If an oven is not heating accurately, sometimes the thermostat just needs to be adjusted. Often a stove just needs a quick fix dirt can be the biggest “gremlin,” he says, and the simple task of cleaning and lubricating an old gas valve can bring the stove back to new. “Unless you’re buying from a reputable dealer, don’t take the seller’s word for it,” Arnold says. It is also important to hook up the appliance to make sure it works. So if a refrigerator part is missing or broken, it can be hard to locate.

The number of companies making refrigerators went from 20 in 1910 to 200 by 1925. Every foundry made a stove, and any department store could put its name on that stove. There were literally thousands of stove brand names by the early 1900s. This Magic Chef range has teardrop oven handles.įirst check to see if the cooking stove or refrigerator has all its parts, Arnold says. These appliances will most likely have all the bells and whistles you’re looking for today solid construction, good oven regulation, and built-in safety features and little extras such as clocks, lights, additional ovens, or food warmers.” “Your best bet is to look for a stove or refrigerator from the 1930s to the mid- 50s. “I started my company when these items weren’t considered antiques yet,” he says. “Buying an old appliance is like buying a used car-you’ve got to kick the tires,” says Mike Arnold, owner of Twentieth Century Appliance Restorations in Troy, New York, who’s been in the restoration business for more than 40 years. Here are some tips from old-appliance pros on purchasing these antique conveniences. Whether the early 20th-century make you’re looking for is a Wedgewood, Hotpoint, Chambers, Quick Meal, or a GE Monitor Top, do your homework before buying. Loyal cooks swear by a refurbished cooking range’s ability to kick out BTUs to rival today’s commercial stoves, while many old-appliance enthusiasts claim their 1930s refrigerators have never had to be serviced. One of the best ways to create old-time kitchen ambience is to introduce antique appliances-in particular, a cookstove and a refrigerator. This 1915 wood-burning Wedgewood stove is still in use at the Ardenwood Historic Farm in Fremont, California.

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