Follies of the Madmen #257

Housewife wielding an axe?!? Don't get your hopes up. There is no John-Waters-style carnage ahead in this commercial.

Man, that appliance is huge. Where would it fit in a modern urban kitchen? Maybe in a McMansion....

What do you think the cherry cobbler cooked adjacent to the ham and sweet potatoes is going to taste like?

Who We Are
Alex Boese Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes. Paul Di Filippo Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over forty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. Contact Us

Comments

That type of appliance is still on the market. For roasting a chunk of meat they do a good job without dumping a lot of heat into the room, which was a selling point for an era when air conditioning in a family home was a luxury. I still have mom's roaster she obtained in the late 1960's.

I used to work for one of the last remnants of George's empire when I lived in Pittsburgh, PA. I worked on automated control design and testing for nuclear power plants at Westinghouse Nuclear Division, which was purchased by British Nuclear Fuels shortly before I ended employment there. This was some fifteen years ago and one could see empty Westinghouse buildings scattered around the Pittsburgh area.

Posted by KDP on 08/12/15 at 12:06 PM

"And in case of an attack by those Godless Heathen Communists, the heavy duty lid doubles as a handy bullet proof shield."

Posted by puptentacle on 08/12/15 at 08:55 PM

Those are still popular around here during the holidays. It lets you cook a ham, bird, or roast while you bake rolls and pies in the oven. They're wonderfully efficient (as long as you don't life the lid every ten minutes to check on it). New ones maybe aren't quite as big, but I remember advertising that said you could do a 26 pound turkey. I wonder how much new, much more efficient insulation allowed reduction in overall size.

You wouldn't get any more mingling of flavors in one of those than in a standard oven.

Posted by Phideaux on 08/13/15 at 12:14 AM

This appliance, obviously, belongs in the kitchen and as a man I've never seen one before, had no idea they even existed, and wouldn't have known what it was without having seen this clip.

Posted by Expat47 in Athens, Greece on 08/13/15 at 12:42 AM

We had that exact item. It was a wedding gift to my parents. Very handy for big parties. What astounds me is the price: $39.95!!! My dad made about $4000 a YEAR and their wedding gifts were in the $10 range, and that was a good gift!

Posted by lonelyglen on 08/14/15 at 10:05 PM

Yes, I can go to Walmart right now and get one for $49.99 +tax of course. They are very handy when preparing a large meal for a lot of people.

Posted by Patty in Ohio, USA on 08/15/15 at 11:52 PM

The newer ones also come with an insert so you can place 3 warming trays in it for three different dishes, buffet style.

Posted by GFnKS on 08/17/15 at 10:03 AM

Commenting is not available in this channel entry.