Wednesday, January 11, 2012

A Tale of Two Stoves

This was my little play stove when I was a kid, back in the dark ages. I have it in my kitchen on my baker's rack and it makes me smile whenever I look at it. Wouldn't it be fun to have a real stove like that, with the cool primary color buttons? How about the electrical outlet? Or the built-in salt shaker?




I had some metal pots and pans to cook with and my dolls had some very delicious meals! Can you see the deep fat fryer on the back?  In real life, that was a frying basket that was removable and the heat element was down at the bottom.




Goes to show you how much frying went on back in those days! No Fry Daddies needed, it was all in your stove!

I was looking at some old family pictures and came across this one of my mother, taken in 1958.  Doesn't it look like a photo out of a Ladies Home Journal or Good Housekeeping?  I remember this stove -- it was electric and had two really deep drawers at the bottom. She kept all her pot lids in one of them, and kitchen linens in the other.


  
Like my toy stove, it also had the deep fat fryer on the outside back burner. Our kitchen had a swinging door that was next to the stove and opened into the dining room. The dining room was an extension of the living room which had a door leading into the hall (always kept open). From the hall was another open entrance into the kitchen. (Are you following this? I've never been good at directions!)  

Anyway, you could run in a complete circle from kitchen to dining room to hall and back to kitchen. Which, of course, I did with much regularity.

OK, back to the deep fat fryer, which (as a reminder) was on the outside of the stove, next to the swinging door.  So my mother was frying chicken -- I was running through the doors -- my long hair was billowing out behind me -- I know you know where this is leading -- I singed my hair!!! 

Fortunately nothing really bad happened -- except I wasn't allowed to run in the circle anymore.  My mother, however, did go on to fry more chicken!!

♥♥♥ Linking my stoves to Rednesday over at It's a Very Cherry World. Check it out for some more reds!

♥♥♥ Found a brand spankin' new link up party for vintage kitchen goodies and recipes -- it's called What's Cooking in the Cottage Kitchen (hosted by Etsy Cottage Style) and it sounds like fun! My stoves are linking up there, too!

♥♥♥ Yay!  Another new linky for me!! So now I'm linking my stoves to Knick of Time Tuesday over at Knick of Time Interiors! Have yourself a look, lots of vintage treasures to see!

♥♥

16 comments:

  1. I love your little childhood stove, how precious! You are very fortunate to still have it. Love the picture of you mom in the kitchen - that is funny how they used to deep fry everything - when we went on trips, Mom got up early that morning and cooked a ton of fried chicken so we could stop at a wayside picnic table for lunch. Life was simpler back then, wasn't it. But a lot of hard work. I'd rather pull off at KFC :) So glad you linked up at both Rednesday and the newby vintage kitchen party! Hugs ~ Mary

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  2. Aw, such memories. I didn't have a stove, but I had a china cabinet that my dad made. BTW, I love the unfed husband button.

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  3. Oh! I love this post, so charming! Your childhood stove is precious, so glad you still have it! I loved the story about the set up of your house (minus your hair getting singed of course!) - it brought back a flood of memories of my childhood home and our kitchen and how we had three doors leading in and out of it. And it was teeny tiny. Too funny.

    Happy Rednesday!

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  4. Wonderful childhood memories. I could take you back even further than that.

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  5. I like you tale!

    HESTER’S LETTER

    Hester’s letter, scarlet “A,”
    Gave the gossips much to say,
    But their rudeness she forbore,
    For she knew she was no whore.


    © 2012 by Magical Mystical Teacher

    Reddish Aqueduct

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  6. what a cute little stove~wishing I still had a few of the toys I played with in the 50's. Great pic of your mom too!

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  7. What a cool play stove! How awesome that you still have it!
    Yes, the photo of your mother does look like one out of a magazine.

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  8. Sarah, thanks for stopping by HFTS. I'm happy to meet you, another Sarah. Your cute little stove is darling. I admire that you not only still have it, but that you have it as part of your kitchen. I have but a few childhood toys, but my little red cash register is one of them. Reminds me that I should share it for Rednesday something soon. ;-)
    Great family photo. ~ Sarah

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  9. Wow, the photo of your Mom looks like it's right out of a magazine, apron & all! Love your stove and that you saved it, how great is that!

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  10. What a great picture! What fun to have your little stove =) I have my play stove, too, but I never thought about showing it off in my kitchen. What a great idea =)

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  11. What a precious little stove! I never had one, but I know I would have loved it if I did. Thanks for sharing!

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  12. that is adorable. Never have seen a deep fat fryer in a stove. I think it's a southern "thing," for chicken of course. So cute! What happens to the oven though? Makes it much smaller... {:-D

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  13. I love this post. Reminds me of the good ole days. I can relate to your moms photo. It does look like a page out of the Ladies Home Journal.

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  14. Oh I think my toy sink and your toy stove should get MARRIED! (Sorry, I have to have at least one goofy attack a day!)

    I've always lived in old houses so I know just what you mean about the run around thing. They were great fun for my boys when they were growing up!

    Is this my first time here? I know I've seen you around and you've been by mine but I can't remember if I've been here before or not! So many wonderful blogs and so little time! ♥

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  15. What a darling stove!! So cute! Love the photo of your mother ♥
    *hugs*deb

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  16. I didn't know stoves used to have deep fat fryers built in--how interesting! And you're right about the photo of your mom. It's Mrs. Cleaver! :-)

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