Features We Miss From Old Refrigerators

Long ago people used icehouses to keep things cold, but they were a far cry from refrigerators. These required large chunks of ice to be cut and taken from winter climes and stored in brick buildings that were partially underground. Straw and sawdust was used to insulate these chambers and keep the heat out during the summer months. This evolved into the machines we know today, which have a compressor that removes the heat and humidity from inside the refrigerator to keep foods from spoiling. Since the 1930s electric refrigerators have become standard in just about every kitchen and the old ones have a few nice features we miss in the newer models!

The first refrigerators as we know them were created in the 1890s and soon consumer models were popping up in showrooms. In the 1930s the technology was applied to trucks, ensuring that food could be kept cold from production to store, meaning it made sense to have a fridge in one’s home. These old machines were a lot hardier than the ones we know today. They were also smaller inside than what we use today. However, they also had a lot of neat functions for ease of use.

The Ice Cube Comparments

The ice cube trays in old models were up top near the food- no fumbling for them on the bottom or the back. Many models had this arrangement and the bottom section where the freezer section would be today often housed the compressor- which was rather large back then. However some models had it on the top of the unit. Still, having the ice easily accessible was a win. They also had better ice cube trays back then! The ones with the pop out handle really saved your hands from trying to wrangle the ice cubes out! And unlike plastic trays they didn’t crack over time from being twisted.

The Butter Trays

Some fridges had a revolving or swing out door for the butter, while other models had a separate thermometer and cooling mechanism in the dairy compartment to keep butter the perfect texture for spreading on toast.

The Longevity

To say they don’t make them like they used to would be the understatement of the century. There are some old fridges from the 50s and 60s that are still going strong today. They were extremely hard-wearing and service calls were often available under warranty or for a small charge. Replacement parts were readily available as well.

The Shelves

The 1950 GE Spacemaker had wire shelves intended to be removed to serve. According to the manual you could prepare all your trays for a party, place them on the wire rack, then transfer the entire shelf from the fridge to the table to serve!

One of the 1954 GE models had shelves on poles with rounded edges that spun like a lazy Susan. This meant the shelves could rotate and you could see every single thing on the shelf easily. We have to wonder if households with these shelves had fewer food items go bad in the fridge!

The Style

We loved the rounded edges, clean lines, and nicely designed compartments in many old refrigerator models. It really was the golden era of homemaking when housewives had access to better machines to make all their shopping and cooking easier. But, the side benefit was the sheer beauty of these fridges. There were even models that mounted like cabinets on the wall to fully blend into the kitchen.

The Colors

Depending on the era it was not unusual to find models in bright yellow, aqua blue, pink, mint or avocado green, or even in multi-color patterns. Of course white was the standard, but the colors were so fun that made models like this from the 1950s into the 1980s. It’s only been recently that some of these cheerful colors have become popular again. This is one trend with refrigerators that does seem to be making a comeback!