Kitchen

[house_cat]

.. you got your first _________________?  

I remember when we got our first microwave oven in 1984, just after my son was born.  It was HUGE - took up half our prep space, but we thought we were living the good life!  I remember everyone saying, "You can cook a hot dog in a minute!"  We don't eat hot dogs anymore and rarely use our microwave, but boy, in those days it was something special!

Do you have a similar memory about a kitchen appliance?  My mom remembers when they got their first refridgerator - before that, they had an ice box - and I'm not talking about a small rural town - she lived in the middle of NYC!

[lolakimono]

@house_cat

RE the first microwave, we had just gotten one as you described when I was little.  The babysitter wanted something to eat, and we had homemade waffles that had been frozen.  She asked me how long to cook them for, and I shrugged and answered- 10 minutes?

She cooked them for the whole time, and that microwave never lost that "burnt waffle" smell.  The plate was blackened.  

[Snowpuppy]

I dated a guy in the '80s who bought a new Amana Radar Range in the stunning bronze color with the rotary dial. Think it set him back like a thousand dollars.

Guess he thought it would be very fetching for any woman?! 😅

[Scooby Doo]

I had one of those microwaves too.  Great big Panasonic that cost me about $450.  The first day my friend and I experimented making stew while watching movies on the VCR.  We cooked that stew for an hour and it was rubbery and awful. 

I remember that my rich uncle had a microwave in his house as early as 1970/71.  He told me he could cook a potato in 5 minutes and it was sooooo amazing.  When I told my friends about it they didn't believe me.

[Mothertrucker]

I had a neighbor who had an original Radarange back in 1970.. I won some money on a game show in 1980 right after my son was born, and first thing I bought was a big , huge Litton microwave!!!loved it! It wouldn't die, and about 10 or so years later I wanted a smaller one, with more features, and I actually gave it away..It still worked great!...It was about $500 then!

Sigh, they don't make things to last like that anymore..Microwaves today are practically disposable....

[Perkup]

I definitely go back a little further.  I remember getting our first Frigidaire.  I missed the ice man coming by every day, but it was really great to get cold water out of a little jug in a refrigerator. Really something special - white with a round motor on top, and it was set up on legs.  Wow!!

And after I got married I remember getting my first electric mixer.  It was not a KitchenAid obviously, but it was like a miracle worker in my kitchen. Actually it's still working some 62 years later, but I like my new KitchenAid a little better.  

[momtochloe]

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@Perkup wrote:

I definitely go back a little further.  I remember getting our first Frigidaire.  I missed the ice man coming by every day, but it was really great to get cold water out of a little jug in a refrigerator. Really something special - white with a round motor on top, and it was set up on legs.  Wow!!

And after I got married I remember getting my first electric mixer.  It was not a KitchenAid obviously, but it was like a miracle worker in my kitchen. Actually it's still working some 62 years later, but I like my new KitchenAid a little better.  

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Thank you for this happy memory.  My mom would often talk about the ice man and his deliveries but the one that really stuck with me was when we moved into our house in the early 60's and my mom wanted a wringer washer . . . she and my dad had quite a discussion over it but finally she relented and agreed to an automatic washer . . .

And my mom had a Sunbeam mixer that I wish I had . . . what a workhorse that was!

[Mothertrucker]

We have this immaculately restored GE Monitor refrigerator here in my office..@perkup, you made me think of it with your fridge with the globe on top..Might have been one of these..The best selling refrigerator of all time, according to some...

[house_cat]

I love the stories! Thank you for posting :-)

@lolakimono

When my boys were young I had a package of frozen chicken nuggets in the freezer. The label said they could be microwaved right in the package, so one day, I was a little late getting home from work and they decided to cook them. Well, the label had an aluminum backing and they set the whole thing on fire. Luckily for all of us, they had the sense not to open the door, but you know what? That microwave lived another 10 years after that in my dad's garage. I don't know why he needed a second microwave in the garage, but that's another story.

Follow up: I called the chicken nuggets company and told them what happened. They sent me enough coupons that we had free nuggets until they were too old to eat them anymore, lol.

[aubnwa01]

When my folks bought a brand new home in 1954, the kitchen was all gas, gas range, gas fridge & gas clothes dryer. I wish I still had that O'Keefe & Merritt gas range!

When I went to work for the phone co.in 1973, i'd never heard even of a microwave, much less used one.  There were vending machines in the break room & for lunch I got a can of chili out of one of the machines & then, looked everywhere for a stove or hot plate, so i could heat it up.  While I was searching, a lady walked thru the break room, so I asked her how I was supposed to heat up my lunch & she said you put it in the microwave & turn it on & pointed out the microwave for me & kept walking.  So, I put the unopened can of chili in the microwave & turned it on.  There were all sorts of sparks & pops coming off the metal can inside the microwave, but having never seen a microwave before, I thought that must be normal & just stood there like the stupid kid I was, watching the show!  About that time, someone else walked thru the break room & started freaking out & quickly opened the door of the microwave to stop the entertainment.  She pointed me towards the paper bowls in the cupboard that I needed to put the chili in before I nuked it.  That was my 1st experience with a new fangled microwave.  I didn't get one for home until 1984.