [NB: a freezer that works on the same principle but looks different is shown in Franklin 2003, p. 744, and is described in a 1891 magazine.]

Machine 2
None

"Centrifugal Ice Cream Freezer" is embossed on this item. It works the opposite of the above freezer described. Here the ice and salt are put intot the metal cylinder that closes at the end and is turned (handle is missing). The mix for ice cream is put in the wooden box/container. When frozen the ice cream comes into the drawer seen in the photo. [NB: a freezer that works on the same principle but looks different is shown in Franklin 2003, p. 744, and is described in a 1891 magazine.]

Majolica

Majolica (P7311152-56) (Ref.: 1877, Henderson, Practical Cooking). 19th century; Henderson refers to majolica in the context of decorating a table for dinner and in this case it is suggested that majolica be used as a centerpiece for fruit or flowers. This is, indeed, a decorative piece from mid-19th century, although too small for fruit. Majolica was very popular during this time, and, indeed, still has its advocates.

Mallet
None
Masher

Potato masher/beetle (Miss Lesie) See B1 and #16 in cooking equip #3.

Mason Jars
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Mason Jars (P8011206-207) (Ref.:1884 Mrs. Lincoln's Boston Cook Book). John L. Mason was a 19C inventor (but I believe Mason jars existed before 1884. When were they first invented? By 1884 there were a variety of glass canning jars available.
The green ting is due to iron in the sand.
Alice Ross (Alice.Ross.com) discusses jelly preserving pans as being of copper, bronze, bell metal or porcelain-lined cast iron and didn't darken fruit as did iron or impart a metallic taste. They were usually small and shallow and made in small quantities for better quality. Jelly was expensive (sugar was costly). In the late 19C, glass jars were manufactured in quantities and the price of sugar had come down, wood stoves replaced cooking on hearths.
She states that Nicolas Appert inspired an industry of canning when in the early 19C, Napoleon challenged society to come up with improved apparatus for preserving foods. Appert came up with the glass container, wide mouth pint bottles that were stopped with corks fitted to irregular hand blown glass. These were sealed with a compound made of lime and skim milk and finished in boiling water bath. Other inventive minds experimented: tin lids sealed with wax, various lid clamping mechanisms, and eventually mold-blown glass jars threaded to accept a zinc screw top lid. By the Civil War, 2-piece lids made air tight with disposable rubber rings or gaskets set between the glass lid and jar. Next came the Mason jar and air tight canning. By the 1880s women were canning fruit, vegetables, and meat.
Photographed here is an assortment of different types of Mason jars with different means of sealing:
2 different kinds of jars with lid clamping mechanisms that were used with the rubber rings [#1310.1043A -on far left and 3602.1A-this second from the left is still seen today in homes]; a jar with a zinc screw top with glass lid; jar sealed with glass top screwed down with zinc grooved ring; and a jar with a zinc screw top, the underside has a porcelain lining.

Meat Grinder
Meat Rack
None
This metal rack on which meat was roasted was probably placed in an oven. The pan below the rack was used to catch the fat and juices that dripped from the meat as it cooked.
Metal (tin) Cans
None

Metal (tin) can for preservation (P8011204). Included also is an example of another method used in homes to preserve foods. Here is a metal can [4783CW] with a metal lid which was soldered on and sealed over with sealing wax [3502.7D] which was melted down in a cast iron pourer with spout [1998:27.7]. Around the top of the lid are embossed the partial words for various fruits that were canned in these containers: elderb, blackb, raspb, strawb, tomatoes, peaches, quinces, rhubarb, grapes. In turn-of-the-century catalogs soldering kits for women's use are advertised.

Metal Measures
None

Metal measures (P8011205) Various sizes of copper and tin liquid measures.

Metal Bowl
Metal Sifter
None

Dredger: metal container with a closed lid perforated with a number of fine or coarse holes for salt dredger, flour dredger, pepper dredger, and sugar dredger. [today these would be called shakers] Have concave (English) and flat lids. "It is believed that floured meats lasted longer. After roast was turned and done on a spit, it was dredged with flour and turned a few more times to make a bubbly gravy or froth just before serving (Franklin, p. 75).

