Comments on: What is this 1950s British kitchen gadget?

By: Jerry

Jerry — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 23:29:08 +0000

By the way: the hairstyle on the comely British woman dates the kitchen to the 1940s, not the 1950s.

By: Jerry

Jerry — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 23:25:35 +0000

I work in a restaurant, and these grills are still very commonplace in restaurants. We call them “salamanders”, as one poster has already noted. The difference is that the heat comes from up above, rather than from below as in a barbecue.

The grills wouldn’t be as useful in a home. If you wanted heat from above (as in a salamander), you’d simply use the broiler in the oven.

So these grills would nowadays be redundant.

By: Matt

Matt — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 00:00:33 +0000

Yes, you can still get cookers with eyelevel grills, they are made by Parkinson Cowan. I believe the last one I had was a ‘Lyric’.
The kettle is actually made of an alloy of aluminium and magnesium called magnailium which can be polished to a high shine, and does not incur the same reported health risks as raw aluminium products. You can also get the the kettle cheaper than from the Picquot website if you do a Google Product search (I know, because the shop I work in sells them). I believe that the company are looking to expand the range this year.

By: Sherri

Sherri — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 06:00:55 +0000

The arms of the warmer look like they would only support a lightweight material like that too.

By: midmodms

midmodms — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 00:02:36 +0000

Thanks Gavin for the info on the kettle. I have never seen another one here in the US, only on the occasional British tv show, and now in this advertisement. Didn’t know it was aluminum!

By: tamara

tamara — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 16:13:05 +0000

HI all, that’s it you have convinced me, Right Gavin, I am bring my cooker with me when I move. The house has gas and it just means saving a bit of money to have the pipes put in the kitchen. What is the sence of moving into a post war house and not taking my post war cooker…. and besides I can’t cook on electric. So I shall get a second hand electric cooker and bring my gas cooker. You should ship yours Gavin, there is no way you will be able to replace it again in your lifetime. Mine I have had longer then my children, to many good memories to just get rid of it…. if only my cooker could speak! Regards all, tamara

By: Gavin

Gavin — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 07:09:22 +0000

Forgot to mention that the picquot ware stuff is pretty expensive! We picked up ours second-hand.for a fraction of new prices. You can pick up some easily on: http://www.ebay.co.uk/

As to the great British eye-level grill, sadly most new UK kitchens seem no longer to have them. The standard appears to be separate hob (with irritating waist-level grill) and wall oven plus a separate microwave. Pathetic. I think many people see the cooker/grill as old-fashioned. Mid-century / Retro kitchens are as much a niche over here as anywhere…

By: Gavin

Gavin — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 06:58:57 +0000

Funnily enough I was going to mention the kettle. It’s an example of Picquot ware. A British mid-century classic actually made of aluminium (aluminum) probably due in part to the huge amount of surplus aircraft left over after WWII (My father was in the RAF then and said that there were so many that at one point they gave up trying to scrap them and actually bull-dozed many into the ground in Scotland where he was stationed!) You can get the originals on ebay or buy them new at:
http://www.picquot.co.uk/ The kettle was followed by a series of other items in the same style. IMO the new tray is not as fine looking as the original but otherwise they appear identical.

By: tailfin

tailfin — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 00:48:03 +0000

OK now, why don’t American stoves have such an accessory? A toaster oven just doesn’t have the style or charm of these British grills. I especially like the one in the photo with the time-warp wife.

By: midmodms

midmodms — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 23:04:32 +0000

What thrills me is the kettle with the wooden handle. I actually have one that I bought in the late 80’s in Seattle, and didn’t know they were designed or made so early. They were still making them when I bought mine, new. So maybe you can still get them.

I love the design. They are made of a very thick stainless steel and have a wide bottom. Boils water very quickly. The wooden handle stays cool. Plus the thing is just beautiful!