Kitchen Gagets - Do You Have An Old Favorite You'd Really Miss

Oh my yes, my Nan passed me on her pastry cutter that you use to turn the fat and flour into 'breadcrumbs'.   Makes the best, lightest pastry ever and as she was a cook at Chelsea Football Club, she put it to good use.


It's not as pristine as that, it has a wooden handle that the paint has worn off and one of the wires broke off, but I wouldn't swop it for anything.

my sharpening "steel"

puts an edge on knives that even a laser would be hard presed to match.....

Yep, modern 'knife sharpeners' don't do the job as well.   Cooking is so much easier with really sharp knives.

I like my peeler - except it isn't a peeler it's a shredder!

Goes you long strings of carrot and cucumber etc and has verrrry sharp blades.

Have no idea what it's called or where I got it either.


Edit:::

It just came to me

http://www.johnlewis.com/oxo-good-grips-julienne-peeler/p231906873?sku=231906873&kpid=231906873&s_kenid=49adc0c5-2e50-4ac8-ace7-8c824a19c2d6&s_kwcid=404x1290246&tmad=c&tmcampid=73

Now that looks a good one!

eddie wrote:I like my peeler - except it isn't a peeler it's a shredder!

Goes you long strings of carrot and cucumber etc and has verrrry sharp blades.

Have no idea what it's called or where I got it either.
Edit:::It just came to me

http://www.johnlewis.com/oxo-good-grips-julienne-peeler/p231906873?sku=231906873&kpid=231906873&s_kenid=49adc0c5-2e50-4ac8-ace7-8c824a19c2d6&s_kwcid=404x1290246&tmad=c&tmcampid=73

 Hmmm, might have to try that thing...I quite peeling anything and just wash my carrots/potatoes and things and cook them with skins on.  Hand cramp/arthritis issues...but that thingy might be the perfect thing.

A Steel - sure wish I'd been able to hang/grab my grandfathers; my oldest brother got that box of stuff and then promptly hawked it for some cash for his drug addiction -   Grandfather had the steel one and a ceramic one as well; not that I could put an edge on any knife like he could but it wasn't for lack of trying...grandfather kept telling me 'I was rolling my knife edge over'

I've got my families butter churn, my grandparents butter churn and several of my grandmothers old deep hammered steel pots & pans - California Cookware is the style name. The skillet is 16" dia with a glass lid and several matching pots of different sizes.  My older sisters fought over the cast iron stuff --- I'm happy with what I got and I can't use cast iron on my glass top range anyway.

It's for julienne veg 4ever, not for peeling.
I said peeler but it's not

And cast iron is sooooo heavy, not good the older you get lol

eddie wrote:It's for julienne veg 4ever, not for peeling.
I said peeler but it's not

You get peelers like it though Eddie, they just cut thinner.

sassy wrote:

eddie wrote:It's for julienne veg 4ever, not for peeling.
I said peeler but it's not

You get peelers like it though Eddie, they just cut thinner.

I know

I don't peel my veg - I wash it. I kinda like the taste of dirt....

eddie wrote:

sassy wrote:

eddie wrote:It's for julienne veg 4ever, not for peeling.
I said peeler but it's not

You get peelers like it though Eddie, they just cut thinner.

I know

I don't peel my veg - I wash it. I kinda like the taste of dirt....

yeah? , doesnt surprise me...fungus muncher....

my description of one of my old jobs


mushroom mushroom

when the boss asked why?
i said

I'm kept in the dark and fed on shit.....

heathen

Never could use those peeler's. I miss my funny shaped knife that my mother used, it used to be sharpened on some kind of stone. It was lost a few homes back.

captainJane wrote:Never could use those peeler's. I miss my funny shaped knife that my mother used, it used to be sharpened on some kind of stone. It was lost a few homes back.

A 'wet-stone'...what my grandfather used on those smaller bladed knifes & pocket knifes, paring knifes---he used to SPIT on the stone ...that was to 'wet it', said it sharpened the blade better that way

A wife, you screw her to the bed and she does the washing up--------------il'l get my coat.

Lord Foul wrote:
my sharpening "steel"

puts an edge on knives that even a laser would be hard presed to match.....

AND,  NOT forgetting that the "secret" with a sharpening steel, is in remembering that its role is actually to 'hone' the blades edge  -- that is to add the final edge onto an already sharp knife, and to maintain that fine edge...

WHERE many people will fail with steels (and also with modern-day 'diamond grit' and ceramic "sharpeners", as well..) is when the blade is already too blunt to start with..

IN WHICH CASE, those dull blades should first be re-sharpened on a whetstone type sharpening stone, either synthetic carborundum, or the more expensive natural Arkansas or Japanese whetstones.
Then the burrs taken off with a leather strop; and the steel, (or, maybe, the ceramic type "sharpeners" for a lesser result..) is used for that final sharper-than-a-razor edge.

FINALLY, with regard to high speed bench grinders -- they should only be used briefly for shaping blades --never use normal bench grinders to re-sharpen anything, as they destroy the temper of the steel, and its ability to 'hold' an edge.
Specialised wet-or-dry bench grinders are geared down to a spindle speed of around 130->160 rpm, so that they don't overheat the steel..

WhoseYourWolfie wrote:

Lord Foul wrote:
my sharpening "steel"

puts an edge on knives that even a laser would be hard presed to match.....

AND,  NOT forgetting that the "secret" with a sharpening steel, is in remembering that its role is actually to 'hone' the blades edge  -- that is to add the final edge onto an already sharp knife, and to maintain that fine edge...

WHERE many people will fail with steels (and also with modern-day 'diamond grit' and ceramic "sharpeners", as well..) is when the blade is already too blunt to start with..

