BrInging In The New

A lot of us have inherited kitchen heirlooms. We may have our great grannie's jam jar or ice cream maker, our grandmother's bakeware set or our moms old Farberware . As much as we treasure these items it is time to move on. After all glassware cracks, pots and pans rust. That's just a fact. The problem is how do you get rid of something that your fmaily has been using for generations?

To be honest I still use pans and gadgets from my great grandmothers and grandmother. The pots and pans are still serviceable although I tend to use them maybe once or twice a month. I want to preserve them. I still have my Bavarian German great grandmother's rolling pin (although this has been recently updated with a brand new OXO one) I still have my Piedmontese great grandmother's ravioli cutter (which amazes me because we're Northern Italian and not really ravioli eaters). This last is rarely used. It's over one hundred years old.

The best bet for antique kitchen and plateware (anything over fifty years old) is to either display it behind glass or carefully wrap it and store away. Some gadgets such as hand held can openers still work but can rust easily. For them and other gadgets like peelers and corers it pays to get the newer models. These are more ergonomically suited to hands and won't cause any aches. They;re also easy to wash and dry too.

What to do with kitchen heirlooms are always a quandary. My advice is just treat them as you would your regular antiques. Bring them out to show and be proud of - they are your family's after all. As far as using them, no . Stick with the newer models.