Domestic Insight: Corn-on-the-Cob Skewers

Since we are in the midst of corn season, I thought it would be appropriate to highlight a domestic gadget that helps us to handle those steaming, buttery cobs of golden goodness a little more daintily. I am, of course, referring to the corn skewer: one of those little kitchen tools that stradles the gap between cartoonish kitsch and useful utensil. According to almost every etiquette expert, from the late nineteenth century onward, it is perfectly acceptable to eat corn on the cob using your fingers. These experts do have tips for making the experience a tad more civilized, of course: cutting the cobs in half before serving them, providing linen napkins exclusively for the purpose of handling the hot cob (and dabbing the melted butter from your lips), or providing the diner with a small, sharp knife so that she may slice off the kernels from the cob if she so chooses.

Top: corn skewers from the 1920s used on railroad dining cars. The skewers are made of metal and the handles made of wood. They each have a triangular support and were manufactured by F.P. Pfleghar & Son for use on Milwaukee passenger cars. The sterling-silver set above is from the 1940s, made by Berry & Co.

The most excellent tool for eating corn on the cob, however, must certainly be the corn-on-the-cob skewer. This late Victorian-era invention first made its appearance on large European cruise ships and railroad dining cars where holding corn on the cob firmly was essential. These early skewers would usually be made of silver or steel, some with wooden handles. As the decades rolled on, the skewers found their way into American homes. By the 1920s numerous sets were made in sterling silver, sold in sets of eight throughout the U.K. and the U.S. These sets were usually reserved for the dining-room and formal entertaining. After the 1960s, however, they became more of a seasonal utensil used at the kitchen table or outdoors at picnics and backyard barbecues. As such, they were mass produced in durable plastics with stainless steel 'prongs' that could be inserted into the ends of the cobs.

Designs for the handles of the skewers are limitless and can be quite imaginative. The most frequently-used design mimics the appearance of an ear of corn. (The plastic versions are usually bright yellow.)  Other designs range from the comical to the ridiculous: dinosaurs or golf balls or pistols or angel wings; some are minimalist-looking knobs made of wood or ceramic and others have ornately-carved or painted designs.

The sterling silver varieties can be quite collectible today. A complete set of eight from the 1940s or '50s can fetch anywhere between $125 and $200, depending on their condition and the manufacturer. The vintage novelty skewers from the '60s and '70s are less valuable but no less fun to collect.

Domestic Insight: Made to Measure

Consult any cookbook written prior to 1945 and you will likely be slightly mystified by the measuring units: a jigger of milk, a teacup of flour, a dessert spoon of sugar and a wine glass of water. While it may not sound terribly accurate, generations of women baked using these 'heirloom' measurements with, presumably, fairly successful results. (For a full heirloom measurement conversion chart, click here.)

 

The standard measuring-cup units we use in modern cookery today were founded by an American named Fannie Farmer in 1896, although it took decades for this system to be adopted worldwide. That year, Farmer, who was then the director of the Boston Cooking School, authored The Boston Cooking School Cookbook using these new measuring concepts - the first time they were published. Once the new system took hold (by the Mid-20th Century) manufacturers began to make standardized measuring cups and spoons for home cooks in a variety of materials.

 

Measuring cups today are an essential kitchen staple needed to carefully measure ingredients for baking and cooking. Few kitchens are without sets of measuring cups and measuring spoons. These 'cups' usually come in a set of 4 with different measuring units. The different measurements usually range from 1 cup, 1/2 cup, 1/3 cup to ¼ cup. Odd-measure cups are also available: 2/3, 3/4, and 1.5 cup sizes. They are used for measuring both wet and dry ingredients and come in a variety of shapes and colours.

TYPES OF MEASURING CUPS

Stainless Steel Measuring Cups – Stainless steel measuring cups are both durable and easy to clean. They are also dishwasher safe and retain the temperature of the ingredients being measured very well. These are my personal favourite and ones that I personally recommend for all the reasons stated above. They are utilitarian and sturdy. The ones shown above are from the Martha Stewart Collection at Macy's and include the measuring spoons.

