This post comes a little late in the day because it's content took longer to create than I expected. I've been slowly cleaning up my new vintage Frigidaire Flair range.
Bit by bit, I've been stripping away the grime to reveal a little gem. Today, I tackled the oven cavity.
Having come from a home that had been rented to multiple tenants (none of whom seemed to have the slightest interest in domestic cleanliness) and, well, being almost 50 years old, it was quite a mess, as you can see - and this was after the initial attempt at cleaning it out with hot water and bleach cleaner, which picked up the majority of the crusty drips and spills.
I have a great way to make cleaning an electric oven quite a bit easier and I was excited to implement it on my new baby. I made sure I had everything I needed for the job on hand before I picked a day to start. This method entails filling a bowl with household ammonia and putting it on the top rack, over a pot of water that has just come off a rolling boil.
You then close the oven door and let it stand over night - or in my case, all afternoon (don't try this method on a gas oven - the fumes are flammable). After about 7 or 8 hours, I opened up the oven to begin the real work. In most cases you can just wipe away the spots and stains with a damp sponge. The ammonia fumes are very good at softening grime. In my case it wasn't quite so easy. I had to resort to a nylon scrubber dipped in the ammonia, mixed with dish washing detergent and water to remove the baked on splatters of melted hard candy or exploded batch of crystal meth or whatever it was that had so tenaciously adhered itself to the walls and floor of the oven. It took several hours of scrubbing, letting the ammonia mixture sit on the spots, then scrubbing again. In between times I worked on the racks in the sink. I eventually had to put the racks in a black plastic bag, pour undiluted ammonia over them, tie the bag and put it on the fire escape for several hours to soak off the crusty residue. It was quite an afternoon. My back and shoulders are sore - not to mention my hands. And my fingers are dry, even after being sheathed in fetching orange rubber gloves. However, it was worth it. I can now step back and admire a clean oven.
It's not perfect, but it's decidedly better than it was, and, once it's installed, I believe I'll feel comfortable making a roast or my coconut brownies in there now. Next, the stove top!
I bet you're all curious about how the apartment is coming along. Well, it's going slowly, but there have been some advances. I've been making plans and finding deals on some items that I'll be putting in the new kitchen when I remodel it. Some of those items are vintage appliances. Now, most people go all mushy when they install brand new top of the line appliances. Not me - I melt into my shoes at the sight of well preserved or restored appliances from yesteryear. I've been lucky enough to snag two of the three that I'll need for the new kitchen!
This is my new Caloric dishwasher. I believe it's from the early 1970's and is my latest find. I needed an 18" dishwasher for my small kitchen and thought I would have to go with a new one that had a panel front and controls on the top edge to keep the vintage quality of the kitchen intact - and then this came up on Craigslist! It's a simple, basic dishwasher, but it has a very retro look to it.
The controls are set into a brushed aluminum panel that's printed in black. I love the fine red and blue lines around the shiny chrome buttons. Everything is metal - including the interior, which is plastic on the later model dishwasher in my kitchen now. All this for just $30!
Now this little item will be the centerpiece of my new kitchen. It's a vintage 1960's Frigidaire Flair stove. These babies are the rock stars of vintage appliances. There are online communities devoted to them, they're well documented online, and one of them was featured in Samantha's kitchen on Bewitched for years. I found mine in Delaware. I did an event down there in April and picked it up the day after. It needs a bit of cleaning, but I'm up to the challenge!
I love the control panel. It's so glamorous! The stove features a gull wing glass oven door that opens upward and a pull out drawer with a counterbalanced baffle that has the burners on it. Look for episodes featuring the restoration and installation of these little beauties in the future!
Using vintage appliances in your home renovation can have many advantages over new. They're frequently built more solidly and are made to last longer than new ones, and can cost considerably less - like my $30 dishwasher find. They're also saving these relics from the landfills and not contributing to the consumption of our resources in the way that new manufacturing does. Above all, they make for a unique kitchen - one that no one else is likely to have! I've found mine on Craigslist, but you can also scour your local thrift shops and Habitat for Humanity stores for treasures, and keep an eye on the real estate section of the paper. When an old house is sold, the kitchen is frequently remodeled and you can sometimes get the old appliances for nothing! Now all I need is a 30", panel front Sub Zero refrigerator and I'll be all set!
This weekend I'll be in Denver for my appearance with Fresh City Life. If you're in town I hope you'll join me! It's going to be lots of fun.
