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Antique kitchen utensils for cooking in the fireplace

Antique kitchen utensils: functional and decorative

Cooking in the fireplace is a very cozy and fun way to prepare food. In addition, the food takes on a different, much more natural taste due to the preparation on the fire. With attention and time, you can also prepare dishes that take a long time to stew or cook. You can also make quick dishes in the fireplace, for example by grilling.

In our blog How do I cook in my fireplace with antique fireplace accessories? we explain how you can cook in the fireplace as it was done in the past with fireplace accessories that were used for that. You can think of trammels, trivets, grid-irons and spits that were all used in the fireplace. And can still be used today.

In addition to these fireplace accessories, you can use antique kitchen utensils that used to be used for cooking in the fireplace. Antique kitchen utensils are often beautifully crafted and show true mastery. The kitchen utensils are therefore very decorative and can be nicely hung in the kitchen and/or by the fireplace.

Cooking in the fireplace

There are the following utensils for use in the fireplace:

Fireplace fork
Ladle
Spatula
Skimmer
Waffle iron
Hanger to hang the kitchen utensils on

Fireplace fork

A fireplace fork was used to assess whether the dish was sufficiently cooked. This was done by piercing the dish. Meat dishes, for example, are ready when no more blood comes out after pricking. Dough dishes are done when no more dough sticks to the fork. The fork can also be used to turn heavier dishes that are prepared on a rack. Fireplace forks come in different sizes and are almost all made of wrought iron.

Browse here our collection of antique fireplace forks

Ladle

The ladle was used to stir pots of soup or stews that hung over the fire. The chicken or other meat was also basted with a ladle. In addition, the ladle was used to serve the dishes. There are also small ladles that were used to taste the dish. Ladles come in different sizes. Ladles can be made of various types of materials. Made of brass or copper, with or without a wrought iron handle, or entirely made of wrought iron.

Browse here our collection of antique ladles

Spatula

The spatula was used to turn dishes. Those can be all kinds of dishes prepared in the fire that are not too heavy. The turning of the pancake is of course well known. Other smaller dishes that are prepared on a grating can also be turned with a spatula. Spatulas often have the same handy shape and are often made of wrought iron.

Skimmer

With the skimmer, the foam was literally removed from the soup, which was created by drawing stock or, for example, by cooking split peas for the pea soup. The skimmer can also be used to remove bones, pieces of meat, herbs or dumplings from the soup. Skimmers are often very decorative and come in all shapes and sizes. They are often made of brass, with or without a wrought iron handle.

Browse here our collection of antique skimmers

Waffle iron

The name says it all: waffle irons were used to make waffles, a traditional delicacy. A waffle batter is poured into the waffle iron, and the waffle iron is placed on a grate in front of the fire in the fireplace. You can see the decoration on the waffle iron in the waffle. These are often beautiful decorations, and a waffle iron is a very decorative kitchen utensil.

Hanger to hang the kitchen utensils on

The kitchen utensils can be hung on a hanger. If you regularly cook in the fireplace, it is nice to have the utensils at hand. In addition, an antique hanger with antique kitchen utensils is a real eye-catcher in the kitchen and/or by the fireplace.

Hangers come in all shapes and sizes. They are often made of brass, copper, wrought iron or a combination of these materials. When purchasing the hanger, make sure that the hanger has enough hooks for all the kitchen utensils. In addition, the type of hook is important. The hooks should not be too wide to hang the kitchen utensils. Some hangers have a rod instead of hooks. That too must match the kitchen utensils. For these reasons, it is advantageous to buy a complete set of kitchen utensils with a matching hanger.