Mixed Items
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Mixed items: Plate scraper, 2 pot chains or pot scrubbers, pot scraper:
The plate scraper consisted of a wooden handle and a hard rubber disk attached to the handle with a piece of tin.
Pot scrubbers like these, available with or without a handle, made of flexible chain mail were used to scrape cooked on food from the contours of pots and kettles.
Pot scrapers like the one shown (far right) were made of metal. When the user squeezed the handle the metal piece was bent and could then conform to the contours of the pot, which was being scraped.
Muffin Tins
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Gem or muffin pan (1884 Mrs. Lincoln's); gem irons (1893 ): heavy cast iron pan with shallow or deep cups for baking muffins called gems. These pans are often used interchangeably with popover pans. "A gem pan is supposed to be very different from a muffin pan, but no doubt many gems were mad in muffin and popover pans." (Franklin, p. 112). Gems are"the simplest form of bread," using whole wheat or graham flour, salt, and water, no leavening, no eggs.

Nutmeg Graters
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Nutmeg graters (P8011219-20). Photographed here is a selection of older nutmeg graters dating from the late 1800s and early 1900s. (Nutmeg graters are still available and used today; # 2 for example.) Three are spring loaded (going from left to right, # 1, 3, and 4).

Oyster Shucker
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Oyster shucker (P7311191). Oyster shucker by Dexter, turn of the 20th century; wooden handle. [MSU # 2001:19.2]

Pan With Feet

Spider: (1845 Howland) According to Alice Ross (There's History in Your Frying Pan) the spider originally (18C) was cast iron, rounded bottom pan with three legs, which evolved to the flat bottomed, slant-sided but still three-legged pan. These were used in fireplaces, the legs being entirely functional placing the pan above the coals. The cookstove influenced new pot designs. The spider's legs were eliminated and the rounded bottoms were flattened. And although the pans are now without legs, these skillets are still sometimes called spiders.
However, Ross, believes the term spider was regional because far too many early cookbooks refer to frying pans rather than to spiders. She finds "spider" used in 19C Boston and New England cookbooks. [NB: What is Howland, The American Economical Housekeeper?] But then she also found the term used in a late 1800s Texas cookbook.
Today cooks make "spider cornbread" and "skillet cornbread," meaning it is made in a heavy frying pan.

Peeler and Knife
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More paring apparatuses: hand held vegetable and fruit parers and corers (MSU# 443.82A on left; no number for one on right). These existed at the same time as mechanical ones and are still used in today's kitchens.
Other mechanical apple corers. The first is meant to be screwed to the edge of a table (MSU# 146608). As the handle is turned, the apple rotates and an attached blade peels the apple. The second is used on top of table. Like many of the older models, it is a simpler apparatus of wood with an attached blade to peel the apple as it is manually turned. This probably is homemade; its structure is similar to the 1803 model mentioned above.

Piggin

Piggin (P7311179-82). Piggins are often described as small wooden buckets. They were used for dipping liquids. The elongated stave for the handle is the distinguishing feature of a piggin. The stave handle on this one is beautifully shaped. The staves are bound with straps of iron. Usually piggins had lids, which with time were often lost or destroyed.

       
Pincher Image None

Sugar nippers [MSU Museum catalog number 5005CW]. These date back to the 1850s and before. In the 18th and early 19th centuries, sugar came molded in the shape of molded cones wrapped in blue paper. It was hard and dense. A device like this was used at the table to break off a chunk for use in coffee or tea. If granulated sugar was needed, the chunks would have to be crushed with a mortar and pestle. According to Franklin (2003, p. 101) the blue paper that wrapped the cones was soaked to get out the color (which she states was indigo) for use as a dye and as a laundry blueing agent in rinse water.

Pyrex
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Raisin Seeder
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Raisin seeder (P8011197). This is in the category of pitters and seeders and many examples were available by the middle of the 19th century, each an attempt to improve on what was available. Pitters and seeders were an inventor's dream. This ingenious little machine was used to take seeds out of raisins. Today most of the grapes and raisins variants are grown seedless, but only a few decades ago this was not the case. In the 19th and very early 20th century, raisins came with seeds. To extract them you needed a seeder, which was used in the home. The instructions embossed on metal frame of this seeder are "wet the raisins." The seeder is meant to clamp onto the edge of a table. Then the raisin was placed in the "cup" on top, the handle was turned to move two wheels that moved in opposite directions. One wheel has small spike-like extrusions and is of metal, the other is made of what looks like a hard rubber. The last patent date on this seeder is 1895. MSU no.1466.2.
The museum also has in its collection a box of "Easter Brand Seeded Raisins from California." There isn't a date on the box, but being able to purchase seeded raisins would have been a new development.

Redware Pottery

Redware Pottery (P7311157-51). Also known as red pottery. Glazed only on the top surface; glaze is lead-based and not suitable for food. This pottery was very common in the mid-1800s and people were warned of its dangers and directed to use stoneware instead. This particular piece may be southeast European in provenance. It is shown here as a sample of redware.

