Breakfast has been said to be the most important meal of the day. While it’s since been disproven, as every meal is important, breakfast does help start the day off right. Throughout time, there have been inventions and antique breakfast accessories that added ease and charm to every morning meal. Here are several that have been popular over the decades.
1. Porcelain Toast Rack
Porcelain toast racks became popular in the Victorian age, coming in various colors and patterns, and featuring handpainted or gold-crusted accents. The idea behind the design was to allow steam to rise from the bread, preventing sogginess. The porcelain toast rack was found in most homes, a perfect addition to a perfectly set table. These days, the antique breakfast accessory is still popular among collectors and is often found proudly displayed in antique shops everywhere.
2. Milkglass Breakfast Accessories
Milkglass breakfast accessories were found in homes across the U.S. between 1970 and 1890. They feature numerous colors including pink, green, blue, brown, and opaque. These timeless antique breakfast accessories reappeared, gaining popularity in the 1950’s.
3. Fiesta Tableware
Fiesta tableware is an antique breakfast accessory, also popular during other mealtimes, particularly when hosting an extravagant party or event. It hit tables in the 1930s, featuring 5 colors. However, it grew in popularity and color options as there were around 36 colors. Today, some like the medium green collection are worth thousands due to their rarity, assuming the set is still in good condition.
4. Mixers
Although mixers are electric today, eliminating most of the hard work, hand mixers were once a popular kitchen accessory for baking and creating fluffy eggs.
5. Flour Sifters
Another cool antique breakfast accessory was a flour sifter. Today, it’s recommended to use a strainer, like the one you use for pasta. Most likely, because it was nearly impossible to use a hand-crank sifter without making a huge mess.
6. Colorful Appliances
Modern kitchen accessories come in white, black, or stainless steel, offering a sleeker look. However, something is charming about antique breakfast accessories that match every appliance in the kitchen. Kitchens were often thoughtfully designed with a color scheme or pattern in mind. As such, colorful toasters and tea kettles were marketed to help bring a kitchen’s decor together.
7. Antique Breakfast Accessories for Butter
Antique butter dishes were incredibly popular in homes across the U.S. They kept butter fresh and easily spreadable, always at room temperature. They came in numerous colors and patterns, both quirky and elegant. However, in the late 1990s butter sales decreased as more awareness was spread regarding heart health.
8. Recipe Card Boxes
Recipe card boxes have transformed into cookbooks and Google searches. On the other hand, they were once a staple in every mother and grandmother’s kitchen. Each care box was carefully designed with floral patterns and pastel colors, matching kitchen decor, or adding a pop of color. They contained how-to steps for recreating a meal well-loved by the whole family.
9. Tupperware, Everywhere
In 1946, the first Tupperware product was designed, and sparked such an interest that whole Tupperware sets were created. Each features bright colors or floral patterns. Furthermore, they became so popular that people often hosted Tupperware parties, where women would gather to buy, sell, or trade Tupperware sets.
10. Antique Breakfast Accessories for Slicing Eggs
While the design was first invented in 1912, egg slicers didn’t become popular in the U.S. until the 1980s. However, they were a great, now vintage, breakfast accessory that made it significantly easier to serve hard-boiled eggs for breakfast.
11. Elegant Antique Breakfast Accessories
Matching colors and patterns has always been a popular method of decor. As such, many families had a “fancy china set” they would use for special occasions and entertaining guests. These sets were delicate, made of things like clay or quartz. They often featured hand-painted floral patterns and were also accented with gold. They included everything from entrees and dessert plates to tea cups, saucers, and sugar dishes.
12. Slice and Dice
Tools used for slicing, dicing, peeling, and chopping fruits and vegetables have also become popular in kitchens. Incorporating fresh and nutrient-rich foods into every meal became significantly easier and less time-consuming.
13. Electric Skillets
Cast-Iron skillets were also common vintage breakfast accessories, found in kitchens across the U.S. Their benefits are neverending. On the other hand, they’ve since been designed with multiple compartments, and use electric power rather than cooked on the stove. This made creating healthy breakfast sandwiches and other meals much less time-consuming as multiple compartments allowed more items to be cooked at the same time.
Almost every tool, utensil, or appliance found in a modern kitchen was inspired by an antique breakfast accessory or a desire to make meal prep easier than in the past. Additionally, kitchen decor has undergone many phases, changing from pastel to floral, to modern stainless steel. As such, some antique breakfast accessories will never go out of style, while others with be a the foundation for the next great idea.