11 Vintage Tools At The Thrift Store That Belong In Your Kitchen

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

As any seasoned vintage pro can attest, local thrift stores are the perfect repository to go through someone else's castoffs. One person's trash truly can be another's treasure. Whether hunting for sought-after vintage pieces at the thrift or figuring out how to upcycle a unique find to work for your home, thrift stores are a place of imagination. This is particularly true for finding pieces for your kitchen; unexpected vintage pieces can either be the best retro kitchen tool you've ever had or serve as imaginative decor pieces. You just have to be open-minded and think outside of the antiquing box. 

Vintage kitchen, garden, and farm tools, for example, are the underrated antique pieces that can surprisingly help in the kitchen, whether for organization, cheery decor, or even its original, intended purposes. Objects like hand-crank flour sifters are the perfect items for bakers that appreciate an oldie-but-a-goodie technology while repurposing pieces like antique wire egg baskets from farms into fruit baskets help the longevity of your food. With a little creative thinking, the thrift store offers a world of possibilities for these tools in your kitchen.

We're not talking about those holiday toy soldiers, but the vintage nutcrackers of decades past that are a blend of heavy-duty utility and nostalgic vibes. Long before pre-shelled nuts were a supermarket norm, this kitchen tool were often cast-iron or solid brass pieces that were a fixture of kitchens. There are several reasons to snag this tool at the thrift for a modern kitchen; first, it's much sturdier than modern day nutcrackers. And second, it encourages you to purchase nuts in the shell. Shelled nuts typically have a longer shelf life than shelled ones, allowing you to mitigate food waste and dollar waste as well.

Built to last, hand crank flour sifters are a vintage kitchen tool that you should grab at the thrift store if you find it. For a contemporary kitchen, you can use flour sifters as intended — as a precise tool to break lumps in flour while baking your creative confections. It's like using a real piece of culinary history and technology in your kitchen, and best of all, the older versions of these tools were built to last. Often nostalgic with an aesthetically worn patina or retro print, vintage hand crank flour sifters will likely outlast flimsy modern versions by a long shot.

While the original purpose of a watering can was tending to the garden, their long spouts and deep basins make them a great candidate for a decor upcycle in the kitchen. Suited for corralling long-handled utensils like wooden spoons, whisks, and silicon spatulas, or even serving as a rustically, decorative vase for freshly cut flowers, vintage water cans' weathered zinc or enamel introduces a layer of cottagecore charm to a modern kitchen. By repurposing a garden tool relic for your countertop, you're giving life to a playful piece of gardening lore and creating a one-of-a-kind item unique to your space.

While originally designed for collecting eggs and veggies to bring to the house, this farm tool is one to keep an eye out for at the thrift store. It's an unexpected storage gem in the kitchen to keep your fruits and veggies fresher for longer. Unlike ceramic bowls or plastic bins, these wired egg baskets allow the contents of the basket to breathe with great, all-around air circulation. It helps prevent moisture build up and staves off spoilage and mold. Sometimes, they're collapsible in some capacity as well, making them easy items to store away when you're not using them. 

If you've ever wondered how bakeries get interesting designs on their loaves of bread, the proofing basket or banneton is the answer. A historic invention from breadmaking traditions in Europe, a textured banneton helps created that artisanal look to your baking, while wooden proofing bowls follows a long American traditional of breadmaking. Both of these bygone kitchen tools are seeing a resurgence in modern kitchens, not just for their original breadmaking intention, but also as decorative places to store produce in an aesthetic way. Don't overlook them at the thrift store!

Long before the electric food processor, these hand-cranked tools were a baking staple in the kitchen. Nowadays, manual nut grinders or mills can be used in a number of ways, so don't write them off just yet at the thrift store. For instance, you can use this tool to can grind up herbs to be really fine or larger versions of it to grind specialty flours and powders. It's a commitment to slow-food traditions that's gaining popularity with modern cooks. Not to mention, it looks aesthetically pleasing as a piece of decorative, antique art for farmhouse kitchens.

An antiquated and antique kitchen tool, the ice pick fell out of favor when modern freezers automated the ice-making process. However, if you've ever had to purchase those large ice bags for a party or BBQ, you know how much of a pain it is to break up those fused-together chunks of ice. Cue the ice pick, originally a staple of the icebox era when ice was delivered in literal cubes. It's great to use to pick apart those large chunks of ice, but beyond the BBQ or bar cart, the ice pick can be versatile workhorse in a modern kitchen. It can help pierce vent holes in pie crusts, determine the tenderness of root veggies while cooking, or can even help clear out a clogged salt shaker.

If you're wary of buying a sharp and pointy object like an ice pick at the thrift store, then you should be on the lookout for a vintage meat tenderizer instead to serve the same ice-breaking purpose. While their primary role back in the day was to transform cuts of tough meat into more palatable steaks, their other practical uses, like as an ice mallet, makes it a versatile but unexpected vintage tool for the kitchen. Of course, you can still use them for their brute-force, culinary use, but it's great to know that it can serve more purposes than intended.

The vintage hand beater, often referred to as a rotary or eggbeater, was a midcentury kitchen darling. Beyond the sheer nostalgia of finding a piece like this at the thrift, a vintage beater offers a level of control that modern tools often forgo in the name of efficiency. By manually cranking the tool, you can  actually feel the exact moment a meringue stiffens or a heavy cream thickens, preventing the dreaded over-beating that ruins delicate recipes and making the fluffiest foods. This low-tech approach is refreshingly clean, meaning there's no tangled cords, no hunt for an outlet, and a quiet kitchen environment.

A retro kitchen item that still has a place in the home, vintage can openers are well-engineered kitchen tools that are meant to last a lifetime, so if you see one at the thrift store, know it will serve you well. Mass produced, modern versions, particularly electric ones, just can't replicate these hefty metal tools. Best of all, it's a kitchen tool that doesn't necessitate electricity so you can use it without having to rely on power. Some models, like the church key opener, also serve duel purposes — like opening bottles — making them the perfect versatile tool to have in your modern kitchen.

Much like the nut grinder, vintage manual coffee grinders are a kitchen tool that still have many modern uses. Whole bean coffee and this method of at-home grinding helps preserve the beans' natural oils, making for a tastier brew. Just be sure to clean your coffee grinder to preserve the mill better. Beyond the morning cup, these grinders are versatile spice mills much like nut grinders. They're perfect for peppercorns, dried chilies, or sea salt... all sorts of textured ingredients. Visually, a cast-iron or wooden box grinder adds an antiqued charm to your countertop, creating a slow-living, nostalgic vibe for the kitchen.