Since I have no choice but to do most of my cooking and baking from scratch every day, I am always looking for ways to streamline the whole process. My kitchen is set up so that I have easy access to all my ingredients and appliances but it’s still a bit of a bother since I have to go to and fro and high and lo to get to them.
Which is why I REALLY want an antique Hoosier cabinet to make the task simpler. They put everything you need all in one tidy space. There were several makers other than Hoosier (they are just collectively called hoosier or sellers cabinets) and they are just the greatest invention since, well, homemade bread!
Ever since I learned that they were a thing I’ve wanted one and while you can buy new versions, I have my heart set on an authentic piece. There are quite a few of them out there but they cost a fortune to ship and they are hard to come by locally. Good ones, at least. There have been a few sold around me in the last few years but they were in pretty poor condition and weren’t really usable for more than decor. I need one that is functional and preferably looks lovely.
That’s not a lot to ask, is it? Apparently it is.
I had kinda given up hope of finding one when we came across this antique “coffee table” ad. We were told it was about 100 years old and was originally a baker’s table. It has a small drawer with a bread board that pulls out and two big drawers below and even came with the legs that make it just the right height to stand at to roll dough.
It is missing a couple of knobs but it’s in otherwise beautiful condition. Whenever I look at it I can’t help but wonder about the previous owners and what life was like when it was young. I picture all the delicious breads and pastries and other goodies that were probably crafted on it’s surface long before I came to the planet.
After doing a bit of research I found out that it is, indeed, quite old – probably late 1800’s or early 1900’s – and it’s called a possum belly table because of the shape of the big drawers. I also learned that it is half of a hoosier cabinet! It’s missing the top piece that makes it look like this:
Some of them had the flour sifters and everything! Of course the chances of finding the matching top for it is pretty much a long shot at best, but I’m going to keep looking and hopefully I’ll find it one day. Or at least one that matches enough to work for me. If nothing else, I may end up doing a bit of creative DIY to make it usable in the kitchen, similar to this one someone turned into a desk:
Until then, it makes a great coffee table and I cherish it like I do my other antiques.
Empty Nest Homesteading 
And now I want one too! I’ve never seen or heard of a Hoosier Cabinet and it looks a perfect addition to a kitchen. My kitchen is very modern but it wasn’t made for me and I’m fed up having to put saucepans in a drawer. I’d love an old-fashioned kitchen again but what I want will cost more money than I can afford so I’ll keep looking for pieces I can buy – like a Hoosier cabinet, or half a cabinet.
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Aren’t they neat?
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My grandmother had a cabinet similar to the one at the top with a flour sifter and other things. I loved playing on it as a kid, pretending to cook. I hadn’t thought of it in years until I saw this post. Thank you for the memory and I hope you find your “other half” soon. 🙂
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Aw, how fun was that then? I would have loved to have a grandma with a hoosier cabinet. My husband’s grandmother had an old wood burning cook stove she kept in the shed that she used to make pies right up until she died in the 80’s. She swore it made better pies and I believe her!
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