Bring back the quality & longevity, but I could do without the now-proven toxic/dangerous chemicals and materials that some of those appliances were made of like leaded paint or asbestos.
My parents built a home in the early 1950's. Our fridge was a wall mount just like the one in the picture and as I remember it was olive green. Only 2 families have owned the home besides my parents and as I understand the fridge is still hanging in the kitchen and in use. How amazing is that?
@@jeffring1222 Survivor Bias. All the old appliances that were bad have already failed decades ago, only the strongest are still going today. However, I'm sure a much larger percentage of them were strong back then too, planned obsolescence is a modern evil
In 1967 my family moved into a new home with that exact pink GE wall refrigerator. There were 3 doors that opened to the fridge and the fourth door was a freezer. Directly below was a built in double drawer pull out freezer. That kitchen also had both the island built in stove top with push button controls and the oven that was built into the wall with cabinets above and below it. The entire kitchen was pink and it was really a fantastic place! I was about 6 years old when we moved into this house and I loved it. I thought is was as modern as 'The Jetsons" home. Who out there remembers 'The Jetsons"? Great cartoon in it's day. Good memories. I'll stop here as I'm giving away my age. lol
@@laurelmcneilly741 Felix the cat came after the Jetsons. I'd say we're not too far apart in age! It's a completely different world today! I'm glad I got to live my childhood in the 60's and 70's when we were allowed and encouraged to act like and be children.
I was looking at an OLD kitchen catalog and was really amazed at the built in cabinetry functions. Drop down cabinet drawers for flour, sugar, etc. Really smart and clever.
Look up Rev-a-shelf. They still make ALL kinds of cabinet stuff. Build a "custom home", and you finish carpenter will most likely allow you to do what you want...with in budget. and space.
They had a piece of kitchen furniture called a Hoosier cabinet a LONG time ago that had storage bins for flour and sugar. The fancy ones even had a sifter. I’ve got one in my kitchen, along with jelly cupboards instead of cabinets. I just have cabinet under sink.
@@653j521 Many of them had metal lined drawers, so no. Plus in those days many housewives did indeed bake several times a week. Not just breads, cakes etc but also chicken pies and other main dishes.
@@653j521 I shared a communal kitchen storage cupboard in college with a set-up like that. It would be great to have if I owned a commercial bakery or something.
We had a hang on the wall refrigerator,freezer in the 1960s . It was turquoise and it had a full counter under it. It was easy to load and clean. No stooping to get into it. I’d buy one again in a minute if they reintroduced it.
I never saw one in person, and only heard of them a few years ago viewing retro ads online. I can imagine the convenience and ease of maintenance. They would have to be offered frost-free if they were revived today.
I never saw one of those. Would be really cool, except I'm only 5'1" . We have a built in microwave above our stove now, and I can't reach that. I had to buy a countertop microwave even though we have the built in one. LOL I'd have to use a step stool to reach that wall mounted fridge.
That’s a pretty brilliant idea, I live in a small nyc apartment and it would be great to have a wall mounted refrigerator! Counter space is a premium so this could allow you to have a lot more prep room
Dude having so many options for different colors for your refrigerator and other appliances sound amazing, I want to be the weirdo in the family but my parents won’t let me
One thing my dad always told me was any tool that does more than one thing seldom does any one thing well. That being said, the sink-stove-refrig combo units are actually quite popular in Europe in cities where apartments do not come with a kitchen.
I bought one of the wall mount fridges 2 years ago from a local ReStore place. It came out of the basement of a house that had the whole kitchen setup in a separate living area. Still works perfectly and has some great options.
Some of these seem so fantastic to me, especially as someone in a wheelchair- the wall mounted, eye-level fridge for example- in my case, it may have to be set up quite low- but the idea of a horizontal fridge rather than a tall vertical one is awesome! Say I replaced an under the counter dishwasher with a countertop model- I'd only lose one cabinet, but I'd be able to reach everything myself! And the idea for some of these hide-away stovetops would mean more room to get around, so I could actually wheel around the kitchen without worrying about smashing something up (either my feet or some dishes). I have things already that allow me to cook things at my sitting height (portable electric burners, a chopping board, and a mini convection oven), but this has given me a reason to go back and completely change up my ideas for a dream kitchen.
I bought one of those countertop dishwashers a year or two ago for $300 new. It works great. There are also countertop washing machines and dryers for the same reason
You have great ideas, Wheelie Guy. Perhaps you should consider sending an email to appliance companies and express your creative ideas to them. Might make them realize there's a niche to be filled. 👍
@@neilgibbons2532 you would have to have some kind of brace. Wall hung toilets have a brace in the wall for the same reason. I would love to have a wall hung refrigerator/freezer - easy to see what’s there and easy to reach. Also, allows more room than a standard fridge would occupy.
@@neilgibbons2532 well if I had a fridge on the wall, I can guarantee it would be anchored extremely well. God loves you. Jesus loves you and died for you. God bless you.
Easy to clean the floors, but NOT easy to clean a fridge standing on a stool, reaching up there to wash it or bring down a heavy roast. And it didn't hold the amount of food we typically buy today... it couldn't hold large roasts i.e. turkeys, and don't forget that people ate smaller portions back then.
@@MarySanchez-qk3hp well there is just me and my husband in the house, and hardly ever any company/guests come to visit. We don’t need to store a huge turkey, and our roasts are about 2 pounds. We have no need for a large fridge. A gallon of milk, a pitcher or tea and a large jug of coke is the largest item we keep in our fridge. Some lunch meat and cheese, really not much at all. Some mayo and pickles and salsa. So a fridge like this would be perfect for us.
You touched on one of my pet peeves. When I was a kid we had all kinds of colors that were coordinated together. They made a home "happy". Today EVERYTHING is 3 colors black, gray (stainless steel) or white. I spent 30 years in law enforcement and there are more colors in jails than todays modern homes. Great video as always!
That is sad that jails have more colors that many places. Even the outside of McDonalds and Taco Bell look depressing. I'm not sure why we thought these plain colors are ok. Thank you for watching and sharing your thoughts.
Yup, I've just written a lengthy comment under this video about this. I miss the bright colors of the 1980's, thoough they were fashionable before. Nowadays everything is gray, from clothes to furniture, cosmetics packaging to bathrooms, even wallpaper. Modern bathrooms in fact look more like what I can imagine one would find in some mental institution than a home. I'd love a pale pink bathroom! And cars - my first car was green, I could park in the biggest parking lot and find him instantly, lol. Now I got a silver colored car so I have to look at license plate numbers to find him. I add color to my home with pale pink or green ornaments, blankets and silk ribbons but it's more and more difficult to find even that in any color other than gray. I wonder what them folks that made gray so fashionable are smoking. Gray used to be the color of something that was once white but had gotten dirty!
@@joanwood9480 Or gray - I've seen quite a few cars now that are actually gray, not silver. A really horrible gray. Why on earth would anyone want a gray car? What do these people smoke?
I built an entire 50's kitchen into our Victorian home, after relocating and restoring the home. The kitchen is entirely pre'-54, so even earlier than what's shown in the video, which other than the Thor, appear to all be post-'55. The list includes everything from the front loading Westinghouse "Laundromat Twins" to the Wedgewood stove, Philco fridge, Vent-A-Hood range hood, KitchenAid dish washer, all small appliances down to hand mixers, coffee pot, etc. Everything still functioning as it should, and in daily use for the 30yrs since installation. My daughter grew up with all of it, using it as per normal.
My Dad still has a working retractable stove. I loved that thing - lots of room on the stovetop for large pots and plenty of room in the 2 ovens above. And the ovens were so much more convenient to reach in and get things out of without the downward opening door in the way. Their lovely, full glass doors also made it so easy to see what was happening inside without opening the oven door. Definitely something that needs brought back!
I've been watching the old Bewitched shows for nostalgic reasons and she had one of those double side by side glass oven doors that lifted up! I LOVE that! Wish they would bring that back.
I had a good friend in Washington state with one of the old pull out stoves. Now, I have a friend in southern New Mexico that still cooks on one of these too! I think they look practical, but the friends hate “the dated kitschy look”.
I had the stove-on-top-of-fridge thing in my tiny college dorm room. Having a hot stove right on top of the freezing compartment was about as crap as one might imagine.
Fridges put out heat; that's how they work. So if set up properly, you could theoretically design a fridge/oven combo that could channel the wasted heat from the condenser coils directly into your oven, so that when you needed to cook something you'd be starting with an already-warm oven, thus requiring less power to bring oven to the desired cooking temp. That's hypothetically. In practice, designing something that would actually work *and* would fit into someone's kitchen would be tricky. Maybe a back-to-back setup in a kitchen island? But that would require stooping whenever you wanted to get something out of the fridge, so maybe not.
@@astrinymris9953 I would guess not, because the condenser would permanently sit in a pretty warm, enclosed space, so the fridge's ability to cool would suffer. And if the oven is running, the system might actually press heat into the fridge. Under normal circumstances, coolant returning from the radiator on the back would be somewhere around room temperature, then get very cold during evaporation. If the coolant comes back from the oven at 180°C, it will reach the evaporator as a hot gas, pass through and then heat up the fridge.
A friend of mine in Atlanta purchased an early 1960's era house with one of those and he really, really tried to make it work. It was impractical to use and was a noisy energy hog. He sold it to an appliance collector. Next, on my advise, he had the house torn down and replaced with a modern home with built in appliances, Sub Zero, Wolf and Miele.
There is a great lettuc spinner that is collapsible so doesn't take up as much room, I admit I've used it 3 x in 5 years. I just wash my lettuce and pat dry with a clean tea towel and then wash the tea towel, then line a Tupperware dish with paper towel and put the washed lettuce in it with a damp paper towel on top which helps to keep the lettuc crisp!
I remember the refrigerator that hung on the wall because a relative who was a home builder back in the day had one, in the copper-tone color no less, in his personal home. I thought it was such a great idea and to this day I don't understand why they never caught on. It seemed like such a great idea to me!
@@truecrimelover2022 Since they are hung on the wall, much like a cabinet, they could be hung at any height. I guess nowadays they have refrigerator drawers to take the place of it. But I still think it would be a good option.
The weight is the most likely. People are pointing out newer fridge drawers, those are usually mounted under cabinets and can be standalone units coming from the floor.
The combination stove/sink/refrigerator is still available. It costs about $2,000. The bottom tray on the griddle was not for "cooking sausages." It was a warming drawer to keep pancakes warm while you were making more. It allowed the family to eat warm pancakes together rather than eating in shifts.
The stove/sink/refrigerator is not a safe thing to have, because while cooking, you must always be careful using the fridge and sink, as to not hit or bump into a cooking pan accidentally
@@newmankidman5763 Also, as with all all-in-one devices, then and now, once one part breaks, the whole lot has to be replaced (or the whole lot taken away for repair, in the rare cases that is even an option). I do like integrated stuff, but it really does have to be properly modular, and the modular parts multi-source-able (which also means you are less likely to have to compromise on one bit to get what you need in another bit.
Those stove+fridge+sink things are popular and used a lot in small single person Japanese apartments where your kitchen might only be the size of a queen sized bed. They work fine if you mostly eat out, and make very simple meals.
The wall-mounted, cupboard-style refrigerators were fantastic! My aunt had one in her kitchen and it enabled her to extend the countertop for more prep space. The freezer compartment was a drawer under the counter.
I also had an Aunt that had the wall mounted fridge. If memory serves, hers had 4 refrigerated units and 2 freezer units all on one wall. Of course, there was also a convention 'fridge' in the entry hallway for extra things such as fresh picked gallons of fruits and veggies that needed to be kept fresh until there was time to process them. Now that I'm well into middle age, I wish that type was available. It sure would save me from having to have help up as my knees and back don't want to work like they used to.
