Unusual & mysterious kitchen gadgets

[andiesenji]

Would make an impressive set of brass knuckles too!

You got it! Kerry.

My cousins think I am nuts for collecting all this old "junk" that was retired from use more than fifty years ago. They also wonder about all the "city folk" who are buying up old farms and "tartin' them up with granite counters and installing new 'vintage-style' appliances."

My cousin Clyde Lee says his grandson is raking in a fortune refinishing old wide-board heart pine floors in those old houses. Some people are obviously not hit too hard by the recession. He asked if I wanted one of the old wood stoves from the farm. It only weighs 600 pounds and he can recommend a good freight man!

I declined, although I appreciate the thought. Lots of money sitting there as it is still in prime condition.

[andiesenji]

If no one has any more guesses, I will return in a couple of hours and list the functions for which this tool could be used.

[andiesenji]

The cast iron kitchen tool has the following functions:

Lid lifter for wood/coal stove.

Damper hook.

Bail lifter for pots with metal bail-type handles, or bail-handled griddles.

Oven rack puller.

Bottle opener. Jug cap lifter.

Pry lever for opening lard cans. (The type with external lid lip that is 1 inch deep.

Wire cinch twister. Heavy wire is looped around a container lid, the two free ends are run through the round holes and the tool is twisted until the wire has been cinched tight. Usually used on a crock to secure a waxed canvas top.

Meat pounder/tenderizer - the exterior ridges on one side. (It works quite well.)

[Darienne]

The cast iron kitchen tool has the following functions:

Lid lifter for wood/coal stove.

Damper hook.

Bail lifter for pots with metal bail-type handles, or bail-handled griddles.

Oven rack puller.

Bottle opener. Jug cap lifter.

Pry lever for opening lard cans. (The type with external lid lip that is 1 inch deep.

Wire cinch twister. Heavy wire is looped around a container lid, the two free ends are run through the round holes and the tool is twisted until the wire has been cinched tight. Usually used on a crock to secure a waxed canvas top.

Meat pounder/tenderizer - the exterior ridges on one side. (It works quite well.)

I think we could all use one of those!!!

Edited August 4, 2010 by Darienne (log)

[Kerry Beal]

The cast iron kitchen tool has the following functions:

Lid lifter for wood/coal stove.

Damper hook.

Bail lifter for pots with metal bail-type handles, or bail-handled griddles.

Oven rack puller.

Bottle opener. Jug cap lifter.

Pry lever for opening lard cans. (The type with external lid lip that is 1 inch deep.

Wire cinch twister. Heavy wire is looped around a container lid, the two free ends are run through the round holes and the tool is twisted until the wire has been cinched tight. Usually used on a crock to secure a waxed canvas top.

Meat pounder/tenderizer - the exterior ridges on one side. (It works quite well.)

Interesting - the lid lifter I recall from my grannies wood/oil stove wasn't quite as fancy looking. But I can see how that would very nicely handle all those functions.

[judiu]

The 'eye' lifter from Nana's coal stove was a unitasker, unless you needed to beat something to death. Neat gadget, Andi!

[prasantrin]

Not unknown and not unusual in Europe, but what is it called in English and where can I get one?

http://cgi.ebay.de/ALU-Backform-NUSS-NUs-Weihnachtsplatzchen-/250726496472?pt=DE_Haus_Garten_Haushaltswaren_Backzubeh%C3%B6r&hash=item3a6076b8d8

The listing is in German, but it says it's

Ideal für Weihnachtsplätzchen

which according to my googling, are just different kinds of Christmas cookies.

But I found the gadget first on http://laurafrunza.com/2011/02/05/nutty-nuttela-nuts/ and she used them to make filled egg-shaped things that look awfully tasty. Her grandmother has a cool old one made by "gypsy blacksmiths".

[rarerollingobject]

Not unknown and not unusual in Europe, but what is it called in English and where can I get one?

http://cgi.ebay.de/ALU-Backform-NUSS-NUs-Weihnachtsplatzchen-/250726496472?pt=DE_Haus_Garten_Haushaltswaren_Backzubeh%C3%B6r&hash=item3a6076b8d8

The listing is in German, but it says it's

Ideal für Weihnachtsplätzchen

which according to my googling, are just different kinds of Christmas cookies.

But I found the gadget first on http://laurafrunza.com/2011/02/05/nutty-nuttela-nuts/ and she used them to make filled egg-shaped things that look awfully tasty. Her grandmother has a cool old one made by "gypsy blacksmiths".

Hmm, it's like a one sided ebelskiver pan. Although I own one of these and call it a takoyaki pan. Culturally confused as ever, me.

[prasantrin]

Its similar, but not similar enough. These have a different shape and I think are not as deep. From the pictures, I think the final product has a much thinner (and more well-cooked) dough than what takoyaki produces. (I think takoyaki needs to be thicker to handle all the turning, but since these aren't turned, they can be thinner.)

[Katie Meadow]

Search on eBay for Oreshki and you will find a variety of these Russian nut molds.

[prasantrin]

Thanks! Hope I can find some cheap ones around!

[OliverB]

wow, I must say, if the only thing on this site would be Andie's stories and insight into old cooking gadgets and procedures, it would be worth being a member! You should write a book or blog about all the old fun things you have in your - I can only imagine - enormous collection, too much of this knowledge is getting lost with all the new set-it-and-forget-it gadgetry we have nowadays!

And if somebody has a nice old wood fired stove in working condition to give away, I'm all ears! Ever since watching Jamie Oliver cook on his wood fired stove in what seems to be his garden cottage I've wanted one, and my boy (7) is totally in love with those things. I've looked around a bit, but they are unaffordable here in NorCal.

