My grandma is still very alive and well, but she knows that I adore her old kitchen goodies. Some of them, I can 'have' any time I'd like, some will be left to me. I know one day (hopefully in a looong time!) I'll open my cabinets and remember my grandma too :)

Even before my grand mother died, she gave me a lot of kitchen things, cake pans, muffin pans, inox bowls, pie dishes, old set of china plates and cups...
So for me too, everytime i cook, i cant not think about her. Those things have been so long with her, i'll use those item until they broke or being too rusty, or my death. Those are the best souvenirs with all the memories i've got in mind. Thanks for this post.

We have my husband's Grandmother's knife ... bought from a door-to-door sales man the year she & his Grandpa were married (1920s) and to make it even more perfect his Grandpa made a replacement hand carved wooden handle for it in the 50s ... TREASURED!

Most treasured amongst my heirloom kitchen items is Mammie's circa 1950 pressure canner that I use to preserve the summer garden just like she did. Mother passed away last year and she had Mammie's dough board and rolling pin on which I learned to make biscuits (using lard scooped from a 25 pound stand in an under counter cabinet). I passed these along to my eldest female cousin so she can pass them along to her eldest daughter. As a vegetarian for over a quarter century I don't use lard, so biscuits will never taste like Mammie's, but, oh, the memories of awaking every day to the glories of the love that abounded in her kitchen. Thank you for evoking these memories.

In a slightly funny way, I inherited a lot of drinking accessories, since my grandparents had an amazing wet-bar. I have a great matching set of tiny port glasses and a variety of unmatched tumblers and other glasses that are perfect for mixed drinks. I think the hardest thing is that although I am not overly clumbsy, I have broken 1 or 2 glasses and it is SO MUCH more heart breaking when that happens.

Pyrex refrigerator dishes - square or rectangular, with glass lids. I used to think they were quaint, old-fashioned - relics of an era before Tupperware.

Who knew? As I rid my home of plastic food storage, I'm glad they're being manufactured again.

We have a meat fork affectionately known as the "toad stabber" that came from my husband's great grandparents' house. I have a bunch of Stengl ware from my grandmother and her collection of pitchers, as well as her pastry tools and rolling pin. I love using these things regularly, because they bring back such great memories.

I have that same (almost) pyrex bowl only on mine the colors are reversed. It came from my Papaw's house after he passed and I think of all the memories of my family cooking together in his house during the holidays every time I use it. I have some other items from his house, including some quirky utensils like a tool used to strip the kernels from corn, plus my favorite potato masher ever (which makes the best guacamole).

I'm awaiting getting into a more permanent living situation and I'll bring home my Granny's china tea sets that I've inherited. They are fragile, so they are living with my mom currently to keep them from going through any unnecessary moves.

I've got a box full of cups and saucers I got from my great-grammy when we cleaned her place out to sell - she's 96 now, and no longer lives there. They all have yellow flowers on them, and are all in similar style...one of them match, and I love it! Other than that I don't really have anything yet, since my grammy and mother are still using all of it!

My grandparents had nothing of monetary value--so we each took home what we wanted. I was SO excited that no one else claimed the faux-bakelite bottle opener and the Scrabble dictionary--both things I use regularly, and both things that bring a smile to my face every time. Miss you, Memaw!

My greedy relatives helped themselves to most of Grandma's stuff but she and I were really close and I did end up with her old NY Overland trunk (because she gave it to me long before she died) and I treasure it to no end.

I appreciate AT posting ways to clean and care for old inherited or vintage / tag sale stuff for this reason. Forget huge stores, everything we need is available at tag sales! :)

My grandmother had already inherited her grandmother and mother's things, as had my mother...so when we went through my great-great and great grandmother's last remaining boxes the summer i got married, I got the pick of the litter, as it were.

I got a gorgeous green glass candelabra and serving set, as well as some of the very early colorful pyrex rectangular roasting pans, and a bright orange Le Cruset dutch oven, a meat tenderizer I think may have done double duty as a middle-ages mace, a set of delicately floral gold rimmed china, and a set of glass plates, bowls, and teacups.

To my chagrin, much of it remains packed in a closet, til i get more settled.