Collecting Kitchen Timers

Here at OnlineClock.net we re crazy about timers .

Not just the online timers that you ll find on the Online Clock website: we also love the old school timers that you wind up to measure how long it ll take until the spaghetti should be finished.

Mechanical kitchen timers are not in use as much as they once were, though during the time they were popular, they were a much better way to time things than the previous method, which was the hourglass method.

Back in the olden days (yes, even before my time!), people used little tiny hourglass shaped timers filled with sand to accomplish things like the perfectly cooked three minute egg. Though this method was relatively accurate for its time, there was no alarm that went off to tell us the eggs were done. And this doesn t make for a very useful timer. considering you have to be standing there when the sand empties out to the bottom part of the glass to get that perfect egg out of the pot! Yes, there was room for improvement

The history of measuring time in relatively short intervals dates back to the Chinese culture, which used water clocks to measure short distances of time. This method involved making a hole in a bowl and placing the bowl in water, and when the bowl sank down into the water, the time measurement was finished: the time was up. The shorter the interval needed, the smaller the bowl they used. The Chinese began using water clocks between 200 and 1300 BC. Water clocks were the result of the need for an instrument to measure time during the evening hours and on rainy and cloudy days. The sundial worked well when the sun was out, but other instruments were necessary at other times. People realized that water clocks were not always accurate, though, and this spawned the invention of mechanized clocks and timers .

When mechanical clocks were invented, the same clockwork mechanisms were also used to produce mechanical, automatic timers .

During the 1950s and the 1960s, kitchen timers were very popular.

The average American had become more mobile with the affordability of automobiles. It was also a time when the housewife was starting to move forward in society and no longer had time to stand over the oven and toil over recipes like they once did. Kitchen timers were very helpful through these changing times, and made better use of time by allowing the household cook the ability to do more than just one thing at once. Since timers were such a staple in the kitchen, they could usually be found on most countertops back in that time. For this reason, they became somewhat of a novelty and were manufactured in different colors, shapes and sizes. Some people even began to collect timers as a hobby.

The world’s largest kitchen timer collection belongs to Edeltraud Dreier from Berlin (hey, that s also where OnlineClock.net currently has its headquarters!). Edeltraud has more than 1,300 kitchen timers (!) in the collection and he and his collection are listed in the Guinness Book of World Records. Though Edeltraud has the largest collection in the world, some collectors aren t interested in large numbers; they collect timers for their rareness or just the novelty of having very unique or oddities in their collections.

Oooom your egg is ready.

One of my favorites is the Buddha timer. I find it ironic since Buddha believed that time did not exist, and that the past and the future are just illusions. So why would Buddha help us time eggs? The mere thought of that makes me grin. Judging from his tummy, Buddha loved to eat, so maybe he would see the beauty in these little helpers of more modern times.

Today we don’t use the mechanical kitchen timer as much because there are usually digital timers on most ranges and microwaves. The timer was so utilized during the 50’s and 60s, appliance companies decided to develop it as a feature in new appliances, making their ranges and future microwave ovens a more desirable choice when families needed a new range or oven. It is funny how that happens; something so used becomes obsolete in a matter of a few years just by incorporating that something into something else we use just as much. I would imagine today’s equivalent to this would be the our online timer .

Cooking Timers: They re wild, wacky and fun, so why not collect them?

One of the more inventive people who found a use for a kitchen timing device was a gentleman from San Antonio, Texas named Alfred Alves. In 1931, he decided to use his alarm clock as a timer to start breakfast. He affixed an electric switch to the side of the clock. which then turned on the electricity. The electricity turned on light bulbs and before Mr. Alves went to bed, he placed bread under the light bulbs. The light bulbs toasted his bread. This resourceful man could turn on different appliances with the same device by using multiple sockets. Mr. Alves saved himself some time in the morning by using this most convenient timing device. This device could also be adapted to close the windows and start the heat during cold weather months. For his time, Mr. Alves was quite advanced. This may have been the first documented mechanical kitchen timing device on record. Popular Science featured Mr. Alves and his invention in the July, 1931 issue of their magazine. He looked rather proud of his device and it probably served him well back in the 1930s.

Timers have come a long way since those days. Today we have electronic timers that are very precise. The electronic timer relies on an oscillating quartz crystal to track intervals of time. This oscillating quartz emits a reliable signal at an extremely accurate frequency. Also used in computers, watches and clocks, oscillating quartz crystals are the world s most frequently used method of keeping time. Today, the mechanical timer is not usually on the list of things to buy at Williams Sonoma. However, if you are a person that loves to get the cooking out of the way, and has multiple meal courses going at once, there are timers that can assist you.

Here s a video of a pretty cool digital kitchen timer that s shaped like an oven and is called the Done Right Kitchen Timer :

As you can see in the video above, there is a timer called the Done Right Kitchen Timer. This timer is shaped like a tiny range with four different alarms all within this one device. The timers are numbered and correspond with the exact burner position on the range or cook-top. This way you know which burner to turn off when it’s done. Since most timers on ranges and microwaves only have one alarm. this is the solution for all of you multitasking domestic Gods and Goddesses. All four burners can be attended to while you whisk away to other responsibilities like doing the laundry or better yet, reading this blog.

For more exact measurements of time as well as food temperature, there are many timing devices, such as the Thermo Works timer. that can assist you even inside the oven while the meal is cooking. For instance, if you want the perfect medium rare roast beef, you can set a temperature device that has a probe that you stick inside of the meat and then pull the cable to hang the device outside of the oven. When the meat reaches the desired temperature, the alarm goes off and you are alerted that the programmed temperature has been reached. This is also great for the outdoor chef. It can be set to grill the juiciest hamburgers and the perfect steaks. This device is also useful to check the temperature of poultry. With salmonella always looming in the evening news reminding us of how we can quickly become deathly ill because we failed to cook a chicken leg properly, a temperature timing device can actually be a comfort.

While all of the advanced timers are great and serve higher purposes for the modern chef, there are many who just enjoy simple egg timers. For serious kitchen timer collectors. there are great novelty timers shaped like Mickey Mouse ears, UFO’s, robots, chickens, cows, or any number of cute little figures to adorn your shelves or counter-tops. There are some collectible porcelain or ceramic timers that have some artistic value. These types of timers can be very attractive for display.

As you can see, there are many highlycollectible timers that can be used for whatever reasons we need to be reminded for! In the case of Pomodoro Timers . the common kitchen timer (in this case, one shaped like a tomato) was even responsible for inspiring someone to create a whole new, and very effect time management technique.

And we actually own a couple of interesting models ourselves and a great tip to our readers who are interested in collecting kitchen timers is: try looking for them at flea markets this is the best place to find lots of them at very affordable prices!

But for some instances it may just be easier and more practical to use an online timer .

Some of the most practical, free timing devices can be found on OnlineClock.net. You can use on of our our alarms/timers to get the perfect three minute egg, or to remind you to turn the burner off when something delicious is simmering on the stove or baking in the oven (Mmmmm, homemade cookies, for example ?? ).

There are no fancy or strange little devices to buy; just turn on the computer, type in OnlineClock.net and you are all set to time anything in the kitchen or anywhere else by just using our alarm.

Of course our various clocks and timers won’t close your windows or turn on the heat when it s cold outside, but it will remind you to turn off the oven when your food is done.

Until next time, Clock Fans . we wish you guten Appetit!