Plastic Measuring Cups – Plastic measuring cups are the most popular on the market today. Their low cost and availability make them almost ubiquitous. They are dishwasher safe, easy to clean and durable. They were introduced in sets similar to the ones shown above in the 1940s and often come in exuberant colours - a nice feature when trying to visually distinguish between measurements. Many silicone varieties today are heat resistant.

Ceramic Measuring Cups - Ceramic measuring cups are more decorative, but are still functional. They tend to be novelty pieces, such as the ones shown above from Anthropologie. They are easy to clean and dishwasher safe but are fragile and heat-sensitive - their biggest drawback. They can shatter when dropped or crack when exposed to extreme temperatures. They often come in very pretty, whimsical designs and can make a nice addition to a countertop or an appropriate gift for a collector of kitchen gadgetry.

Wooden Measuring Cups – Like their ceramic sisters, wooden measuring cups are mostly decorative and are not very commonly used. They were introduced in the 1970s but fell out of favour. Frequent use and dampness can cause the wood to crack or become warped with time. They are also more challenging to clean.

PERSONAL FAVOURITE

These stainless-steel measuring cups by Williams-Sonoma are my personal favourite. They are professional quality and come in every size you might need - both standard and odd measures. I love their wide, curved handles that are comfortable to hold, and they won’t bend as you scoop dry ingredients out of a canister. Flat bottoms allow the measuring cups to rest securely on your countertop  for easy filling. Capacities are listed in both U.S. and metric units on the handles and they are all made with 18/10 stainless-steel construction. Click here to see more. Below is my set of stainless-steel measuring cups and measuring spoons from the Martha Stewart Collection, purchased a couple of years ago. These are also very, very nice.

Domestic Insight: Drying Laundry on the Line

Drying washing on an outdoor line has been done for thousands of years. It is one of the oldest and most widely-used domestic chores, practiced in nearly every culture around the world. From the moment human beings began to wash their garments, they began to dry them outdoors. I have very fond memories of helping my grandmother hang the laundry on the line when I would spend summer days there as a child. As soon as the warmer weather arrived and there was no risk of showers or damp, my grandmother would begin hanging her clean laundry outside to dry in earnest. Clothing, towels, bed linens and table linens were all strung up with those old-fashioned wooden clothespins in her backyard. Summer is the perfect season to adopt this cost-effective, energy-saving practice. Not only is line drying an easy and effective way to save energy, by reducing electric dryer usage, but it also has many benefits to the clothing itself. The sun acts as a natural brightener and actual outdoor scents (as oppose to synthetic ones) will give your laundry a bonus boost of freshness. Below are some exerpts from Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook on how to line-dry laundry.

LINE DRYING: A GUIDE

Anything that can be tumble dried can also be dried on a clothesline or drying rack. If weather and space permit, outdoor drying  is best. But for apartment living, during the cold, wet months, and for items that might fade in direct sunlight, the basement (if not too damp), attic, utility room, or in a pinch, the bathroom are all appropriate places for air drying laundry. Store-bought wooden or plastic-coated wire racks are handy for this purpose. Wherever you dry clothes, you'll minimize wrinkles by folding directly from the line or rack and placing the laundry in a basket or tub before putting it away.

 

Outdoor clotheslines should be hung as close to the laundry room as possible in a space with a four-foot allowance on either side to keep the clothes from snagging on branches or rubbing up against the sides of fences or walls, which may be dirty. Clotheslines should be long enough to accommodate at least one load of wash - about 35 feet is optimal - but not much longer than that, or the weight of the wet laundry may bring the load sagging to the ground. (All clotheslines will eventually stretch out, so you will occasionally have to remove it and tighten it again.) A spot that gets generous sun tempered by periods of occasional shade is ideal.