I had one in my house as a little girl. It bit the dust when I was about 10 (1966) and we reconfigured our kitchen to hold an upright one. I think repairs were the problem. No parts and no one knew how to fix them.
@@wendygodin2716 Our family had one in our kitchen, too, but it was not in use by the time I was born. So, we had a big old regular fridge in addition to the wall-mounted….pantry. My parents used to tell us the horror story-that, for one, it never really worked right. The freezer compartment never went down to freezing temperature, and GE could not fix it, saying it was due to the kitchen getting too hot while cooking. It would also drip onto the countertop. The biggest annoyance was that it apparently kept on breaking down, and the mechanical/electrical component had to be taken down and brought to the repair center for anything more than just routine surface repairs (and these repairs were never that simple!!!), leaving our family without a fridge.
@@amentco8445 Salad spinner, ice crusher and tabletop dishwashers are at least three things that are still readily available. Pretty sure crock pots still exist too?
Yeah, we have most of those items in the kitchen right now. No electric griddle, but my dad has one. I come from a big family and the electric griddle made pancake breakfasts much easier.
@@choddle8427 the all in one stove, sink and fridges also still exist and are extremely common in small European apartments. Electric griddles also still exist.
I've been in motel 'kitchenette' units with this all-in-one. Handy, tiny and 'just right' for temporary lodging. Although if you lived alone and didn't entertain, good for everyday too.
My grandparents had the eye-level wall refrigerator. It was cool...both literally and figuratively. Created a great deal of space underneath for a small/medium sized kitchen. Ran for decades.
That wall fridge really intrigues me. I have a smaller kitchen but i have wall space. My biggest complaint about fridges today is that stuff gets pushed to the back and forgotten. I'm toying with the idea of a fridge that is very shallow but everything is right there to get at. In my job i deal with fridges and im tempted to fabricate something like this. I never knew they already existed so I'm pushing the idea even further and would love to come up with a design that would work. The concept has already been proven, now to turn that idea into something for the modern kitchen.
Add shelves that slide in and out! Fridges used to have them and I have no idea why they stopped making them that way! I am always forgetting about leftovers and smaller items that end up pushed back into the fridge. It’s a waste of money and it’s gross when I inevitably find old moldy food when I finally have the time to pull everything out and do a good cleaning. Sliding shelves would help in cleaning as well. It’s hard for me to clean all the shelves as I’m rather short and I’m getting to the age where my joints hurt under regular use.
I'm a European and I've got a fridge built into my kitchen cupboard at 80 cms height. It's a normal fridge, just put onto a sturdy cabinet. Of course, the average American fridge is way too large to be put onto a cabinet or hung up on a wall, given its enormous weight. But I don't see, if you can put up with a smaller one, why you couldn't put it onto a kitchen cabinet, provided it is strong enough. I built mine myself, taking measurements from the other cabinets, using massive beech wood from a building supplies store.
We had that same GE harvest gold stove @ 4:54 in the kitchen from 1974 to 2013. It worked great other than occasionally having to replace oven and burner elements and the clock eventually quit working so the timing feature was no longer an option. I also liked the built in outlets which sadly today are not a feature on stoves. Speaking of harvest gold appliances we are still using our old Whirlpool dryer from 1974. They don't make em' like that anymore.
Hi- I still have and use my parent's harvest gold stove from about 1975, and it still works like a charm! I've been asked, why don't you get a new one? Why would I, this stove has outlived all the newer gadgets I've had to replace over the years, and will work for the rest of my life... heck, no doubt it will outlive ME, haha :-D
@@JHsweeeeeeet Heck yeah. As long as you can find parts keep on truckin' with older appliances. I know with our old stove I wanted to get the clock fixed ( I'm sure it only needed a good cleaning but it was going to be a pain to remove it ) so it never happened. And who knows maybe Harvest Gold will be back in style someday.
@@ttop64 The lube dries out in those clock motors. We used to soak the output shaft in silvent to remove the dried oil, then punch a small hole in the gearbox to add fresh oil, and put one drop along the output shaft. Most of the motors were brass, so we would solder the hole shut after adding the oil.
I have a Whirlpool washer and GIANT fridge from the 90s and they are still going strong. Will never replace those durable made to last US made appliances.
My mom had a Kenmore upright freezer....it was working until she had a fire elsewhere in the house....the freezer was over 40 years old.... Everything now is designed to break.....this way the poor and average people can never get ahead. How do you get ahead if you are constantly replacing everything.....
When you look at vintage ads for kitchen appliances, it is amazing how many different ideas have come to life in the past! Ranges with multiple ovens, lights, broilers, grills, and deep pot cookers, as well as outlets. Fridges with turntables,specialty compartments, and included China water pitchers and storage containers. Built in counter base Motor for mixers, blenders, etc. And several multipurpose small appliances.
Absolutely love those colourful and patterned fridges! I think we started going to chrome and black/white because they looked space-age but now there's a lot of appeal for funky so I hope those patterns come back.
We have covers now so we, or the people buying our house, aren't stuck with an appliance that looks dated. Some wise designer said you shouldn't make your splash of color in an expensive and permanent way because it gets old fast.
There’s a retro vid floating around YT of a girl completely hysterical w/joy while covering her fridge with patterned contact paper. It’s super funny how excited she is -but what’s rad is the fridge company created it to encourage ppl to design their own fridge decor. I don’t think they offered all the trendy colors of the time so this seemed to be their way to say, hey do what makes you happy!
I love watching stuff like this . Love vintage stuff and old styles. I have to think the major reason colors went out on appliances is due to American's moving so much. IT used to be you'd buy your dream home and you didn't leave until you were either carried out or put into a nursing home. You could pick colored appliances cuz you were only thinking about what you liked. Now a days everyone thinks about "the housing market" and what they can sell their house for , so that means keeping the kitchen (the highest priced thing to renovate) in neutral colors which is a shame. I love a lot of these stove configurations though. And like a lot of people on here, I've never seen the wall fridge. I could see a market for that if someone decided to do it. The biggest issue would be making sure it was mounted correctly to avoid people being crushed under one.
My grandma had one of those Swing-A-Way ice crushers when I was a kid. It was in Harvest Gold and I was in charge of the ice making duties. I can't say how much I loved that thing! I eventually found one in black & white at a charity sale and I snatched it faster than anybody could imagine. 😊
Swing a Way was good, but I've been using my Oxo Good Grip can opener for years and it's as smooth as butter, actually makes me feel pleasure. So glad I bought it, snd the sooner you get it, the more bwng you'll get for your buck before you die. It never dulls. It's heirloom quality, and the soft handles feel wonderful in my hands. I think their salad spinner is still the gold standard, too... even America's Test Kichen loves their products. I use the salad spinner for more than salad... I can even use the basket as a brotform for my sourdough occasionally,
I bought one of those back in the 80s and I still think about what a great product it was. Crushed ice like nothing, wish I still had it. Great US made product!
My grandparents had a copper colored one from the 50's. It was metal and weighed a ton, and it was one of my favourite things to play with as a child when I visited them. My Granny passed away a couple of years ago, at 97, and the ice crusher was one of the things I took from her house when we were emptying it out. It didn't just remind me of her and my Granda, but of how happy I was when I visited them when I was little. I also took her vintage metal Quality Street boxes (also from the 50's), her box of buttons (that were also one of my favourite things to play with), and a Betty Boop figurine. Nothing big, nothing that's worth any money, just things that I knew would make me feel close to her if I had them in my home, because they had been special to her. My sisters all took the things that had special meaning for them as well. It's funny that, when it came down to deciding what we wanted, it wasn't furniture or appliances or anything big...it was those little intimate items.
I want the four side by side burners for my house...PERIOD ! Takes up a lot less space, and no reaching over the hot front pots to tend to the pots on the back burners, and you can see into them.
My first thought was that it would be terrible if someone (my room mate) was not in the habit of cleaning the crud off the burners after cooking. I imagined all that crud living under the back of the stove thingy.
We had one! It was so awesome! But what stuck with me all these years are the garage door style oven doors. This was the smartest way ever to not burn yourself when baking.
@@meauxjeaux431 these didn’t have 4 all side by side. You could just pull out the front two if you only needed one or two burners, and when you needed more you could snap out the second set, they had a latch that would lock the front side (so it didn’t wobble back and forth if you ran into it.]
My mom had the Frigidaire Flair( the pull out stove) when my dad built our house in 1962. I really liked it. I thought it was so neat to push a button and the stove disappears into the wall. I’ve always thought they should bring it back, especially for smaller homes that have tiny kitchens. I believe Samantha from the 60’s show Bewitched had one in her kitchen.
Ah yes, a mercury switch! That, mercury thermostats and mercury thermometers are gone now, mercury is toxic. It's why we don't even use those energy efficient "spiral" light bulbs any more... they're toxic if they break, and hazmat at disposal time, can't go into the regular garbage dump. Cities have to pay for hazmat disposal.
Yep, the Stephens had a Flair range in the house at Morning Glory Circle. I used to marvel at watching Samantha open the oven door by swinging it up and out of the way as demonstrated in this video.
My grandparents had a plethora of old home design books from the 60’s and 70’s that I used to look at as a kid. I was always so mesmerized by all the style and colors of the past
I was watching old appliance videos, and there was a cook top where the back left burner could be dropped down and turned into a deep fryer/pressure cooker, or pulled back up to just be a burner and I have never wanted an appliance so much. The folks across the street from us still have working toaster built into the wall of their kitchen from the 1940's.
As a REALLY old(almost 80) major appliance and refrigeration service man(worked 50 years), I want to thank you for this trip down memory lane for me. BTW, I had a 'boss man' that had one of those GE wall refrigerators.
My 90s Samsung vacuum is currently at a mom-n-pop repair store getting fixed by an old feller just like you. My brother just offered me his really nice vacuum recently, but I politely turned him down just because I really like how compact my little vacuum is for my small apartment. This old vacuum is a champ and this is only the second time it’s needed servicing.
Counter top dishwashers are pretty much everywhere. The newer ones are very compact and efficient. Home Depot almost always has them in stock around the holidays.
Yeah I have one. It looks like the first one that was shown on this video. I have had mine for 5 years and use it 2 to 4 times a day for a family of five. I love it and it works great.
My parents had that stove-oven that pulled out in our 50’s ranch. We kept it well into the 70’s. It was a great design although our kitchen was pretty big by 50’s standards. I wish we had more color choices today. Everything is so basic.
You could always wrap it! Vinyl automotive wrap comes in many styles and colors so the options are endless! Even better is when you get tired of one design you get to peel it off and put a new color on!
We had the retractable stovetop oven in the house I grew up in we moved there in the late 70’s and I think we had that stove till the early 90’s when the last burner that still was functioning died. So much space for pots and pans in the bottom my mom liked that she could just close the stovetop a convenience with little kids running around. Our kitchen was a very tiny u shaped kitchen with carpeted floors. My brother would toss eggs on the fridge door when he wanted my moms attention. Do you remember the heat that came out from the bottom of the fridge? Never could get rid of the egg on the grate on the bottom or out of the rug
Jayknee, there a bright idea. They have a similar version that's really used now... the trend of covering the refrigerator with paneling to match the cabinets, like camouflage. I've watched it on PBS This Old House.
I used to visit my great-grandma when I was about 7. She was about 70-75 back then, lived in a tiny little apartment, but she had a similar hanging fridge/freezer as in this video, in a faded out pastel blue/green colour, with shiny chrome parts for decoration. It still feels like magic, remembering the big heavy door swing up with just a little effort from the frail lady, revealing a whole lot of her homemade jams and basically a whole pantry in a single big fridge. I wish there was a similar option on the home appliance market now, in the recent years, I've only seen similar designs used in professional kitchens, but used _under_ a countertop, not hanging _over_ it.
