the mixing bowl

Hoosier cabinets, butter churns and ice chests are perennial favorites with kitchen antique lovers.

But some of today's hottest culinary collectibles - especially for those with less space (and cash) - lean to whimsy and nostalgia, such as red-handled egg beaters, polka-dotted mixing bowls and cutting boards shaped like pigs and rabbits.

"Either they grew up with the items or they grew up with mothers who had them. They have fond memories of the kitchen and they want to recapture that," Kyle Husfloen, editor of the Antique Trader Kitchen Collectibles Price Guide, says of buyers.

If you're thinking about adding a few antique accents to your own kitchen or expanding an existing collection of old-time foodie gadgets, here's some tips on where to shop, what to get and how much to pay.

Start with where. As ubiquitous as EBay has become, it's not the first place antiques experts send kitchen collectors, especially those just starting out. The neighbour's yard sale is a better bet for bargains.

A highly collectable Fire King Jadeite bowl, for example, might sell for a dollar at a yard sale if someone's only goal is to clean out grandma's house. But the same bowl would likely fetch $40 at an online site targeted at collectors.

"You can get unbelievable stuff at a Salvation Army," says Terry Kovel, who with her husband Ralph is at work on the 40th edition of "Kovel's Antiques and Collectibles Price List." "To them a mixing bowl is just a mixing bowl."

Instead of shopping, use the Internet for research, says Kathryn Precourt, contributing editor for antiques at Country Home magazine. "Use it to educate yourself," she says. "See what items are going for."

When considering what to buy, consider utility as much as appearance. Many of today's younger collectors, especially those on a budget, expect their finds to be useful, even if not for the intended purpose.

"We don't want to buy something and just throw it in a drawer," Precourt says. "A piece has to work twice as hard."

So, retro pot holders not only look nice hung on the wall, but also can be called into duty for a hot baking sheet. Same for collections of animal-shaped cutting boards. And tiny nutmeg graters can be perched atop votive candles to cast pretty shadows.

Precourt says that two-for-one thinking is why today's hot items are different from what previous generations collected. Egg cups are out because so are soft-boiled eggs. Egg beaters, however, are in. Vintage coffee grinders are out. Vintage pots are in.

Likewise, the Kovels says interest is high in food moulds, citrus reamers, toasters, mixing bowls and glass refrigerator boxes.

Irony can be as appealing as functionality. Kitchen linens and advertisements have long been popular, but collectors now are looking mostly for those with decidedly outdated patterns or messages.

"Like a woman standing in her 'modern' kitchen with an ad from the '30s for an ice box," says Precourt. "They are hysterical."

Those bold colours and graphics appeal to today's collectors for several reasons. They are younger, so their sense of what's "old-fashioned" is more modern, says Fritz Karch, collecting editorial director for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc.

Plus, he says a colourful, fun piece can really pop against the monochromatic colour schemes of today's kitchens.

While what's being collected today is easy to determine, experts say what's being spent on collecting isn't.

Many items trade hands at yard sales, flea markets or between collectors. "It's an underground industry," says Kovel. Pricing variations across the country add to the challenge.

The good news is that the items people seem to love at the moment don't have to cost a fortune. Plates, bowls, linens and kitchen utensils with painted handles all can be found for $10 or less.

"Most of us don't buy it as an investment," said Shirley Juul, president of KOOKS, Kollectors of Old Kitchen Stuff, a group dedicated to culinary collectibles. "We buy it because we love it. Otherwise, what's the point?"

For sisters Sheila and Marilynn Brass of Boston, who own nearly 2,000 moulds, 2,500 other kitchen items and 6,500 vintage cookbooks, nostalgia plays a big role in their collection.

They featured their antiques in their first book, "Heirloom Baking," and will do the same in the next, "Heirloom Cooking." They don't like to say how much they've paid for their highest-end items, but insist they don't value their collection in dollars.