Rosette Iron
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Rosette Patty Irons, which are photographed here, fit the description of a timbale iron exactly.
NB: According to Franklin (2003, p. 341, "patty irons, rosette molds and timbale molds. . .are used by dipping into a bowl of batter which adheres to the mold, then dipped into boiling fat or oil for a few seconds. Some make little cups to be filled with sweets or savories, some make lacy little cakes that could be sprinkled with confectioners' sugar."
Estes (1911) recipe calls for a Swedish timbale iron, which we don't have in the collection; however, we have patty irons that fit the description for a timbale iron exactly.

Round Metal
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Flint and steel (1884) are pictured here along with the box in which it is stored and ???. In lieu of matches, flint and steel were used to start a fire by rubbing together for sparks. Starting a fire with flint and steel requires practice and skill.

Spatula
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Salamander (1877 Henderson): This was the tool of choice for toasting the top of a dish. It is a thick plate of iron attached to the end of a long handle with 2 feet or rests arranged near the end (where the iron plate is) for propping the plate over the food to be browned. It was passed glowing red over the dish and food would brown (e.g., meringue) or broil on top (much like the torch does for crème brulee!). Salamaders, however, are elusive, which suggests that they were not staple cookware in the past, i.e., not everyone owned one. Consequently, the recipe recommends substituting fire shovels (for fireplaces) or pokers heated red hot.
Following the suggestion of the recipe, we have photographed here a fire shovel.
See Iron and Brass Implements of the English House, 1970, by J. Seymour Lindsay and Linda Campbell, 300 Years of Kitchen Collectibles (5th edition), p. 593.

Speckled Pot

Preserving kettle (1884 Mrs. Lincoln's): Because this is to have fruit and sugar sitting in it overnight, the best kettle (according to Mrs. Cornelius, The Young Housekeepers Friend) is ironware lined with porcelain. This enamelware kettle shows many years of use with its interior stained at mid-level. Its iron bail handle, rolled lip, sloping sides, pouring spout and tipping handle are other features of a preserving kettle. [NB: I don't know what the holes in the lid mean. The lid could be from another pot of the same size that was given to the museum, or the holes might function to let steam escape when the fruit cooks. I don't know.]

Spoon and Ladle
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Long handled dippers or ladles. For dipping out hot liquid, such as soup. The long handles on these dippers functioned to keep hands away from the hot liquid from which they are dipping.

Steamer 1

Steamer is described (1890 Abel) as though it is what we call today a double boiler, where the lower 2/3 of a small pot with a lid fits inside a larger pot that holds boiling water. This structure keeps the cooking food away from direct heat. The heat comes from the steam of the boiling water, and food cooks more slowly and is less apt to stick to the pot. (MSU# 1446.lA (kettle) & 1B(pot insert).

Steamer 2

Papin soup digester: (1890 Abel) a metal vessel originally of cast brass into which meat and water is put to boil. The lid screws or fastens tightly on. This vessel is put over a fire and the meat is reduced, some say, to pulp in 6-8 minutes. The temperature and pressure reaches above boiling point and is named for its inventor, Denys Papin, a fellow of Royal Society in England, who described its abilities as transforming the "oldest & hardest cow beef…made as tender as choice meat." This dates from 1681. It was very dangerous and frequently, apparently, blew up and caused injuries. (Franklin, p. 65)
The Papin Soup Digester, named after the man who invented it, is the predecessor to the modern pressure cooker. Early pressure cookers, for example, were called "digesters" of soup digester. Here we have photographed two examples: the first is porcelain (MSU#1852.lAA&B, bottom & lid). The second is galvanized (no # visible)

Still
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Still (P8011198-201 and P8011224-226). Distilling alcohol without a license is against the law in the United States. Immigrants to this country at the turn of the 20th century were accustomed to preserving fruits, not only by canning and making preserves, but also by fermenting and then distilling them into liquor with the aroma and taste of the fruit. This was especially the case for people from central and eastern Europe for whom these alcoholic liquors were integral to their social life and culture. And they continued the practice of distillation here. Even during Prohibition, distillation was active in some communities. People recall the aroma of fermenting fruit wafting from certain homes in their neighborhoods when stills were being used. Today it is illegal for private individuals to even own a still.