When we moved in 1964 my mom was so happy to have a dishwasher, a wall oven, and a refrigerator with a separate freezer. Her old one had a very small freezer compartment that could hold almost nothing. It was a copper colored kitchen.
I went to a "rich" house @ 10, and was amazed to see them open a kitchen cabinet for a fridge. I think the bottom was the fridge, and the upper cabinet was the freezer. There was a counter top between, and it looked like another kitchen cabinet---until it was opened.
You should watch PBS This Old House. Remodels with fridges that are camouflaged to look just like the cabinets, and one isme tirely a huge fridge, the other a huge freezer, and as well there are under cabinet pull out drawer fridges and wine fridges... fun to watch even if we aren't rich.
I was just at my friend's house and the dishwasher had a front on it that made it look like all the other cabinets. The buttons were on the top of the door so you could use them when you opened it.
My grandparents had one of those drawer stoves. It terrified me. Decades later, as an adult (2016) I worked at an appliance company warehouse, in the delivery office. There was one of those ranges brought in, after we installed a new, modern stove, in the customers rental. Their renters were terrified of the old stove (I understand!) . The old one was in pristine shape! Good thing, as our company likes to display vintage appliances.
My grandmother's brother and his wife had the refrigerator that looked like cabinets on the wall. I was 8 or 9 when I first saw it. I immediately thought HOW COOL IS THAT!!!! 😎
I never realised the salad spinner was a thing of the past! I've always had one in my kitchen (in France) and use it regularly. A great improvement on the "panier à salade" (salad basket) of my childhood, which you had to take outside in the street or on the balcony, and shake vigorously - although even those are still on sale. Trendy, because they are made of metal, not plastic
Really enjoyed this little stroll down memory lane. Have seen just about all of these appliances at one time or another through out the years. Some should still be around today.
Thanks for this video! Not all the "pull-out" burner stoves were electric. Our Tappan 400 range uses gas. The burners are stationary and pulling out the cutting board simply reveals the burners beneath. Appliances are still available in a rainbow of colors from a company named Big Chill but there is a hefty surcharge.
We had something that looked a lot like that Tappan in a rental house 25 years ago, except the burners were on a drawer and the cutting board was what showed when you rolled the drawer in. (It showed when it was out too..., but I am having trouble explaining it.) I never used the cutting board bc, well, rental house...not sure what was on there before...but I freaking loved that whole set up. The double ovens at eye level were genuis. And being able to roll away the burners made things look so tidy. Alas, one of the ovens went out, and when we lifted the burners to clean them we found signs of electrical shorts under there. The landlord wouldn't fix it so we pulled the whole thing out and bought out own regular stove to put in the space. Made me sad. When we moved the landlord asked where we had put it and we said in the basement. Knowing that landlord it got put right back without any service at all.
@@haweater1555 Wouldn't last long, the reason the finishes that they came with lasted for decades is because The sheetmetal housings were 'stove-enamelled', that is, it was a thin porcelain finish that was applied then was actually fired in an oven. Spray paint would get scratched and scuffed all to hell. There are restoration companies that can have the exteriors re-enamelled but it's not cheap.
Cutting food right next to the stove sounds great until the surface becomes porous and turns into a vector for cross contamination, unless you're cleaning it after every time you cut raw meat on it.
In the 1950s, I knew several people who owned an electric skillet. Although it was not mentioned, I saw one at the end of the video. My mother relied heavily on one because the stove in our trailer home was quite small. I think GE was the prominent manufacturer. The heat generation seemed to be hotter and quicker than many electric stove burners back then.
My mom made the best pineapple upside down cake in one of those. Was in the skillet's recipe book. She got it as a wedding present in 1957. It quit working by '88. I took it to work, found a loose wire, soldered it, took it home and it fell out of my car shattering the handle into dozens of pieces. No more birthday pineapple upside down cake.
@@Zuxiasunicorn My mother frequently made pineapple upside down cake when I was a small child, during the same years she used her electric skillet quite often. I wonder if she made hers in the skillet, too, and possibly from the skillet's recipe book? She is no longer alive to ask. I was thinking about those cakes just yesterday and wondered where she got the idea to make them. The recipe and flavor were not in the family. My parents' friends really liked them when we dined together. Thank you for providing a likely answer as well as sharing your comment..
My mother had a Nesco cooker that was the metal version of a crock pot. She got it as a bridal shower gift back in 1940. She was still using it in the 90s. That's quality!
A lot of canned food that I buy comes with a pull tab. I went to open one the other day, and the tab was loose. When I tried to open the can, it fell off. I had to open the can from the bottom, because the new tops are lower and can't be opened with my can opener.
@@MarySanchez-qk3hp I was camping, decades ago. Someone had either forgot to pack a can opener, r had lost it. They wee using a hand axe o open their cans. It was quite messy and wasteful. I carried a P38 opener on my key chain for decades, until it fell apart. I got it while I was in the US Army, during training to open the old field rations. I looked for a new one, but I wasn't about to pay $15 to $25 for one. I received mail from a Veteran business, which had one in addition to what I ordered.
A few comments from someone who was there. The washing machine that did both clothes and dishes failed to sell because people didn't like the idea of their underwear and their dishes being washed in the same space. The stovetops that pulled out didn't catch on because they were electric and an electric stove takes ages to cool off. People pushed the stovetop back too soon and whatever covered it got ruined by the heat. It even could start a fire if a burner was turned on accidentally. And cleaning that cutting board attached to the front of the stove is more trouble than it is worth. I never heard of the refrigerator that hangs on the wall and I think it's a great idea!
The electric stoves had a safety switch which disabled the burners when the stovetop is pushed in. The cutting board was held on to the frame with two wing screws underneath and the board could be completely removed for cleaning. Also, the cutting board on the Tappan 400 is hinged and can be dropped down to move it out of the way.
@@walkerk77 I'm glad to know that, but I was mostly thinking of a top being pushed in when the burner is off but still hot and something getting melted or scorched. Electric burners take forever to cool. And I'm afraid not many people are going to remove something very often that is heavy and has two wing screws to deal with. But I suppose there is no harm to the idea.
I came to say this. As a mother who used cloth diapers and has washed all manner of bodily fluids from bed sheets, I definitely don’t want to use the same machine on my eating wares. 😂
The salad chopping block is such help! I have one I got in Europe about 15 years ago and I still use it. It’s great to chop anything that rolls or spreads out/around easily, like chocolate, almond bark, nuts, etc., great for anything that needs to be really minced.
I've seen the snow melter thing in catalogs it's usually advertised as a snow melter and weed burner. I think it's just a propane torch on a long handle.
I had one of those portable dishwashers around 2005. It was the size of a large microwave oven, but it worked better than my "modern" dishwasher and held more, too.
The so called “salad aid” cutter is actually just called an Ulu knife and board. They are useful for far more than cutting heads of lettuce. My ulu knife is the most used knife in my whole kitchen. Honestly about half the things on this list are still commonly used: who doesn’t have a salad spinner?
Knives with handles perpendicular to the blade are banned in many places. Lettuce is easy is easy enough to cut with conventional knifes, but the combination of a push blade with a board that helps keep round stuff from rolling off would be very useful to deal with things like pumpkin or large cabbages.
Not so useful for tiny houses/RVs where you build the space from the ground up. Sink/burners come in one unit but why connect it to a fridge? For mine, I've got hinged worktops so the gasoline stove hides away and the chest fridge/freezer (more efficient) can be accessed while leaving plenty of work space. As for the sink, it's really shallow with a collapsible bowl and fold-away faucet.
And some of them in the States. I bought a countertop dishwasher for my last apartment, and you still can. And the sink/refrigerator/stove combo is still being sold as well (and I've seen them in rental units just in the last year or two). I looked for wall-mounted fridges online, and the only comparable one I saw (full horizontal fridge/freezer) was from an Indonesian vendor. People say the freezers didn't work well on the GE ones.
@@neilgibbons2532 You would need lag screws, into the studs to support the weight. Many of today's new homes have the interior walls framed with sheet metal studs which aren't as strong as wood.
I still use my crock-pot and handheld can opener. They are definitely still around and work like a charm. 😉 Sime of the long gone appliances were most ideal. I loved the wall refrigerator, although it occurred to me that it would take away much needed cabinet space, but then again cabinets could be installed where a refrigerator would normally go...🤔 The all-in-one 2-top burners with the sink on the right and mini refrigerator below was especially eye-catching. It would be perfect for a person who lives in a tiny house. I've seen compact stoves in tiny homes, but not with all 3 conveniences in one. These were neat!!! 😆😁😁
The "Flame Gun" became a weed burner. The heat would damage concrete and stone, and the melted snow would re-freeze into a sheet of ice leading the injury. This bad design didn't last long.
When household electrical devices first became available waaay back in the early 20th century, where did the needed electricity come from? Did the neighbourhood electrical grid ( and all the household electrical outlets ) come first? And with older houses, did the wiring run outside the wall or did they have to rip part of the walls off to place the wiring behind the wall?
The local electricity was first for street lights but people had the option of having it wired to their homes as well. The most common standard system from about the 1880s to 1930s was knob and tube wiring, Rhetty actually mentions it in his video on features in older homes you don't see. It still can be seen in some older buildings and homes but it doesn't(or at least shouldn't) have power running though them anymore due to the rubber insilation only being good for about 25 years with current running though them.
The crock pot was very popular for working households - place the ingredients before leaving home and dinner was ready in the evening. How about bread machines? Everyone could bake fresh bread at home it too was a must have Applience
I love my crackpots!! I have 4 of them in 4 different sizes. I can make a large meal and then store the leftovers in a smaller cro ckpot for another time. Also love to be a le go use them for large picnics or get togethers to keep a variety of foods either hot or warm.
I had a good chuckle at the thought of people arguing over whether it was a Beanery or a crock pot - it reminds me of everyone going nuts here in present days over their new Instant Pots. I never miss a chance to say to them, "You mean your new pressure cooker? 'Cause that's all it is." It amazes me how many of them had never heard of a pressure cooker.
The wall mounted fridge not only was inconvenient for anyone much under average height, it was also shallow and had limited capacity for its size. I saw one of those all in one mini kitchens at an estate sale and so wish I had a place for it. Does seem it could be so handy in so many places. The one appliance I wish would come back is the stove with an attached upper second oven. Just seems so practical.
That's what I commented above in several places. Not enough space storage, unstable temps, can't accommodate modern volumes of food, too high up for many people, a pain in the a** to reach up and clean, and any freezer probably had to be defrosted. And it stole precious storage space from the cabinets that belonged there. And women now have average height of 5' 3 or 4"... back then, even less. All these inventions were developed and sold by men and ad men who never had to get stuck in the kitchen, notice that they're all petite white women... not big women or women of color, either. And no disabled women, they weren't represented back then,and were invisible.m Women give feedback now, they've got purchasing power, and men cook as well.
I'm a whole lot older than you and I remember a few of those 'multi-purpose' appliances. That sink/stove/refrigerator unit could be spotted in some studio apartments. The main thing I remember about most of them was that while they might have taken a stab at a number of different tasks, they didn't actually do any of them very well. That was the main reason you don't see them anymore. I do recall one really cool old refrigerator that I would love to get my hands on. Instead of having 4 fixed shelves inside, it had a pole that ran down through the center and the 4 round shelves hung from the pole. Each one worked just like a lazy susan. Do you know how convenient it was to just spin the shelf around to see what was hiding in the back? (Nothing! There was no back!) A friend of mine found one at an estate sale a year or so ago and the sign said it worked great - but she let it go. What a loss!
I'm old enough to remember, too. They weren't as "good old days" as one remembers once blurred by time. Many of those gizmos and gimmicks weren't very sturdy or functional, and some were downright dangerous or clumsy, The good ideas are still being sold. The rest, not.
