andiesenji

Mortars and pestles are very ancient. The neolithic people used depressions in rocks and boulders to pound various food items into pastes or ? Here in California there are numerous sites where one can see the holes in rocks where nuts, acorns, roots and such were pounded into useful shape. The Aztecs, Mayans and Incas all had similar tools and certainly they have been around in Southeast Asia since ancient times. The nice thing about the ones made of stone is that they are practically indestructible. The Egyptians used them both for food and cosmetics - a couple of examples from the 4th dynasty are in the museum in Cairo. The British museum has an exceptional collection of them. A friend visited the museum a few years ago and brought back numerous photos. Many were bronze from the Romans and were quite sophisticated designs, almost identical to modern "apothecary mortars". And an earlier example, made of agate was from the Etruscans.

I don't know much as I never collected ice cream scoops. I do know the first ones were cone-shaped and that there were any number of oddities that were patented but only a few were manufactured early on. The Italians used a broad slightly curved spatula or spoon with the end of the bowl squared off and a hole in the center of the bowl so the ice could be pushed out or so a "vacuum" wouldn't form. I saw a book about scoopers and dishers many years ago but I'm sure there is more recent info.

I'm not sure when the earliest apple peeler was invented. I have one from 1899. I was born and raised on my grandpa's farm and one of the major crops was sorghum. The sorgum "press" was Shaker built - in 1900, though most of the cast iron cog wheels and the chopping "screw" were cast at the iron foundry in Clarksville, TN. There was also a Shaker-built corn huller (for dried corn) that was hand-cranked and my cousins and I loved to play with it. By the time I was a child there was a powered huller that was used by other farmers who brought their dried corn to my grandpa's grist mill. They paid 5 cents to run a bushel of corn through the power huller but could use the hand-cranked one for free. We had big crosscut saws that were made by the Shakers and there was a lot of utilitarian furniture in the kitchens and work rooms that had been purchased by my family when the Shakers were still active. (long before I was born) I'm sure there were other items that came from the Shakers but I don't really recall the things that did not hold much interest for me. (Wood working tools, etc.) One of my aunts made "cane" or reed backs and seats for chairs, for decorative screens, etc., and she had a hand-cranked reed or stem splitter that had been made by the Shakers and I think she bought that at one of the auctions.

If you Google antique Shaker herb chopper you will get a bunch of entires - including this link with many images of what are actually mezzalunas, just not called that. Images of antique Shaker herb choppers Note that there are examples of the herb choppers from the early 1800s - the Pleasant Hill community was founded in 1805. The Shakers invented numerous kitchen implements, including the crank-type apple peeler/corer. They often did not patent their designs, they freely gave them to anyone who was interested. The things they did retain were the recipes for their herbal medicines - some of which were very important during the Civil war. I have several books about the Shakers - not because of their religious beliefs but because of their herbal lore and their kitchen and household inventions.

I have two mezalunas with double blades. The one in this photo - at the top, inherited from my grandmother - was made before 1919 which was when she received it before marrying my grandfather. The other one, which has two handles which are almost identical to the one on top on the left - it is made of high-carbon steel and rusts easily and has the "blue" cast like the top one has been leant to an exhibit at a historical house in Huntington Beach that was built in 1898. I think it is from about 1900. The oldest one in this photo is the middle one at the bottom which came from an auction at a Shaker community in Kentucky (Pleasant Hill) and was listed as having been made by the community blacksmith in 1879. (which is one reason why I question the Almanac date)

Naftal's topic, "What could be better than a history quiz?" got me to thinking. This item showed up on FaceBook a few days ago and I shared it - because it is interesting to me how the ancients cooked and heated their homes. Back in high school (early '50s) I wrote a "treatise" on how the Romans developed the hypocaust for my Ancient History class. Sad that it would take more than 1500 years for forced-air heating to be rediscovered. We think that our "modern" compact kitchens are an entirely new idea (20th century) but some genius in ancient Hellas/Greece developed a compact kitchen range that is truly innovative. On the FB page it was called a "fully equipped kitchenette" the true term is anthrakia. I could cook on something like that! The link is here. but to pique your interest, here is the photo.

I collect mezalunas so have a fair amount of printed information on them. When I began collecting, back in the '80s, as with many of my collections, I did a fair amount of research. The "Farmer's Almanac" does not always contain data that is entirely correct. Several issues have erroneously identified numerous "biggest", "tallest" etc., etc., etc., animals and things in various categories. Also there have been a number of quotations attributed to certain people, both living and dead - one notable one was supposedly by Mark Twain during his life and he personally attempted to have it corrected but it remained in subsequent issues for five years. I believe the quoted source for "mezaluna" refers to a particular patent that was approved by the U.S. patent office (under the 1836 patent act). However the mezzaluna, as such, was supposedly "invented" in Italy in 1708 - Here is the link to the specifics of the Italian invention. If you google Silvio Pacitti you will find quite a few links to other sites - and the "pizza cutter" claim is really not true, he developed his particular instrument to chop herbs and probably just refined the tool from an earlier one. I don't collect box graters so have no specific info on them. Whisks - I do have a large number of whisks of different shapes and types but not antiques. However: According to food historian G. Jones, "The first written mention of whisks came in The Frugal Housewife, a book published in London in 1765." It stands to reason that if something is mentioned in a cookbook, it must have been in use prior to that. Thanks for posting the question. At my age, anything that makes me think and stimulates my memory is appreciated.

