Caper Spoons and Capers

[Dave the Cook]

Host's note: this topic was split from The Gray Kunz Sauce Spoon.

On 6/1/2017 at 2:15 PM, Anna N said:

 What I would like to find and so far have been unsuccessful in doing so is a perforated teaspoon.  Not a measuring spoon but the kind of spoon you would stir your tea with.   It always seems to me there ought to be one for digging out citrus pits etc. from small bowls.  Anyone else think there ought to be this size of perforated spoon? 

 

 

Caper spoon?

Edited June 5, 2017 by Smithy
Added host's note (log)

[rotuts]

nice

 

moving lower om the Amazin :

 

https://www.amazon.com/WMF-Pieced-Serving-Spoon-6-25-Inch/dp/B00LB6HWJY/ref=pd_day0_79_4?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00LB6HWJY&pd_rd_r=4Y4PEQTGK1MA5PN068MM&pd_rd_w=PL4DF&pd_rd_wg=qZzGJ&psc=1&refRID=4Y4PEQTGK1MA5PN068MM
 

or others from there ?

 

now Ive never been Spoon-less

 

but with the Kunz' spoons that I now have

 

and will enjoy

 

well I thought Id be smiling at the Top of Top-Most Top

 

[ spoon edition ]

 

but at the bottom of the Amazon Link

 

the Top most Top seems to be a small Hill.

 

Yikes !

 

Who Knew ?

 

Edited June 1, 2017 by rotuts (log)

[Anna N]

44 minutes ago, Dave the Cook said:

 

Caper spoon?

 That would do the trick. Contrary to the usual situation an almost identical spoon also by the same maker is available on the Amazon.ca site for a mere four dollars.  Added it to my cart.   I thought $17 was a bit of a stretch.  Thank you. I think I remember coming across a caper spoon at some point.

[rotuts]

https://www.amazon.ca/Cuisinox-FLA-CAPER-Serving-Spoon-Silver/dp/B06XH6X7VX/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1496349414&sr=8-7&keywords=caper+spoon

 

nice

[andiesenji]

18 hours ago, Anna N said:

 That would do the trick. Contrary to the usual situation an almost identical spoon also by the same maker is available on the Amazon.ca site for a mere four dollars.  Added it to my cart.   I thought $17 was a bit of a stretch.  Thank you. I think I remember coming across a caper spoon at some point.

The spoon you describe in you original post is a "mote spoon" - I think I still have one somewhere in my junk.  

It has a regular teaspoon bowl with perforation and the other end is a pointy thing for unplugging the tea spout when clogged with tea leaves. 

As I recall, it was a Victorian thing as they seemed to have a table utensil for everything.  

I'll see if I can find an example.

 

6/2 - OK - I was off by a century. It was the Georgians in the later third of the 18th century who devised the mote spoon or mote skimmer.  This lasted into the Regency period until someone came up with the idea of the "elegant" tea strainer to be held over the cup while pouring, rather than use a spoon to fish the various bits out of the cups after pouring.  

Later, beginning in about 1850, most teapot makers began making pots with perforations between the bowl and the spout so there was less debris going into the cup IF ONE USED HIGH GRADE FULL-LEAF TEA.  

However, Victorians, who loved vast sets of flatware, with numerous utensils for every purpose imaginable, continued to offer the mote spoons in the "full sets" of tableware.  

Just one more spoon in a bewildering array.  There were almost as many different types of spoons in sets of high end tableware as there were forks - and that is saying a lot as some place setting included 8 forks.  

Place/ice cream spoon, teaspoon, dessert spoon, cream soup spoon, bouillon spoon, pudding spoon, demitasse spoon and sometimes a bon bon spoon if sweets were to be served at table.  All slightly different in size and shape.

I used to have a poster with the diagrams of place settings for Victorian era, Edwardian era, the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s and ending with the "hippie era"  showing paper places and plastic knife, fork and spoon.

 

 

Here are two examples of self-straining teapots - My great grandmother's Gorham copper teapot 1881 and a porcelain teapot, English, 1910.

 

Edited June 2, 2017 by andiesenji (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

On ‎6‎/‎1‎/‎2017 at 3:48 PM, rotuts said:

nice

 

moving lower om the Amazin :

 

https://www.amazon.com/WMF-Pieced-Serving-Spoon-6-25-Inch/dp/B00LB6HWJY/ref=pd_day0_79_4?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00LB6HWJY&pd_rd_r=4Y4PEQTGK1MA5PN068MM&pd_rd_w=PL4DF&pd_rd_wg=qZzGJ&psc=1&refRID=4Y4PEQTGK1MA5PN068MM
 

or others from there ?