 

The most common types of clotheslines are plastic, nylon and cotton rope. All will need to be changed if they develop mold or mildew. Cotton lines are the most prone to mildew and mold growth, but they are very sturdy and provide a good gripping surface for the clothespins. Nylon lines are lightweight, water- and mildew-resistant and very strong, but their slick surface can make fastening clothespins a challenge. Plastic lines with wire or fiber reinforcements are generally stretch-resistant, waterproof and inexpensive. However, dirt can often cling to plastic lines so they will need to be wiped off occasionally with a damp cloth.

LINE-DRYING TECHNIQUES:

Laundry will dry faster and with fewer wrinkles if a breeze is allowed to pass through it, thanks to strategic hanging standards. There are two basic kinds of clothespins. One is simply a split piece of wood that slides over the fabric and the line, fastening them together. The other type works like a pair of scissors, with a hinge that allows it to pinch the fabric and the line together. Which type you use depends entirely on your preference. Here's how to hang laundry effectively:

 

HOW TO HANG CLOTHING:

Hang clothes upside down to avoid stretching the material where it might be most visible, such as the shoulders. To avoid leaving clothespin marks on a cotton sweater, thread the legs of an old pair of pantyhose through the sleeves and pull the waist of the hose through the neck. Pin the clothespegs to the feet and the waist of the pantyhose rather than the sweater itself. This will allow the sweater to hang freely. Turn coloured or dark items inside out to avoid fading from the sun. A few hours in the sun is not likely to adversely affect them, but they can fade if they are left in full sun all day.

 

HOW TO HANG SHEETS AND TABLECLOTHS:

Instead of draping them over the clothesline, fold these large items in half and pin the corners of the hem edge to the line, allowing the fold to hang open at the bottom. Then, in between those corners, pin each hem to the line separately, creating gaps at the top to catch the breeze.

 

HOW TO HANG TOWELS:

Drape the short end  over the line so it overlaps by three inches, then clip. You can reduce the stiff texture towels acquire on the line by giving them a few sharp snaps just before pinning them to the line and once again before folding them. Alternatively, you could add 1/4 cup of white vinegar or baking soda along with your laundry detergent during the wash cycle, or remove them from the line while they are still slightly damp and place them in the dryer for a few moments before folding them.

 

TIP: Periodically hanging your pillows and cushions on a clothesline will freshen them and minimize the need to wash them. Before hanging them, aggitate them gently with your hands to release dust. Repeat this when you take them off the line.

Domestic Insight: Kitchenware Icons

Recent trips to several flea markets and consignment shops have given me pause to ponder my love of vintage kitchenware. Swooping down like a magpie, I can’t seem to resist the mid-century modern designs and patterns that conjure up all kinds of nostalgia for me: memories of my grandmother mixing cake batter in her big Pyrex bowls, or her huge cast-iron pots on the stove coated in enamel in shades of avocado and popsicle-orange. It seems I’m not alone, either. Numerous friends of mine in the 30-something demographic are obsessed with these design icons of the past, snapping them up where and when we can for use in our own kitchens. I’ve selected five of my favourite vintage kitchenware brands and styles and have gathered some interesting information about their origins for this month's Domestic Insight column. What are some of your favourites?

