Home Kitchen Design 30 Vintage Items That Will Remind You Of Mama's Kitchen By Josh Miller Josh Miller Josh Miller is a writer, editor, recipe developer, and food stylist who has been writing about Southern food and working in the publishing industry for the past 20 years. His work has appeared in Southern Living, Food & Wine, Cooking Light, Taste of the South, and Southern Cast Iron magazines. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on April 15, 2024 Close In today's kitchens, refrigerators have touch screens and ovens can be turned on with an app. Modern kitchen gadgets simplify everyday tasks, but some of us miss the old classics. And while some of these vintage finds are now obsolete, looking back on these antiques makes us feel nostalgic for microwaves without Bluetooth. You might recognize these vintage kitchen tools, and you probably have some of these tucked away in a kitchen cabinet, such as those old Pyrex dishes from Mama. Thanks to rustic, shabby chic, and retro trends, some of these vintage kitchen accessories are coming back in style. Etsy is filled with shops that sell vintage kitchen gadgets and retro appliances, so there are plenty of people out there who want to keep things old-school like us. And while some of these retro kitchen accessories aren't around anymore, you might get some stylish vintage kitchen ideas from the throwbacks. Take a stroll down memory lane to find the best vintage kitchen items, and you might realize what that weird-looking tool sitting on Mama's counter is actually supposed to do. 01 of 30 Fiesta Tableware Getty Images Headquartered in West Virginia, this colorful dinnerware rose to popularity in the 1930s and has been a staple of Southern kitchens ever since. Originally offered in five colors, the line has expanded to include more than 3 dozen shades, some of which are very vaulable! 02 of 30 Bread Boxes Getty Bread boxes in countless colors once adorned every countertop, and we think it's time to bring them back. They protect your bread from the elements (i.e. late-night snackers) and you won't have to hide your baked goods in cabinets when company comes over. 03 of 30 Jell-O Molds There's nothing like a vintage congealed treat is there? Not in our eyes. Back in the day, Mama had a Jell-O mold for every season, occasion, and size. Some were even pretty enough to hang on the wall! 04 of 30 Wooden Dough Bowls Getty Although wooden dough bowls were formerly used to let dough rise, they're now extremely popular as centerpiece containers. Place a few of your favorite plants or flowers into the versatile bowls and a statement piece that complements your rustic chic style. 05 of 30 Labeled Tins Getty Everything had a place in Mama's kitchen. She had her flour, sugar, coffee, and more in matching labeled tins. With rustic and retro looks on the rise, labeled kitchen tins are coming back in style. 06 of 30 Punch Bowls Photo: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller If you didn't have a punch bowl with matching glasses at your party, was it really a party? Pull your punch bowl out of storage and fill it up with one of our favorite alcoholic or non-alcoholic options. 07 of 30 Milk Glass Everything Amazon Milk glass has made a comeback, and we're so glad we kept all of Mama's around. This unique opaque or translucent glass comes in a variety of colors from soft pink, white, green and more. 08 of 30 Hand-Crank Coffee Grinders Getty Maybe we should be thankful that not all gadgets stick around. Coffee drinkers everywhere should be happy we don't have to hand-crank our coffee grinders anymore. 09 of 30 Fondue Sets Getty Images Fondue sets were the grooviest way to have a night in. It might be time to bring back those chocolate and cheese filled nights of total indulgence. And who can forget the sticks that you'd use to pick up your bread or apple slices? 10 of 30 Potato Masher Getty Images These evil gadgets have been frustrating home cooks for more than a hundred years. Too short to sit comfortably in a utensil crock and and so wide and bulky that it makes opening a drawer a nightmare, potato mashers are one utensil we can do without! 11 of 30 Egg Separators Getty You may see modern egg separators out there, but the first ones were made of tin. We believe those should be used solely as decoration nowadays. 12 of 30 Cake Breaker Amazon This tool was widely used for cutting angel food cakes and other soft confections, as the delicate tines wouldn't crush or compress the cake under pressure. Cake breakers were so popular that you could even find one in your silver pattern. 