Can anyone identify this object ???

scorp123 · Post by **scorp123** » Thu Sep 06, 2007 6:52 am

Can anyone please take a look at the photos posted on a friend's blog and tell us what that thing is and what it is called and what on God's beautiful Earth it is used for??

http://misding.blogspot.com/2007/08/mys ... opper.html

The center metal grids you see are solid, e.g. they cannot be further collapsed or expanded. The photos show pretty much everything that can be done with this thing. So we're sure it's not used for producing Italian gnocchis or any other pasta, you can't cut eggs with it .... heck, we're not even sure that this thing is something you'd find in a kitchen.

We have no clue what that thing is.

Anyone got any plausible theory?

grimdestripador · Post by **grimdestripador** » Sat Sep 08, 2007 4:49 pm

"Greetings, stay a while and listen" - decard cain

It it a magic tool to put the ridges in peanut butter cookies.

btw:
http://deckard.ytmnd.com/
has a cool decard cain rap...

red-e-made · Post by **red-e-made** » Sat Sep 08, 2007 7:44 pm

When I saw this thing the first thing that came to mind were the fruit hullers I used to work with when I used to be the dessert chef in a restaurant. You can see a more modern version here:

http://www.kitchenkrafts.com/product.asp?pn=KK7230

It's basically a tool that slices fruit into multiple slices at once.

That's the closest I can come to figuring out what this thing is.

scorp123 · Post by **scorp123** » Sun Sep 09, 2007 4:48 am

red-e-made wrote:It's basically a tool that slices fruit into multiple slices at once.

Nope, there are no blades on this thing. The central metal "basket" is not made for cutting anything, it looks more like it was made for holding something .... but what?

One theory I was given was that it must be some part of a fryer or something, e.g. you'd put whatever you want to deep-fry (spring rolls??) into that metal basket and then put this thing into a special fryer ....

I thought that this was a good theory until my friend brought this thing into the office and I was able to hold it in my hands. The entire thing isn't really that big, and the metal basket is far too small to hold anything the size of a Chinese spring roll ... It might still be something that's used for a deep-frying something, it just would have to be way smaller than the usual Chinese spring roll ...

red-e-made · Post by **red-e-made** » Sun Sep 09, 2007 12:16 pm

scorp123 wrote:It might still be something that's used for a deep-frying something, it just would have to be way smaller than the usual Chinese spring roll ...

Strudels?

I don't know. I'm stumped.

scorp123 · Post by **scorp123** » Sun Sep 09, 2007 5:12 pm

red-e-made wrote: Strudels? I don't know. I'm stumped.

Yeah, I thought of strudels .... but these have to be really small strudels then, about the size of a cigarette box. That's about the size of that metal basket in the center of the object.

One guy around our office claimed it's a pre-WW1 era "sex toy" because his girlfriend has such objects too in her drawers ... We were like: "Oh, fine .... AND HOW IN THE WORLD DO YOU USE THIS THEN ????"

For some mysterious reason the color in his face turned from pink to snow-white and then to a fiery-red. And he refused to comment any further or to elaborate a bit more on his claim and whatever objects his girlfriend is collecting ...

I just hope he was making a stupid joke, because if this thing is what he claimed then I am really deeply confused young man now

linuxviolin · Post by **linuxviolin** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 7:24 pm

Small fried pastry makings, small fritters maybe
(as I am not sure about my english translation here is in French what I want to say: des petites pÃ¢tisseries frites, des petits beignets)

scorp123 · Post by **scorp123** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 4:19 am

linuxviolin wrote:des petites pÃ¢tisseries frites, des petits beignets

Possible, I've seen stuff like that in Western Switzerland (French speaking area) and in France proper. I can imagine that it's used for something like that.

bigbearomaha · Post by **bigbearomaha** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 8:14 am

could it be along the lines of a press?

like a garlic press or something? that's kind of what it resembles when I looked at it.

Big Bear

scorp123 · Post by **scorp123** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 11:17 am

bigbearomaha wrote:could it be along the lines of a press?

Nope, that central metal cage cannot be further collapsed or expanded.

kenetics · Post by **kenetics** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 1:01 pm

I wonder if it "locks" in the closed position? Perhaps there is a piece missing such as a cutting blade. It could be used to hold something while a blade is inserted, maybe a knife.

scorp123 · Post by **scorp123** » Sat Sep 22, 2007 4:29 pm

porcorosso wrote:It's a zach! (TV trivia reference)

Huh?

scorp123 · Post by **scorp123** » Sat Sep 22, 2007 5:29 pm

porcorosso wrote: It's funny to Americans

Too bad my "Location:" info says that I am from Switzerland which happens to be in Europe. Chances are I don't know about too old or too new American TV shows.

red-e-made · Post by **red-e-made** » Sun Sep 23, 2007 2:47 am

porcorosso wrote:Sorry. It's funny to Americans who don't know what "zach" means. It's from an old Dick van Dyke show.

I'll shut up now.

Either you watch a lot of Nick At Nite, or you're as old as my dad.

burdicda · Post by **burdicda** » Sun Sep 23, 2007 7:55 am

I agree it doesn't cut anything
the spacings are too narrow for cutting anything
like others said....best guess would be a fryer holder
or to hold something while it's boiling....

burdicda

kenetics · Post by **kenetics** » Sun Sep 23, 2007 10:52 am

best guess would be a fryer holder
or to hold something while it's boiling....

That's a possibility, but I would think the metal part of the handle would be a little longer to keep the wood (and hand) away from the fryer/boiler.

Hey Porcorosso, maybe it has something to do with cracking walnuts.

scorp123 · Post by **scorp123** » Sun Sep 23, 2007 12:53 pm

kenetics wrote: Hey Porcorosso, maybe it has something to do with cracking walnuts.

Unlikely ... that central metal basket cannot be collapsed any further. Whatever it was made for, cutting something or cracking nuts are not amongst the intended functions.

The suggestion about it holding something was probably the best so far. But I also agree with the argument about the stick being a bit too short and too small ... if you put this thing into a fryer (even a specially designed-for-this-strange-thing one) you'd probably get your hands burned.

Is there any chance that this is some sort of .... I dunno ... 'tool' of any sorts? As there are no blades on it it's probably safe to say that this thing isn't something a carpenter would use. You can't cut wood with it.

Maybe this is some weird sort of paint brush of some kind or something a painter would use??? (maybe there are parts missing) ...

We're thankful for any idea what this thing might be.

kenetics · Post by **kenetics** » Sun Sep 23, 2007 6:40 pm

@scorp, I was referring to another - very funny - episode of the Dick Van Dyke show titled "It may look like a walnut!". It was a parody of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers", in which the alien pods looked like walnuts. They took over people bodies and left them emotionless and without thumbs (the theory being without opposable thumbs, humans would be helpless).

I was wondering if porcorosso would remember the episode and he did!

See how much you miss out on without American TV?

My god, this stuff is from the 60's and I remember it.

sourwire · Post by **sourwire** » Sun Sep 23, 2007 8:37 pm

A NetHack 'scroll of identify' would be really useful for this situation. Blessed or at least uncursed.

blogger · Post by **blogger** » Sat Sep 29, 2007 11:21 am

It's so obvious!
The crackerjack who invented the gadget was a nut. So, this is definitely a nut cracker; used mostly in the nut house, where these people end up after their crackup.

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Can anyone identify this object ???

Can anyone identify this object ???

My guess