PYREX: Pyrex glassware was introduced to the American public in 1915 by Corning Glass Works. Today, there are three types of collectible Pyrex: Clear Pyrex Ovenware (introduced in 1915), Pyrex Flameware (1936 – 1979) and Pyrex Colors, which began production in 1947. Of these three types, most people are familiar with the Pyrex Colors collection because of its distinctive hues and folky patterns. Pyrex is still manufacturing modern cooking products but the vintage pieces are also relatively easy to find, due in large part to its enormous popularity. Its widespread availability, affordability, durability and the variations in its attractive designs made it a universally appealing. Chances are good that your mother, grandmother or aunt may have a few vintage examples in their kitchens! Examples of vintage Pyrex are easy to find at flea markets and antiques shops, and through online auction sites, such as Ebay.CATHRINEHOLM: Cathrineholm was an ironworks, located near the town of Halden in Norway, which started production in 1907. Originally the ironworks manufactured wrought iron products and agricultural equipment, but due to changing economic circumstances it later evolved into producing enamel kitchenware. The company closed in 1970.  Cathrineholm enamelware can be difficult to find and most people build up their collection by buying on Ebay. Even on Ebay, there can sometimes only be a handful of items up for sale at any one time. A useful tip when searching for Cathrineholm on Ebay is to be aware that a huge number of people spell it incorrectly - so make sure that you also search for Cathrineholme, Cathrinehome, Catherineholm, Catherineholme, Catherinehome, Catherine holm, Catherine holme, Catherine home etc! The vibrant colors and charming printed patterns on Cathrineholme pieces are what make it so collectible today. They are strikingly modern.DANSK KOBENSTYLE: Dansk Kobenstyle Enamelware was originally manufactured by the Danish company Glud & Marstrand, but by 1966 had been sold to a French manufacturer. The cookware is most often compared to the French cookware brand Le Creuset, although it is lighter and more modern. The most sought-after examples are of Danish origin, exhibiting Dansk's original "Four Ducks" logo.  The initials "IHQ" are the mark of Designer Jens Quistgaard. Among its unique features are the specially-designed lids, with criss-cross handles that can be safely lifted by a spoon and that allow a collection of cookware to stack beautifully. Lovers of this style of cookware will be delighted to know that it is being manufactured again in three colours: red, white and blue enamel. It was sold exclusively at Crate & Barrel at first, but other retailers have begun to carry it. Anthropologie has recently added it to its home product line.JADEITE: Personally, I find it difficult to think of Jadeite without thinking of Martha Stewart. Martha was an early champion of this now very-collectible form of pressed glass kitchenware and a portion of her personal collection is shown above, photographed in the pantry at Skylands, her home in Maine. Jadeite was made mostly during the 1920s and '30s and was popularized by the Jeannette Glass company in the 1930s as inexpensive Depression Era glassware. The term Jadeite refers to the colour (a milky, minty green) not a particular brand. A number of glassware companies in the U.S. and abroad made items in varying colors of Jadeite during this time period.  The types of Jadeite vary depending on the company that produced the item, and they are usually identified by company marks. Companies like McKee and Fire King made glassware in Jadeite and can be identified by their logos on the bottoms of the pieces. Many other companies, both from the U.S. and abroad, manufactured Jadeite and there are books available with more detail for collectors. Modern variations on Jadeite are currently made by several brands, including Martha Stewart, and are often hand-pressed using the original molds. For most collectors the color is the draw, although unique examples, such as hen-shaped casserole dishes, slender cake stands and unique salt-and-pepper shakers add to the allure.
RUSSELL WRIGHT: American industrial designer Russell Wright (1904 – 1976) was best known for his colorful ceramic and plastic dinnerware, manufactured between 1939 and 1959b y Steubenville Pottery in Steubenville, Ohio. Wright also designed furniture, spun aluminum dining accessories and textiles and is celebrated for his influential contributions to American-modern design. The simple, clean lines in his designs, saturated color palettes and sturdy practicality made his dinnerware highly sought-after by middle-class families eager to embrace the new, modern aesthetic. Even during the period of manufacture, his pieces were relatively costly compared to other brands, marketed to consumers who valued quality craftsmanship and design. Russell Wright collections are highly collectible today, due in part to the limited period of time his pieces were produced.

Domestic Insight: Eggcups

When my brother and I would stay with my grandparents as children, we always looked forward to the breakfasts my grandmother would make for us. Often, that breakfast included soft-boiled eggs served in pretty eggcups with a little plate of ''toast fingers'' for dipping. I now have two of those eggcups in my kitchen cupboard and each time I look at them I remember those sunny mornings at my grandmother's dining room table. They are shown in the photo below.