The mezzaluna - there are examples of flint hand knives with an arced edge in numerous museums. The "ULU" a more compact chopping, cutting and scraping tool is another example. The early metal-working civilizations made both one-hand and two-handed choppers - again with that curved edge. Copper, bronze, and iron examples have been documented.

The newest issue of the monthly catalog from Republic of Tea arrived in today's mail - this month's free sample is Peppermint Bark and the "cover special" is a free tin of British Breakfast Tea with all orders over $30.00 until 12/1. If you subscribe and also sub to the emails, you will get special notices of free shipping and other goodies. I pay attention and have scored some real bargains.

I have found that a combination of allspice, cardamom and star anise, about equal parts of the first two and a bit less of the allspice, ground very fine and allowed to "bloom" in a very small amount of sugar syrup, before drizzling over nuts (or adding to hot drinks) is a very nice sub for cinnamon - some people are allergic to a specific component of "true" cinnamon so I needed a substitute.

Yet again I would like to recommend Republic of Tea's Cardamon Cinnamon Herb Tea (Details here) the "Full-Leaf" loose - which I buy in the "bulk" One pound bag and store in an airtight container. This when added to ANY tea, black, red, oolong or green, produces a spicy WARMING cup which one can "adjust" to their own taste. I have been buying this since it first appeared in a local health food store in late 1992 and they were serving samples of the teas from this new company. I have tried numerous chai blends and while some are excellent, I keep returning to this nicely balanced blend of spices that allows ME to get the exact flavor I prefer. It is also handy for additions to marinades and finely ground is a nice combination of spices for quick breads and also makes a fantastic syrup for dressing fruit salads, hot fruit compotes, etc.

If the engraving is done with a high speed ROTARY instrument it can be done very nicely and will not cause cracking. And in fact, with fairly inexpensive equipment (NOT the vibrating "engravers") you can do it yourself. I did engraving in glass (and some plastics) for many years, including thin watch crystals, goblets of every size and type, eyeglasses - both glass and plastic, engraved car, van and motorhome windows (the latter were the shatterproof acrilics). I used a high speed dental engine for most but occasionally worked with a Foredom flexible shaft motor and in a pinch one of the smaller hand-held dremels. You need a very fine carbide ball cutter. It's nice to do it freehand in script and you can get metal letting guides and even guides with fancy "swishes" if you are shaky with freehand. While most of my engraving was one-of-a-kind images, some lettering was always required. I think you can see the lettering on some of these pieces - it was all done freehand - however I spend years doing calligraphy too and back then had a very steady hand. (No longer...)

I looked up some of my old gardening notes and found that I planted the seeds in July - and mulched them in deep straw in late October to mid November as we have a very long growing season and rarely get hard frosts until late November. (Did the same with carrots, parsnips and celery root - and the ginger). I began harvesting them in December and left some in the ground until early March when the remainder were dug up. I cleaned them and stored them in my produce fridge (50 degrees) and they kept well for 6-8 weeks.

I needed some things from the local Middle Eastern market so shopped there this morning. One of the owners is Lebanese and his daughter told me that they had a very large family and served lamb but also a favorite main was a huge platter of quail, marinated in a pomegranate-based surup seasoned with Za'atar, lemon zest and sumac with raw sugar then grilled over a wood fire till the skins are crispy and sticky. Here they use mesquite because the resulting flavor is similar to that of the bois de broussailles (whatever the heck that is) they used in their home town in Lebanon. I think she mentioned some sumac wood was burned but I am not sure I am recalling it correctly. She said they also roasted whole aubergines (big eggplants) over the same fires to make various dishes, including baba ganoushe which was always offered on all holidays.

That's a rutabaga. Specifically the Laurentian purple-top rutabaga. I have grown them in the past and that "Florida, MA" designation is just a local designation to promote the root. All rutabagas are good, much sweeter and less "sharp" than turnips. Also known as "Swedes" especially in the UK. They are absolutely delicious when cut into chunks - about 1 inch or so - and oven roasted - long and slow so they develop a creamy interior and a browned, slightly crisp outer surface. I combine them with potatoes, both white and sweet, carrots, celery and celery root, parsnips and onions and do the slow roast thing in large batches which can be portioned and frozen for later use as a side dish but also a wonderful addition to stews, soups and etc...