Same as today- vcr/dvd, tv/vcr, printer/scanner/fax etc. are all notorious for breaking after very few uses. Plus you’d need a specialized person to fix each thing. Even basic printers rarely work- one of the reasons Right to Repair laws are so crucial.
Well, that all in one was certainly worth coming to the video to see. Gotta think about space saving in a tiny home in the planning stages. Now I feel like I need to learn how to build appliances myself and just make one to fit my needs.
Omg we have the blue salad spinner my kids thought it was a bowl and put their cereal in it I screamed no no! That’s granny’s salad spinner don’t touch it she will show up in spirit I wasn’t allowed to touch it as a kid. The kids took the ice crusher down I need to bend the holder back and put it back up at the sink We never used it but it’s nice to look at, that stove that has a drawer that comes out was on bewitched . My fridge went out today (only 2 years old) and I’m still looking for that golden girls wood fridge. Which I will never find. My granny had this sunbeam silver electric skilled she made pancakes on- I couldn’t believe it still works. Bet they are a collectors item now
So recognize some of these from my grandparents home. My Grandma had a stove in the kitchen that you took the burner out and dropped a pot in for cooking soup. She called it a "deep well" I remember my mom's avocado colored fridge(ewe) and my aunt's washer that did dishes and clothes. They were spendy. Thanks Rhetty...nice memory walk today
Yeah, we had one of those too when I was a kid. It worked great for soups and sauces. Yes, they were "deep wells" - and those stoves were wider with a preparation area or where the cooked food could be put on plates, platters, bowls, etc. I miss having the space RIGHT THERE. The electric burners were much wider and heavier than modern ones have.
Can you actually bake in one? I'm looking for a small counter top oven to make a cake or bread in. I want to use it outside so I don't heat up my house in the summer.
@@5610winston Ah, the old school bunwarmer, lol! Something I use for proofing bread dough is when I start making my dough I turn on the oven light. (Don't start the oven just turn on the light) Gives just the right amount of heat to get the dough rising. I live in the MidWest so it can get pretty cold and drafty in the house during the winters. I use to put the bowl of dough on top of the tv but can't do that anymore!
Hey Rhett, I remember our home when I was about 5 had a 1940s fridge with the freezer on the the top part of the fridge and it would always be iced up. A friend of mine had a tv/ stereo combo. We had our original crock pot from the early 70's until 1990s. It was harvest gold. We also had a can opener/knife and scissors sharpener. Great items back in the day.
Frost free refrigerators were the best invention EVER! As kid it was my job to chop the ice out of the freezer every couple of months. It was kind of fun actually. We''d set a pan of hot water in the freezer and as the ice softened, we'd break off big chunks and chuck it out the back door so it could melt on the lawn. My brothers and I loved to have ice fights with it.
My aunt had one of the older fridges with freezer on top. Had be defrosted occasionally but was still working when she died not that many years ago. We had the can opener/knife sharpener, one of the small electric grills, a crock pot also harvest gold and couple more these. Sure makes one nolstslgic for the old days.
We had an old refrigerator that was super good as well. It was newer than the one you mentioned but it was the harvest gold color and from Montgomery Wards. I would bet that think would still be working but my mom sold it in the early 90s just because she was tired of the color. It still worked great though. In the back part of the top shelf it would freeze your milk. Thank you for watching and sharing your memories!
My dad still has an early 60s deep freezer that he uses. It was my grandparents and it has to be manually defrosted ever so often. Other than that it works great and it has never been repaired or serviced once. I have went thru so many fridges since that thing has been around.
I came across one of those stove/fridge combos at a 2nd hand place once and was fascinated. Don't think it had a sink on top, which would have made a great and perplexing thing even better. Never seen or heard of those wall fridges.
I love all theses ideas there convenience are still needed to day....the wall frigde,the oven draw..the grilled plate ...even the hand ice maker.....so many good handy ideas .
I love the wall mounted fridge! That should make a comeback for sure. I still have a Rival crock pot in orange. It seldom gets used anymore because pressure cooker combos took over most of the jobs I used it for. The stove combos are great. Why did they stop making these things that worked? However, the patterned refrigerators were rather um ugly ha.
I really would love to have one of those wall fridges and especially in the house I am currently in. It seems like those would sell today if they were an option. Thank you for watching Tricia!
I think that even a fridge that's up on something with a little cupboard or something underneath so that they would be easier to clean out from under would be a good idea. No one likes pulling out a heavy appliance to clean underneath it.
@@dianerobertson1759 Imagine that, you could give it a wipe every day and wouldn't have to worry about moving a heavy refrigerator and finding all those nasty things that have accumulated there for a while, because let's face it how often do we clean under the fridge and it's not that some of us are lazy, it's just a drag to be pulling out the whole fridge.
I doubt that there is enough market to interest anyone to invest in the tooling. Also, if not properly installed they could fall and kill someone. It's possible that a couple lawsuits took them off the market.
What a fun video. TY. Wow, I wish I had one of those Frigidaire Imperial ranges now. Those were the Cadillacs of stoves back in the day. When I was a kid in the mid 1960s a neighbor's mom had one and I used to think it was sooooo cool. I see fully restored models sell for thousands on eBay now!
The countertop portable dishwasher is still sold here in Central Europe; I know quite a few people who have, being as they live in small apartments and they're also very useful for offices, where space is at a premium.
When they bring them back, could they also bring back the quality and longevity of those older appliances and tools?
@Chris, in your dreams 😂
Crazy how the ads used to be like maytag repair guy with nothing to do and now things don't need to last its all new newer and newest
Nope, broken appliances makes them more profit so won't end until capitalism does or planned obsolescence is made illegal somehow
Bring back the quality & longevity, but I could do without the now-proven toxic/dangerous chemicals and materials that some of those appliances were made of like leaded paint or asbestos.
They must sell you more.
My parents built a home in the early 1950's. Our fridge was a wall mount just like the one in the picture and as I remember it was olive green. Only 2 families have owned the home besides my parents and as I understand the fridge is still hanging in the kitchen and in use. How amazing is that?
Try and find a modern fridge, even if it cost 3k to last half that long, not gonna happen.
Same here. Except ours was yellow. Mother loved it. I've always been surprised they didn't really catch on.
Don't make um like that any more! God bless!
Woooahhh good for you whaddya want a friggin trophy? A cooookie? Shutup!!!!
@@jeffring1222 Survivor Bias. All the old appliances that were bad have already failed decades ago, only the strongest are still going today. However, I'm sure a much larger percentage of them were strong back then too, planned obsolescence is a modern evil
My 102 year old neighbor has the wall-mounted fridge, it’s the original that came with the house, pretty neat.
I’d be scared of that thing falling
I would as if they could deed it to me
My grandmother had one. For all I know it might still be there, 8 years after she passed.
@@ashtonlambert7673if its mounted right you won't have an issue the stud will hold it
@@ashtonlambert7673 after 102 years seems pretty good.
That wall refrigerator is genius. Especially for someone in a studio apartment or tiny home.
In 1967 my family moved into a new home with that exact pink GE wall refrigerator. There were 3 doors that opened to the fridge and the fourth door was a freezer. Directly below was a built in double drawer pull out freezer. That kitchen also had both the island built in stove top with push button controls and the oven that was built into the wall with cabinets above and below it. The entire kitchen was pink and it was really a fantastic place! I was about 6 years old when we moved into this house and I loved it. I thought is was as modern as 'The Jetsons" home. Who out there remembers 'The Jetsons"? Great cartoon in it's day. Good memories. I'll stop here as I'm giving away my age. lol
I not only remember the Jetsons...I remember Felix the cat. How's that for old?
@@laurelmcneilly741 Felix the cat came after the Jetsons. I'd say we're not too far apart in age! It's a completely different world today! I'm glad I got to live my childhood in the 60's and 70's when we were allowed and encouraged to act like and be children.
Many fond memories….I remember it all
I was looking at an OLD kitchen catalog and was really amazed at the built in cabinetry functions. Drop down cabinet drawers for flour, sugar, etc. Really smart and clever.
Look up Rev-a-shelf. They still make ALL kinds of cabinet stuff. Build a "custom home", and you finish carpenter will most likely allow you to do what you want...with in budget. and space.
They had a piece of kitchen furniture called a Hoosier cabinet a LONG time ago that had storage bins for flour and sugar. The fancy ones even had a sifter. I’ve got one in my kitchen, along with jelly cupboards instead of cabinets. I just have cabinet under sink.
Ideal for attracting rodents and insects, and only really useful if you baked from scratch every day or so.
@@653j521 Many of them had metal lined drawers, so no. Plus in those days many housewives did indeed bake several times a week. Not just breads, cakes etc but also chicken pies and other main dishes.
@@653j521 I shared a communal kitchen storage cupboard in college with a set-up like that. It would be great to have if I owned a commercial bakery or something.
We had a hang on the wall refrigerator,freezer in the 1960s . It was turquoise and it had a
full counter under it. It was easy to load and clean. No stooping to get into it.
I’d buy one again in a minute if they reintroduced it.
I never saw one in person, and only heard of them a few years ago viewing retro ads online. I can imagine the convenience and ease of maintenance. They would have to be offered frost-free if they were revived today.
I never saw one of those. Would be really cool, except I'm only 5'1" . We have a built in microwave above our stove now, and I can't reach that. I had to buy a countertop microwave even though we have the built in one. LOL I'd have to use a step stool to reach that wall mounted fridge.
@@marilynmcelroy9634 I was a child so it probably stopped me from snacking too much in the early years but as I grew it wasn’t a problem.
That’s a pretty brilliant idea, I live in a small nyc apartment and it would be great to have a wall mounted refrigerator! Counter space is a premium so this could allow you to have a lot more prep room
Dude having so many options for different colors for your refrigerator and other appliances sound amazing, I want to be the weirdo in the family but my parents won’t let me
One thing my dad always told me was any tool that does more than one thing seldom does any one thing well. That being said, the sink-stove-refrig combo units are actually quite popular in Europe in cities where apartments do not come with a kitchen.
I thought about putting one in a small house, that's been converted into apartment / studios.
You're dad does have a good point tho.🤨 This way you don't have to pull the whole thing down
They are used in the break room of some small businesses. We had one when I worked in Cable TV back in the '80s.
HE's right. Just like those combo clothes washer/dryers. I don't like those things...
@@erossinema8797 My Brother in law has one in one of his rental units. They take a heck of a long time to dry clothes, so they waste a lot of energy.
For the colorful fridge lovers! You can add peel and stick wallpaper to recreate the same look.
Any wild thing you want
That's really a good idea!
Changed my refrigerator from black to 50s pink using the vinyl wrap they use to color change cars. There’s a lot of color choices.
They also make vinyl wraps for refrigerators now
I bought one of the wall mount fridges 2 years ago from a local ReStore place. It came out of the basement of a house that had the whole kitchen setup in a separate living area. Still works perfectly and has some great options.
Lucky You! I guess if one looks hard enough they would find gems like that.
Lucky find! I ‘ve worked in antiques for 17 yrs and never seen one!
I just have an upside down fridge.
lucky you!!!
You are so lucky
Some of these seem so fantastic to me, especially as someone in a wheelchair- the wall mounted, eye-level fridge for example- in my case, it may have to be set up quite low- but the idea of a horizontal fridge rather than a tall vertical one is awesome! Say I replaced an under the counter dishwasher with a countertop model- I'd only lose one cabinet, but I'd be able to reach everything myself! And the idea for some of these hide-away stovetops would mean more room to get around, so I could actually wheel around the kitchen without worrying about smashing something up (either my feet or some dishes).
I have things already that allow me to cook things at my sitting height (portable electric burners, a chopping board, and a mini convection oven), but this has given me a reason to go back and completely change up my ideas for a dream kitchen.
