What Is This Mystery Kitchen Utensil?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around identifying a mystery kitchen utensil found in a kitchen drawer. Participants explore various hypotheses about its function, with suggestions ranging from a strainer to a trowel or even a cheese slicer. The conversation includes personal anecdotes and experiences related to kitchen tools and their designs.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest the utensil might be a strainer, while others propose it could be a combination of a mason's trowel and cheese slicer.
  • One participant mentions the utensil's design, arguing it is poorly suited for straining due to its shallow dip and lack of a bowl.
  • Another participant describes using a similar strainer effectively for draining grease from pans without transferring contents to another container.
  • Several participants share humorous anecdotes about their experiences with kitchen tools, including a malfunctioning pasta pot and the challenges of using lids for draining.
  • There is a playful debate about whether the utensil resembles an iron or a hammer, with participants humorously discussing their interchangeable uses.
  • Participants reminisce about making grilled pocket sandwiches and discuss modern equivalents like panini presses and grill baskets.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express multiple competing views regarding the identity and function of the utensil, with no consensus reached on its purpose. The discussion includes both agreement on certain design aspects and disagreement on its classification.

Contextual Notes

Some assumptions about the utensil's design and intended use remain unresolved, and participants rely on personal experiences rather than definitive knowledge.

Danger
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Hi, all. Can anyone tell me what on Earth this thing is?
"[URL=[PLAIN]http://img27.imageshack.us/i/dcp0011.jpg/[/URL]
"[URL=[PLAIN]http://img266.imageshack.us/i/dcp0018.jpg/[/URL]
I figure that it might be some sort of kitchen utensil (maybe a strainer?), since I found it in drawer in my kitchen. Around here, though, that isn't necessarily so.
The pictures are clickable for a larger image.
 
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What's the writing on it say in the 2nd picture?
 
Combination mason's trowel and cheese slicer?
 
http://www.tias.com/8877/PictPage/1922746921.html

You were right, Danger.
 
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http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-50s-Kitchen-Utensil-Foley-Strainer_W0QQitemZ120495040754QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item1c0e1068f2
 
lol vintage 50s kitchen strainer :-p I don't know why I find this funny. I guess I just like poking fun at old people... haha.
 
Looks like a terrible design for a strainer. It can barely hold the stuff you're straining. It has no bowl, just a shallow dip where the slots are.
 
leroyjenkens said:
Looks like a terrible design for a strainer. It can barely hold the stuff you're straining. It has no bowl, just a shallow dip where the slots are.

I believe it's meant to be held against the base of one's pot / pan, keeping the food from spilling out as you tilt the container against the strainer. I have a similarly designed strainer and I use it for draining the grease out of pans that I do not want to empty it's contents into a separate container, but keep them inside the pan so that I can place it directly back onto the stovetop.
 
Wow; that was fast! Thanks, guys.
Good eye, Berkeman; that printing doesn't even show up in person unless I really look hard. I never noticed it before. The flash must have caught it just right. It does indeed read as indicated in Dembadon's link.
Mk said:
Combination mason's trowel and cheese slicer?

:smile:
Believe it or not, both of those things crossed my mind when I first saw it.
 
  • #10
Yeah, I would have been favoring a trowel rather than a strainer too. :smile: Neat concept, though. Looks a lot easier than trying to hold the lid "just so" while trying to tip out the water and keep in the vegetables or pasta (shush to those who would dare suggest a collander ...there's no challenge to that except trying to dig the collander from the back of the cabinet where it's buried).
 
  • #11
I have two of those. They are fantastic. Although I have lost the essential skill of draining a pot using the lid because of them.
 
  • #12
We've got one of those pasta pots with holes in the lid for draining the water. I, however, have been banned from using it. Seems the last time I did, it malfunctioned and the lid popped off mid drain. Chaos ensued.

While I maintaine it was equipment failure the wife insists it was an operator issue.
 
  • #13
Dembadon said:
I believe it's meant to be held against the base of one's pot / pan, keeping the food from spilling out as you tilt the container against the strainer. I have a similarly designed strainer and I use it for draining the grease out of pans that I do not want to empty it's contents into a separate container, but keep them inside the pan so that I can place it directly back onto the stovetop.

Ingenious. I would have guessed some sort of device to make the time-gone equivalent of apple fritter hot pockets.
 
  • #14
I thought it's an iron.
 
  • #15
No; clearly it's a hammer.
 
  • #16
lisab said:
No; clearly it's a hammer.

Bundesarchiv_B_145_Bild-F001163-0012%2C_K%C3%B6ln%2C_Textilfabrik_Bierbaum-Proenen.jpg


The object in OP has very similar shape so obviously it is more of an iron than a hammer :)
 
  • #17
Integral said:
We've got one of those pasta pots with holes in the lid for draining the water. I, however, have been banned from using it. Seems the last time I did, it malfunctioned and the lid popped off mid drain. Chaos ensued.

While I maintaine it was equipment failure the wife insists it was an operator issue.

:smile: I have a pot like that, but I don't completely trust it. So, I'm voting on your side that it was equipment failure. :biggrin:

Phrak said:
Ingenious. I would have guessed some sort of device to make the time-gone equivalent of apple fritter hot pockets.

If it had a matching other half, that would have been my guess. I remember having one of those as a kid, and it was so fun! I rediscovered it as a teen, and whenever my parents went out of town and I was left to watch the house, I'd make all sorts of grilled pocket sandwich things in it (cheddar cheese, olives, and pizza sauce squashed inside sliced bread and grilled on the stove is a yummy snack). Can you get those tools for making those pocket sandwiches anymore?
 
