Introduction to American Kitchen Gadgets
If you’ve watched the video above, you’ll already know this haul was a treasure chest of American kitchen gadgets, most of them appearing to have travelled directly from a 1950s shop shelf from eBay. Faded boxes, ancient branding, mystery tools and a surprising number of items that still, somehow, functioned. This post walks through everything I tested, what worked, what didn’t, and why these American kitchen gadgets are far more fun than they have any right to be.
Plate Hangers, Spoon Rests and Early Surprises
The plate hanger was a gentle start, triggering memories of grandparents’ houses where one decorative plate would cling dramatically to the wall. It worked perfectly. The triple spoon rest was far more comical. One slot made sense, two was logical, but three felt like showing off. I placed the first spoon and bluntly confirmed it works, but when all three were filled I felt oddly triumphant. A strangely satisfying early win.
Vintage American Kitchen Gadgets That Actually Worked
One of the biggest surprises was the radish cutter, which transformed radishes into neat rosebud shapes. Simple, effective and a gadget you could easily 3D print today. The bottle stopper was another highlight, styled like a 1950s lipstick with old packaging practically fused onto it. It worked well enough and even had an unnecessary-looking safety strap, because apparently bottle stoppers needed drama back then.
Testing the Stranger Side of American Kitchen Gadgets
The one-use turkey timer left me baffled. It contained a spring, you place it in the meat, and in theory it lets you know when the bird is cooked. Mine simply melted its own cap and refused to fire again, strongly suggesting it was a one-shot device. The nylon spoon was, as advertised, a nylon spoon. No notes. Meat feet, on the other hand, were outstanding. Little platforms designed to lift a chicken off the roasting tray so it doesn’t stew in its own juices. They worked properly and were joined by “rackless roast racks”, shaped like tiny tables. When combined with the turkey timers, the chicken looked like it had eyes, which was both unsettling and gloriously effective.
More Peculiar Tools from the Haul
The flip cap refused to cooperate because I couldn’t find the right tin to attach it to, but it did lead to discovering a forgotten tin of mango purée in the cupboard, which was arguably more exciting. The tea strainer only made a cameo as it had been tested in a previous gadget video. The reusable two-way bottle caps were the biggest puzzle. Three caps, all the same size. The white one worked, the red one didn’t, and I still can’t understand why anyone would need a reusable cap when you could simply keep the original. The sweetcorn brush was unexpectedly brilliant, whisking away the silky strands with ease.
Carving Chicken with the Wrong Tools
To finish, I carved the roasted chicken using progressively sillier tools. The steak knife handled it perfectly. The fruit knife performed far better than expected. The oyster knife only just managed it, and the slotted spoon was a fully documented disaster. A fitting finale for a haul of American kitchen gadgets that delivered everything from practical solutions to complete confusion.
Fancy More Vintage Gadget Testing?
If you enjoyed this dive into American kitchen gadgets, you might also enjoy my earlier exploration of older tools in my Testing Vintage Kitchen Gadgets post. For a UK counterpart to this haul, you can revisit my previous eBay gadget adventure, linked in the video description above. And if you want more of this style of chaos, the full Kitchen Gadget Testing playlist has plenty more.
Finally, here’s the video this post explores: American Kitchen Gadget Haul on YouTube