Step into a mid-century kitchen, and you’d find a landscape dotted with chrome, vibrant colors, and gadgets designed to tackle specific culinary tasks. The decades spanning the 1950s through the 1970s were a fascinating time for home economics, promising convenience and a touch of futuristic flair (at least for the time). While some innovations endured, others have faded into the cupboards of collective memory.
For those who grew up during these years or visited their grandparents’ homes, these specialized tools and appliances might spark a pang of recognition and a conversation about just how much kitchen technology has evolved. On that note, let’s look at 10 vintage kitchen gadgets that were once the pride of every kitchen between the 50s and 70s.
The Electric Fondue Pot
Electric fondue pots were a must-have for any fashionable host in the ’70s. These colorful tabletop appliances became the centerpiece of countless dinner parties, allowing guests to dip bread cubes into hot cheese or fruits into chocolate. Brands like Oster and Presto made popular models that featured temperature control dials and matching color-coded skewers so that everyone could keep track of their fork.
What it was: A heated pot, typically electric (though some were heated by Sterno), explicitly designed for melting cheese fondue for savory appetizers or chocolate for dessert – it was all the rage.
While traditional fondue originated in Switzerland, the electric fondue pot became wildly popular in American homes around 1970, transforming an occasional treat into a full-fledged entertainment system. These social cooking devices reflected the era’s love for casual, interactive dining experiences that brought friends together around the table. Many have been relegated to basement storage, but some are experiencing a comeback among retro enthusiasts.
The Manual Apple Peeler/Corer/Slicer
This appliance, which almost resembles a torture device (it did emerge in the 1800s after all), is a hand-cranked tool, often made of metal, clamped onto a countertop. When an apple is pushed onto the prongs and the handle is turned, it performs all three tasks simultaneously.
Why it was popular: It was a genius shortcut for making apple pies, applesauce, or dried apples, speeding up a tedious peeling and coring process. It was also efficient and kind of fun to operate.
While still available today, its use has drastically diminished with the rise of electric food processors (though they don’t peel). Moreover, buying pre-sliced or pre-cored apples is also an option.
The Countertop Electric Can Opener
What it was: Mounted under cabinets or standing on countertops, this bulky appliance was the pinnacle of 1960s kitchen automation. It opened cans with the press of a lever, eliminating the hand coordination needed for manual openers—many combined multiple functions, incorporating knife sharpeners or bottle openers into their design.
Why it was popular: A significant step up from manual can openers, it promised effortless access to canned goods – a staple of convenience cooking at the time. Mounting one under the cabinet was seen as peak modernity.
Models from the era often featured unique colors to match other appliances, with harvest gold and avocado green being particularly popular choices. Brands like Sunbeam, GE, and Rival competed with increasingly elaborate features and styling. Though seemingly simple, these gadgets symbolized the growing electrification of the American kitchen, turning even basic tasks into opportunities for technological assistance.
The Electric Knife
What it was: Patented in 1964, electric knives featured two serrated blades rapidly moving back and forth when powered. They were designed primarily for carving meats like roasts and turkeys. They came with that distinctive buzzing sound.
Why it was popular: It promised easier, neater carving, especially for large holiday meals, instead of wrestling with a traditional carving knife.
Why it’s forgotten: While still used by some, folks have reverted mainly to good-quality manual carving knives, which are often sharper and offer more control. There is also the fact that since pre-sliced meat is readily available today, electric knives could be considered redundant.
Avocado-Colored Mixers
No tour of forgotten kitchen gadgets would be complete without talking about the iconic color palette that dominated 1970s appliances. Standing mixers, blenders, and hand mixers in that distinctive yellowish-green “avocado” shade were status symbols in many homes.
While not gadgets themselves, the ubiquitous avocado-colored appliances (along with harvest gold and burnt orange) defined a design era. Brands like KitchenAid, Sunbeam, and General Electric produced entire lines of coordinated appliances in these earth tones. These colors reflected the decade’s environmental awareness and natural aesthetic, bringing the outdoors inside through kitchen design.
The Electric Carving Fork
What it was: A vibrating fork, often sold alongside an electric knife, intended to hold the roast steady while carving.
The appliance offered minimal assistance paired with its electric knife companion, perhaps giving the carver a feeling of having a full set of futuristic tools. However, while electric knives peaked in popularity (1 in 3 U.S. households by 1971), the forks were more or less niche, novelty accessories.
Why it’s forgotten: Let’s be honest, it was never truly necessary. A regular sturdy fork works just as well.
Ice Crushers
Before blenders became versatile enough to handle ice effectively, dedicated manual ice crushers (1950s-1960s) were must-haves for cocktail enthusiasts. These cast aluminum or chrome-plated devices were both functional tools and decorative bar accessories.
The most popular design featured a hand crank that fed ice cubes through crushing gears that went into a collection container, producing the perfect crushed ice for tropical drinks, ice packs, or snow cones.
Models like the Ice-O-Mat by Rival became iconic, with some designed for wall mounting and others for countertop use. The distinctive crunching sound of these manual crushers was the backdrop to countless cocktail parties.
The Butter Curler
Before pre-packaged sticks with convenient markings, presenting butter was an art form that required specialized tools. The elegant butter curler was a sophisticated gadget in mid-century kitchens that created decorative curls and shapes from cold butter for an impressive table presentation.
What it was: A small, specialized manual tool with a serrated edge or a curved scoop attached to a wooden or plastic handle, designed to create decorative curls or balls of butter that would grace special-occasion dinner tables.
Why it was popular: Butter curlers were emblematic of the 1950s emphasis on presentation and entertaining, where even the most basic condiment deserved artistic treatment. Some vintage models are now sought-after collectors’ items that can command surprisingly high prices.
The Egg Slicer
What it was: A hinged gadget with a base that holds a hard-boiled egg and a top with a series of wires or blades for slicing it uniformly. Some advanced models could cut in multiple directions for dicing or wedging. Invented by German Willy Abel in the early 20th century, it gained massive popularity in the 1950s, when deviled eggs and egg-garnished salads were staples of home entertaining.
Why it was popular: Promised perfect, even slices for salads, sandwiches, or garnishes, saving time compared to careful knife work. Though considered old-fashioned today, the satisfying precision of a well-made egg slicer continues to earn it drawer space in some kitchens.
Jell-O Molds
Perhaps no kitchen item better represents 1950s food culture than the elaborate Jell-O mold. These aluminum or copper molds came in various decorative shapes—from simple rings to elaborate castles and floral designs—and were essential for creating the gelatin-based salads and desserts that dominated mid-century entertaining.
Although Jell-O had been around since 1897, the post-war era saw an explosion in elaborate molded creations, both sweet and savory. Home cooks suspended everything from fruit and marshmallows to vegetables and seafood in these jiggly creations.
The colorful, wobbly results were considered the height of sophisticated presentation and reflected the era’s fascination with convenience foods and visually impressive dishes. Though rarely seen today outside of nostalgic holiday gatherings, these molds represent a culinary aesthetic that dominated American tables until the 70s.