The Forgotten 1960s Frigidaire Oven That Made Cleaning Easier Than Ever Before

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It doesn't matter if you have the fanciest, most expensive, bougie oven that money can buy — cleaning it is a pain in the you-know-what. Trying desperately to reach into the furthest corner of the oven with one hand while awkwardly supporting yourself with the other, all while trying not to break the oven door that's painfully in the way, cleaning the oven is the chore of all chores. But back in the 1960s, one company tried to fix that.

Frigidaire introduced a Pull 'N Clean oven model in 1959. As its name suggests, the inner part of the oven could be pulled out for easier cleaning, so you didn't have to perform acrobatics just to maintain their appliance. Additionally, it also had removable knobs and a removable bottom drawer, which allowed for easy cleaning under the range. The whole unit was designed with maintenance in mind, and it's honestly one of the kitchen gadgets from the '60s that deserve a revival.

As was custom for the era, the range was available in many vibrant colors, including the classic pastel pink. It's hard to pinpoint when exactly these went out of fashion; they were still being advertised in 1965. It's likely they were ultimately made redundant by the rise of fan ovens in the following two decades — the addition of ventilation makes removing the inside of the oven virtually impossible.

Not only were retro ovens more colorful and eye-catching than the stainless-steel brigade of today, they also came with clever features that are missing from modern kitchens. For example, many had a chart displaying the best temperatures and cooking times for different foods; that was way before home cooks could consult the internet. Another interesting feature was a griddle top with a broiler underneath, so you could fry your morning bacon in the broiler and cook the eggs at the same time.

Many still yearn for these useful features, but you're not likely to find them in modern, high-tech, smart ranges. Luckily, old-school ovens were more reliable, so there are plenty of models from the bygone era still available. While we were unable to find any Pull 'N Clean model for sale at the time of this writing, there are other retro models that are more widely available — such as the Frigidaire Flair, the futuristic '60s oven model featured on 'Bewitched', or the various Chambers stoves. Fair warning, though, you'll have to dig deep into your pockets if you want a retro replacement.