Kitchen stuff

[Winchester]

I was talking to Rick's mom yesterday; she's starting to go through her kitchen stuff to see what she wants to keep and what she might want to get rid of (donate, trash, give to Rick's sister, give to me, etc). She really needs to pare down as she has an incredible amount of kitchen items. Rick is already cringing. I probably have enough kitchen items myself to outfit 3-4 kitchens. I don't know how that happened, but I do give Evelyn a lot of the.....credit (Rick says, "Blame"). She's always given me a ton of kitchen supplies because, "You need this in your kitchen" or "This will make that easier" or "I saw this and I thought of you." That kind of thing.

She asked me if I wanted her spaetzle-maker. Well....yeah. When I make spaetzle now (chicken corn soup, for example), I press the spaetzle dough through a colander into the simmering soup and then cook it that way. I've never used a spaetzle-maker, so I said I'd take it. She's already given me her old pasta maker and her old dough kneader. I make my own pasta. Not often, but I like making pasta. We have her old cookie press and frosting decorator as well as my newer one. Actually, her old one works a lot better than my newer cookie press. I don't have the patience to mess with pressed cookies, but both Rick and our son work that cookie press perfectly. I guess as long as they're around to press the cookies, I can make the dough and they can press it. The grandchildren like to decorate the cookies.

I find some of these items very interesting. The dough kneader is a container with a "stirrer". As you turn the knob, it turns the dough and the dough will knead. It kneads up to 4 pounds of dough at one time. It's an interesting gadget, but I've always liked kneading dough by hand (esp when I'm really stressed about something).

She is giving me her set of good China. Well, actually she's been working on giving me that for the last couple of years, but I keep finding excuses not to take it. Don't get me wrong; it's a gorgeous set of China. She says it has to go to me because Rick is the one who picked the pattern out and we gave her many of the pieces. Honestly? I don't have room for it. And I don't know that I would use it. We don't have anything in the way of formal dinners at this house; our idea of a formal dinner would probably be Christmas dinner with the family with the cloth napkins, good wine goblets, the candles, etc. But that's the only time....unless I specifically invite some friends in for dinner and go all out with food and decorating. And I haven't had the time to do that in a couple of years. But I hate to hurt her feelings, so we're going to take the China. I told Rick that we could use it this year at Thanksgiving...I think she would like that.

Oh, and the punch bowl. I haven't needed to use a punch bowl in years. But I guess you never know.  She has all these kind of formal items. Do I need them? I don't think so. Should I take them? I guess, if for no other reason than to keep them in the family. But I know our DIL won't use them and I doubt our granddaughter will use them.

She has an old (very old) Sunbeam electric Dutch oven and has used it forever to fry her doughnuts, French fries, and the like. Well, she's not going to make doughnuts anymore, she thinks, but she knows that I will be making doughnuts for the family. So the Sunbeam will be coming to me. (I think I've mentioned the Sunbeam before.)

Cookbooks. Yeah, I want them. That goes without saying. Rick's sister will take what she wants, although she said she doesn't really want many of them. I'll take what's left. 

Have you found yourself in this situation? What do you do when your parents start to downsize and they want to give you things? Do you take them? This is really the first time for me. My mother sold a lot of her stuff and she gave a lot of things to my sister, so there really wasn't much left for me to take. My sister has given me a few things of Mom's that she said she'd never use because she doesn't cook; she knows I wanted them, so she made sure I got them. When my grandmother passed, she made sure that I got her old rolling pin, her old cookie cutters, and the like. I use them even now. The rolling pin is just beautiful and it's got this shiny patina that can only comes from decades of rolling out cookies and pie dough. 

What do you do with these things? Keep them? Use them? Store them away?

 

[sivyaleah]

When my parents were moving to Florida, all of us kids took a lot of kitchen things.  Like, I got their original nice bar glassware - with fancy little champagne cups - not flutes.  When my mom passed, and eventually my father we again did the same.

When my grandmother passed, all I wanted was one specific item - her huge wood salad bowl.  Oh wait, and her mezzaluna - it was old and fit my hand perfectly. Alas, my cousin and my Aunt took everything out of the apartment and to this day, none of us kids ever got anything from her possessions.  A sticking spot to say the least.