Toaster 1

Toaster (P7311166-71) [NB: Toasters are big collector items!]. This electric toaster probably dates from the 1930s. It has simple but decorative slots cutout on top that allowed heat and moisture to disperse and Art Deco stamped design on the doors. Combines black baked enamel, chrome (or nickel plate-I don't know), and red knobs. [MSU No. 3057.57]

Toaster 2

This nickel-plated electric toaster dates from the mid-to late-1920s. It is especially interesting the way the bread can be turn "over" or around to toast both sides. In addition it does not have doors, which may have been a selling point because the heat and moisture is quickly dispersed and the bread left crisp. The base and angled non-conducive disks forming the feet and the top are expressive of the period. [MSU No. 1306.21a]

Toast Rack
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The metal basket-type device was used over a fire in order to toast bread. The two halves of the metal rack would swing open and the bread to be toasted was placed in between. The toast rack was then closed and held over the fire.
Trimmers
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Jagging Irons or Pie Crust Trimmers:

Consisting of a handle and round blade with a scalloped edge, similar to a pizza cutter, these tools were used to cut pastry and other stiff batters such as gingerbread and are still used in many kitchens today.

Variety of Graters
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Variety of graters (P8011209). Tin hand graters, ca. early 1900s. Only the top left hand one has coarse and fine perforations--it is more like what is available to us today. These styles of tin graters date back 200 years. Wooden handle[MSU No. 4631CW]; smallest all metal [MSU # 28912].

Washer Thing 1
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Rag holder. This wire device was invented in the late 19th century. As the ring is slid to the end, the four "legs" on the opposite end come together to grip a dishrag, which is held in place when the ring is again slid toward the rag. It can then be used to wash the inside of tall glasses, bottles, jars, and lamp chimneys. These were made with and without vegetable skimmers at the opposite end.

Washer Thing 2
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Wedge

Jelly press (1913 McCulloch-Williams): in the recipe this press is suggested for squeezing hot lard out of cracklings.
Franklin, p. 109, describes the jelly press as follows: a jelly or fruit press is an implement for pressing fruits and vegetables through small apertures. One type: perforated basket that holds fruit and a levered plate which presses food through perforations. Also called a ricer. Other type works like a sausage stuffer. Geared crank action, either rack and pinion or screw, and the follower presses food down against perforated bottom of basket insert and from there out a straight spout into a bowl. This type was a combined sausage stuffer, fruit and lard press. The third type: hand wheel on top that forces a follower against the fruit.
According to Hutchinson, p. 113, 1918: "fruit presses are similar to potato mashers [which she describes as ricers or the 'old-fashioned' type of wood or twisted wire fastened onto a handle] and are used for making grape juice, and for pressing juice from fruits for jellies, etc."
Two presses are photographed: one of the kind that is a jelly press and the other that is described in the recipe. The first press photographed is the perforated basket and levered plate that presses food through perforations. Pulling the handle up, removes the plate, and the food is placed into the basket. Replacing the plate and pushing down on the handles pushes the hot lard out, leaving the crisp cracklings.
In the case of this specific recipe, however, the cracklings are supposed to be "pressed hard between two clean boards till no more fat runs from them." The second image is type the recipe calls for. The cracklings are placed in a cloth bag and squeezed between these two pieces of wood that are hinged at one end (MSU# 684HM).

Whipchurn
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This long metal cylinder was used to whip cream and eggs. The Dasher was pulled and pushed in and out of the cylinder in order to add air to the mixture. Similar tools were sometimes called a syllabub churn and were used for whipping cream.
Wire Strainer
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Wire ladle or skimmer (La Cuisine Creole & 1832 Miss Leslie). This was most commonly used to skim vegetables from hot grease (in the case of La Cuisine-potatoes) and liquids. This style (and there are many with this wire type of construction) is called a "pea skimmer." It is cup or bowl-like.

Wire Whisk
This long handled utensil was used to whip air into the batter, eggs, or other food being stirred, creating a fluffy texture. Whisks made of wire make the airiest texture because they enclose the largest amount of air and were therefore most desirable for making light, airy foods such as meringues and angel or sponge cake.
Wooden Funnels
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Wooden funnels (P8011211). Lathe turned funnels each made from a single piece of wood; grooves cut into wood at insert point so vacuum did not build up in the vessel being filled. Most probably these are cider funnels (because metal imparts a flavor to cider) which fit the top of a cider keg. (Cf. Franklin 2003, p. 413) [MSU # 4694CW, 4674CW,4706CW].

Wooden Measures
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Wooden Measures (P8011202-03). Three different sizes of wooden measures, each scraped and hollowed from a single piece of wood (but probably machine made). Ca. pint, quart, 1/2 gallon sizes. Notches on the rim functioned to regulate the amount of liquid in the vessels (visible on smallest and largest). At least late 19th century. [MSU Nos. 4050CW, 4692CW, 4639CW].

Wooden Rings
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