Oh I agree! I'm also disabled and cannot bend down. the lowest I can get is countertop height. that refrigerator would help so much
I bought one of those countertop dishwashers a year or two ago for $300 new. It works great. There are also countertop washing machines and dryers for the same reason
I want a countertop dryer!
You have great ideas, Wheelie Guy. Perhaps you should consider sending an email to appliance companies and express your creative ideas to them. Might make them realize there's a niche to be filled. 👍
Great ideas! Hopefully they'll start implementing universal design in all homes.
Well I would LOVE to have a refrigerator that hangs on the wall!!!! Easy to see everything, easy to clean the floor. Yep, I would LOVE one of those.
Just make sure you anchor it properly to the wall, and whit today sheet rock wall . Forgot about it
@@neilgibbons2532 you would have to have some kind of brace. Wall hung toilets have a brace in the wall for the same reason. I would love to have a wall hung refrigerator/freezer - easy to see what’s there and easy to reach. Also, allows more room than a standard fridge would occupy.
@@neilgibbons2532 well if I had a fridge on the wall, I can guarantee it would be anchored extremely well. God loves you. Jesus loves you and died for you. God bless you.
Easy to clean the floors, but NOT easy to clean a fridge standing on a stool, reaching up there to wash it or bring down a heavy roast. And it didn't hold the amount of food we typically buy today... it couldn't hold large roasts i.e. turkeys, and don't forget that people ate smaller portions back then.
@@MarySanchez-qk3hp well there is just me and my husband in the house, and hardly ever any company/guests come to visit. We don’t need to store a huge turkey, and our roasts are about 2 pounds. We have no need for a large fridge. A gallon of milk, a pitcher or tea and a large jug of coke is the largest item we keep in our fridge. Some lunch meat and cheese, really not much at all. Some mayo and pickles and salsa. So a fridge like this would be perfect for us.
You touched on one of my pet peeves. When I was a kid we had all kinds of colors that were coordinated together. They made a home "happy". Today EVERYTHING is 3 colors black, gray (stainless steel) or white. I spent 30 years in law enforcement and there are more colors in jails than todays modern homes. Great video as always!
That is sad that jails have more colors that many places. Even the outside of McDonalds and Taco Bell look depressing. I'm not sure why we thought these plain colors are ok. Thank you for watching and sharing your thoughts.
Its the same when you look at cars. Most are black, white, or silver. Then a smattering of blue and red. That is basically it.
@@joanwood9480 You're absolutely right Joan. I don't like that either. Nice colors help your mood and disposition.
Yup, I've just written a lengthy comment under this video about this. I miss the bright colors of the 1980's, thoough they were fashionable before. Nowadays everything is gray, from clothes to furniture, cosmetics packaging to bathrooms, even wallpaper. Modern bathrooms in fact look more like what I can imagine one would find in some mental institution than a home. I'd love a pale pink bathroom! And cars - my first car was green, I could park in the biggest parking lot and find him instantly, lol. Now I got a silver colored car so I have to look at license plate numbers to find him. I add color to my home with pale pink or green ornaments, blankets and silk ribbons but it's more and more difficult to find even that in any color other than gray.
I wonder what them folks that made gray so fashionable are smoking. Gray used to be the color of something that was once white but had gotten dirty!
@@joanwood9480 Or gray - I've seen quite a few cars now that are actually gray, not silver. A really horrible gray. Why on earth would anyone want a gray car? What do these people smoke?
I built an entire 50's kitchen into our Victorian home, after relocating and restoring the home. The kitchen is entirely pre'-54, so even earlier than what's shown in the video, which other than the Thor, appear to all be post-'55. The list includes everything from the front loading Westinghouse "Laundromat Twins" to the Wedgewood stove, Philco fridge, Vent-A-Hood range hood, KitchenAid dish washer, all small appliances down to hand mixers, coffee pot, etc. Everything still functioning as it should, and in daily use for the 30yrs since installation. My daughter grew up with all of it, using it as per normal.
That is amazing!!! Make a video & post it - sounds unbelievable!!
Oh I would love to see this if you do make a video put a link on here 🙏
Did you have the wall mount fridge? I would love that? Where did you get it?
That's awesome!
That must have been pretty.
My Dad still has a working retractable stove. I loved that thing - lots of room on the stovetop for large pots and plenty of room in the 2 ovens above. And the ovens were so much more convenient to reach in and get things out of without the downward opening door in the way. Their lovely, full glass doors also made it so easy to see what was happening inside without opening the oven door. Definitely something that needs brought back!
I've been watching the old Bewitched shows for nostalgic reasons and she had one of those double side by side glass oven doors that lifted up! I LOVE that! Wish they would bring that back.
I had a good friend in Washington state with one of the old pull out stoves. Now, I have a friend in southern New Mexico that still cooks on one of these too! I think they look practical, but the friends hate “the dated kitschy look”.
I had the stove-on-top-of-fridge thing in my tiny college dorm room. Having a hot stove right on top of the freezing compartment was about as crap as one might imagine.
Seems counterintuitive.
Had one of these in a studio apartment and it was absolute rubbish. Ah, to be in my twenties, again...
Fridges put out heat; that's how they work. So if set up properly, you could theoretically design a fridge/oven combo that could channel the wasted heat from the condenser coils directly into your oven, so that when you needed to cook something you'd be starting with an already-warm oven, thus requiring less power to bring oven to the desired cooking temp.
That's hypothetically. In practice, designing something that would actually work *and* would fit into someone's kitchen would be tricky. Maybe a back-to-back setup in a kitchen island? But that would require stooping whenever you wanted to get something out of the fridge, so maybe not.
@@astrinymris9953 I would guess not, because the condenser would permanently sit in a pretty warm, enclosed space, so the fridge's ability to cool would suffer. And if the oven is running, the system might actually press heat into the fridge. Under normal circumstances, coolant returning from the radiator on the back would be somewhere around room temperature, then get very cold during evaporation. If the coolant comes back from the oven at 180°C, it will reach the evaporator as a hot gas, pass through and then heat up the fridge.
I have used these in cottage rentals. They are okay.
With my bad back and knees, I've dreamt of an eye-level fridge for years! I really hope they make a comeback!
They really are brilliant inventions and I don't feel they should have ever went off the market. Thank you for watching and sharing your thoughts!
If you have the space and budget, there are refrigerator drawers available. Not sure about prices.
Do some digging I'm sure it's made somewhere.
A friend of mine in Atlanta purchased an early 1960's era house with one of those and he really, really tried to make it work. It was impractical to use and was a noisy energy hog. He sold it to an appliance collector. Next, on my advise, he had the house torn down and replaced with a modern home with built in appliances, Sub Zero, Wolf and Miele.
There is a great lettuc spinner that is collapsible so doesn't take up as much room, I admit I've used it 3 x in 5 years. I just wash my lettuce and pat dry with a clean tea towel and then wash the tea towel, then line a Tupperware dish with paper towel and put the washed lettuce in it with a damp paper towel on top which helps to keep the lettuc crisp!
I remember the refrigerator that hung on the wall because a relative who was a home builder back in the day had one, in the copper-tone color no less, in his personal home. I thought it was such a great idea and to this day I don't understand why they never caught on. It seemed like such a great idea to me!
I know I think it`s great.
i'm 5 foot tall i doubt i could reach it but for most people it would probably be a great idea
@@truecrimelover2022 Since they are hung on the wall, much like a cabinet, they could be hung at any height. I guess nowadays they have refrigerator drawers to take the place of it. But I still think it would be a good option.
@@davidfrania8990 true
The weight is the most likely. People are pointing out newer fridge drawers, those are usually mounted under cabinets and can be standalone units coming from the floor.
My son is in a wheelchair. The wall fridge/freezer would be AMAZING for him and anyone else in a chair!!!
The combination stove/sink/refrigerator is still available. It costs about $2,000.
The bottom tray on the griddle was not for "cooking sausages." It was a warming drawer to keep pancakes warm while you were making more. It allowed the family to eat warm pancakes together rather than eating in shifts.
There are models that advertise it as a second cooking area. I don't blame him for saying that.
The stove/sink/refrigerator is not a safe thing to have, because while cooking, you must always be careful using the fridge and sink, as to not hit or bump into a cooking pan accidentally
@@newmankidman5763 Also, as with all all-in-one devices, then and now, once one part breaks, the whole lot has to be replaced (or the whole lot taken away for repair, in the rare cases that is even an option). I do like integrated stuff, but it really does have to be properly modular, and the modular parts multi-source-able (which also means you are less likely to have to compromise on one bit to get what you need in another bit.
@@vikiai4241, you make a very good point
Those stove+fridge+sink things are popular and used a lot in small single person Japanese apartments where your kitchen might only be the size of a queen sized bed.
They work fine if you mostly eat out, and make very simple meals.
The wall-mounted, cupboard-style refrigerators were fantastic! My aunt had one in her kitchen and it enabled her to extend the countertop for more prep space. The freezer compartment was a drawer under the counter.
I also had an Aunt that had the wall mounted fridge. If memory serves, hers had 4 refrigerated units and 2 freezer units all on one wall. Of course, there was also a convention 'fridge' in the entry hallway for extra things such as fresh picked gallons of fruits and veggies that needed to be kept fresh until there was time to process them. Now that I'm well into middle age, I wish that type was available. It sure would save me from having to have help up as my knees and back don't want to work like they used to.
I had one in my house as a little girl. It bit the dust when I was about 10 (1966) and we reconfigured our kitchen to hold an upright one. I think repairs were the problem. No parts and no one knew how to fix them.
@@wendygodin2716 Our family had one in our kitchen, too, but it was not in use by the time I was born. So, we had a big old regular fridge in addition to the wall-mounted….pantry. My parents used to tell us the horror story-that, for one, it never really worked right. The freezer compartment never went down to freezing temperature, and GE could not fix it, saying it was due to the kitchen getting too hot while cooking. It would also drip onto the countertop. The biggest annoyance was that it apparently kept on breaking down, and the mechanical/electrical component had to be taken down and brought to the repair center for anything more than just routine surface repairs (and these repairs were never that simple!!!), leaving our family without a fridge.
Boy, I would love that! Bending hurts sometimes.
They make refridgerated drawers.
5/6 of these things are still available. The cabinet fridge is something I've never seen or heard of though. That seems amazing
They make drawer ones now.
Can you list which still exist?
@@amentco8445 Salad spinner, ice crusher and tabletop dishwashers are at least three things that are still readily available. Pretty sure crock pots still exist too?
Yeah, we have most of those items in the kitchen right now. No electric griddle, but my dad has one. I come from a big family and the electric griddle made pancake breakfasts much easier.
@@choddle8427 the all in one stove, sink and fridges also still exist and are extremely common in small European apartments. Electric griddles also still exist.
Those compact all-in-one kitchens are in every Japanese apartment, old and new!
Yep. And Germany rented places, too.
I bought this same unit in1982 from Sears for my, what would now be called a tiny house, for $125. Still works!
All our dorm rooms had them in college.
I've been in motel 'kitchenette' units with this all-in-one. Handy, tiny and 'just right' for temporary lodging. Although if you lived alone and didn't entertain, good for everyday too.
My grandparents had the eye-level wall refrigerator. It was cool...both literally and figuratively. Created a great deal of space underneath for a small/medium sized kitchen. Ran for decades.
That wall fridge really intrigues me. I have a smaller kitchen but i have wall space. My biggest complaint about fridges today is that stuff gets pushed to the back and forgotten. I'm toying with the idea of a fridge that is very shallow but everything is right there to get at. In my job i deal with fridges and im tempted to fabricate something like this. I never knew they already existed so I'm pushing the idea even further and would love to come up with a design that would work. The concept has already been proven, now to turn that idea into something for the modern kitchen.
