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Descriptions of Household Items
Iron Cooking Pot
Heavy pots made of iron could be used by hanging them in a fireplace or setting them on a woodburning stove.
Coffee Pot
Pioneers cooked ground up coffee beans in this pot. Often the coffee pot stood on the wood stove all day long and kept coffee hot.
Potato Masher
This wooden tool was used to pound cooked potatoes in a kettle until they were mashed.
Dipper
A cup with a long handle was called a dipper. It could reach way down into a pail of water and dip water out.
Funnel
A funnel was used to pour liquid into the narrow mouth of a bottle or jar.
Deep Bread Pan
Pans made of tin were used to bake big loaves of bread. After the dough had been mixed and had risen once, it was put into the pan. When it rose again, it was put into the oven to bake until it was a golden brown.
Teakettle
Cabins did not have running water from a faucet. Water for washing, cooking, and making tea was heated in a teakettle.
Rolling Pin
This wooden roller was used to roll dough into a flat sheet to make pie crusts or cookies.
Water Pail
Water had to be pumped from a well with a hand pump or dipped from an open well with a pail on a long rope. Then it was carried to the house or barn. Sometimes a pail was called a bucket.
Vegetable Boiler
This covered tin cooking pan with two handles sometimes had a copper bottom so vegetables would cook quickly.
Flour Sifter
Flour was ground between big, flat stones at a flour mill. The flour was sifted by shaking it in a kind of measuring cup with a screen at the bottom. Coarse pieces of grain were left in the cup.
Frying Pan
Much food was fried in the heavy iron frying pan or skillet.
Spice Box
This little cupboard had drawers to hold the dried leaves and roots the housewife used to flavor food.
Common Square Pan
This tin pan was used to bake cakes and cookies.
Sieve
Water or other liquids were removed from food by putting them in a sieve. The liquid was caught in another container and the solid food stayed in the sieve.
Muffin Pan
Small muffins or cupcakes could be baked in this pan. Some pans were made of tin. Some were made of heavy iron like a cooking pot.
Colander
A colander was used to drain liquids away from solid foods. Sometimes colanders were used to mash foods and strain out the desired part.
Egg Beater
This spoon-like tool with wires that crossed was used to whip foods like egg whites or cream until they were fluffy.
Tin Cup
Unbreakable tin cups were important to families with only a few dishes and little money. Babies were given tin cups from which to drink.
Grater
Carrots and other vegetables were grated on the metal. The food was then put in soups or salads.
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© Dr. Hildegard Kuse and Dr. Loretta Kuse