Unusual & mysterious kitchen gadgets

[Kerry Beal]

'there's nowt so queer as folk'

[Kerry Beal]

47 minutes ago, andiesenji said:

I have a "gadget" currently on ebay - a 4-section "pipe tin" or round loaf pan, obviously used, and I so state.

Instead of posting a question I got a rather convoluted private question about the uses for it.

 

So, if one sees an ad for a bread pan (or cake, if one is an expert) that forms the shape when the dough rises into the top part, 

WHY WOULD someone ask if it could be used as a JELLO MOLD???

 

I have been puzzling over this one since early this morning.  I answered, no it was not suitable for a Jello mold.  I'm not even sure it would hold a liquid.  I have baked pound cakes and sponge cake in it but I've had a fair amount of experience knowing how much these cakes will rise.  Then I thought, why does anyone want to make a Jello log?  I asked but the questioner has not replied.

 

I recall the first time I used mine. I wanted to make cheese bread just like we used to get at the National Bakery.

 

I had to take the side rails off my Miele oven to get it in there. I had no idea how much dough. Suffice it to say there was dough coming out of all it's little cracks and crevices - it was days before I was able to pry it open and get it clean again.

[liuzhou]

About a week ago, I had a sudden urgent need for a carrot, so I headed for the nearest carrot store. It's about five minutes from my home. I seldom go there, not that there really is anything wrong with it other than their selection being a bit limited - they only have the essentials.

Anyway, after selecting the carrot most suitable for my exacting needs, I spotted these things on a shelf. I had no idea what they were, so I asked the sole member of staff - apparently a 12-year-old-girl. The only way I can accurately translate her Chinese is to say that she said "Dunno!" in a tone of voice which rather suggested she left off the second part and meant "I don't *^&^^% care!".

 

Sold! I bought it!

 

Just as I was leaving the tiny palace of delights, if you find carrots delightful, I spotted a bit of cardboard on the floor near the pile of things, on which were a mere two Chinese characters accurately describing its intended function. Any guesses?

 

The "bowl" has a capacity of about half a litre.

Edited May 21 by liuzhou (log)

[gfweb]

Egg poacher?

[Anna N]

Chinese lacrosse?  

[liuzhou]

6 minutes ago, gfweb said:

Egg poacher?

 

No

 

6 minutes ago, Anna N said:

Chinese lacrosse?  

Very good, but no. Maybe I'll give it a try.

[blue_dolphin]

I don't know, but I have one! It's been hanging on the wall in an artistic arrangement of baskets.  Sounds like I may need to move it to the kitchen!

[Thanks for the Crepes]

On 1/4/2016 at 3:40 PM, MisterKrazee said:

Any ideas what this happy thing might be?

 

 

 

 

Hi MisterKrazee from your home state!

 

Unfortunately, I can't help on the identification of your obscure kitchen gadget but I sure do love the little smiley face cut into it and the this year's crop sweet potatoes in the background. I picked up some beauties myself at 49 cents a pound at my local Food Lion the other day. Sad for the farmers who got flooded out by nasty old Hurricane Matthew and had their sweet potato crop rotting in muddy, flooded fields. Good to know that it did not take out all the crop, though. Did you know we live in the largest producing area in this country for sweets? We are absolutely dwarfed by China's production, though, I found out recently.

 

I'm not real sure your gizmo is a corn scraper. It looks from the photo to be convex on what I imagine to be the working side with the two teeth over the smiley. Wouldn't it work better with the teeth on the concave side?

 

It does not bode well that @andiesenji who owns or has owned every obscure kitchen gadget devised by man posted right after you and didn't weigh in? She is our resident expert on these matters. 

 

And andiesenji, I believe you're right on your hinged loaf pan. If you overfill with batter, it would leak out on rising and baking, and there would be no way to make a round log of gelatin in your device. People ask dumb questions because everyone is used to pressing buttons to make stuff happen now. Try not to worry about it. I hope you are more successful than I am. 

 

I asked a coworker for a jump for my car battery years ago, and she said she did not know how to open her hood.   Nevermind, I took care of it all and was able to drive off.

[andiesenji]

That's a corn zipper made by either Rosle or Kuhn Rikon.  I've got one around her somewhere, though mine has a plastic handle, the business end is the same.

 

I finally got an answer back from the person who inquired about the bread pan.  They were confused, they want a pan for paté or terrine.  They didn't realize the thing is as big as it is.

[andiesenji]

4 hours ago, liuzhou said:

About a week ago, I had a sudden urgent need for a carrot, so I headed for the nearest carrot store. It's about five minutes from my home. I seldom go there, not that there really is anything wrong with it other than their selection being a bit limited - they only have the essentials.

Anyway, after selecting the carrot most suitable for my exacting needs, I spotted these things on a shelf. I had no idea what they were, so I asked the sole member of staff - apparently a 12-year-old-girl. The only way I can accurately translate her Chinese is to say that she said "Dunno!" in a tone of voice which rather suggested she left off the second part "and I don't *^&^^% care!".

 

Sold! I bought it!

 

Just as I was leaving the tiny palace of delights, if you find carrots delightful, I spotted a bit of cardboard on the floor near the pile of things, on which were a mere two Chinese characters accurately describing its intended function. Any guesses?

 

The "bowl" has a capacity of about half a litre.

