Remember when kitchens didn’t have Instant Pots and Wi-Fi-connected fridges, but they did have a phone cord long enough to lasso your little sister? The 1980s kitchen was full of cooking gadgets, floral dishware, and appliances that weighed as much as a small car — and lasted just about as long. It was a warm and welcoming spot where everyone was welcome and there was always a jar of cookies on the counter. If you experienced a middle-class kitchen in the ’80s, these nostalgic items are sure to send you back.
Tupperware
No kitchen was complete without a rainbow of Tupperware containers. They’re iconic now because everyone had them, whether they contained mystery leftovers or a molded Jell-O salad. Don’t forget to burp those lids!
Crockpot
Slow cookers are the original set-it-and-forget-it cookers. Middle-class working moms could throw beef, cream-of-whatever soup, and seasoning mix into the crockpot before work, and come home to a house full of wonderful smells with almost zero effort.
Blue Ribbon Geese
With their little bonnets and blue bows, these geese waddled their way into every ’80s kitchen. You could see them on hand towels, wallpaper borders, and all those knick-knacks that festooned the walls. King among tchotchkes, however, was the huge ceramic goose cookie jar.
Huge Microwave
Microwaves had a renaissance in the 1980s, and finally, every kitchen had one. They were typically massive and came along with a horrifying cookbook that claimed you could cook — not just reheat — everything from beef stroganoff to cake in that thing. (Hint: You cannot.)
Avocado Appliances
A throwback from the 1970s kitchen, avocado, harvest gold, and burnt orange appliances were still going strong in middle-class kitchens a decade later. If you splurged on an appliance package, then your stove, fridge, and dishwasher (if you even had one) all matched. Now, we’d call them vintage.
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Wall Phone with Extra Long Cord
The tangled cord of the kitchen landline phone was the ’80s version of “mobile”. You could stretch to the doorway while you were chatting, or maybe to a kitchen table chair if you were lucky. Eventually, the cord became so tangled that it needed to be replaced, and then the process of stretching it out again had to be repeated.
Spice Carousel
Moms felt so sophisticated with a lazy susan of spice jars on the counter, but the real secret was that they mostly expired during the Carter administration. Still, they looked impressive and added a gourmet flair, even if no one used the marjoram.
Electric Can Opener
Manual can openers were practically stone-age tools in the ’80s. Everyone had a big, bulky electric can opener on the counter instead, taking up space that it really didn’t need to. We can still hear the loud, grinding noise that thing made.
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Apple or Watermelon Decor
There were two types of moms in the 1980s: the watermelon kitchen moms and the apple kitchen moms. No matter which one you were, you adored the country kitchen aesthetic and fruit-themed decor, including the ever-present wallpaper border.
Pyrex Bowls and Casseroles
Pyrex and Corningware had been a kitchen workhorse for decades, so by the ’80s, everyone had plenty of colorful mixing bowl sets and casserole dishes. Plus, there was always that one fancy, patterned Pyrex casserole that made an appearance at every holiday meal.
Betty Crocker Green Recipe Card Box
The iconic green box filled with Betty Crocker-developed recipes came out in the 1970s, and by the ‘80s, every middle-class mom had a set. Some recipes were classics, like the cheeseburger pie, but others, like the tuna ring with cheese sauce, were horrific. No matter which recipe mom tried, it was an adventure.
Canisters for Coffee, Flour, Sugar
Matching canisters for dry goods like flour and sugar were always displayed proudly on the counter. Why? Who knows. Whether they were ceramic, plastic, or really rusty metal, they were labeled in big, bold letters.
Kool-Aid Pitcher
Kool-Aid was cheaper than any other “juice” out there, so there was always a pitcher in the fridge in the ’80s. They were brightly colored (to make the stain from the neon drink less noticeable) and had a snap-on lid. Bonus points if you had a Tupperware one.
Junk Drawer
Where did you find a battery tester, mystery keys, rubber bands, and questionably old soy sauce packets in the 1980s? A junk drawer in the kitchen, of course. It was like the black hole of the house, but Mom knew everything that was in there.
Corelle Plates
Corelle dinnerware was practically indestructible, which is why middle-class moms loved it. Those plates never chipped, and they were lightweight and stylish, too. It’s why everyone had Butterfly Gold patterned plates back then — and still do.
Alphabet Fridge Magnets
Fridges were covered in magnets in the 1980s, from puffy, realistic fruit to the local pizza place ad. But none were as cheerful and educational as the rainbow alphabet letters. Your toddler could learn while you cooked and your teen could leave a silly note for her father.
Collectible Cups
Open a 1980s kitchen cabinet and you were bound to find glass Garfield mugs from McDonald’s, E.T. glasses from Burger King, and Land Before Time cups from Ziploc. They were meant to be promotions, but they stuck around until they broke into middle-class families.
Electric Knife
Reserved for special occasions and Thanksgiving, the electric knife was a whizzing blade of the future. Like all other electric gadgets of the ‘80s, it was loud as hell, more reminiscent of a chainsaw than a turkey carver — but that’s probably what dad loved about it.
Popsicle Mold
Why buy popsicles at the store when you can just pour some cheap Kool-Aid in your own popsicle mold? Sure, the popsicles made a huge mess because they fell apart really easily, but this mold still made an appearance every summer.
Electric Skillet
The electric skillet was a true multitasker of the 1980s. You plugged it in and you could whip up everything from pancakes to a saucy steak skillet (from the Betty Crocker recipe box, of course). If your family was really fancy, you may have even had the electric wok version.
More 1980s Nostalgia From Cheapism
- 15 Meals Middle-Class Moms Cooked in the ’80s — From sloppy Joes to French bread pizza, here’s what big-haired, shoulder-padded middle-class moms in the ‘80s were cooking up in the kitchen.
- 17 Everyday Things From the ’80s That Seem Fancy Now — From the novelty of a car phone to simpler things like affordable education, here’s a look at some commonplace things from the ’80s that are now considered fancy.
- 20 Photos of Everyday Life in the 1980s — Wasn’t life better in the 1980s? More optimism? More vibrancy? More adventure? We sure think so.
