Antique primitive kitchenware is still used today. People collect these pieces for functional purposes, and to decorate a kitchen or restaurant in shabby-chic style. Antique or primitive kitchenware may be from the United States or foreign countries. Primitive kitchenware means pieces that are hand-made. Some antique primitive kitchenware from non-developed countries are made from hand-carved woods and earth clays; such as bowls, or woven baskets used for storage. In the US, antique primitive kitchenware are pieces made before the invention of electricity, and before the mid-twentieth century. They are pieces made from wrought iron, unpainted wood, and, if made from iron, may have intricate turning mechanisms.
When identifying antique primitive kitchenware, look for functionality, or how the piece was used. An antique would not have an electric wire to be plugged into an outlet. Look for patent dates near the handles, which are generally made from old wood. Antique primitive kitchenware is generally made from bare wood, either light or dark stained, unpainted, or from wrought iron, not stainless steel or chrome and aluminum. Pieces from the 1800s generally carried patent dates. On antique primitive kitchenware, pieces were heavier and clunkier, as opposed to the streamlined appliances found in the mid-20th century, when chrome and aluminum were used, making pieces more lightweight.
Blades on an antique primitive kitchenware is made from wrought iron and thick. These would have to be durable and made to last, such as ice choppers or fruit augers, pieces that were used, by hand to break apart solids.
Antique primitive kitchenware, such as pot-bellied stoves, are still used, and considered highly desirable amongst collectors, for they were durably made before the time of mass manufacturing.