They were made in the 1950s in England by Wood & Sons in the Clovelly pattern. My mother and my aunt also used these as children and they are very special to me.

 

Indeed, the collecting of eggcups is so popular today that it has been given its own name: pocillovy, which comes from the Latin pocillum ovi, meaning "a small cup for an egg." Eggcups have existed for centuries. The earliest known examples were unearthed at Pompeii but no individual has been credited with its invention. Their inception was no doubt due to the very difficult task of eating hot eggs cooked in their shells; they are unwieldy on plates and impossible to hold with bare hands. The design of the eggcup is brilliant in its simplicity and functionality, holding a cooked egg firmly upright. With the top of the egg shell removed, the egg can be scooped out with a small spoon and enjoyed at one's leisure.

 

Nearly every maker of dinnerware has designed a selection of eggcups. Wedgwood, Spode, Royal Doulton, Limoge, Fire King Jadeite, Catherineholm all produced (and still produce) eggcups. The materials used to make eggcups are just as varied as their makers: ceramic, porcelain, wood, plastic, glass and even silver. There are majolica eggcups, Fiestaware eggcups and ebony eggcups. Plenty for the pocillovist to choose from!

 

There are two basic kinds of eggcups: the single cup and the double cup. The single cup rests upon a decorative pedestal while the double cup can be inverted to offer two different cup sizes, either to accommodate a larger egg type, such as goose or duck, or to act as a serving dish for eggs that have been scooped out of their shells.

 

That the eggcup has been such a constant in the kitchens of families all over the world for centuries is not surprising. Their beautiful design and purpose ensures the eggcup will be around for a very long time to come. As long as there are eggs, there will be eggcups!

 

EGGCUP RESOURCES:

Click here to watch Martha discuss the history of eggcups.

Click here for a very comprehensive collection of links about eggcups and eggcup collecting.

 

Eggcups are not reserved for eggs only. They can serve many purposes, including acting as tiny vases. Spring flowers in pretty nosegays look lovely arranged in a collection of eggcups shown here. You could also use them to display spring bulbs or store small objects, such as safety pins, stamps or small pieces of jewelry, as shown below. (Photo Martha Stewart Living)

(Left photo by Skona Hem; Right photo by Midwest Living)

Three ironstone double eggcups date to the 1930s and '40s, shown top right. A novelty cup in treen (turned wood) is decorated with a cute painted face and holds a matching egg with a painted-on Orphan Annie hairdo. The single cup holding the blue egg has a plate attached and the one behind it is made of plastic and chrome with a removable lid. Silver luster stripes enhance a streamlined Art Moderne ceramic cup from the 1930s. (Photo Martha Stewart Living)

These beautiful Scandinavian, French and American examples of eggcups are extremely alluring with their darker tones. (The ivory-coloured eggcup shown at far left is actually made of white chocolate, formed in a rare eggcup chocolate mold.) The materials here include ceramic, porcelain, ebony and black glass. (Photo Martha Stewart Living)

In this photo a multitude of eggcup designs is shown, among them a milk-glass cup in the shape of a chick and a chick's head from the 1960s. The eggcup with the green stripe at the top is Japanese lusterware from the 1930s. The double-cup, far left, is by Wedgwood and top right is a cook-and-serve wire eggcup, also from the 1930s. My favourite is the eggcup with the two chatty peeps, made for the Fanny Farmer candy company. (Photo Martha Stewart Living)

During Victorian times, silver eggcups were extremely popular and were often given to children as Easter gifts or at Christenings. They are not very common today since the silver reacts to the sulphur of the egg, resulting in tarnish. Since silver is also a heat conductor, hot eggs would heat the eggcup, making it difficult to handle. As this photo reveals, however, chocolate eggs do very nicely in silver!

