A Balanced Breakfast
Odds and Ends/ August 19th, 2021
Today we are taking a look at a few kitchen devices that we have here at the Homestead which were essential for getting things done efficiently in the kitchen.
Toasters
Toaster
It wasn’t until 1893 that the first electric toaster was invented, before this toast took a lot more time to make and required specific equipment. Early toasters would simply be a piece of metal or caged metal wire that bread would be placed on and held above a fire. Pictured to the right is one form of toaster that would have been used by the O’Hara family. Bread would be hand sliced and then leaned onto each side of the toaster. The toaster was placed on a stove element and once the desired level of toasting was reached you would flip the bread over and do the same on the other side. This method sure did require an extra level of attention compared to today’s toasters!
Egg Beaters
Egg beaters
Long before electric beaters and mixers were invented a number of different devices were available for use in the kitchen. In the 1850s the first handheld egg beaters were invented that look not too different than today’s hand mixers. Most of the early egg beaters were a device that consisted of a gear that would we hand cranked, the beaters, which looked much like those of hand mixers today, were made of metal and rotated to beat the eggs. Some of the older egg beaters also consisted of a clamp to attach it to the edge of a table, creating a similar device to a stand mixer.
The egg beater that we have here at O’Hara has a very interesting design compared to what we have found in research. Instead of rotating beaters, this one, pictured to the side, has a very different design. The P-D & Co, Patent from Dec. 1, 1885 was obtained by George Thomas of Chicopee Falls, MA. This unique design worked to aerate the egg, which the company claimed was "the only correct way of beating an egg". The spiral spring dasher opens and closes aerating and is always a great way to make whipping cream!
𝓗𝓮𝓪𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻 & 𝓜𝓲𝓪