 

now Ive never been Spoon-less

 

but with the Kunz' spoons that I now have

 

and will enjoy

 

well I thought Id be smiling at the Top of Top-Most Top

 

[ spoon edition ]

 

but at the bottom of the Amazon Link

 

the Top most Top seems to be a small Hill.

 

Yikes !

 

Who Knew ?

 

 

 

As may be seen, that WMF spoon does not fit in a consumer size jar of capers...

 

 

 

The lower olive spoon, also by WMF, fits in the jar just barely.  Though you may guess what happens if you try.

 

Then there is this as an alternative:

 

 

 

Does Kunz have a solution?

 

 

[daveb]

Will those spoons work with Pareil Capers?    Never got the "non" part, admittedly not spent any time trying to get it

 

I just strain out what I need, reserving brine.  Brine goes back in jar, capers get rinsed and into whatever I'm using them for.  Caponata anyone?

[JoNorvelleWalker]

1 hour ago, daveb said:

Will those spoons work with Pareil Capers?    Never got the "non" part, admittedly not spent any time trying to get it

 

I just strain out what I need, reserving brine.  Brine goes back in jar, capers get rinsed and into whatever I'm using them for.  Caponata anyone?

 

The WMF spoons I posted were a disaster.  The second picture of two pounds of capers with the humongous Ruhlman spoon was intended as a joke.

 

Tonight I dumped an entire jar of capers into a strainer and then into my dish.  Dinner was beyond all expectation but I am still looking for a satisfactory caper spoon.

 

Non pareil are the smallest and finest grade of capers.  Kunz needs to put up or shut up.

 

 

[MelissaH]

I've started to decant those ridiculous skinny jars of capers into a regular mason jar, the tiny size that holds about half a cup (I think). Much easier to scoop out what you need, if it's less than a whole jar!

[andiesenji]

12 hours ago, MelissaH said:

I've started to decant those ridiculous skinny jars of capers into a regular mason jar, the tiny size that holds about half a cup (I think). Much easier to scoop out what you need, if it's less than a whole jar!

I use a lot of capers. I buy the San Antonio jars - I think they are one pint.  The capers are exceptional in flavor. The only better ones I have ever tasted were the ones sold at the Italian market in the Valley where I shopped when I was still working and it was on my way home.  

They had about 10 varieties of olives and capers and caperberries in their fridge section.  

I have some olive tongs that I use to retrieve the capers from the jar.  The liquid drains off easily.  They are narrow enough to go into the skinny jars too.

 

Sorry, they are called "vegetable tongs" made by progressive. Mine are slightly different, earlier models.

Edited June 5, 2017 by andiesenji (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

53 minutes ago, andiesenji said:

I use a lot of capers. I buy the San Antonio jars - I think they are one pint.  The capers are exceptional in flavor. The only better ones I have ever tasted were the ones sold at the Italian market in the Valley where I shopped when I was still working and it was on my way home.  

They had about 10 varieties of olives and capers and caperberries in their fridge section.  

I have some olive tongs that I use to retrieve the capers from the jar.  The liquid drains off easily.  They are narrow enough to go into the skinny jars too.

 

Sorry, they are called "vegetable tongs" made by progressive. Mine are slightly different, earlier models.

 

 

The San Antonio jar I pictured (and which I am just about to open) is two pints.  I don't think I've eaten two pints of capers in my entire life.  Not to mention no room in the refrigerator.  But at least most of my spoons should fit!

 

[andiesenji]

9 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

The San Antonio jar I pictured (and which I am just about to open) is two pints.  I don't think I've eaten two pints of capers in my entire life.  Not to mention no room in the refrigerator.  But at least most of my spoons should fit!

 

I make a chicken stew with artichokes and capers - uses a 1/4 cup of capers.  I think it is a variation on a Cuban stew.

It is very tasty.  Stater Bros market here carries San Antonio in pint jar but also available from Amazon. 

 

I also make a pasta salad that uses a fair amount of capers.  It does not take me long to go through a jar.

 

Edited June 5, 2017 by andiesenji (log)