"A lot of kitchenware does not have a lot of tangible value," Marilynn Brass says. "It's memories. We have our grandmother's blue enamel pot that she rendered chicken fat in. It's not worth much, but it's precious to us."

Before you hit the antiques trail, consider a few words of caution. If you want a true vintage piece, watch out for reproductions. Look for cracks and chips. If you shop online, deal with reputable sellers.

And be prepared to become obsessed.

"There is something you should know about collecting," says Juul. "It's a disease."

She and her husband have more than 300 food choppers hanging on a wall in their home. They've spent from $3 to $600 on individual pieces, but so far have resisted a real beauty they've been eyeing for $3,000. (It has a hand-carved ivory handle.)

"You'll say, 'How the heck did I get here,"' Juul says. "You'll swear off buying anything else. And then you go and see something, and you're hooked again."


Kitchen antiques like whimsical nutcrackers or table linens popular now

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Deciding what types of kitchen antiques to collect can be as difficult as hunting down great specimens. The best bet is to choose an approach and stick with it.

For example, Linda Campbell Franklin, author of "300 Years of Kitchen Collectibles," says some people collect according to material, such as cast iron or wood. Others let function (anything with gears) or motif (all things apples) dictate their buying.

Then there's the "things that go together" approach. You might start out with apple corers, then branch into apple peelers, pie plates and pie baskets. Others like anything with holes, happily collecting colanders, funnels, graters and egg separators.

"What makes it your collection, I think, is what's so important to you," Campbell Franklin says. "Make it yours."

Here are five items popular with today's collectors:

-Ice cream, jelly, candy and food moulds.

Sisters Sheila and Marilynn Brass of Boston have nearly 2,000 of these and featured them in their recent book, "Heirloom Baking." They bought their first one for $1 at a yard sale and haven't stopped.

They say look for moulds in copper, tin, pewter, china and glass. You'll find shapes of fish, castles, chickens, rabbits, even ears of corn. All look great, but only some can be safely used.

Pewter moulds contain lead and should be saved for display. Have your copper moulds tinned professionally before using and watch for scratches that compromise the sealed surface.

Prices vary greatly from a few dollars to more than $100, depending on the material, condition and where you buy a piece.

-Kitchen glassware, especially mixing bowls, refrigerator dishes and citrus reamers.

Look for the Fire King label in Jadite, a powdery green colour, or with the fun tulip design. That label also was well known for its sapphire blue, a very pale blue that almost looks clear.

Avoid pieces with chips or cracks. These items are great for display or for use. You can get a great bowl for under $15.

-Kitchen utensils, such as egg beaters.

Egg beaters are popular, but there are tons of items to pick from, including meat forks, apple corers, choppers and pie crimpers. They make great displays, and if the quality of the working end is good enough, you can use them, too.

Focus on the handles. Wooden handles, painted green or red, are popular. So is anything with a colourful, plastic Bakelite handles. Items can range from a few dollars for a potato masher to $50 or more for a set of utensils.

-Kitchen linens.

Embroidered flowers are pretty, but much more fun are the towels, tablecloths and pot holders with a sense of humour, such as the hand towel with a rooster and the words, "Cock A Doodle Do, chicken in a stew?"

Or a 1950s tablecloth with Santa driving a team of reindeer. You'll pay more online ($20 or more for a towel) than you will at a yard sale, where you might pick up a box of linens for $5.

-Nutcrackers, especially if they have flair.

You'll find them in the shape of a woman's head, a squirrel, a devil and an alligator. Brass models can sell for more than $100, but wooden and cast-iron pieces can be had for much less.
Appetizers made without meat, poultry, fish and/or dairy products are far more popular at social gatherings than you might guess. Besides being a hit with vegetarians, a selection of well-made meatless alternatives at the buffet table are greatly appreciated by diners who feel the need to limit their intake of animal-based products because of health concerns or for other reasons.