Domestic Insight: The Salad Spinner

As I child I would occasionally use my mother's salad spinner as a UFO/time machine. I would place some of my miniature action figures inside, pull the cord and listen to the clatter as my 'men' were ostensibly transported to another universe. That my mother allowed me to use her salad spinner as a toy speaks to its level of usefulness in our household. My mother rarely used it, except when preparing large salads. Most of the time it sat in a pantry cupboard - unused and unloved.

This salad spinner is by Stokes and is the one we use at home.

As an adult, however, I use my salad spinner weekly - for the purpose it was intended! My partner Tomas, who is a vegetarian, frequently eats kale and leafy greens and we often use the salad spinner to clean them. In this second installment of the monthly column Domestic Insight, I'll take a look at the lowly salad spinner, the criticisms levied against it by the housewives of 1970s America and its precarious status as a useful (useless?) kitchen gadget.

EARLY DAYS:
The salad spinner was patented in America in 1973 by French entrepreneur Jean Mantelet, founder of the kitchenware company Moulinex. The device was already patented in France and used centrifugal force to remove water from freshly washed leafy greens. It functioned by placing wet lettuce or vegetables inside a basket that would rotate inside a lidded bowl. Using either a pull cord, a crank handle or a push-pump, the basket could be made to spin at various speeds to remove the water from the vegetables.

Early versions of these 'dry spinners' existed before the 1970s, including a European example from the late 1800s. It was made in Sweden and consisted of a wire basket and a central push-pump that would cause the basket to spin. The problem was that it had to be used inside the walls of a deep sink to prevent water from splashing everywhere.

Below are two images of the patent designs by Jean Mantelet for The Household Drying Machine, submitted in 1971.

Another French inventor, Gilbert Fouineteau, improved on the design and is credited as the inventor of the modern salad spinner. Fouineteau's design omitted the central tube of Mantelet's design, which housed the spinning gears, and allowed the user to remove the basket from the hull of the device. His 1973 patent is shown below.

EARLY CONSUMER REACTION:
Americans were not quick to adopt the salad spinner - or The Household Drying Machine, as it was then marketed. Part of the resistence was cultural, since salad was not an incorporated part of the American diet, except as a puny side dish to accompany more robust fare. In fact, it was met with criticism by some editors of women's magazines who derided the device as "another gourmet gadget" and yet another piece of "kitchen junk" that would collect dust at the back of some obscure kitchen cupboard with the electric potato peeler and the cuccumber slicer. It was not until the late 1970s when a new healthy-eating craze swept the nation that the salad spinner became a 'must-have' item for kitchens across America. Suddenly it was okay to serve a salad as a complete course and dozens of salad recipe books sprung up, hailing the salad spinner as an essential kitchen tool. As lettuce and vegetable consumption in the U.S. soared, the salad spinner sold by the millions.

THE SALAD SPINNER TODAY:
A quick survey of friends revealed that most of them do own a salad spinner. I was surprised, however, by how many people did not own one and had no intention of ever buying one. As noted above, I use mine several times a week and I'm glad to have it. What is remarkable is that it has not changed much since the 1970s, which suggests an excellent design. There are several variations on the design, mostly having to do with the mechanism used to spin the inner basket. There is the pump, which some critics say is too harsh on the lettuce leaves because of the extreme force of the spinning action. There is the crank, which is the most popular form, but critics say the handle can break loose. And there is the pull-cord, which is my least favourite design since the cord can become tangled or pulled out of its retracting joint. There is also a heavy-duty electric variety that I think is ridiculous.

MY RECOMMENDATION:
My suggestion would be to buy a salad spinner that is made of sturdy plastic with a secure lid and a sturdy crank. A good salad spinner will generally retail for approximately $30. I like the Stokes model but there are other models by Crate & Barrel, OXO and Progressive that are excellent. I use the outer bowl of my salad spinner to wash my lettuce, filling it with cool water and soaking the leaves while gently agitating them with my hand to remove any excess sand or dirt. I drain the water from the lettuce using the inner basket of the salad spinner and then place it back into the outer bowl to spin it dry. It's an all-in-one lettuce-cleaning extravaganza!