Add shelves that slide in and out! Fridges used to have them and I have no idea why they stopped making them that way! I am always forgetting about leftovers and smaller items that end up pushed back into the fridge. It’s a waste of money and it’s gross when I inevitably find old moldy food when I finally have the time to pull everything out and do a good cleaning. Sliding shelves would help in cleaning as well. It’s hard for me to clean all the shelves as I’m rather short and I’m getting to the age where my joints hurt under regular use.
I'm a European and I've got a fridge built into my kitchen cupboard at 80 cms height. It's a normal fridge, just put onto a sturdy cabinet. Of course, the average American fridge is way too large to be put onto a cabinet or hung up on a wall, given its enormous weight. But I don't see, if you can put up with a smaller one, why you couldn't put it onto a kitchen cabinet, provided it is strong enough. I built mine myself, taking measurements from the other cabinets, using massive beech wood from a building supplies store.
I agree! Fridges now are too deep in my opinion and it's such a hassle moving around stuff to get to other stuff!
You are a genius I would buy that
We had that same GE harvest gold stove @ 4:54 in the kitchen from 1974 to 2013. It worked great other than occasionally having to replace oven and burner elements and the clock eventually quit working so the timing feature was no longer an option. I also liked the built in outlets which sadly today are not a feature on stoves. Speaking of harvest gold appliances we are still using our old Whirlpool dryer from 1974. They don't make em' like that anymore.
Hi- I still have and use my parent's harvest gold stove from about 1975, and it still works like a charm! I've been asked, why don't you get a new one? Why would I, this stove has outlived all the newer gadgets I've had to replace over the years, and will work for the rest of my life... heck, no doubt it will outlive ME, haha :-D
@@JHsweeeeeeet Heck yeah. As long as you can find parts keep on truckin' with older appliances. I know with our old stove I wanted to get the clock fixed ( I'm sure it only needed a good cleaning but it was going to be a pain to remove it ) so it never happened. And who knows maybe Harvest Gold will be back in style someday.
@@ttop64 The lube dries out in those clock motors. We used to soak the output shaft in silvent to remove the dried oil, then punch a small hole in the gearbox to add fresh oil, and put one drop along the output shaft. Most of the motors were brass, so we would solder the hole shut after adding the oil.
I have a Whirlpool washer and GIANT fridge from the 90s and they are still going strong. Will never replace those durable made to last US made appliances.
My mom had a Kenmore upright freezer....it was working until she had a fire elsewhere in the house....the freezer was over 40 years old....
Everything now is designed to break.....this way the poor and average people can never get ahead. How do you get ahead if you are constantly replacing everything.....
When you look at vintage ads for kitchen appliances, it is amazing how many different ideas have come to life in the past! Ranges with multiple ovens, lights, broilers, grills, and deep pot cookers, as well as outlets. Fridges with turntables,specialty compartments, and included China water pitchers and storage containers. Built in counter base Motor for mixers, blenders, etc. And several multipurpose small appliances.
And then we complain they cost too much and break down too easily and aren't fixable at a reasonable price. You think? :)
My mom had one of those countertop mounted blenders in the first house my parents built in 1972 and then the next one they built in 1984.
@@franciscodanconia4324 I saw one of those on that Buying the Beach show not too long ago!
Absolutely love those colourful and patterned fridges! I think we started going to chrome and black/white because they looked space-age but now there's a lot of appeal for funky so I hope those patterns come back.
We have covers now so we, or the people buying our house, aren't stuck with an appliance that looks dated. Some wise designer said you shouldn't make your splash of color in an expensive and permanent way because it gets old fast.
The chrome or white looks clean and classy.
There’s a retro vid floating around YT of a girl completely hysterical w/joy while covering her fridge with patterned contact paper. It’s super funny how excited she is -but what’s rad is the fridge company created it to encourage ppl to design their own fridge decor. I don’t think they offered all the trendy colors of the time so this seemed to be their way to say, hey do what makes you happy!
I believe they still exist, you just might have to get them imported. They also might not be as big as those you can find at Home Depot, for example.
@@deniseherud I love that!
I didn't think I could be nostalgic for kitchen appliances, but that salad spinner sent me back 25 years.
I have the newer version- works well!
I have one I just bought. Love it.
I have one. It’s beige lol.
I love watching stuff like this . Love vintage stuff and old styles. I have to think the major reason colors went out on appliances is due to American's moving so much. IT used to be you'd buy your dream home and you didn't leave until you were either carried out or put into a nursing home. You could pick colored appliances cuz you were only thinking about what you liked. Now a days everyone thinks about "the housing market" and what they can sell their house for , so that means keeping the kitchen (the highest priced thing to renovate) in neutral colors which is a shame. I love a lot of these stove configurations though. And like a lot of people on here, I've never seen the wall fridge. I could see a market for that if someone decided to do it. The biggest issue would be making sure it was mounted correctly to avoid people being crushed under one.
My grandma had one of those Swing-A-Way ice crushers when I was a kid. It was in Harvest Gold and I was in charge of the ice making duties. I can't say how much I loved that thing! I eventually found one in black & white at a charity sale and I snatched it faster than anybody could imagine. 😊
Swing-A-Way made such high quality products. I still use their Can Opener to this very day.
We can do without hos wise cracks about things we used to make his food and treats .
Swing a Way was good, but I've been using my Oxo Good Grip can opener for years and it's as smooth as butter, actually makes me feel pleasure. So glad I bought it, snd the sooner you get it, the more bwng you'll get for your buck before you die. It never dulls. It's heirloom quality, and the soft handles feel wonderful in my hands.
I think their salad spinner is still the gold standard, too... even America's Test Kichen loves their products. I use the salad spinner for more than salad... I can even use the basket as a brotform for my sourdough occasionally,
I bought one of those back in the 80s and I still think about what a great product it was. Crushed ice like nothing, wish I still had it. Great US made product!
My grandparents had a copper colored one from the 50's. It was metal and weighed a ton, and it was one of my favourite things to play with as a child when I visited them. My Granny passed away a couple of years ago, at 97, and the ice crusher was one of the things I took from her house when we were emptying it out. It didn't just remind me of her and my Granda, but of how happy I was when I visited them when I was little.
I also took her vintage metal Quality Street boxes (also from the 50's), her box of buttons (that were also one of my favourite things to play with), and a Betty Boop figurine. Nothing big, nothing that's worth any money, just things that I knew would make me feel close to her if I had them in my home, because they had been special to her. My sisters all took the things that had special meaning for them as well. It's funny that, when it came down to deciding what we wanted, it wasn't furniture or appliances or anything big...it was those little intimate items.
I think the stove with the slide out burners would be a great idea in an apartment kitchen or RV if it can be done safely.
I want the four side by side burners for my house...PERIOD ! Takes up a lot less space, and no reaching over the hot front pots to tend to the pots on the back burners, and you can see into them.
My first thought was that it would be terrible if someone (my room mate) was not in the habit of cleaning the crud off the burners after cooking. I imagined all that crud living under the back of the stove thingy.
We had one! It was so awesome! But what stuck with me all these years are the garage door style oven doors. This was the smartest way ever to not burn yourself when baking.
@@meauxjeaux431 these didn’t have 4 all side by side. You could just pull out the front two if you only needed one or two burners, and when you needed more you could snap out the second set, they had a latch that would lock the front side (so it didn’t wobble back and forth if you ran into it.]
@@jennacochran8582 My family's had 3 of them over the years! I'd give my left arm to have one in my own home but unfortunately I don't have the room.
My mom had the Frigidaire Flair( the pull out stove) when my dad built our house in 1962. I really liked it. I thought it was so neat to push a button and the stove disappears into the wall. I’ve always thought they should bring it back, especially for smaller homes that have tiny kitchens. I believe Samantha from the 60’s show Bewitched had one in her kitchen.
Did you ever forget to turn it off before sliding.it back in . Just asking
@@neilgibbons2532 many of them had a mercury switch that would disconect power to the burner tray when they were slid all the way in.
Ah yes, a mercury switch! That, mercury thermostats and mercury thermometers are gone now, mercury is toxic. It's why we don't even use those energy efficient "spiral" light bulbs any more... they're toxic if they break, and hazmat at disposal time, can't go into the regular garbage dump. Cities have to pay for hazmat disposal.
Yep, the Stephens had a Flair range in the house at Morning Glory Circle. I used to marvel at watching Samantha open the oven door by swinging it up and out of the way as demonstrated in this video.
I love the eye level oven of those! The slide out burners were a nice touch too! My grandparents had one.
Yes, so many great ideas..I would love a few oldies in my kitchen/home...
My grandparents had a plethora of old home design books from the 60’s and 70’s that I used to look at as a kid. I was always so mesmerized by all the style and colors of the past
I was watching old appliance videos, and there was a cook top where the back left burner could be dropped down and turned into a deep fryer/pressure cooker, or pulled back up to just be a burner and I have never wanted an appliance so much. The folks across the street from us still have working toaster built into the wall of their kitchen from the 1940's.
We had one of those stoves, it also had a rotisserie that we never used. The deep well was great for overnight, SLOOOOW cooking
Yep, my Mom used ours to slow cook beans and stews, and the broiler pan made lots of roasts and hams. Do they still include broiler pans with stoves?
As a REALLY old(almost 80) major appliance and refrigeration service man(worked 50 years), I want to thank you for this trip down memory lane for me. BTW, I had a 'boss man' that had one of those GE wall refrigerators.
I have some appliances from the 90s and people like you are irreplaceable! Thanks for all you have repaired!
I'm in my 60s and remember many of these. Which makes me feel like a dinosaur. Lol
My 90s Samsung vacuum is currently at a mom-n-pop repair store getting fixed by an old feller just like you. My brother just offered me his really nice vacuum recently, but I politely turned him down just because I really like how compact my little vacuum is for my small apartment. This old vacuum is a champ and this is only the second time it’s needed servicing.
loving these vintage videos! thank you for putting them together!
You're welcome and thank you for watching!
Counter top dishwashers are pretty much everywhere. The newer ones are very compact and efficient. Home Depot almost always has them in stock around the holidays.
Yeah I have one. It looks like the first one that was shown on this video. I have had mine for 5 years and use it 2 to 4 times a day for a family of five. I love it and it works great.
The crockpot, the portable dishwasher, the griddle still exists also they have portable wash machines and dryers!
I love this channel.
fridge from 1960: I will out live your great grand kids. 2022 fridge: Dead within 6 months
There is definitely a difference in the quality, Thank you for watching!
I can see these being quite handy in today’s kitchen. A lot of the things they had in the old days would be real helpful today.
Oh just how right you are. 👍
My parents had that stove-oven that pulled out in our 50’s ranch. We kept it well into the 70’s. It was a great design although our kitchen was pretty big by 50’s standards. I wish we had more color choices today. Everything is so basic.
I had a friend of mine that took her fridge to an auto repair shop and had it painted a different color and it looked spectacular.
You could always wrap it! Vinyl automotive wrap comes in many styles and colors so the options are endless! Even better is when you get tired of one design you get to peel it off and put a new color on!
My great aunt would make wonderful holiday meals (just like in the ad) on her Flair.
We had the retractable stovetop oven in the house I grew up in we moved there in the late 70’s and I think we had that stove till the early 90’s when the last burner that still was functioning died. So much space for pots and pans in the bottom my mom liked that she could just close the stovetop a convenience with little kids running around. Our kitchen was a very tiny u shaped kitchen with carpeted floors. My brother would toss eggs on the fridge door when he wanted my moms attention. Do you remember the heat that came out from the bottom of the fridge? Never could get rid of the egg on the grate on the bottom or out of the rug
Jayknee, there a bright idea. They have a similar version that's really used now... the trend of covering the refrigerator with paneling to match the cabinets, like camouflage. I've watched it on PBS This Old House.
