11 Unusual Tools You Might Discover in Your Grandma’s Kitchen
Kitchen devices keep evolving with time and are typically much simpler to use and clean these days. However, this doesn’t mean that the previous generations haven’t come up with some interesting solutions while manufacturing cooking tools.
5-Minute Crafts has prepared a collection of funny-looking kitchen utensils that you might have seen before but probably have to think long and hard about its purpose.
1. Food mill
The food mill is a manual kitchen tool used to grind and mash food to make purées. The hand crank on top allows you to mash the food and strain it through the perforated bottom.
2. French fry cutter
The French fry cutter is quite useful when you feel like eating homemade fries but are too lazy to cut your potatoes in halves and then sticks for the perfect shape. This tool helps you squeeze through the entire potato in one go.
3. Cake slicer and server
This vintage cake slicer and server resembles a comb on one side. It seems like it might have been used for icing cakes too.
4. A funnel for egg threads
This interesting kitchen device is actually a Portuguese tool for making egg threads. It is used for the national pastry called fios de ovos, which actually means “spun yolks.”
5. An hourglass figure spiral slicer
Despite its hourglass appearance, this utensil has nothing to do with telling time. It is a spiral slicer that’s perfect for forming vegetables into noodles, like zucchini spaghetti.
6. A funnel with a detachable strainer
The funnel with a strainer is a rather useful tool if you prefer not to make a mess of your kitchen. The funnel comes with a detachable strainer that helps filter the solids from liquids.
7. Bread lame/lame knife
The bread lame is a dough cutting utensil that basically represents a thin stick made to hold a metal razor. The razor is then used to score the dough ball and help control the loaf expansion while baking.
8. Griddle handles
While they might look like they don’t belong in the kitchen, these griddle handles are detachable and a part of a cast-iron gas grill.
9. A cookie press
The vintage cookie press was a popular tool about 50 years ago and is a true blast from the past. But one thing is for sure: cookies had fancy shapes back then too.
10. A pie marker
The pie marker is a kitchen utensil that is very simple to use. It’s meant to evenly mark the lines in a pie or cake as a guideline for slicing it afterward.
11. A pepper corer
A bell pepper corer is a handy tool for those who want to remove the cores from bell or chili peppers with no effort. Having peppers with no seeds or stems makes stuffing or slicing way easier.
Bonus: “A thumb protector possibly, but for what? Found at a yard sale.”
It’s a tool called chainmail gloves, also known as butcher gloves or oyster gloves. It’s used for protecting one’s fingers from sharp objects.