  • #18
Sure you can but mostly they are made for camping. I haven't seen a kitchen version in years.
 
  • #19
FredGarvin said:
Sure you can but mostly they are made for camping. I haven't seen a kitchen version in years.

Cool. I don't care if it's a version for camping. Afterall, what works over a campfire works over the flame on a gas stove. :biggrin:
 
  • #20
rootX said:
obviously it is more of an iron than a hammer :)

The two are largely interchangeable. You can pound nails with an iron (I've done it), and a hammer will remove wrinkles if properly applied.
 
  • #21
Moonbear said:
If it had a matching other half, that would have been my guess. I remember having one of those as a kid, and it was so fun! I rediscovered it as a teen, and whenever my parents went out of town and I was left to watch the house, I'd make all sorts of grilled pocket sandwich things in it (cheddar cheese, olives, and pizza sauce squashed inside sliced bread and grilled on the stove is a yummy snack). Can you get those tools for making those pocket sandwiches anymore?

Now your talking. I'm thinking pan fried samiches. Where can I get a gizmo to hold them together while they fry?
 
  • #22
Phrak said:
Now your talking. I'm thinking pan fried samiches. Where can I get a gizmo to hold them together while they fry?

These, paninis, are the modern food fashion trend...
http://www.everythingkitchens.com/images/products/detail/cuisinart%20panini%20&%20sandwich%20press%20md.jpg

But I think you are thinking of something more like a grill basket...
http://www.picnicbaskets.com/acatalog/S5437.gif
These are for bbq grills but I am pretty sure they have similar from range top and deep fryer cooking.
 
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  • #23
TheStatutoryApe said:
These, paninis, are the modern food fashion trend...
http://www.everythingkitchens.com/images/products/detail/cuisinart%20panini%20&%20sandwich%20press%20md.jpg
[/URL]

Wonderful SA. That's excellent. I think I'll put in a Christmas order for a Breville Panini grill thing after reading some reviews. One that comes without the ridges.
 
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  • #24
Phrak said:
Wonderful SA. That's excellent. I think I'll put in a Christmas order for a Breville Panini grill thing after reading some reviews. One that comes without the ridges.

No problem. We had one of those machines at the coffee house I used to work at years ago. Those Paninis though are supposed to have grill marks on them. I believe that it comes from an italian food staple of open range grilled sandwiches. I am not sure if they have those presses without the ridges but I am sure that there are similar devices which do not have them.

And if you do get one I would suggest trying it out with focaccia bread. That's what we used to use at the coffee house. Good stuff.
 
  • #25
TheStatutoryApe said:
No problem. We had one of those machines at the coffee house I used to work at years ago. Those Paninis though are supposed to have grill marks on them. I believe that it comes from an italian food staple of open range grilled sandwiches. I am not sure if they have those presses without the ridges but I am sure that there are similar devices which do not have them.

And if you do get one I would suggest trying it out with focaccia bread. That's what we used to use at the coffee house. Good stuff.

I'll keep an eye out for focaccia. It's new to me. From one chef and critic, commenting on a Pansinis maker, the grill marks are eye candy, and will cause uneven gilling and doughy bread in-beween, and if too deep can cut through the bread. I'll do more research.
 
  • #26
Phrak said:
I'll keep an eye out for focaccia. It's new to me. From one chef and critic, commenting on a Pansinis maker, the grill marks are eye candy, and will cause uneven gilling and doughy bread in-beween, and if too deep can cut through the bread. I'll do more research.

Mmmm...focaccia is yummy, a great combination of softness and high density :yummy:.

OK so we have no smiley for yummy but you can picture it, haha.
 
  • #27
TheStatutoryApe said:
These, paninis, are the modern food fashion trend...
http://www.everythingkitchens.com/images/products/detail/cuisinart%20panini%20&%20sandwich%20press%20md.jpg

But I think you are thinking of something more like a grill basket...
http://www.picnicbaskets.com/acatalog/S5437.gif
These are for bbq grills but I am pretty sure they have similar from range top and deep fryer cooking.

No, neither of those. It was something just big enough to hold a slice of bread (except it was round, so when you closed it, it crimped the edge of the bread and you trimmed off the crust) and domed so there was room to stuff the middle, and had a long handle so you could hold it over a stove (or perhaps campfire), and the stuff inside got all melty and toasty and yummy!

Edit: Ooh, I found a picture of one on eBay!
http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Thorngrens-Sandwich-Maker-Camping-Pie-Press_W0QQitemZ360208234813QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item53de15793d
 
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  • #28
Moonbear said:
No, neither of those. It was something just big enough to hold a slice of bread (except it was round, so when you closed it, it crimped the edge of the bread and you trimmed off the crust) and domed so there was room to stuff the middle, and had a long handle so you could hold it over a stove (or perhaps campfire), and the stuff inside got all melty and toasty and yummy!

You're thinking about http://toastiterecipes.com/2009/05/30/toas-tite-60th-anniversary-a-bit-of-history/"

nv9p1c.jpg
 
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  • #29
lisab said:
You're thinking about http://toastiterecipes.com/2009/05/30/toas-tite-60th-anniversary-a-bit-of-history/"

nv9p1c.jpg

Yep, that's it! :biggrin:
 
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  • #30
Phrak said:
Now your talking. I'm thinking pan fried samiches. Where can I get a gizmo to hold them together while they fry?

You can use an iron for that as well, you know.
 

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