The wall mounted fridge & retractable stove look amazing 🤩
I used to visit my great-grandma when I was about 7. She was about 70-75 back then, lived in a tiny little apartment, but she had a similar hanging fridge/freezer as in this video, in a faded out pastel blue/green colour, with shiny chrome parts for decoration. It still feels like magic, remembering the big heavy door swing up with just a little effort from the frail lady, revealing a whole lot of her homemade jams and basically a whole pantry in a single big fridge. I wish there was a similar option on the home appliance market now, in the recent years, I've only seen similar designs used in professional kitchens, but used _under_ a countertop, not hanging _over_ it.
When we moved in 1964 my mom was so happy to have a dishwasher, a wall oven, and a refrigerator with a separate freezer. Her old one had a very small freezer compartment that could hold almost nothing. It was a copper colored kitchen.
I went to a "rich" house @ 10, and was amazed to see them open a kitchen cabinet for a fridge. I think the bottom was the fridge, and the upper cabinet was the freezer. There was a counter top between, and it looked like another kitchen cabinet---until it was opened.
You should watch PBS This Old
House. Remodels with fridges that are camouflaged to look just like the cabinets, and one isme tirely a huge fridge, the other a huge freezer, and as well there are under cabinet pull out drawer fridges and wine fridges... fun to watch even if we aren't rich.
I was just at my friend's house and the dishwasher had a front on it that made it look like all the other cabinets. The buttons were on the top of the door so you could use them when you opened it.
In the UK, "itegral" fridge-freezers are common. They look like the rest of the cabinetry. I note that recently some dishwashers are built in.
My grandparents had one of those drawer stoves. It terrified me. Decades later, as an adult (2016) I worked at an appliance company warehouse, in the delivery office. There was one of those ranges brought in, after we installed a new, modern stove, in the customers rental. Their renters were terrified of the old stove (I understand!) . The old one was in pristine shape! Good thing, as our company likes to display vintage appliances.
My grandmother's brother and his wife had the refrigerator that looked like cabinets on the wall. I was 8 or 9 when I first saw it. I immediately thought HOW COOL IS THAT!!!! 😎
Tele bar and wall fridge wow love that ❤
I never realised the salad spinner was a thing of the past! I've always had one in my kitchen (in France) and use it regularly. A great improvement on the "panier à salade" (salad basket) of my childhood, which you had to take outside in the street or on the balcony, and shake vigorously - although even those are still on sale. Trendy, because they are made of metal, not plastic
Right? Here in Germany not everybody has a salad spinner, but they are not rare by any means
Yep, daily use in my house too. Italy
They are available to buy. Lots of kitchen tools that were non electric are being manufactured & sold now.
I still have my mothers that she bought in the early 70s. Still works great.
In the USA they rarely eat fresh vegetables so no need...
Really enjoyed this little stroll down memory lane. Have seen just about all of these appliances at one time or another through out the years. Some should still be around today.
I agree! I really would love to have one of those wall refridgerators. Thank you for watching Harry!
Thanks for this video! Not all the "pull-out" burner stoves were electric. Our Tappan 400 range uses gas. The burners are stationary and pulling out the cutting board simply reveals the burners beneath. Appliances are still available in a rainbow of colors from a company named Big Chill but there is a hefty surcharge.
Ours was electric it lived till about 1992
A couple of cans of spray paint aren't expensive.
We had something that looked a lot like that Tappan in a rental house 25 years ago, except the burners were on a drawer and the cutting board was what showed when you rolled the drawer in. (It showed when it was out too..., but I am having trouble explaining it.) I never used the cutting board bc, well, rental house...not sure what was on there before...but I freaking loved that whole set up. The double ovens at eye level were genuis. And being able to roll away the burners made things look so tidy. Alas, one of the ovens went out, and when we lifted the burners to clean them we found signs of electrical shorts under there. The landlord wouldn't fix it so we pulled the whole thing out and bought out own regular stove to put in the space. Made me sad. When we moved the landlord asked where we had put it and we said in the basement. Knowing that landlord it got put right back without any service at all.
@@haweater1555 Wouldn't last long, the reason the finishes that they came with lasted for decades is because The sheetmetal housings were 'stove-enamelled', that is, it was a thin porcelain finish that was applied then was actually fired in an oven. Spray paint would get scratched and scuffed all to hell. There are restoration companies that can have the exteriors re-enamelled but it's not cheap.
Cutting food right next to the stove sounds great until the surface becomes porous and turns into a vector for cross contamination, unless you're cleaning it after every time you cut raw meat on it.
In the 1950s, I knew several people who owned an electric skillet. Although it was not mentioned, I saw one at the end of the video. My mother relied heavily on one because the stove in our trailer home was quite small. I think GE was the prominent manufacturer. The heat generation seemed to be hotter and quicker than many electric stove burners back then.
I still have an electric skillet from 1980
What a good idea
I still use an electric skillet! They're super handy
My mom made the best pineapple upside down cake in one of those. Was in the skillet's recipe book. She got it as a wedding present in 1957. It quit working by '88. I took it to work, found a loose wire, soldered it, took it home and it fell out of my car shattering the handle into dozens of pieces. No more birthday pineapple upside down cake.
@@Zuxiasunicorn My mother frequently made pineapple upside down cake when I was a small child, during the same years she used her electric skillet quite often. I wonder if she made hers in the skillet, too, and possibly from the skillet's recipe book? She is no longer alive to ask. I was thinking about those cakes just yesterday and wondered where she got the idea to make them. The recipe and flavor were not in the family. My parents' friends really liked them when we dined together. Thank you for providing a likely answer as well as sharing your comment..
My mother had a Nesco cooker that was the metal version of a crock pot. She got it as a bridal shower gift back in 1940. She was still using it in the 90s. That's quality!
They had really cool stuff in the past, and I still use my 80 year old can opener. 👍Thanks for sharing.🙂
You definitely have an old one! Thank you for watching Monika!
@@RhettyforHistory That can opener is just a little younger than dirt. 🤭
A lot of canned food that I buy comes with a pull tab. I went to open one the other day, and the tab was loose. When I tried to open the can, it fell off. I had to open the can from the bottom, because the new tops are lower and can't be opened with my can opener.
I've seen funny videos of kids today that don't know how to use a manual can opener... lol! They'll be screwed if we get rolling blackouts.
@@MarySanchez-qk3hp I was camping, decades ago. Someone had either forgot to pack a can opener, r had lost it. They wee using a hand axe o open their cans. It was quite messy and wasteful.
I carried a P38 opener on my key chain for decades, until it fell apart. I got it while I was in the US Army, during training to open the old field rations. I looked for a new one, but I wasn't about to pay $15 to $25 for one. I received mail from a Veteran business, which had one in addition to what I ordered.
As always an entertaining look at history. Thank you and I remember sitting on the floor and cranking those Stern solid spinners.
I always found those fun to do. Same thing with the ice crushers. Thank you for watching Jerri!
A few comments from someone who was there. The washing machine that did both clothes and dishes failed to sell because people didn't like the idea of their underwear and their dishes being washed in the same space. The stovetops that pulled out didn't catch on because they were electric and an electric stove takes ages to cool off. People pushed the stovetop back too soon and whatever covered it got ruined by the heat. It even could start a fire if a burner was turned on accidentally. And cleaning that cutting board attached to the front of the stove is more trouble than it is worth. I never heard of the refrigerator that hangs on the wall and I think it's a great idea!
I dont like the idea either lol
The electric stoves had a safety switch which disabled the burners when the stovetop is pushed in. The cutting board was held on to the frame with two wing screws underneath and the board could be completely removed for cleaning. Also, the cutting board on the Tappan 400 is hinged and can be dropped down to move it out of the way.
@@walkerk77 I'm glad to know that, but I was mostly thinking of a top being pushed in when the burner is off but still hot and something getting melted or scorched. Electric burners take forever to cool. And I'm afraid not many people are going to remove something very often that is heavy and has two wing screws to deal with. But I suppose there is no harm to the idea.
I came to say this. As a mother who used cloth diapers and has washed all manner of bodily fluids from bed sheets, I definitely don’t want to use the same machine on my eating wares. 😂
@@LifeAdviceSite That's the same reason my mother and her friends didn't buy that model!
The salad chopping block is such help! I have one I got in Europe about 15 years ago and I still use it. It’s great to chop anything that rolls or spreads out/around easily, like chocolate, almond bark, nuts, etc., great for anything that needs to be really minced.
The stove, sink, and oven combo would be great for suites in hotels. I'd like to have one at my house as well 😅
I do believe the sink/stove/fridge combo is making a comeback, in tiny homes & small apartments. I just saw one not too long ago
That is good to know they are still being used.
I've seen the snow melter thing in catalogs it's usually advertised as a snow melter and weed burner. I think it's just a propane torch on a long handle.
Those combo units were common in motel rooms and are still available from a few brands.
I stayed at an extended stay motel in El Paso a few years ago and one was in the kitchenette.
I have one of those 3 in1 my upstairs kitchenette it's a nice little back up to my main stove in my downstairs kitchen
I had one of those portable dishwashers around 2005. It was the size of a large microwave oven, but it worked better than my "modern" dishwasher and held more, too.
My grandparents had a little rolling one that had a butcher block style top and you wheeled it over to the sink when you needed to use it.
Yup I had one around that time too! I wouldn't say it held more, but it held enough!
The so called “salad aid” cutter is actually just called an Ulu knife and board. They are useful for far more than cutting heads of lettuce. My ulu knife is the most used knife in my whole kitchen. Honestly about half the things on this list are still commonly used: who doesn’t have a salad spinner?
Me, I don't have a salad spinner! :)
ive only seen one when i worked at burger king. never seen one used in a normal kitchen
Knives with handles perpendicular to the blade are banned in many places. Lettuce is easy is easy enough to cut with conventional knifes, but the combination of a push blade with a board that helps keep round stuff from rolling off would be very useful to deal with things like pumpkin or large cabbages.
Salad spinners are a must if you grow your own greens! Gets them super clean.
Unless you use greens often(Which most people dont use fresh vegetables) they are not common in the household.
That flame-throwing snow melter. Imagine the possibilities!
I stayed at a motel that had one of those double burner plus sink and refrigerator units in every room. Such an interesting design.
Not so useful for tiny houses/RVs where you build the space from the ground up. Sink/burners come in one unit but why connect it to a fridge?
For mine, I've got hinged worktops so the gasoline stove hides away and the chest fridge/freezer (more efficient) can be accessed while leaving plenty of work space. As for the sink, it's really shallow with a collapsible bowl and fold-away faucet.
You would be amazed at how many of these kitchen aid device's can still be found in Europe to this very day!! 🤠👍
And some of them in the States. I bought a countertop dishwasher for my last apartment, and you still can. And the sink/refrigerator/stove combo is still being sold as well (and I've seen them in rental units just in the last year or two). I looked for wall-mounted fridges online, and the only comparable one I saw (full horizontal fridge/freezer) was from an Indonesian vendor. People say the freezers didn't work well on the GE ones.
Actually, that cabinet wall refrigerator is a very good idea, and a major space saver.
Yes it is and I would love to have one. Thank you for watching!
@@RhettyforHistory with dry wall good luck. Nice program tho💯
@@neilgibbons2532 It could be reinforced to hold it, or it could be installed built with a house, or an apartment kitchen.
@@neilgibbons2532 You would need lag screws, into the studs to support the weight. Many of today's new homes have the interior walls framed with sheet metal studs which aren't as strong as wood.
The wall refrigerstor doesn't ssve space, it occupies the same storage space where the cabinets used to be. It was a trade-off.
