Estate sales have their regulars, the hobbyists, collectors and resellers. They are after specific things and usually show up early. Then there are folks who just enjoy the surprise of treasures that abound.

The kitchen is one area of most estate sales that is often filled with great items as family members all have well stocked kitchens and it isn’t commonly the destination of the regulars. The kitchen of an estate sale can be a great source for future fun, creative adventures and classy gift giving.

Gadgets Galore

There are the small kitchen gadgets in boxes or drawers. You can find great things you wouldn’t have thought to buy or have found too expensive, but will love. They are so inexpensive that I’ve often replaced a gadget I owned with one of better quality.

My ‘finds’ have added enjoyment to the cooking experience. I love the decorative vegetable scraper (twenty-five cents), and the new Martha Stewart brand mandolin (three dollars). A great garlic press (one dollar) and a small stainless ginger grater (one dollar) both have large rubber handles for ease of use. These items have taken my hobby of Indian cuisine to a new impressive level. I make a Tomato, Onion, Zucchini Dahl. The vegetable scraper creates stripes down the zucchini making the slices colorful. The mandolin easily spits out perfectly even slices. The garlic press holds a lot and does its job beautifully as I crush the cloves into a small white ramekin (four for a dollar) to await their introduction into the dish. The fresh spices are ground in an electric Krups coffee grinder (three dollars). Feeling organized and efficient with the utensils I have available has made the cooking experience more relaxing and fun.

Cookbooks and More

Cookbooks are in abundance in estate sale kitchens (one to three dollars). Try one covering a new cuisine. Often the kitchen will have special utensils or dishes needed for creating the cuisine. If there’s a Chinese cookbook, look for a wok amidst cooking items. With a Norwegian cookbook I once found a special clay cookie mold for traditional Norwegian cookies and I’ve seen kits for making the deep-fried Norwegian Rosettes. If the cookbooks stick to more traditional cuisine there is still opportunities for creative pairing. If there are a lot of baking cookbooks you are likely to find special things like a bread baking tube or a muffin tin for tiny muffins. I once found an unusual pan with “holes” in the shape of six small loves. Have fun extending your cooking acumen or gifting an adventurous cook in your life.

Creative Gifting Year Around

You will find attractive platters, bowls, casserole dishes and much more that cost very little. I keep a few fun and useful on hand for a special purpose. There are times I want to bring a gift to a special hostess or to take a dish to someone who is incapacitated. Think about cheering someone with your homemade treat along with the dish in which it comes. Consider the frugality, yet class, of the gift of something homemade in a lovely dish.

Theme Baskets

An estate sale kitchen has been my inspiration for another gift giving idea: Theme Baskets. You’ll often find high quality attractive baskets at estate sales (fifty cents to three dollars). I have a friend who loves afternoon tea. One estate sale had an abundance of tea related items. I bought an attractive basket (fifty cents), two pretty ceramic cups and saucers (five dollars) a small book on tea traditions (one dollar) a packet of teapot shaped note cards (one dollar). I put them together as a lovely gift for my friend with the addition of several small sacks of different flavored teas, all for under ten dollars.

Opening New Avenues of Cooking

I hadn’t often made homemade soups and really hadn’t been that creative with the large crock-pot I owned. That was before I found a small, oblong crock-pot (five dollars) that fit attractively on my counter top. It was inexpensive enough that I knew I wouldn’t mind passing it on if I found I didn’t use it. But, I do, often. Starting with a can of chicken or vegetable broth I often toss in vegetables I have in the refrigerator and left over meat. Spicing it up I have a smaller amount of tasty soup that took me no time and is healthy and appreciated.

I found a new-in-box mini food processor (three dollars). Wondering if I would use it, I was prepared to pass it on if I didn’t. But, I did. Quick chopping of nuts, small amounts of chopped onion, ingredients for salsa…all without dragging out the full-sized Cuisinart (ten dollars at an estate sale and still works great five years later).

I’ve seen many Espresso makers in estate sale kitchens. Large ones are more expensive but never near the cost of new. Smaller, more affordable ones would provide an opportunity to try out making your own mocha’s, lattes or cappuccinos. If you found it fit into your life and you enjoyed making the coffee drinks there is money to be saved. If not, you can resell or donate without loosing the price of new. As so many of us do include coffee drinks regularly in our lives, look for high quality insulated drink cups commonly available (one to three dollars).

Why not enjoy the urban adventure of an estate sale. Check out the local classifieds or get on an estate sale company’s mailing list. When you arrive, head for the kitchen. Get creative and enjoy an opportunity to have a lot of fun at very little cost.

Marilyn Michael leads the Writers Workshop 2:30 Thursdays at the Wallingford Community Senior Center