The Vintage Outdoor Oven Thrifters Call The 'Holy Grail' Find

There aren't many grills that you can say make people stop mid-scroll (or mid-aisle at a thrift store), but somehow the vintage GE Partio Cart has that kind of presence. Introduced in 1959, the cart sort of looks like someone took a mid-century kitchen, shrunk it down and added wheels, and then decided it would look great outside. It's got a beautiful turquoise color, with lots of different compartments and even a hole to put an umbrella in at the top. No wonder thrifters call it a "holy grail" find, as it's half a collectible and half a really solid piece of usable engineering. Its unique blend of nostalgia and function make it a vintage kitchen trend that could even find a place in a modern backyards without needing restoration (if you can get one in working order, of course).

It's all about the way it behaves as it's cooking. Not just equipped with a basic grate and lid like a standard barbecue, the Partio Cart spreads everything out across different zones — a barbecue grill on one side and an oven and electrical range top on the other — which lets heat and airflow do a lot of the work. On social media you'll find numerous videos of the lucky collectors who managed to get their hands on one, learning how to use it to grill like a master whilst also letting it serve as a bit of a party trick, too.

Aside from it's undeniably retro visual appeal, the Partio Cart seems to get a lot of its appeal from just how well it has held up over the years. Many of the units for sale today still work well, often only needing a little elbow grease and a replacement bolt or two to get the whole thing back into working order. So for vintage collectors, it's a rare piece — but for collectors who also love to host, it can still be used like an actual cooking tool. And of course, how it looks also encourages a more communal style of outdoor cooking where people will undoubtedly gather around to observe it in action — it has a real way of taking you back in time.

Another part of the obsession comes from the Partio Cart's scarcity, as numbers were never massive. It was only sold new in stores for a short period of time — possibly even just one year – so finding one in decent shape really does feel like accessing a lost piece of American cooking history. Yes, modern grills in today's world probably offer even more fancy features, but the Partio Cart sits quietly in its own category between collector's item and grill, so if you're figuring out which type of outdoor grills is right for you and you actually want something with a bit of history and a bit of personality, well you better keep your eyes peeled on vintage resale websites for when one of these grills pops up.