My grandparents in Germany had a huge mill (think of Modern Times with Chaplin to imagine the machines with huge leather belts going up and down through the building powering all the old equipment, everything run by a giant water wheel. The mill stones were the size of a good big round dinner table) and they were more modern than wood fired stove, they had a huge oil fired stove instead. And with huge I mean easy the size of an apartment kitchen for the stove alone. My uncle eventually turned the kitchen into a gallery for old prints, just to give you an idea.

That thing was basically a huge flat iron surface with a big oil fire underneath, with several round ring inserts where you cooked and could take one or more of the rings out, I guess to increase or regulate the heat. They cooked for many people at that place. I don't thnk they ever turned that thing off, it must have taken a long time to heat up. I wish I had photos of that kitchen! But that's where my love for oldfashioned stoves comes from. Somehow my boy inherited that w/o much of my doing. I wish he'd be more into cooking than designing a car faster than the Bugatti Veiron (he's 7, so there's still hope!) but old stoves fascinate him.

[Darienne]

wow, I must say, if the only thing on this site would be Andie's stories and insight into old cooking gadgets and procedures, it would be worth being a member! You should write a book or blog about all the old fun things you have in your - I can only imagine - enormous collection, too much of this knowledge is getting lost with all the new set-it-and-forget-it gadgetry we have nowadays!

Andie does have a wonderful blog and the stories and photos are so much fun and contain so much information. Check out Andie's blog.

[andiesenji]

Earlier this morning here I was, using this little gadget and thought why not post a pic in this topic and see if anyone else uses something similar.

It is shown with a teaspoon so you can get an idea of the size: 2" x 5" not including the hook.

I use it at least once or twice a week, sometimes more often.

I purchased it many years ago at a little gourmet shop here in Lancaster that went out of business more than ten years ago. Sad that, it was one of my favorite places to hang out and look for odd stuff.

This was on a hang card that listed an alternate use and they are still made (different materials) for that same use but I never used it as such.

[judiu]

It's a guide for slicing onions and/or tomatoes, isn't it? I remember the era when they were used as pics, to pouf up a hairdo...

[andiesenji]

It's a guide for slicing onions and/or tomatoes, isn't it? I remember the era when they were used as pics, to pouf up a hairdo...

You are correct!

When I got this one it was on a card, with another gadget - a honey dipper, and was touted as being a biscuit and muffin "splitter" in addition to onion slicing guide.

I didn't need a guide for slicing onions but splitting biscuits, English muffins and crumpets with a fork can get downright tiresome, going round and round the things.

This requires just two thrusts, at 90 degree angles and the biscuit or muffin pops apart. I've even used it on bagels with success when I didn't feel like slicing them or my bagel cutter was hiding.

As I bake biscuits at least once a week, and usually more often, ditto muffins and etc., I use this a lot.

I checked on Amazon and they have some that are all stainless steel, however this one has been performing well for almost twenty years and should continue to do so.

Edited February 25, 2011 by andiesenji (log)

[dcarch]

Someone gave me this:

http://www.cookware.com/ChefN-102-174-005-EFN1044.html

Useless.

dcarch

[Big Joe the Pro]

This is a really interesting topic, it takes me back to my Grandma's kitchen and that's a good (and hot and busy) place to be. I'd like to throw a few cents into the pool here if I may:

First-of-all; I'm a little jealous of some of the stuff you guys are pulling out of the drawers. There's not alot of kitchen stuff like that here in China as, I'm sure you are probably aware, even cutting edge chefs here use very simple and rudimentary tools. Admirable as that is it doesn't make for kitchen antique hunting (of course there's another kind of heaven for antiques here but it's not so interesting or affordable for me). I could be wrong about that as well, will have to research it. Perhaps I should start scouring the markets looking for Ming Dynasty jade spoon holders? It would probably be fake, ha ha.

Secondly and with all due respect and admiration; when does a kitchen dodad become frivolous, where's the line? A couple things are on my mind here; when I go back to the States for a visit I always make a beeline to the kitchen supply joints and last time I saw something that was really over-the-top in my opinion; a small set of tweezers with plastic tips to help retrieve coffee filters from a stack. I mean come on, I think it would take longer to find the things than to actually use them to advantage.

Also, I'm thinking of the Frugal Gourmet's (Jeff whats-his-name?) advice that you shouldn't have anything in your kitchen that only has one purpose. Perhaps he's not the most quoteable person of late but it made an impression on me years ago when I saw it on PBS.

Anyway, I'm just saying thanks for the interesting topic and looking for some debate. Also looking forward to some more weird gadgets!

Edited February 26, 2011 by Big Joe the Pro (log)

[andiesenji]

We aim to please.

I can't say how weird they are but more gadgets are being exhumed from the places they have been stored for some time.

I advise against buying any "antiques" there is a huge business of manufacturing antiques and aging them so it takes an expert to determine the true age.

A friend's mother visited China last year and was sold some "jade" carved items that turned out to be alabaster that had been dyed.

Carved yes, antique? NO. She paid 600.00 for things that are worth, at most, 50.00.

[bigtex]

I found this in my great-grandparents house and would like some help identifying it.

Can anyone help me out? I'd appreciate it!

I thought it might be used to make corn meal or maybe it is a juicer - but those are just guesses!

It is approx. 10-12" in length.

Edited February 11, 2012 by bigtex (log)

[Kim Shook]

Depending on the size, it could be a Chinois pusher.

[bigtex]

Ok. Thank you.

I *DID* find a very fine mesh strainer, also. - However it is more circular and round in shap and not cone-shaped. I will try to post a pic of the strainer soon.

[dcarch]

Ice cream cone maker?

dcarch

http://i03.i.aliimg.com/img/pb/156/661/249/1274154619910_hz-myalibaba-web10_1064.jpg

[Anna N]

click

[Lisa Shock]

It's a pestle for a chinois.