Yard Sale, Thrift Store, Junk Heap Shopping (Part 2)

[andiesenji]

A friend just gave me a food steamer that she had earmarked for Goodwill but since I'm a sucker for kitchen items...

Anyone have any novel or ingenious uses? Or can point me to such discussion on eg?

I use my steamer all the time. Steamed dumplings, to "refresh" dried fruits (including raisins, cranberries & etc) that have gotten a bit dry and tough. I steam all kinds of vegetables. There are numerous steamed puddings, both sweet and savory, which turn out perfect in a steamer.

[toolprincess]

A friend just gave me a food steamer that she had earmarked for Goodwill but since I'm a sucker for kitchen items...

Anyone have any novel or ingenious uses? Or can point me to such discussion on eg?

I use my steamer all the time. Steamed dumplings, to "refresh" dried fruits (including raisins, cranberries & etc) that have gotten a bit dry and tough. I steam all kinds of vegetables. There are numerous steamed puddings, both sweet and savory, which turn out perfect in a steamer.

Thanks Andie great ideas! Yum I hadn't considered dumplings.

[andiesenji]

A friend just gave me a food steamer that she had earmarked for Goodwill but since I'm a sucker for kitchen items...

Anyone have any novel or ingenious uses? Or can point me to such discussion on eg?

I use my steamer all the time. Steamed dumplings, to "refresh" dried fruits (including raisins, cranberries & etc) that have gotten a bit dry and tough. I steam all kinds of vegetables. There are numerous steamed puddings, both sweet and savory, which turn out perfect in a steamer.

Thanks Andie great ideas! Yum I hadn't considered dumplings.

I've got this cookbook. The pork and mango potstickers are alone worth the price of the book. No real exotic ingredients and the recipes are easy to read and follow.

I can't eat ocean fish but I often steam catfish and trout. I've made spring rolls - a cinch with the store bought wrappers.

[aliénor]

anna -that manual slicer you bought for $14.99 is exactly the one we bought when we were living in denmark 1972-73. having three young boys at home it was great to have a manual slicer and not an electric menacing machine. i only wish i could find a replacement blade as mine is getting a bit dull. still good, though for sliceing homemade breads and sausages.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

DH says my folks had it before they left for San Diego in 1962. That's my timeline.

We received ours as a wedding gift in 1958.

eta: this was in response to the manu date of the West Bend Penguin decorated aluminum ice bucket.

Edited October 13, 2012 by Margaret Pilgrim (log)

[thock]

Today, I went to an estate pre-sale with my partner. He got a bunch of tools, and I got several things for the kitchen. Among my finds were four embossed measuring shot glasses. Three are Glasco, and the fourth doesn't have a name on it. The Glasco ones have teaspoon, tablespoon, ounce, milliliter and dessert spoon measures. The other has tsp, tbsp, oz and cc measures. One of the Glasco ones has a pouring lip. I have never seen anything like these before. I'm going to use one, and put the rest away for just-in-case.

I also got two aluminum canning funnels. One had a strainer insert, and the insert had some sort of cap for the strainer. It is a push-on fit, and I'm not really sure of the reason it's there. Once it's out of the dishwasher, I'll take a photo and post it.

I also got an acorn-shaped tea ball, an old Foley pot strainer (with a little handle on what I would consider the inside surface, and a yellow Bakelite handle), and a spritz cookie press.

[thock]

Here are photos of some of the items I scored today.

Foley pot strainer

Shot glass measuring glasses

Funnel with strainer and cap thingy.

Edited to remove extraneous signature line.

Edited October 17, 2012 by thock (log)

[Toliver]

Funnel with strainer and cap thingy.

The "funnel with strainer and cap thingy" looks like the top to a cocktail shaker. You're just missing the shaker chamber.

[judiu]

Thock, I believe that your strainer thingie is not aluminium, but silver, perhaps plated, or maybe sterling. Any marks probably would have been on the bottom of the shaker part. Enjoy it!

[thatchairlady]

Always looking for new places to get and share cooking stuff. When I join a new group, like to start with one of 2 topics.

Cooking disasters... picture PERFECT beef Wellington with crust that could NOT be CUT!! Had to almost chisel the crust off, but luckily beef was pretty much perfect inside!

Kitchen finds... I'm a yard saler and thrift store shopper. Have made what I think are some GREAT finds for very little money. A "vintage" KA stand mixer... crank up/down model... $19.99 at Good Will... with paddle, whisk and dough hook and smooth running motor. A Le Creuset grill pan... blue enamel exterior in perfect condition... NO chips or cracks... little clean-up needed on cast iron interior... $5! A Cuisinart food processor that I bought mainly for possible need of an extra bowl... all the blades... ended up being a step UP from what I already had... $8! KA 7-speed hand-mixer... never even outta box... price on box something like $69.99... for $5.

Love to cook/eat. NOT into super fussy stuff. Rarely have "fails".

What are your fails & finds?

[Tri2Cook]

Welcome and...

Rarely have "fails".

...you're not trying hard enough.

[thock]

Funnel with strainer and cap thingy.

The "funnel with strainer and cap thingy" looks like the top to a cocktail shaker. You're just missing the shaker chamber.

Thock, I believe that your strainer thingie is not aluminium, but silver, perhaps plated, or maybe sterling. Any marks probably would have been on the bottom of the shaker part. Enjoy it!