Bamboo sieve.  I've got a couple, different shapes.  One round, one like this.  I used to use the big one like this for scooping dumplings out of boiling water and also for scooping curds when I made cheese.  

[liuzhou]

3 hours ago, andiesenji said:

Bamboo sieve.  I've got a couple, different shapes.  One round, one like this.  I used to use the big one like this for scooping dumplings out of boiling water and also for scooping curds when I made cheese.  

 

It was described as being for a very specific purpose. Not dumplings and certainly not cheese.

[andiesenji]

1 hour ago, liuzhou said:

 

It was described as being for a very specific purpose. Not dumplings and certainly not cheese.

At the market it had a sign that said "bean strainer" but since a lot of their signs are somewhat enigmatic, I figured it was just a sieve.

[Alex]

16 hours ago, andiesenji said:

I have been puzzling over this one since early this morning.  I answered, no it was not suitable for a Jello mold.  I'm not even sure it would hold a liquid.  I have baked pound cakes and sponge cake in it but I've had a fair amount of experience knowing how much these cakes will rise.  Then I thought, why does anyone want to make a Jello log?

 

Why, to make red and green bûches de Noël, of course!

[liuzhou]

35 minutes ago, andiesenji said:

At the market it had a sign that said "bean strainer" but since a lot of their signs are somewhat enigmatic, I figured it was just a sieve.

 

Well, I suppose it could sieve most things. However, beans were not what they were advertising.

[jmolinari]

11 hours ago, liuzhou said:

About a week ago, I had a sudden urgent need for a carrot, so I headed for the nearest carrot store. It's about five minutes from my home. I seldom go there, not that there really is anything wrong with it other than their selection being a bit limited - they only have the essentials.

Anyway, after selecting the carrot most suitable for my exacting needs, I spotted these things on a shelf. I had no idea what they were, so I asked the sole member of staff - apparently a 12-year-old-girl. The only way I can accurately translate her Chinese is to say that she said "Dunno!" in a tone of voice which rather suggested she left off the second part "and I don't *^&^^% care!".

 

Sold! I bought it!

 

Just as I was leaving the tiny palace of delights, if you find carrots delightful, I spotted a bit of cardboard on the floor near the pile of things, on which were a mere two Chinese characters accurately describing its intended function. Any guesses?

 

The "bowl" has a capacity of about half a litre.

 

Catching fish from the tank before consuming them!

[liuzhou]

6 minutes ago, jmolinari said:

 

Catching fish from the tank before consuming them!

 

No.

[Wayne]

 

Obviously a bamboo lacrosse stick for vegan (no leather used) toddlers .

 

 

[gfweb]

Taiwanese jai alai stick

[Darienne]

I have two in two sizes and they hang as decor on our dining room wall.  I am enamored of baskets, collect them, display them, wish I could still make them. 

[Alex]

A wall decoration!  ;-}

[blue_dolphin]

8 hours ago, andiesenji said:

That's a corn zipper made by either Rosle or Kuhn Rikon

Yep, looks like this one: Kuhn Rikon Corn Zipper

[chileheadmike]

I was going to guess that it's used to catch fish from a tank. 

 

Second guess is tofu strainer.

[andiesenji]

12 hours ago, Thanks for the Crepes said:

 

 

And andiesenji, I believe you're right on your hinged loaf pan. If you overfill with batter, it would leak out on rising and baking, and there would be no way to make a round log of gelatin in your device. People ask dumb questions because everyone is used to pressing buttons to make stuff happen now. Try not to worry about it. I hope you are more successful than I am. 

 

I asked a coworker for a jump for my car battery years ago, and she said she did not know how to open her hood.   Nevermind, I took care of it all and was able to drive off.

The "trick" for using the round bread pans - I have singles too - is to liberally grease them with solid shortening. I slather it on with a 3" brush made for applying wall paper paste, which gets into the crannies.  I used it a lot when catering, baking white bread in two and rye bread in two.  I had a Blodgett commercial oven then so no problem with it fitting.  

[dcarch]

14 hours ago, liuzhou said:

About a week ago, I had a sudden urgent need for a carrot, so I headed for the nearest carrot store. It's about five minutes from my home. I seldom go there, not that there really is anything wrong with it other than their selection being a bit limited - they only have the essentials.

Anyway, after selecting the carrot most suitable for my exacting needs, I spotted these things on a shelf. I had no idea what they were, so I asked the sole member of staff - apparently a 12-year-old-girl. The only way I can accurately translate her Chinese is to say that she said "Dunno!" in a tone of voice which rather suggested she left off the second part "and I don't *^&^^% care!".

 

Sold! I bought it!

 

Just as I was leaving the tiny palace of delights, if you find carrots delightful, I spotted a bit of cardboard on the floor near the pile of things, on which were a mere two Chinese characters accurately describing its intended function. Any guesses?

 

The "bowl" has a capacity of about half a litre.

 

Spice infuser for making broth/stock?

I use to have smaller version of similar design for tea making.

 

dcarch

 

[liuzhou]

6 hours ago, Alex said:

A wall decoration!  ;-}

 

Well, that's what I use it as, but not the advertised function.

 

4 hours ago, chileheadmike said:

I was going to guess that it's used to catch fish from a tank. 

 

Second guess is tofu strainer.

 

Neither.