I suppose a salad spinner's usefulness ultimately depends on one's eating habits and the amount of lettuce/leafy greens one washes and consumes. Alternate ways of drying lettuce seem more cumbersome to me: lying lettuce leaves flat on a clean kitchen towel and then placing another clean towel on top to absorb the water, for instance. This process takes up space and time. You are also left with two wet kitchen towels that need to be dried.

No, the salad spinner will always have a place in my kitchen. And each time I use it I do get a childish thrill out of turning that crank and seeing the water whisk away from the lettuce onto the sides of the clear bowl. Simple pleasures!

Domestic Insight: Susan's Lazy Ways

Pity the Lazy Suzan. In the realm of domestic tools, appliances and gadgets few are so cruelly labelled. But how did this household staple come to be; why was it named "Susan" and is she really lazy? I will try to answer some of these questions in the first edition of my new monthly column on Martha Moments called Domestic Insight.

Most of our kitchens are equipped with a Lazy Susan: those round turntable servers and trays that helpfully proffer condiments, spices and other small items that can be tricky to reach for. Few of us, however, know anything about its history.

The name "Lazy Susan" is a Twentieth-Century invention, first appearing in print in Vanity Fair magazine in 1917. The origins of the name remain largely unknown, although some believe it to have been a reference to a sluggish daughter of either Thomas Jefferson or Thomas Edison. There is no actual evidence to back this up, however, and the claim is largely dismissed by historians.

The concept of a turntable serving tray is much older, dating back to Eighteenth-Century England when it was known as a dumbwaiter: another pejorative term! Its popularity likely stemmed from a need for convenience. The aristocracy, finding it increasingly difficult to keep an adequate roster of maids and footmen to serve them at dinnertime, conceived of the ingenius device, which made reaching for the mustard a little more civilized. Dining room tables at the time were often outfitted with large round turntables that could hold the various courses and their accompanying condiments. No one person has yet been credited with inventing it.

As the decades unfurled, the Lazy Susan became increasingly popular. Henry Ford commissioned a large table with a Lazy Susan that accompanied him on his lavish camping excursions. The table measured nine feet in diameter and was designed to allow his guests to help themselves to their meals.

It was during the 1940s through the 1960s, however, that the Lazy Susan became a must-have household item in America. Advertisements for the device could be found in nearly every women's magazine in North America and new models were being designed with useful details, such as multiple, removable compartments that surrounded a larger central dish. These more detailed models were often made out of ceramic or glass.

In the '60s and '70s, the Lazy Susan began to change her role slightly, moving from the tabletop to the countertop to assist with food preparation rather than food dispensation. Salt, pepper, olive oil and all manner of daily cooking supplies were kept on Lazy Susans, well within reach of the home cook. During the 1980s, kitchen designers began to incorporate stationary Lazy Susans in cupboard interiors that could hold much larger quantities, keeping clutter out of sight but still close at hand. Today's modern kitchens still maintain this design feature, usually in a corner cupboard where space is more generous.

So you see, Susan was never really lazy. In fact, she is quite a hard worker! Perhaps those of us who use her services are the lazy ones being referred to here! Below is a gallery with some examples of Lazy Susans.

Henry Ford and some of his guests in 1923 enjoying a casual campsite meal at his 9-foot-wide table, which was equipped with a Lazy Susan turntable for serving. Photo courtesy of the Henry Ford Museum.

 An example of a Fiestaware (ceramic) Lazy Susan from 1946 with removable compartments.
This Mid-Century example, also ceramic, has a central caserole dish with a lid for keeping food warm. The compartments around the perimeter can be removed for serving.

Top: An English mahogany Lazy Susan from the 1800s and a modern two-tier Lazy Susan for counter or cupboard storage.

Many modern kitchens have built-in Lazy Susans in lower corner cupboards to store pots and pans.