I can tell you the dates of manufacture for your "Big Block" Griswold skillet... This "logo" was introduced in 1920 and used until 1940 - after which the size of the logo was reduced to a smaller circle and block letters. This site has a concise list of the timeline for Griswold I have all the Griswold/Wagner (et.al) books as I have a considerable collection of "heavy metal" ...

While it is rather a pale green, one of my most favored side dishes from many years ago (also offered when I was catering) was braised celery. I also relied on a buttered, sometimes cheese-topped broccoli or broccoli rabe side dish. Very similar to this one. which was always well recived by the folks who would NEVER touch brussels sprouts, no matter how they were prepared. Another favorite, especially among my Italian friends was a dish of broad beans and cipollini onions tossed with cooked pancetta and topped with a sweet/sour hot dressing made with the fat from frying the pancetta, balsamic vinegar and brown sugar.

There are "drop-down" spice cabinets that hide behind a false front that can hold art work, or if deep, shallow shelves and which, if you can afford them, can make your spices accessible for a person of normal height. There is also this type from Ikea hacks but I personally would not put spices anywhere near the stove... And is there room at the end of the bottom cabinets shown at the far left for an installation with a roll-out like this.

Sorry. I got my terms mixed. I should have said fascia or "dropped bulkhead" - with the sprinkler. It looks like it is curved and there are several possibilities for both decorative and utilitarian applications.

I will add my vote for the Charles Viancin silicone THINGS - not just the lids. I have several of the specialty gadgets and love them all. I recently bought a couple of the wine bottle stoppers - they work beautifully. I used the Boilover Safeguard last evening to prevent a nasty spill on my newly-cleaned stovetop (it always seems that as soon as I do a full cleanup of the stovetop there will be a spill of something incredibly messy immediately afterward...

I just looked at the photo again. What did not jump out on my first couple of views is that you have a considerable soffit covering the area above the dropped ceiling in your kitchen area and which is only a couple of steps from your prep area. Since your space is so very limited, why not make use of that space. There is room for either open, fully visible storage or for something with doors if you want to keep things hidden. Right now - unless you have mounted something else there since this photo was taken - that is simply wasted space - an empty canvas, so to speak.

For "regular" spice containers These For different installations: Check here There are more pictures to click on lower on the page... That wide cabinet above the pot rack - you can mount a sheet of steel and use the magnetic cans - they don't care if they are upside down or not as long as the lids fit securely. I have a friend who lives on a boat and has several of the flip-up cabinet doors with strips of steel and the magnetic cans for spices and in the "utility" area cans with screws, nuts and bolts and even those heavy things stay on the inside of the door, even when flipped up vigorously... Or, you can have a purpose-built one made for the end of that bottom cabinet, mounted facing outward where you currently have the stack of plastic containers... There are hundreds of ideas here perhaps some of these can give you ideas.

I would rather be safe than sorry. I have been trying to find the article I read a few years ago about one of the Mexico team soccer players who just bumped his knee at home - after drinking a homemade beverage made with tonka beans - by the time he got off the team bus at whatever place they were playing, his knee was hugely swollen from bleeding inside the joint and the doctors attributed it to a combination of the tonka stuff and aspirn. My neighbors at the time (since have moved) followed futball closely and the guys were incensed that the guy wasn't able to play for several games.

Again. A warning. If you are going to serve the ice cream to ANYONE else make sure they are not taking Warfarin, Coumadin, PLAVIX, other blood thinners/anticoagulants, or have taken ASPIRIN within the past 48 hours. One of my neighbors, who brought back from Mexico a bottle of "vanilla extract" made with tonka beans, used some in a flan and subsequently had a significant bleeding episode with subcutaneous area that looked like bruises - both eyes, nosebleeds and had to be hospitalized overnight so she could be given Vitamin K injections. She had been on Plavix for a couple of months. She is just lucky she did not have a brain bleed. Children are especially susceptible to the effects of the coumarin in tonka beans because they run and fall a lot. Normal people, not taking aspirin are fine but pregnant women, anyone with liver disease should avoid it. The beans can vary widely in the amount of coumarin they contain. Some have small amounts while others are 10 times as potent.

Somewhere in my stuff I have one of these that I bought at a restaurant supply place about 20+ years ago. It has a cast iron base which is heavy enough to support a cake larger than 12 inches (I think 14 inches was the size I mostly used) on a round tray topped with a patty board. I used museum wax to stick the tray to the turntable. This is just tall enough to make it easy for someone my height (5'6") to work on a cake on a baker's bench that is lower than regular kitchen counters - mine is 31 inches while the kitchen counters are 36". I looked for it but it seems to be too well stored for immediate access. I did find a multi-tiered cake stand that I had totally forgetten about and which I never used... Will have to dust off the box and put it on eBay as I will never have a use for it now - just have to find a large enough box in which to ship it...