A few weeks back I wrote about the importance of comfort food as I was dealing with the death of my father. The meals prepare for me comforted and nourished me in my time of loss, but also provided me with a bit of sentimental support.
These days, I’m dealing with the cleaning out process – decades of belongings which are still found at Dad’s house.
In the process, I’ve dug up old cookbooks, including the Pennsylvania Dutch Cookbook and Elsie the Cow’s Cookbook (complete with instructions on how to skin a squirrel), and old Dormeyer Electric Stand Mixer, Grandma’s china set, hobnail and Red Depression glassware, juice glasses, , favorite mugs of Dad’s, Tupperware kitchen utensils from the 70s . . . the list goes on . . .
They bring back lots of memories – the candy dish Grandma Gorman often set out with mints; the coffee percolator that bubbled up coffee on our stove every evening, the china salt dishes Dad used for dipping his radishes in; and assorted cookware and baking dishes which served our favorite comfort foods.
These are the Comfort Kitchen items that provide me with many memories. “Remember how Mom used to put cookies on that strawberry-shaped dish?” “Oh, that powdered sugar container, which was always out when she’s baking.” “That ‘Just Call me Mort’ mug Dad got that one Christmas. They make me smile, and remind me of my childhood – many happy memories associated with these items from the kitchen.
There are a lot of memories in the cupboards of Dad’s home, and many I’ve contemplated adding to my own kitchen, but I decline on most, because while I may like the style – or the memories – they just don’t function like I need them to.
Which takes me to my home.
My own kitchen is filled with heirloom worthy items including my Emile Henry pie dishes, the Le Creuset Cast Iron Pot, a terra cotta cazuela purchased in Portugal, the bowl I handmade in England during a visit to Denby Pottery, a copper roasting pot gifted to us for our wedding, or my Rosle garlic press, to name a few. These are the items that are used frequently in our home, frequently find their way on our table, and will certainly be around years from now when my kids clean out my kitchen.
For those of you who don’t have a house filled with 40 years’ worth of stuff to clean out, you can still enjoy the Comfort Kitchen styling of today – new introductions that have contemporary features, but the old styling.
Last week I attended the annual International Home + Housewares Show (soon to be renamed The Inspired Home Show). In the quest to find the next best greatest kitchen essential, I did find some great items, that offered a mix of new technology, but nostalgic styling – or that Comfort Kitchen feel, I speak of.
Here are a few items that can surely bring back a bit of Comfort Kitchen nostalgia, while giving you a few heirloom pieces to hand down in the decades ahead.
Made in Italy, Smeg’s retro styled small appliances are a perfect complement of retro styling and updated features for today’s kitchen. Among the new introductions at the show included the new and improved Stand Mixer, with updated finishing and one-color design. This, along with other items in the line, are a testament of the brand’s commitment to providing high-quality performance for chefs and home cooks alike, while offering statement pieces that add a pop of color to every kitchen.
The Retro Style Electric Kettle from Russell Hobbes combines modern features like a stainless steel construction, water temperature gauge, a quick boil indicator, boil/dry protection and removable (and washable) filter, along with a timeless aesthetic.
Brabantia celebrates its 100thbirthday in 2019 with the relaunch of their iconic Patrice print. The company first introduced the timeless Patrice print, created by Patricia van Uden, in 1969. The design became a seventies icon, with brown and cyclamen flowers on an orange backdrop, the items in the line include the Bo Touch Top Can, the Step Can, a Roll top Bread Box and of course a 1.5 Quart Canister.
Lodge reintroduces a classic as part of the Lodge Cast Iron Legacy Series. Each item in the series is a remastered version of a retired product from one of the company’s historic catalogs, which date back to 1896. This year, the item resurrected from the Lodge Vault for a new generation is the Fish Pan. This remastered pan is larger than the average baking dish, allowing you to cook for a crowd at a potluck—or host a fish fry! The updated design is lighter and easier to lift, allowing you to use the dual handles, or use the included steel bail handles, to maneuver around your kitchen, grill, or campfire. $130 – made in the USA
Kuhn Rikon celebrates a classic, with a new retooling of the First Duromatic, which was launched in 1949. The original pressure cooker designed by Jacques Kuhn was quieter, more efficient and safer than previous pressure cookers. Today, Kuhn Rikon continues to innovate design and function and manufacture our pressure cookers in Rikon, Switzerland. One innovation in design includes the Superthermic® base, which is slightly wavy so that the pot touches the burner at the hottest point for maximum energy efficiency and heat distribution. Plus, the aluminum core sandwiched between two layers of 18/10 stainless steel creates a strong, stable base with premium heat conductivity.