While raw vegetables are an obvious option, there are more imaginative meat-free choices that won't leave guests feeling hungry, including the two dishes that follow: Baked Vegetable Pate, which contains eggs and butter (or oil), and Marinated Mushrooms and Chickpeas, a flavorful meat- and dairy-free selection for an antipasto selection or appetizer buffet.

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More colorful than any pate made with meat, poultry or fish is this savory, tri-colored custard of pureed vegetables. Each slice of this appetizer reveals layers of well-seasoned carrot, cauliflower and spinach pate to spread over crackers or baguettes.

If you don't have a food mill for pureeing the vegetables, puree each one separately in a food processor or blender. Take care, however, to process the vegetables just enough to combine them with the eggs and seasonings; overprocessing will liquefy them.

BAKED VEGETABLE PATE

? Oil for preparing pan

? 1 pound carrots, scrubbed and trimmed

? 1 pound cauliflower, washed and trimmed

? 3 large potatoes

? 5 tablespoons butter or olive oil, divided

? 2 bunches fresh spinach, stems removed

? 6 eggs, divided

? 1? teaspoons salt, divided

? 1 teaspoon pepper, divided

? ? teaspoon nutmeg

? 2 tablespoons brown sugar

? 1 tablespoon fresh dill, or 1 teaspoon dried dill seed

? ? cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a 5-by-9-inch loaf pan.

Peel and cut carrots into 2-inch lengths. Chop cauliflower into 2-inch sections. Peel and cube potatoes into 2-inch pieces.

Using a 10-inch skillet, heat 1 tablespoon butter. Add carrots and § of the potatoes. Cook for 5 minutes over medium heat. Add ? cup water. Cover tightly and steam for 20-25 minutes. Drain liquid (discarding or storing it for another purpose); reserve carrot-potato mixture.

Heat another tablespoon of butter in skillet. Add cauliflower and the second third of potatoes. Cook for 5 minutes over medium heat. Add ? cup of water. Cover tightly and steam for 20-25 minutes. Drain liquid (discarding or storing it for another purpose); reserve cauliflower-potato mixture separately from carrot mixture.

Place last third of potatoes in skillet over medium heat. Add ? cup water. Cover tightly and steam for 10 minutes. Wash spinach leaves; shake to remove excess moisture but do not pat dry. Chop coarsely. Add spinach to skillet with potatoes; steam, stirring occasionally, until spinach is wilted, about 10 minutes; reserve spinach.

In a food mill placed over a 2-quart mixing bowl, puree cauliflower-potato mixture with 2 of the eggs, ? teaspoon salt, ? teaspoon pepper, remaining butter and nutmeg. Rinse and dry food mill.

Place clean food mill over a second bowl and puree carrot-potato mixture. Stir in 2 eggs, brown sugar, ? teaspoon salt, ? teaspoon pepper and dill. Pour carrot-potato mixture into prepared loaf pan, smoothing it to cover the bottom. Carefully pour cauliflower mixture over carrot mixture. Rinse and dry food mill.

Place clean food mill over a third bowl. Puree spinach-potato mixture. Stir in cheese and remaining 2 eggs, ? teaspoon salt and ? teaspoon pepper.

Carefully pour spinach mixture over cauliflower mixture in loaf pan. Set loaf pan into a 9-by-12-inch baking pan. Add to the baking pan, hot water to a depth of 2 inches, as if you were baking a dessert custard. Place in preheated oven and bake until a knife inserted in center of pate remains clean when removed, about 55 minutes.

Cool mixture on a rack for about 10 minutes. Run a knife around edges of the mixture to loosen it. Place a serving platter or tray face down over the loaf pan; with 1 hand under the loaf pan and the other on top of the platter to hold it firmly in place, invert to release custard. Serve custard on platter or tray. Makes approximately 12 servings.

Spoon this piquant combination into lettuce leaves to create hand salads or present it as a flavorful antipasto along with pieces of bread torn from a crusty loaf.