That makes sense about the strainer thingy. So the cap and the strainer thingy would have both been part of the cocktail shaker?

How would I determine if it is silver plate vs. aluminum? I'll have to take a better look at both those and the funnel they were taped inside of.

Thanks!

[Toliver]

That makes sense about the strainer thingy. So the cap and the strainer thingy would have both been part of the cocktail shaker?

Yes. There would have also been a (usually) tall container. See this video:

You really don't need the original matching container in order to use your strainer. You can use a large sturdy glass in place of a container as long as the strainer portion fits snugly atop the glass. As you shake this makeshift cocktail shaker, you just make sure you hold the strainer (and its closed lid) snugly to the glass portion so there won't be any leaks as you shake it.

[Porthos]

Regarding cocktail shakers: at the Los Angeles County Fair (and I assume other fairs) there is a tequilla stand that sells margeritas (sp?) in self-contained cocktail shaker/strainers that you take away with you. I'm surprized I've never seen one at any of the thrift shops I haunt.

[judiu]

Tracy, if you can rub the tarnish off the surface with your thumb, it's probably silver. The pieces will feel heavy in your hand, too . Look at the peices under a strong light, especially where they would rub when in use to spot wear and 'off' colours. If you see brass or copper under the worn areas, it's plated. HTH!

[heidih]

I fell in love/lust with this heavy glass at the swap meet today. The lid is threaded and screws securely to the base - like a precursor to travel mugs. The glass can sit in the lid as a coaster app. The vendor had no clue. I overpaid at $10 but she often just gives me things so it was one of those balance of nature things. Any thoughts?

[robirdstx]

Neat! No clue either, but jam or jelly jar?

[Emily_R]

Love that Heidi - especially the threaded lid! Beautiful!

[Mjx]

I fell in love/lust with this heavy glass at the swap meet today. The lid is threaded and screws securely to the base - like a precursor to travel mugs. The glass can sit in the lid as a coaster app. The vendor had no clue. I overpaid at $10 but she often just gives me things so it was one of those balance of nature things. Any thoughts?

Special presentation jar for sweets or some other specialty that doesn't require special preservation measures?

[thock]

That makes sense about the strainer thingy. So the cap and the strainer thingy would have both been part of the cocktail shaker?

Yes. There would have also been a (usually) tall container. See this video: <removed link (th)>

You really don't need the original matching container in order to use your strainer. You can use a large sturdy glass in place of a container as long as the strainer portion fits snugly atop the glass. As you shake this makeshift cocktail shaker, you just make sure you hold the strainer (and its closed lid) snugly to the glass portion so there won't be any leaks as you shake it.

Tracy, if you can rub the tarnish off the surface with your thumb, it's probably silver. The pieces will feel heavy in your hand, too . Look at the peices under a strong light, especially where they would rub when in use to spot wear and 'off' colours. If you see brass or copper under the worn areas, it's plated. HTH!

Thanks guys. It's very lightweight, so I'm pretty sure it's aluminum. It's nice to know I can use it with a glass or a jar.

Edited to remove video from quote.

Edited October 22, 2012 by thock (log)

[andiesenji]

I fell in love/lust with this heavy glass at the swap meet today. The lid is threaded and screws securely to the base - like a precursor to travel mugs. The glass can sit in the lid as a coaster app. The vendor had no clue. I overpaid at $10 but she often just gives me things so it was one of those balance of nature things. Any thoughts?

Heidi, It looks like a pickle or jam "caster" jar. These usually were in sets of two or three and were held in silver or pewter "hangers" ..

Here's a page with a bunch, the style varied considerably, some open, many had lids.

[Darienne]

We are back in the land of incredible second-hand stores…the why is still a mystery to us.

Our first Sunday (50% off for seniors) shopping brought no amazing buys, but a good supply of stuff which we needed to augment the usual condo rental supply…a) because the condos are usually full of OHV-riding types who don’t cook and so they aren't stocked for cooking and b) because I am NOT going to ruin their spotless Paula Deen pots which I pack away while we are here.

Today’s visit to look for shelf making bits brought a cute treat; a bright red Quesadilla maker. One-purpose, totally unneeded, but cute as a button and only $4 (no % off today). So for lunch…because you have 24 hours to return electrical items if they don’t perform well enough…our first ever Quesadillas. Fun and they tasted good with cheese and Hatch chiles.

[andiesenji]

Nifty find, Darienne..

[Porthos]

I just found a NordicWare 8 x 4 loaf pan this morning in great shape for $1.50USD. The timing is just right. I needed a 8 x 4 loaf pan for the Tea Bread recipe Anna N posted in another thread last week. It's in the oven as I type.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

I fell in love/lust with this heavy glass at the swap meet today. The lid is threaded and screws securely to the base - like a precursor to travel mugs. The glass can sit in the lid as a coaster app. The vendor had no clue. I overpaid at $10 but she often just gives me things so it was one of those balance of nature things. Any thoughts?

Super find! And if you only paid $10, you should feel guilt for robbing a vendor with whom you have a relationship! Threaded glass is very perishable, so to find a piece that is intact is in itself a coup. It's a lovely piece. I don't want to hazard dating it, but I would warn against screwing and unscrewing it unnecessarily (as in show and tell) because the threads do chip. (I remember being severely scolded at a flea market in France when testing just such jars.) Enjoy your treasure!