I’m not one to covet objects, but there are a few useful items that seem to have disappeared, or are at least quite hard to get now.
These are things I’ve had in the past (or my parents had) that I’d love to get hold of again – not for nostalgia’s sake, but because you can use them unplugged, and they work so well...
1. Mouli-grater, hand-operated.
2. Jaffle iron, the sort you can use in a woodstove. No Teflon lining (Teflon is ubiquitous these days, and nobody seems to care whether it’s good for you).
3. Bread crock. In the hot weather our bread (because low on additives) goes mouldy quickly; if I put it in the fridge, it goes stale. It can be composted, of course, but better to avoid waste altogether... (I don't want a crock with lead anywhere in its glaze or paint, so this makes it harder.)
4. Wooden hand-held coffee grinder*, the sort you place between your knees, that has a little drawer. Ditto for nut and/or spice grinder. In the back of my mind I know I must one day give up drinking coffee. But while I do, I’d rather have this low-tech device than an electric one.5. Soap dish that drains; also soap cage, for not wasting little pieces of soap (strictly speaking it was my grandmother who had this, much further back).
6. Washboard. Very useful for what must be handwashed, at the very least.
7. Ordinary stainless steel cookware. Here in the wheatbelt, it's very hard to find. Teflon is everywhere...
*Image of coffee grinder is File:Mlynek.jpg, from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Source: en:Mlynek.jpg Originally uploaded to en-wiki by en:User:Mohylek, GFDL
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