I particularly like getting kitchenware passed down, as it is extremely personal in a nurturing way.  I still use stuff from my parents; the few pieces of their original Farbarware is in remarkable condition considering how old it is.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

I had the opportunity to go through my Grandparents things to take what I wanted.  The rest went into a garage sale.  Prior to my going through things; my mother, Aunt and Uncle had gone through and selected what they wanted for themselves, for us Grandkids and some special family friends.  For example; my mother brought me the Salt & Pepper shakers from my Grandparents everyday china.  I remember those over the stove; so that's a sentimental for me.  Plus they don't take a whole lot of room; so they fit in my china cabinet (along with some other things I took home).  I'm the youngest grandchild but some of the great-grands are old enough to be married and on their own.  So there were plenty people to give things to.  I personally do not need much. 

  I tried to be practical about what I kept from my Grandparents house.  I took mostly sentimental things or things I had given them.  

My Grandparents started downsizing several years ago; before their health declined too much.  They lived in a small house and were purposeful in what items they kept and who they sent them to.  Gram sent me a Slow Cooker years ago. She gave me her sewing machine when her hands couldn't do it anymore.  I also have a wall curio cabinet my Grandpa made for Gram.  As for the older kitchen things; I think they divided based on who cooks what sort of thing.  My uncle has the meat grinder he and my Grandfather always used to make sausage.  I remember them saying they didn't want anyone fighting over or being upset about stuff.  And it's been a much more peaceful process than what I hear other people go through!!  It's emotional and difficult; but no one has taken it out on anyone else.  Before they gave me the cabinet I talked to my Aunt to be sure she didn't want it.  I wanted my Mother, Aunt and Uncle to be priority in what they were given.  My Grandpa gave DH his old fishing rods and tackle.  We made sure my Uncle didn't want them first.  

There was still plenty to be sold at the garage sale.  My Grandpa is practical enough that we can be honest and say no to things we won't use.  it's the sentimental things that are difficult.  Gram was the same way.  Their house is on the market now.  That is difficult to see.  

My other Grandparents have only downsized a small amount (they have more stuff too).  But we have a few things.  Nothing we have asked for; things we were given.  Like some of my Grandfather's old tools.  My Dad knew we had a need for a jigsaw; so he gave that to us.  It was something that came up in conversation.  We haven't had to say "no thank  you" to anything because their house is still in use.  Family dinners are still cooked there, etc.  

I particularly like getting kitchenware passed down, as it is extremely personal in a nurturing way.  I still use stuff from my parents; the few pieces of their original Farbarware is in remarkable condition considering how old it is.

I understand what you mean!  My mother took my Gram's old sauce pot.  It brings back so many good memories to see it in Mom's kitchen being used.  I imagine a pot of that size and quality would be costly today.  But you can't put a price on memories attached to an old pot!  The sewing machine my Gram gave me isn't the one she taught me to sew on; but I still get that nostalgic warm feeling when I take the one I have out to do some sewing.  I looked for my Gram's measuring spoons when I went through their things.  I can't find a set that compares.  Someone already took those.  I would have liked to have them; but I'd rather someone else have them than have them sold in the sale.  So it's ok. 

 

[swampwitch]

What do you do with these things? Keep them? Use them? Store them away?

I just say no thanks. I need minimal stuff, especially in the kitchen where it seems to multiply by itself. 

We paid a crew to clean out our parents' house after our father died and our mother was in an assisted care facility. They had 50 years of accumulated things… the closets were packed and every shelf was stuffed. If you hire auctioneers, they not only get to sell the valuable things and keep the money, but their contract states they get a percentage of the sale of the house, too. We didn't go that route, instead, our late father's ranch foreman hired workers and they got paid plus got to keep whatever they wanted. I don't ever want a packed home like that.

Anyway, I keep in the kitchen only what I use at least weekly.  I have a couple of boxes labeled "party" in the storage room.

 

[sneakymom]

Mom moved in with my sister and I got some "stuff".  I took everything she wanted to get rid of (even though some of it was stuff that my sister din't want- but we aren't going to go there and be snarky 

).

My oldest is moving into her first apartment in a couple of days.  She needs everything, and she's not picky about leftovers.  I have a box full of kitchen stuff that she's welcome to go through to see if she wants anything.  

The neatest thing I got from her was a stand mixer.  I'd wanted one for a while and they can be pricey.  Yeah, it's not a Kitchenaid, and it's kind of old, but at the moment it works.  If I do wind up getting a new one for me, I'll give it to one of the girls.  

Cheryl