Bakelite, a form of plastics that we associate with kitchenware, jewelry, and radio cases, had it's birth in 1907. Chemist Leo Hendrick Baekeland was working on developing effective insulating material for the burgeoning electricity industry. Utilizing a combination of pressure and high temperatures he discovered an amazingly versatile and resilient material that many have come to love: Bakelite.

The notion of having color in one's kitchen was literally invented in 1927. Bakelite was offered as a part of this modern approach to decorating in 1929. However, it took a few years for Bakelite handled kitchenware to catch on, and it is seen now as a 1930s-1940s phenomenon.

Contemporary sellers and writers refer to Bakelite with lovely names like butterscotch and apple juice. From our years of working with and now restoring Bakelite we know that much of this is false. Jim has brought the technique of polishing and restoring Bakelite to a new level and we discovered that much of the dull orange is really a lovely powder pink, army green is usually royal blue, and "butterscotch" is white. We have been saving "before" and "after" pieces and if we are ever asked to write a second edition of Bakelite in the Kitchen we will provide detailed explanations of what he does and show these treasures. Feel free to e-mail our publisher to request a second edition at: schifferbk@aol.com.

Vintage Bakelite kitchenware continues to be extremely popular. You see it throughout magazines propping recipe and decorating articles. The beauty is there are rainbows of color and endless designs. "Androck" bullet handles continue to be among the favorites of the solid color handles. Multicolor handles are difficult to find and command a much higher price. In the summer of 1999 an article I read indicated that any 3-color Bakelite would sell for no less than $200 per item. If you look on page 121 of Bakelite in the Kitchen you will see a tricolor knife and spoon I had priced at $50-60 each. What a wonderful investment! By the way, Jim restored the spoon and it is red, white, and blue...a big change from what is pictured.

Remember, there were more knives made than forks or spoons as the original marketing of Bakelite was for one to add a knife to the flatware already owned for a touch of color. As picnic and luncheon sets never had spoons they are at a premium. Spoons are difficult to find and will cost more than forks or knives. Don't be concerned if your spoons don't have the exact same handle design as the other pieces on your table. Bakelite should be fun to use and anything that you like works!

Wash by hand and avoid extreme heat as Bakelite can melt and burn. Otherwise, happy collecting!