13 of 30 Herb Cutters Amazon Herb cutters came in many different styles. For example, some herb cutters had a handle on both sides of the blade for each hand. 14 of 30 Hand Mixers Getty We are not envious of our Mamas for this one. Next time you walk away from your standing mixer as it's beating eggs, remember how hard these vintage tools were to use. 15 of 30 Flour Sifters Getty No one was safe from getting covered in flour with this gadget around. Not only were there hand-crank flour sifters like this one, there were flour sifters from a later era with handle pumps. 16 of 30 Colorful Appliances Getty Before the appliance world went stainless steel, kitchens featured gadgets, countertops, and cabinets in many shades of pastel and bright colors. This is becoming trendy again, and we want a toaster in every color. 17 of 30 Potato Ricers Getty If you wanted the softest mashed potatoes, you'd use a potato ricer rather than a masher. With this gadget, holiday spuds turned out just perfect every time. 18 of 30 Butter Dishes Getty Some butter dishes like these were shaped to fit a stick of butter and others were round for tub butter. Another vintage butter tool was a butter mold, used to press beautiful patterns for table presentation. 19 of 30 Egg Slicers Getty Because everything and anything had its own personal slicer. This would make for the perfect egg slices for your cobb salads and whatever else you put large slices of egg on. 20 of 30 Colorful and Patterned Pyrex Dishes Getty Whose Mama didn't have some colorful or patterned Pyrex mixing bowls? We still belive that there's nothing better. 21 of 30 Recipe Card Boxes Getty We hope the tradition of recipe card boxes never dies. Even though you can save recipes online, there's nothing like a handwritten recipe card that can be passed down. 22 of 30 Handmade Hot Pads Getty It isn't that our mothers and grandmothers had more hours in the day than we do now. They just took the time to make everything, like a mundane hot pad, a little more beautiful. 23 of 30 Chinois Getty Images My mamma has one of these and I've never seen her use it. Apparently it was used to strain homemade custards and sauces for a smoother consistency. The back of a spoon and a regular mesh strainer work if, even if they aren't as cool. 24 of 30 Butter Molds Angelika Jakob Getty The hunt is on for vintage butter molds now that more and more cooks are making homemade butter. Sure, you can just plop your butter in a bowl, but how much prettier it will look when you use a decorative mold. 25 of 30 Aluminum Ice Trays Getty Long before the easy twist-and-pop plastic ice trays or automatic ice dispensers, these aluminum gadgets served to keep glasses of sweet tea filled with ice. You wouldn't want your fingers to get stuck in this gadget by any means. 26 of 30 Cast-Iron Trivet Getty If you ever used one of these, you probably still have it, because it has never gone out of use or style. Before we started using pot-folders and tea towels for hot pads, these trivets stood between countertops and hot pots. They also make for pretty wall decor when not in use. 27 of 30 Meat Tenderizer Getty While this gadget looks almost prehistoric now, there were days when this large mallet got nearly everyday use from Mama. Meat from chicken to the toughest of chuck roasts all survived the tenderizing process to make it to our plates. 28 of 30 Jadeite Kitchenware Getty This subset of milk glass is always green and always a delight to see in a kitchen cabinet. Everything looks good in this color, from elaborate cake stands to your everyday coffee cup. 29 of 30 Vintage Tupperware Getty Images Modern Tupperware is fine, but true vintage Tupperware is a real find. If you find some burnt orange, mustard, or avocado-green Tupperware like your mamma used to have, snatch it up! This Nostalgic Set of Tupperware Containers Is Trending At Amazon 30 of 30 Kitchen Phones Getty Images For all you young-uns out there, yes, wall-mounted telephones were once as much of a staple kitchen appliance as coffee makers. The extra-long cord allowed you to gab with your friends while cooking dinner, or to even walk into the pantry and shut the door for privacy. Ahh, the good old days. What items do YOU remember fondly from your grandmother or mamma's kitchen? Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit