Antique Kitchen Items We Can Still Use Everyday

I was making some biscuits for breakfast this morning and realized several items in our kitchen have been in the family for as long as I can remember and most likely before that. Today I was using my Granny's biscuit cutter from the 1940's:

This cast iron skillet also belonged to my grandmother and her mother before that. It dates from the 1800's.

These type skillets began being used in 1707 when the sand casting method was invented. They are coming back in style. Somehow food just tastes better being cooked on one of these with no Teflon. These Ball canning jars have been around since John Mason patented his Mason jar in 1858.

The one above dates from about that period because it still has the lead screw cap  -a definite no-no today. I'm holding it in a little wire basket with a handle that was used in the canning process to dip the whole thing in boiling water and kill bacteria. You may be more familiar with this style:

They are still available at places like Wal-Mart. There may be a few places where you can buy a quart Ball Mason jar full of moonshine. Here's another old item that we've had many years. Do you know what it's used for?

This is a flour sifter. They were patented in 1819 and you can still buy one that looks pretty much like the original. I suppose everyone has one of these. When potatoes were brought from the

new world to Europe in 1536 they spread quickly but not too many folks mashed them on purpose until the 1800's. The original design had a S-shaped head. Ours wore out many years ago and was replaced with this K-Mart version.

The rolling pins were used ever since folks started working with flour. This old wooden model has been in the family longer than I have.

I suppose you can still buy a new hand strainer but this one dating from the 1940's still gets the job done.

 In the above photo of some of our stuff, you can see a hand held egg beater, wooden spoon and ice cream scoop--all used in my lifetime.

The sewing needle may be one of the oldest household items dating from the ancient times when they were made of wood or bone. The modern metal ones surfaced in 1639 and (necessity being the mother of invention) the thimble followed soon in 1693. There are probably many other simple things that have remained virtually unchanged in your home.Take a look around.