They don’t make ‘em like that anymore

[mercerquietman]

There’s a lot of things they don’t make like they used to, whoever this “they” is. I have things I use around the house that many people would find really odd, like I’m living in the 1960s; stuff that many households discarded years ago in favor of newer products. I have them because they do the job they were designed to do, and despite new products that have replaced them, they still work better, store in less space and/or clean easier, etc. By and large, these items are either no longer made, or if they are, they are hard to locate. Thank God for eBay, it helps.

Then there are some products you can buy now that don’t hold a candle to the quality of those same items from years past (unless you spend a small fortune). A great example of this is egg beaters. Often, when I am cooking and I need a beaten egg, just breaking it up in a quick motion with a fork is all I need to do. But sometimes, beating it is necessary if you want to whip the egg to a foamy consistency. Just try to find a decent egg beater nowadays. I own two that have to be as old as I am, one at home and one at my cabin. They are made with a great deal of quality, the gears mesh perfectly, the blades are stainless steel and the handles are solid and enable the user to grab it like a suitcase in a more natural easy position. They’ll last long after I’m gone. Why is it you can’t buy them anymore of that quality? If you can even find them they tend to be flimsy or designed more awkwardly. Has everyone gone to using those infomercial products like the magic bullet? I don’t understand.

Another example of decades old gadgets I use are those old full sized shredders. I love the size and durability of these things. I use them to make potato pancakes or shred carrots or cheese for recipes. A set of three is perfect, with a coarse, medium and fine grating. Fortunately, I found mine at the Salvation Army; they are not real easy to find.

A few years ago when I was at our state fair one of these smooth talking guys pushing his wares had one of these things up there and made fun of it suggesting it is dangerous and you can grate your knuckles on one. He jokingly suggested it used to come with a box of Band-Aids and suggested no one even has these old things any more. I told him I use them all the time and that I’ve seen gadgets here at the fair with razor sharp blades that are far more dangerous than those things. I quietly moved along as I could see he did not appreciate my comments with his crowd of pigeons closing in. You can buy new shredders of course, but they are flimsy cheap junk. Typically, they are rectangular with the coarse, medium and fine settings each on a side. The last side typically has blades for slicing. The grating surface is much smaller and it's not much sturdier than some heavy aluminum foil. You try to grate a potato on one and you’ll bend it. Or you find those that are about an inch and a half wide that double as potato peelers. I have other examples of things like this, but I’m curious, does anyone here share my quirk at holding onto items made decades ago because they don’t make ‘em like that anymore?

[Dee Holland Eidson]

I have two old cast iron frying pans that I have used for at least 30 years. I would not part with them.I also have a box grater that I use it was my Moms.There are some things I wish I still had.

[oldmike]

Here's a simple one -- I still use the kitchen knives that we got as wedding presents in the 70s. They hold an edge and don't rust! I've tried new ones, you know the kind, the ones that never need sharpening -- yeah, that's because when they lose their edge, you need to just throw them in the trash!!!

Cheese slicers are another thing that have never been improved upon -- you know, old wire-type with the roller? Mine no longer has the roller, but the wire has held up for nearly 40 years!