Tropicalsenior

It may be a regular burger but it looks spicy and very juicy. Does it have some pork in it?

Is that rou jia mo?

Except for not being round, your pastie recipe sounds like it's from Butte, Montana, also. They look delicious as does your hot beef sandwich. Are you using The Butte, Montana Centennial cookbook?

This is one of the things I love about it. We can disagree civilly and for all our diversity, we can come together solidly on this one thing .

Wouldn't be much fun if we weren't.

Thank you very much, I can't wait to try it.

Wouldn't work ! A lot of people have gotten answers about that strange weird thing that grandma left them or that they bought at a garage sale. So, we may never get an answer on this one, it's still fun to see what people come up with. It's also fun to see that some people on EG have some really strange minds.

It looks like you got the dough perfect! Is there any way at all that you can share the recipe?

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!