TREASURE HUNT

Chances are, in the same kitchen that boasts a powerful mixer, bread machine, panini grill or an electric juicer, you can find some of the same, basic tools that have been used by cooks for generations. Things like potato mashers, corkscrews, measuring cups and rolling pins.

Modern cooks have plenty of technology to help them put a meal on the table, but we still reach for the low-tech tools. And in a way, they reach for us.

There is something about those kitchen classics that catch our eye when we stroll through the flea market or fight the crowd at an estate sale. It’s hard not to think about mom’s apple pie when you see an old pastry cutter, traces of green paint still clinging to the wood handle. The battered egg beater, or tin recipe box bulging with clipped recipes for Jell-o salad and chicken-fried steak and ubiquitous heavy crockery bowls perfect for stirring up a batch of chocolate chip cookies are all the instruments of a kitchen artist.

I’ve visited homes where there wasn’t an antique in sight in any of the other rooms, but a vintage crocheted pot holder, or Depression glass juicer was on display – or in use – in the kitchen.

When I ask, the answer is always the same, “Oh, my mother crocheted those for everyone,” or “My grandmother used that to make my orange juice when I visited each summer.”

Today’s kitchens are full of hard surfaces; granite countertops, stainless steel appliances and unforgiving tile floors.

The well-used utensils that were used by cooks who were close to us, or that remind us of those who were, bring a softness and warmth to a space that can feel a little cool. And it’s surprising how often they still come in handy.