10 Old-School Tools That Every Modern Kitchen Still Needs

No offense to Instant Pots, air fryers and sous vide machines, but sometimes the oldest gadget is the best tool for the job. From a pretty pie bird to a practical mortar and pestle, these 10 old-school kitchen tools and accessories have stood the test of time.

Pie Bird 
This Victorian kitchen utensil is cute as a button and pretty useful to boot: plop a pie bird in your pie, and your bottom will never be soggy again. A pie bird is a ceramic figurine in the shape of, indeed, a bird. With its head poking through the top crust of a double-crusted pie, the bird’s beak acts as a chimney, cleverly allowing the filling’s excess steam to escape. Fun fact: There are pie elephants, pie owls, even vintage pie policemen out there – keep your eyes peeled in antique stores, and you might find one.

Handheld Egg Beater 
Part quirky kitchen tool, part torture device, this mid-19th-century contraption is ideal for multitasking millennials. Use it to beat eggs for an omelette, and you’ll be toning your arms while whipping yourself into a meditative state, all at the same time. That’s three bullet journal boxes ticked, folks. It’s fun to use, kid-friendly – watch them miraculously wanting to help out! – and sustainable, too. Once you own one, you’ll find more and more uses for it, from mixing cake batter to mashing potatoes.

[Photo: Donovan Govan/Wikimedia Commons]

Danish Whisk 
Perhaps the most baffling-sounding utensil on this list, a Danish whisk is mostly used for one kitchen chore: mixing dough for bread. Which is pretty practical, since we’ve all become sourdough enthusiasts during the pandemic, right? Wave your Danish whisk to magically bring flour, yeast and water together into a soft dough, ready for kneading. It’s also handy for whipping up pancakes, quick breads, biscuits… Sure, your food processor can do the same, but it’s not nearly as enjoyable. Plus, you’ll save on the washing-up. Your dishwasher will thank you.

Speculaas Cookie Mould 
Go proper old-school with this classic Dutch cookie mould, dating back to the 17^th century. Granted, making your own speculaas cookies is a painful process – the spiced shortcrust biscuits have the annoying habit of sticking to the mould no matter how carefully you oil and flour it beforehand. But with their typical decorations of windmills, saints or animals, they ooze homeliness and hint at home baking. Just hang one on your kitchen wall, open a packet of store-bought speculaas and relax with a cuppa.

[Photo: Zimt-Speculatius/Wikimedia Commons]

Egg Separator 
All roads lead to Rome when it comes to separating whites and yolks. You could move the yolk back and forth between the two halved shells. Let the whites run through your fingers. Use a plastic bottle to suck up the yolk. You could even buy a novelty ‘bogeyman’ off Amazon and giggle while you pour the whites out of its nose. The least messy way, though, is using an old-fashioned egg separator. Just crack in the egg, wait a few seconds, and you’re done. No bits of shell in your whites, no sticky fingers.

Mortar And Pestle 
You may think the mortar and pestle’s glory days are over. After all, what’s the use of a bulky, prehistoric bashing and grinding tool when there’s a gleaming range of all-singing, all-dancing food processors to choose from? Yet chefs the world over are backing Team M&P. Ingredients get crushed instead of cut, releasing many more of the flavours and aromas trapped inside. Whether it’s garlic, lemongrass, spices or fresh herbs you’re smashing, the resulting flavours are brighter, bigger and bolder – 100% of the time. All you have to do now is find a place to put the thing.

Nutcracker 
If you’re a ‘nutter’ – someone who’s into foraging for nuts – you’ll probably already have one of these. But even if you’re not an outdoorsy person, a nutcracker is a pretty cool tool to have. Nuts are both nutritious and delicious, and unshelled nuts last for ages when stored in a dry place. At the risk of sounding, well, nuts, shelling them and picking out every little crumbly piece can be quite satisfying – not unlike completing a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle or hand-whipping your cream (see Handheld Egg Beater). Go for a simpler model: the more it looks like it belongs in a toolbox, the better.

Food Mill 
In pre-blender times, the food mill was worth its weight in gold, especially among the dentally challenged. Consisting of a bowl with a perforated base, a range of grinding plates with different sized holes, and a crank, you can use a food mill to purée anything and everything – from soups to sauces, baby foods and applesauce. Mashed potatoes become especially silky when ground through this clunky kitchen character, and the larger-holed base is perfect for making German Spätzle, a type of egg noodle.

[Credit: Laura Taylor/Flickr]

Waffle Iron
If you share a household with primary school kids, chances are you’re the slightly embarrassed owner of an electric waffle maker. Swap it for an old-fashioned stovetop waffle iron, and your shame will instantly evaporate. Invented in 14th-century Holland, these contraptions caused a storm. Two centuries later, literally every Dutch family owned one – from labourers to noblemen and royals. Bring your waffle iron to the next bonfire, barbecue or camping trip, and you’ll be the wo/man, feeling all cool and cavemannish. Fresh waffles, straight from the fire, what’s not to like?

Cherry Pitter
The most pointless kitchen tool on this list is, at the same time, the most fun. It does one thing and one thing only, and it does it well. Let’s face it, stoning cherries is a pesky job, and even the most avid baker might opt for an apple pie instead, just to avoid it. Enter the cherry pitter. Own one of these, and you’ll want to buy cherries, like, all the time. You’ll start looking for pick-your-own cherry orchards, you’ll meet new people, you’ll eat your five-a-day with ease. A life changer, this one.