The Forgotten Kitchen Appliance Everyone Had In The '80s And '90s (It Made Baking So Simple)

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

While one might assume that we are presently at peak gadget, that notion is incorrect. Yes, our appliances are "smart," our apps promise to solve it all, and even delivery platforms, which narrowly modernize the good old pizza guy, can make dinner seem like something out of "The Jetsons." But, ancient times, times when kitchen counters were topped with television sets and sun-dried tomatoes were the hot new food, were tops for culinary tech. Yes, we're talking about the 1980s, the 1990s, and the one small appliance that ruled them both: the bread maker.

The mechanical bread maker as we know it only dates back to about 1986, and, much like the ubiquitous air fryer of today, it did seem to populate bougier homes overnight. If there wasn't one in your own home, odds are that the fragrance of sandwich loaf perfumed Ashley's up the block. And while we're all scrambling to figure out how to make a sourdough starter from scratch today, all our neon-wearing ancestors had to do was add their ingredients to the machine's chamber, punch a few buttons, and get back to rollerblading or whatever. A few hours later and they had enough fresh, warm bread to power them through those dark, cold, social media-free days when nobody even knew that you had made your own bread.

There's good news for people who love b(rea)d news: you can actually find some of those real deal vintage bread makers on the secondary market. Should you buy a three decade-plus old device to use in such close contact with your food? Maybe?! But, believe it or not, new bread makers are still being made today. Even Amazon Basics is in the bread making game, with a $69 machine that some users claim has even saved them money. And there are even more well-reviewed bread makers where that came from.

Once you've unboxed your throwback buy, you'll be able to DIY all manner of sweet and savory carbs for sandwiches or even to enjoy as the main event. And once you've mastered all those doughs, you can even use your bread maker to whip up moist cakes thanks to the heavier presence of steam versus an analog oven. Try doing that with your Wi-Fi optimized range.