Treasured Culinary Mementos

[boilsover]

Prompted by the recent "What Could You Not Do Without" thread, I was thinking about the non-family-heirloom category of cooking tools, especially those acquired under special or notable circumstances, resulting in their elevation to personal treasures.

 

What are yours, and what are their stories?

 

Mine include a copper skillet from the hands of Caesare Mazzetti in Montepulciano, a bread knife from Poilane, a custom knife from my friend Bob Kramer, and my egg clacker from A. Simon (which I later saw in use at Astrance, a Parisian M3*).  

 

The thing need not be noble, since I also treasure my Proline skillet from the Solingen factory store, my Buffalo Iron,  and the cheap shellfish forks from E. Dehillerin.

 

Give it up...

[kayb]

This.

It's a sorghum molasses pitcher, in use by my family since before the Civil War. I think about my 3x great grandfather pouring sorghum on his biscuit or hoe cake from this before he got up from the table and went off to enlist in a war from which he never came home. And I think about pouring sorghum over a buttered biscuit before I hustled out to catch the school bus. And all the biscuits in between.

[Maison Rustique]

My Mom's family lived in the Kansas City, MO area for a number of generations. At one time, they lived on a farm that was neighbor to the James family. Jesse and his brother Frank would stop in occasionally for a cup of coffee. Mom had the sugar bowl that they got their sugar from for their coffee. This was always a delightful story to share with friends and show them the bowl when we were kids and I still have friends ask about it. I wish I had a photo of it, but Mom (she just passed on Oct. 4) had dementia and about 3 or 4 years ago, she gave it away. I was so distraught since I didn't even have a photo of it and no idea where it is or with whom. Let that be a lesson to all--if you have a family member with dementia, be sure to get anything meaningful away from them, even if they are "not that bad yet."

[Darienne]

This isn't quite 'culinary', but it has been in a place of honor in my kitchen since 1962 when my parents left Canada for warmer climes.

His name is Oscar and he's Art Deco and he's been in my life since I was born and always in the kitchen.

[Kim Shook]

3 hours ago, Maison Rustique said:

My Mom's family lived in the Kansas City, MO area for a number of generations. At one time, they lived on a farm that was neighbor to the James family. Jesse and his brother Frank would stop in occasionally for a cup of coffee. Mom had the sugar bowl that they got their sugar from for their coffee. This was always a delightful story to share with friends and show them the bowl when we were kids and I still have friends ask about it. I wish I had a photo of it, but Mom (she just passed on Oct. 4) had dementia and about 3 or 4 years ago, she gave it away. I was so distraught since I didn't even have a photo of it and no idea where it is or with whom. Let that be a lesson to all--if you have a family member with dementia, be sure to get anything meaningful away from them, even if they are "not that bad yet."

My maiden name is Younger and we are supposedly related to the Younger brothers who rode with the James gang.  So, maybe your family entertained mine!  Your advice is apt - my mom gave away a bunch of childhood books that meant a lot to my daughter - she wasn't "that bad yet".  

[andiesenji]

I have a great many sentimental items.

 

One eG related item that I treasure is a atainless steel mushroom.  There was, quite a few years ago, an extended discussion on garlic gadgets and there was Fifi who advocated for an AMCO stainless steel mushroom that not only did a bang up job of crushing garlic, but also would, when one rubbed ones hands over it, under running water, would remove all odor of onions and garlic from ones hands.  

 

Fifi left us a few years later and she was sorely missed.  I have one of the stainless steel mushrooms that sits on the window ledge right above my sink so I see it several times a day and remember the many times we corresponded about various things, food mostly, gardening, foraging for wild plants, strange people.  

And I smile because Fifi was always cheerful and very kind.

[gfweb]

32 minutes ago, andiesenji said:

I have a great many sentimental items.

 

One eG related item that I treasure is a atainless steel mushroom.  There was, quite a few years ago, an extended discussion on garlic gadgets and there was Fifi who advocated for an AMCO stainless steel mushroom that not only did a bang up job of crushing garlic, but also would, when one rubbed ones hands over it, under running water, would remove all odor of onions and garlic from ones hands.  

 

Fifi left us a few years later and she was sorely missed.  I have one of the stainless steel mushrooms that sits on the window ledge right above my sink so I see it several times a day and remember the many times we corresponded about various things, food mostly, gardening, foraging for wild plants, strange people.  

And I smile because Fifi was always cheerful and very kind.

 

Been looking on eBay for that mushroom for years....

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Why would you want to remove the odor of garlic from your hands?