This was soooo cool! BRING THEM ALL BACK!!!! Thanks for showing!
I still use my crock-pot and handheld can opener. They are definitely still around and work like a charm. 😉
Sime of the long gone appliances were most ideal. I loved the wall refrigerator, although it occurred to me that it would take away much needed cabinet space, but then again cabinets could be installed where a refrigerator would normally go...🤔
The all-in-one 2-top burners with the sink on the right and mini refrigerator below was especially eye-catching. It would be perfect for a person who lives in a tiny house. I've seen compact stoves in tiny homes, but not with all 3 conveniences in one. These were neat!!! 😆😁😁
Love the pictures of those old kitchens.
Love the stove,sink,fridges, some of the others might come back as specialty items in a camper.
They would work in those really well. Thank you for watching!
Do a quick Google, the all in one sink/cooktop/fridges are still in production. Usually in other countries
The "Flame Gun" became a weed burner. The heat would damage concrete and stone, and the melted snow would re-freeze into a sheet of ice leading the injury. This bad design didn't last long.
Appliance manufacturers need to bring these items back. I'd be buying if they did.
I agree. I do think people need some more options that what is being pushed towards us. Thank you for watching!
ME TOO!!!
I have a counter top dishwasher. Im so thankful for that invention.
When household electrical devices first became available waaay back in the early 20th century, where did the needed electricity come from? Did the neighbourhood electrical grid ( and all the household electrical outlets ) come first? And with older houses, did the wiring run outside the wall or did they have to rip part of the walls off to place the wiring behind the wall?
The local electricity was first for street lights but people had the option of having it wired to their homes as well. The most common standard system from about the 1880s to 1930s was knob and tube wiring, Rhetty actually mentions it in his video on features in older homes you don't see. It still can be seen in some older buildings and homes but it doesn't(or at least shouldn't) have power running though them anymore due to the rubber insilation only being good for about 25 years with current running though them.
Love those old stoves. Just gorgeous
Yes they are. I like them too. Thank you for watching Sandy!
The salad aid is a tool called an Ulu. You can still find them in homes in Alaska.
I was gonna mention this! I have one
We’ve bought two. One for us and one for a friend. Love them
They are used in the leatherindusty too
We use it in Ethiopia as well to mince beef
The crock pot was very popular for working households - place the ingredients before leaving home and dinner was ready in the evening. How about bread machines? Everyone could bake fresh bread at home it too was a must have Applience
Yes! I use my crockpot and bread machine regularly!
I love my crackpots!! I have 4 of them in 4 different sizes. I can make a large meal and then store the leftovers in a smaller cro ckpot for another time. Also love to be a le go use them for large picnics or get togethers to keep a variety of foods either hot or warm.
Yeah crockpots are still quite popular. I used mine regularly.
I had a good chuckle at the thought of people arguing over whether it was a Beanery or a crock pot - it reminds me of everyone going nuts here in present days over their new Instant Pots. I never miss a chance to say to them, "You mean your new pressure cooker? 'Cause that's all it is." It amazes me how many of them had never heard of a pressure cooker.
I had this sink-fridge-cooking combination in my student apartment in the 2000's. Loved it!
My grandmother was so impressed with the salad spinner that she raved about it to everyone for years.
The wall mounted fridge not only was inconvenient for anyone much under average height, it was also shallow and had limited capacity for its size. I saw one of those all in one mini kitchens at an estate sale and so wish I had a place for it. Does seem it could be so handy in so many places.
The one appliance I wish would come back is the stove with an attached upper second oven. Just seems so practical.
Thanks for explaining why they didn't catch on. None of us could figure it out 😁😁
That's what I commented above in several places. Not enough space storage, unstable temps, can't accommodate modern volumes of food, too high up for many people, a pain in the a** to reach up and clean, and any freezer probably had to be defrosted. And it stole precious storage space from the cabinets that belonged there. And women now have average height of 5' 3 or 4"... back then, even less.
All these inventions were developed and sold by men and ad men who never had to get stuck in the kitchen, notice that they're all petite white women... not big women or women of color, either. And no disabled women, they weren't represented back then,and were invisible.m Women give feedback now, they've got purchasing power, and men cook as well.
I'm a whole lot older than you and I remember a few of those 'multi-purpose' appliances. That sink/stove/refrigerator unit could be spotted in some studio apartments. The main thing I remember about most of them was that while they might have taken a stab at a number of different tasks, they didn't actually do any of them very well. That was the main reason you don't see them anymore.
I do recall one really cool old refrigerator that I would love to get my hands on. Instead of having 4 fixed shelves inside, it had a pole that ran down through the center and the 4 round shelves hung from the pole. Each one worked just like a lazy susan. Do you know how convenient it was to just spin the shelf around to see what was hiding in the back? (Nothing! There was no back!) A friend of mine found one at an estate sale a year or so ago and the sign said it worked great - but she let it go. What a loss!
I'm old enough to remember, too. They weren't as "good old days" as one remembers once blurred by time. Many of those gizmos and gimmicks weren't very sturdy or functional, and some were downright dangerous or clumsy,
The good ideas are still being sold. The rest, not.
My aunt had one if those!
The inn I worked at has one. They use it for yogurts for breakfasts.
I remember the older products that lasted so much longer. Not as much planned obsolescence as, today.
Same as today- vcr/dvd, tv/vcr, printer/scanner/fax etc. are all notorious for breaking after very few uses. Plus you’d need a specialized person to fix each thing. Even basic printers rarely work- one of the reasons Right to Repair laws are so crucial.
My parents had the retractable stove from the early 70’s to the early 90’s. And it was coppertone like the fridge. And Mom’s kitchen was orange.
Those are certainly the popular colors of the time period. Thank you for watching and sharing your memories!
Well, that all in one was certainly worth coming to the video to see. Gotta think about space saving in a tiny home in the planning stages. Now I feel like I need to learn how to build appliances myself and just make one to fit my needs.
Omg we have the blue salad spinner my kids thought it was a bowl and put their cereal in it
I screamed no no! That’s granny’s salad spinner don’t touch it she will show up in spirit
I wasn’t allowed to touch it as a kid. The kids took the ice crusher down I need to bend the holder back and put it back up at the sink
We never used it but it’s nice to look at, that stove that has a drawer that comes out was on bewitched . My fridge went out today (only 2 years old) and I’m still looking for that golden girls wood fridge. Which I will never find. My granny had this sunbeam silver electric skilled she made pancakes on- I couldn’t believe it still works. Bet they are a collectors item now
So recognize some of these from my grandparents home. My Grandma had a stove in the kitchen that you took the burner out and dropped a pot in for cooking soup. She called it a "deep well" I remember my mom's avocado colored fridge(ewe) and my aunt's washer that did dishes and clothes. They were spendy. Thanks Rhetty...nice memory walk today
Yeah, we had one of those too when I was a kid. It worked great for soups and sauces. Yes, they were "deep wells" - and those stoves were wider with a preparation area or where the cooked food could be put on plates, platters, bowls, etc. I miss having the space RIGHT THERE. The electric burners were much wider and heavier than modern ones have.
@@rudra62 cool weren't they. The original crock pot
I still have the bunwarmer! Have not used it for years. But was used a lot back in the day.
I remember my Aunt using her's every holiday, the rolls were always perfect
My Mum always made dinner rolls, and the bun warmer was then on the table. I purchased on eBay a few years ago.
Those were great to have. Thank you for watching and sharing what you have.
Can you actually bake in one? I'm looking for a small counter top oven to make a cake or bread in. I want to use it outside so I don't heat up my house in the summer.
@@5610winston Ah, the old school bunwarmer, lol!
Something I use for proofing bread dough is when I start making my dough I turn on the oven light. (Don't start the oven just turn on the light) Gives just the right amount of heat to get the dough rising. I live in the MidWest so it can get pretty cold and drafty in the house during the winters.
I use to put the bowl of dough on top of the tv but can't do that anymore!
Hey Rhett, I remember our home when I was about 5 had a 1940s fridge with the freezer on the the top part of the fridge and it would always be iced up.
A friend of mine had a tv/ stereo combo. We had our original crock pot from the early 70's until 1990s. It was harvest gold. We also had a can opener/knife and scissors sharpener.
Great items back in the day.
Frost free refrigerators were the best invention EVER! As kid it was my job to chop the ice out of the freezer every couple of months. It was kind of fun actually. We''d set a pan of hot water in the freezer and as the ice softened, we'd break off big chunks and chuck it out the back door so it could melt on the lawn. My brothers and I loved to have ice fights with it.
My aunt had one of the older fridges with freezer on top. Had be defrosted occasionally but was still working when she died not that many years ago.
We had the can opener/knife sharpener, one of the small electric grills, a crock pot also harvest gold and couple more these. Sure makes one nolstslgic for the old days.
We had an old refrigerator that was super good as well. It was newer than the one you mentioned but it was the harvest gold color and from Montgomery Wards. I would bet that think would still be working but my mom sold it in the early 90s just because she was tired of the color. It still worked great though. In the back part of the top shelf it would freeze your milk. Thank you for watching and sharing your memories!
My dad still has an early 60s deep freezer that he uses. It was my grandparents and it has to be manually defrosted ever so often. Other than that it works great and it has never been repaired or serviced once. I have went thru so many fridges since that thing has been around.
😍Forget the snow weather! Everyone should have a snow melting flame gun in there survival kit😅
Thank you!! I love these old nostalgia videos.
I came across one of those stove/fridge combos at a 2nd hand place once and was fascinated. Don't think it had a sink on top, which would have made a great and perplexing thing even better. Never seen or heard of those wall fridges.
At 6:54 I like the stove stop with the cutting boards and ovens that would be really nice to have.
I agree! They should bring those back. Thank you for watching!
These are actually all brilliant ideas! They would thrive in places like NY where space is precious.
I would not like a wooden cutting board an inch from a stovetop though. FIre hazard
I love all theses ideas there convenience are still needed to day....the wall frigde,the oven draw..the grilled plate ...even the hand ice maker.....so many good handy ideas .
Really like the Fridgedair Flair style!
I love the wall mounted fridge! That should make a comeback for sure. I still have a Rival crock pot in orange. It seldom gets used anymore because pressure cooker combos took over most of the jobs I used it for. The stove combos are great. Why did they stop making these things that worked? However, the patterned refrigerators were rather um ugly ha.
I really would love to have one of those wall fridges and especially in the house I am currently in. It seems like those would sell today if they were an option. Thank you for watching Tricia!
I think that even a fridge that's up on something with a little cupboard or something underneath so that they would be easier to clean out from under would be a good idea. No one likes pulling out a heavy appliance to clean underneath it.
@@dianerobertson1759 Imagine that, you could give it a wipe every day and wouldn't have to worry about moving a heavy refrigerator and finding all those nasty things that have accumulated there for a while, because let's face it how often do we clean under the fridge and it's not that some of us are lazy, it's just a drag to be pulling out the whole fridge.
I doubt that there is enough market to interest anyone to invest in the tooling. Also, if not properly installed they could fall and kill someone. It's possible that a couple lawsuits took them off the market.
Planned obsolescence, especially for all the stuff no longer made in the US but still using US company logos?
What a fun video. TY. Wow, I wish I had one of those Frigidaire Imperial ranges now. Those were the Cadillacs of stoves back in the day. When I was a kid in the mid 1960s a neighbor's mom had one and I used to think it was sooooo cool. I see fully restored models sell for thousands on eBay now!
The countertop portable dishwasher is still sold here in Central Europe; I know quite a few people who have, being as they live in small apartments and they're also very useful for offices, where space is at a premium.
You can also buy them around here from the big box hardware stores. You do need to order it.
Because I have wrist issues, I use an electric can opener. You can still buy them.
Thank you so much Rhetty for History for uploading this great video, I appreciate it!