Tropicalsenior

You have to remember, though, that this thing could be a hundred years old and not only that, there's a possibility that it is European. It could be something used in an obscure little Austrian factory to make celluloid collars, or it could be used to hold a cow's tail for slaughter or castration. We could beat this to death just by guessing for the next 10 years like they have done on the internet. We aren't likely to find anyone that has ever used one.

I don't see any cutting blades. And cutting would require a continuous motion where this seems to lock in place at various locations. The locking mechanism also rules out its use as a squeezer or juice press. I'm inclined to think that it has nothing to do with food prep.

My thoughts exactly. The way the parts move do not suggest grating. Also the bottom plate does not look like an old-style grater. More like a Microplane , which is a lot later origin.

I think it's also probably generational. It looks very old. My mother was one that collected every gadget came around and she never had anything like this. I guess we will have to wait until @andiesenji weighs in, she's usually right on the money . As for using it for skinning or scaling fish, scaling maybe but that's where you start the skinning process and I can't see it working for that. I've worked around a lot of fishmongers and chefs while they are skinning fish and I've done a fair amount myself. I can't see using this thing when a good towel will hold it just as well. But then, what do I know. Whatever its original purpose was, it apparently didn't get much use because it Is still in almost perfect condition. Maybe it didn't work very well.

I used to watch my German grandmother make kraut And all she ever used was A great big huge butcher knife . She would make 20 heads of cabbage at a time and it seems to me that a gadget like this would take forever.

Interesting! The mechanism itself looks like some diabolical piece of Harmonica. It looks like it would be good to squeeze juice out of a piece of celery. Do you have any idea how big it is?

Does anyone have any advice, perhaps a simple recipe, for cooking red lentils in the IP?

@rotuts thank you! Some really great ideas!

@rotuts great idea! I've always loved the big shells but they were real PIA to stuff and keep from breaking. We have been able to get a new pasta down here that is wonderful and they have the great big shells that I have been wanting to try. Now I can. I'm still going to let it sit in the refrigerator for 24 hours before I bake it. I also like the idea of putting cornstarch in the sauce to thicken it. I'm going to try that today when I make some stromboli because the sauce always seems to turn watery and break through the crust. Thank you.

I did find that it was necessary to soak them in hot water for a few minutes to be able to trim them to size. Otherwise they just shatter when you try to cut them. Then I throw the trimmings in with the cheese layer and there's no waste. I have tried it both ways, cooking immediately and waiting a while. I still prefer to make it ahead of time.

It looks delicious and it is a beautiful presentation. I went to Google for this and they gave me 50 different kinds of recipes and definitions. Could you please elaborate a little bit on your version.

I use these all the time and I really like them but I found out that they do a lot better if you use a thinner sauce. If I have a thick sauce I just add a little water. Then I cover it and leave it for a few hours (up to 24 hours) in the refrigerator.

Forget about the chicken, check out this.

Mine is farfalle. I have no idea why but I just don't like it.

I have cooked several things in barbecue sauce in the IP, little ribs, pieces of pork belly, and pulled pork. I have found that the thing that makes the flavor pop is to coat them with a thin layer of barbecue sauce and pop them under the broiler for a few minutes. It should work with a roast.

Then you have got to try it grilled on good sourdough bread. One of the best grilled cheese sandwiches ever.

Be very careful how you knock the blue box. That stuff has fan clubs and they will get you!

Puddings, porridges, it doesn't matter how the raisins plump in them because they have enough moisture to do the job. But if you put dry raisins in baked goods the moisture that is used to plump the raisins has to come out of the final product and can cause it to be dry. I always have a jar of raisins in the refrigerator covered with rum. Then when I put them in baked goods they are preplumped and delicious.

Damn, girl, you have come a long way! That is absolutely gorgeous. Time to change your moniker to: Cancookandproudofit.

I have been told that they make aluminum pans that can be used in microwaves and some microwaves that can tolerate TV dinner style trays, but having once lost a microwave to a twist tie from a bread wrapper I have never been tempted to put aluminum in my microwave since. if you decide to go the fresh then frozen route as we did, we made four entrees a day on a rotating basis so that we always had a variety in the freezer. It depends on how heavy you want to go into it. It's a lot of work but people really love what they considered to be a home cooked meal without all the preservatives.

I used to work for a deli that did a lot of catering. A lot of our entrees we sold as takeout food also. They were always baked just to the point of coloring. We sold them the first day as fresh entrees and anything that was left the first day went into the freezer immediately. I have no idea what it was called but we had containers that could be used in the microwave or the oven. We found that most people when they want take out they want convenience and they don't want to wait for the full bake time of a product. We didn't sell any pot pies but I have made them and put them in my own freezer. I had best results by baking them about 3/4 of the way. If you put them in the freezer unbaked, the bottom crust is always soggy. If you bake them all the way, the crust on top will get too dark. we sold our entrees in two and four serving containers and took special orders for larger sizes. I don't know if this helps but it is what we did when I worked in catering.

I keep some snack sized packages of Doritos and chips on hand just to put on the top of some casseroles that I make. It's faster than crumbs and it has crunch and flavor.

@TdeV That's it, I had forgotten that I had posted this. It says that it is for bread machine but I have made it both ways with great success. These taste just exactly like the great ones we used to get at a Chinese Bakery in Seattle. It could even be their filling recipe. it says that it will make six but those are awfully big. I usually make 8 to 12. I have even made 24 little ones and the marvelous thing about the filling is that it has always come out even with the dough. I've tried a lot of recipes and this is the only one that I will use from now on.

There is a trick to that. when you roll out the bun, leave a hump in the middle and make the edges very thin. In fact, you can make them thinner as you pull the dough out to wrap around the filling. With the thiner edges it is a lot easier to make the neat little pleats, too. The best recipe that I ever found on the internet for making them was by David Soo. I can't find the link right now but he should be easy to find because I think it is the only thing that he ever posted on the internet. if you want to PM me and give me your email address, I would be more than happy to send you a copy.

I always put mine on lightly greased cupcake liners. It keeps them from sticking to the pan, catches leaks, and they don't get to brown. These look great for a first attempt.