The 1900s Kitchen was a Different World. We’re stepping back in history to the 1900s. The kitchen was a workspace with no electricity for most. It was a time when more things were done by hand or manual labor. It also took time to do their work.
And kitchen tools were not made of plastic, stainless steel or non-stick coatings. They were made to last with wood, cast iron, tin and copper. They were also passed down from generation to generation. Craftsmen were particular about which wood was used, just as if it were fine-crafted furniture.
My parents made sure that I was aware of the kitchen tools in the kitchen. One that we used in making applesauce was the apple peeler. It was cast iron, but worked beautifully and cut the work-time down.
We didn’t do peaches that year, but we did have a peach peeler. The tines were shaped to go around the peach pit. And yes, it came from the 1900s Kitchen era.
The People Behind the Work
Many women and household helpers spent their daily time in the kitchen. Everyone found cooking to be part work, part boring and all skill. It was taught early because there was a lot to learn. Not just the kitchen tools, but how and where to use the cookstove if it were a wood burner. Fuel for the fire was a necessity when cooking, too.
When a job in the kitchen became “crazy” because of an overabundance of harvest, then people would gather together to work, share kitchen tools, recipes and techniques. The old proverb states, “Many hands make light work.” In the 1900s kitchen, that was wisdom. Because it was survival for everyone.
Water and Nothing was Easy
And if you had a pump inside the house for water, you were lucky. Otherwise, you would be bringing in the water from a well outside. Boring, but it had to be done. Milk was usually delivered daily by the milkman. The cold cellar or spring house, near cold running water, kept the milk cold. The ice man brought your fresh block of ice to keep things cold in the icebox.
Obviously, city dwellers had indoor plumbing before the rural sector. So the kitchen work continued to be a daily organizational task. If you had a well-equipped kitchen, you were able to “whip out” the daily needs plus an extra pie.
The extra pie needed fire for the stove, the actual fruit, the rolling pin, water to wash the fruit, flour, lard, sugar, spices, a mxing bowl, pastry blender (cut in the lard), measuring cups/spoons, pie tin and more and patience. Lots of time and patience.
Sometimes the only break came when you went to the outhouse. It was a trip to take care of yourself and enjoy a bit of freedom from the “hustle and bustle” of the kitchen routine. You also were able to say, “I’m going to read the Sears catalog” and be telling the truth.
The Outhouse
The place where I stay now didn’t have indoor plumbing until the 1950s. That meant that they used the outhouse (or went down a certain path). That trip happened in sunshine, rain, freezing cold or snow. It was another way to use that great catalog from Sears and Roebuck. Before that, corn cobs. (Note that softness wasn’t a factor in toilet paper until the 1930s.)
Nola’s Note–The Farmer’s Almanac pre-drilled a hole in their publication in 1919 for easy use in the outhouse. Simply daily life.
The 1900s Kitchen Food Prep Tools
The tools of a 1900 kitchen reflected the life people were living. It was more agricultural than industrial. Food preperation was the “time eater” in the kitchen. It was all hand-work and included the apple and peach peelers and cherry pitters. Flour was sifted, then measured in metal measuring spoons and cups.
If you wanted tomatoes crushed, you would use what they call a food mill. Pastry blenders were the handle with several wires forming a loop that “cut” the shortening/lard into the flour. Pie crimpers helped with fluting the edge of the pie crust. Bean slicers for green beans. And meat tenderizers were called “beetles.”
Measuring and Mixing
Everyday tools included the measuring spoons and cups, a hand-crank egg beater, and your wooden spons and ladles. The glass measuring cups were a necessity for the larger amounts of liquid. Lots of “toys” when it came to the kitchen items in the 1900s.
Next Step, Cooking Tools
Here’s where the magic actually happens in the kitchen. Your go-to is the cast iron pots and fry pans (skillets). A second style is the enamelware (its actually coated metal cookware). You may have egg saucepans and waffle irons all used on or in a wood burner stove. Regulating the heat of the stove was an art in iteslf. That’s why you saw the ladies hold their hand over the heat to judge the heat level.
Let’s not Forget Your Storage Tools
Stoneware and earthenware crocks were plentiful during this time. Flour buckets had to have lids to keep out the bugs. Your milk came in glass, with a paper lid. The tin canisters were used for spices, cornmeal, baking soda, and flour, sugar, coffee, tea and salt. The tins came as a set, labeled on each. They replaced the open barrels and cloth sacks that sugar and flour came in, making the kitchen “more modern.”
Nola’s Note–Whole peppercorns were in tin or glass containers. Before the pepper mill was invented in 1842 by Peugeot of France, it was ground using a mortar and pestle. Once, pepper was considered so precious it paid taxes, tributes and rent. By the 1920s, the matched salt and pepper shakers were practical and decorative.
The Hoosier Cabinet, the 1900s Kitchen’s Best Friend
Unlike today’s kitchens, the early 1900’s did not have built-in cabinets. The 1898 cabinet by G. I. Sellers and Sons became known as The Hoosier Cabinet. It was named after Indiana (where it was made) and marketed as “the cabinet that saves a thousand steps.”
What Made It Special?
When you cook or bake, you need essential kitchen tools. This cabinet featured a flour bin (with sifter), a sugar bin, ant-proof glass jars for spices, a knife drawer and a cookbook holder. There was even a pull-out work surface and the area below was storage for pots, pans and linens. The glass jars for spices was a new great idea at this time.
A statistic that proved its popularity, by 1920 the Hoosier Manufacturing Company itself sold two million cabinets. The top-of-the-line cabinet sold for $65.00. They declined after 1922 when built-in cabinets and countertops were built-in. In today’s market, one of those cabinets can bring more than $3,000. Wow!
Nola’s Note–The current thinking is The Hoosier cabinet is considered the Great-Grandmother of the modern Kitchen.
Great-Grandmother and the 1900s Kitchen
The 1900s Kitchen grew up in the agricultural world. It was based on hard work, kitchen tools and included every kitchen worker from one who carried water into the kitchen to the Mother that feed her family daily.
Every apple peeler and egg beater was used by that generation that fed their family from scratch. No vacations, no sick days, every day. Their day of change was coming. Electricity was the force of change and the 1900s kitchen world would never be the same.
Coming Next–From Wood Smoke to Watts and the Electric Kitchen Arrives
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