IN WHICH CASE, those dull blades should first be re-sharpened on a whetstone type sharpening stone, either synthetic carborundum, or the more expensive natural Arkansas or Japanese whetstones.
Then the burrs taken off with a leather strop; and the steel, (or, maybe, the ceramic type "sharpeners" for a lesser result..) is used for that final sharper-than-a-razor edge.

FINALLY, with regard to high speed bench grinders -- they should only be used briefly for shaping blades --never use normal bench grinders to re-sharpen anything, as they destroy the temper of the steel, and its ability to 'hold' an edge.
Specialised wet-or-dry bench grinders are geared down to a spindle speed of around 130->160 rpm, so that they don't overheat the steel..

WOW...never knew or understood what a skilled artisan my grandfather was; but now I'm feeling real GUILTY about how I've been sharpening my mower blades ---

WhoseYourWolfie wrote:

Lord Foul wrote:
my sharpening "steel"

puts an edge on knives that even a laser would be hard presed to match.....

AND,  NOT forgetting that the "secret" with a sharpening steel, is in remembering that its role is actually to 'hone' the blades edge  -- that is to add the final edge onto an already sharp knife, and to maintain that fine edge...

WHERE many people will fail with steels (and also with modern-day 'diamond grit' and ceramic "sharpeners", as well..) is when the blade is already too blunt to start with..

IN WHICH CASE, those dull blades should first be re-sharpened on a whetstone type sharpening stone, either synthetic carborundum, or the more expensive natural Arkansas or Japanese whetstones.
Then the burrs taken off with a leather strop; and the steel, (or, maybe, the ceramic type "sharpeners" for a lesser result..) is used for that final sharper-than-a-razor edge.

FINALLY, with regard to high speed bench grinders -- they should only be used briefly for shaping blades --never use normal bench grinders to re-sharpen anything, as they destroy the temper of the steel, and its ability to 'hold' an edge.
Specialised wet-or-dry bench grinders are geared down to a spindle speed of around 130->160 rpm, so that they don't overheat the steel..

I have a "Tormek" system in the workshop....with all the clamps and jigs....

@ Victor :

I'VE seen those Tormek systems advertised online, but I haven't seen them in shops around here -- if I eventually want one I will probably have to get it from a shop in somewhere like Sydney or Melbourne...

I have a Chinese-made low-speed bench grinder here, with a wheel about 2" wide, that I picked up for about the equivalent of £40 in a sale at a local auto parts shop..


@4EVER2 :

FOR the likes of mower blades, mattocks and axes, a good sharpening procedure could be  --
*  Only use a bench grinder or angle grinder to quickly remove nicks and dings, and square up the edge;
*  THEN use a 10"or 12" bastard file to shape and sharpen the edge to what you want/need;
*   Finally, holding the mower blade/mattock/axehead with the cutting edge facing away from you, use a whetstone in your hand to stroke that blade away from the head (so as to avoid dulling that edge, and at the same time avoid the risk of cutting yourself..) to dress and maintain that edge..


SO, In Summary, I suppose some of the most useful "old school" appliances to have, could be some proper sharpening accessories.

For knives, scissors, secateurs/pruners :
*  A decent whetstone,
*  A 'sharpening' steel,
*  Maybe, a leather strop..
(And, may find a diamond or ceramic sharpener works pretty well, when used to maintain the edge,  rather than trying to re-sharpen a dull blade with one..).

For axes, hedgeshears, mattocks, mower blades, etc. :
* A couple of 'bastard' files, single and double-cut,
* A hand-held whetstone -- a 'puck' type 'stone (same size and shape as an ice hockey puck..) for dressing and maintenance..

NOT expensive to buy, and all the sharpening gear could be kept together in a gear-roll, drawer or tool box.

My old fashioned tin opener broke....I still mourn it.
You cant buy them now they are all the new fangled ones that don't work on every tin.

To add....those bloody ring pull cans on items like Heinz beans and certain makes of Tuna are impossible to get off.

4EVER2 wrote:

captainJane wrote:Never could use those peeler's. I miss my funny shaped knife that my mother used, it used to be sharpened on some kind of stone. It was lost a few homes back.

A 'wet-stone'...what my grandfather used on those smaller bladed knifes & pocket knifes, paring knifes---he used to SPIT on the stone ...that was to 'wet it', said it sharpened the blade better that way

Wish they would bring the old ways back. This looks nothing like the stone Dad used.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTKV5-ZSWcE

IF you can find a well stocked hardware store, or a specialist knife, woodworking or metalworking tool store, they could have a good range of the more traditional sharpening stones, from basic carbarundom up to high quality Arkansas and Japanese natural whetstones -- as well as new-fangled diamond and ceramic sharpeners, and synthetic whetstones like the one in that video...

AS FOR the sharpening steels, they can be sourced from those shops that supply knives and other gear for chefs, butchers and cooking students. Good steels are often also found with some of those high end knife sets, that sometimes also contain cleavers and mallets (tenderisers).

Syl wrote:My old fashioned tin opener broke....I still mourn it.
You cant buy them now they are all the new fangled ones that don't work on every tin.

To add....those bloody ring pull cans on items like Heinz beans and certain makes of Tuna are impossible to get off.

Thought it was just me.

Nope....it's me, my OH, and everyone else I have mentioned it to.

WhoseYourWolfie wrote:

@ Victor :

I'VE seen those Tormek systems advertised online, but I haven't seen them in shops around here -- if I eventually want one I will probably have to get it from a shop in somewhere like Sydney or Melbourne...

I have a Chinese-made low-speed bench grinder here, with a wheel about 2" wide, that I picked up for about the equivalent of £40 in a sale at a local auto parts shop..


SNIP

thye are well worth the money if you have a lot of sharpening to do....

like chisels when working good quality hardwoods

and turning tools.....

I have the tormek 2000 with all the associated jigs......