My maternal grandmother was famous for having a couple of quirks. The first, a morally questionable game involving rodents & people passing by her house. The other, sending random kitchen tools without their packaging to my mother over a period of about 10 years.
This was in the 80's, when we were all extremely stupid. Without the packaging, Internet searches or a direct line to Julia Child's brain, the items were completely confounding.
Every Christmas new mystery items would make their way from Renfrew, Ontario to my hometown through the magic of the postal service.
Regardless of how useless the contents in the box seemed to be, the arrival of a package DELIVERED TO THE DOOR was an event in itself.
Betty would balance her Craven A on the nearest formica surface, lift the items out of the box and stare at them for a while. They then got dropped into their permanent home, a larger box dedicated to these unknown items that lived in our fruit cellar - for the past 40 years.
This week I opened that box.
I have since identified all of the items except for the ones that are really, really hard.
How Many Can You Identify?
(without the help of the Internet)
Of the 30 items, there are still EIGHT that are unidentified. If you can positively identify any of the 8, I will add it to the list along with the name of the person who identified it.
Answers below photo galleries. Make a list, keep your score and add it to the comments.
Items 1-19
- Shrimp peeler & deveiner
- 🤔 - My first thought was a soap dish but I'm not convinced
- 🤔 - It rattles
Identified as an Ice Cracker by Kristi - Butter spreader
- Cherry pitter
- Lemon/lime squeezer
- Tupperware loose tea strainer
- Handi handle
- Apple Pie top crust cutter
- Mini can opener
- Garbage disposal brush
- Putting practice cup (not a kitchen item but it was in the box so ...)
- 🤔 - I don't feel like this is a kitchen item either. Seems like it would be for making nets or something
- 🤔 - Oak tongs that are so hard you can't use them to pick anything up
Identified as toast tongs almost simultaneously by Marion and MJ - Cheese button (You stick it on the top of cheese while cutting so you don't touch the cheese)
- 🤔 - There's a magnet on the back and a couple of little metal teeth in it.
- 🤔 - Some kind of ridged plastic wedge
- Multi Bottle/can opener (I think)
Identified as a 2 litre bottle caddy by Muff - 🤔 - I feel like it's a UFO carburetor
- Roast beef carving tongs
- Canning press (for keeping fruit below liquid when canning)
- Egg cup (Part of a set from Finalnd)
- Butter curler
- Jar opener
- Coffee measuring scoop with rubber tong ends for picking up paper coffee filters
- Pickle fork
- Pot strainer
- 🤔 - wtf?
- Pot watcher (placed on the bottom of a pot of water or milk it alerts you to boiling liquid if you're either out of the room, or blind)
- Brown sugar softener
I 100% thought #29, the stainless steel pot watcher was to put over cans to drain them. It isn't.
If you're still curious about what my grandmother did with those rodents and passersby, you can read a bit of that story here. In fact, that whole post will give you great insight into the genetics of the women in my family and how we carry a recessive gene for a warped sense of humour.
Lay it on me weekend readers. How many of the tools could you immediately identify?
Betty has said now that she knows what the garbage disposal brush is, she wants it back. I'm pocketing the cheese button because obviously.
As for the rest - they will be the subject of tomorrow's puzzle. Their fate beyond that is up for debate but I don't drink tea, have never found a knife to be terribly problematic for applying butter and my current UFO is electric.
Dee
I think #17 is a plastic shim to slide under wobbly table legs. I really need to see the side. And #13 acts like a hand friendly handle for plastic bags. Slide the plastic bag handles into the slots. My guesses when I first went through the list. Thanks
Vicky
Number 16 is a chip bag opener. The pins look a little bent. Also I never knew number 7 to be for tea. I've had one for years and never used it for that. Just a mini strainer "Free Gift" at Tupperware parties. What fun this is.
Karen
Hi Vicky! The ones for teacups have a little notch on the underside to keep them secure on the cup. I have one as well, but it isn't for teacups, just a tiny strainer. ~ karen!
Lyn Holtrust
I think #13 is a clothes line separator...and what I find scary is...I HAVE a LOT of that STUFF too....
Stonie
#13 looks like it could be for carrying multiple plastic grocery bags.
Barbara Lee Leonard
2, holds tomato/lemon to slice
16. opener for chip or plastic bags. Just squeeze and slide.
26. seems too short for fondue. An olive/pickle fork to get to the bottom of the jar
28. looks like it would be good for turning gas stove on/off when the knob is broken
TucsonPatty
Karen!, this is the second time I’ve tried to write this it’s I’m going to be more brief this time. I’m late to the game I haven’t read any of the comments yet, so I’m probably repeating other peoples guesses whatever I think that number 13 is my friend thinks it’s a thing you to pull the oven rack in an out so you don’t burn yourself. We think that number 17 might be some sort of garlic grater and I think most importantly, for you, I believe that number 16 is something that you used to run across the top of your potato chip bag to slid it open cleanly. If so, you absolutely need to keep that Karin I got nine out of the first. 19 correct and three out of the last 10 so I got an F, I own several of these things like I have bamboo toaster tongs I have of course the little bear brown sugar thing I have the pie crust decoration thing I have a tea strainer I have a butter pusher I don’t have a cherry pitter, but I knew what that was. What else did I have? I used to have the Pot strainer I think number 28 might be up might be a egg separator that you can hook on the net doesn’t make much sense I for sure thought number 29 was to poke holes in the can of evaporated milk and pour out of it. We had one of those but it was a little and then you leave the lid on it. If you don’t use it all. This was fun. My family got some, and a couple of people couldn’t see the post. I think you e said something about cookies? This was fun - for me, my family and many of my friends.
Karen
Excellent! I have no idea who would store the massive roast holder/tongs. But that cheese button thing. Genius! ~ karen
Barbara Lee Leonard
21. goes in the bottom of a container to keep the lettuce or whatever out of any drainage.
13. a push/pull for oven racks or a cord shortener
Heather Y
I think # 13 may be a stove rack puller-outer thingy. I think I used to see those at festivals and such. ☺️
Leslie K Russell
#24 used to transfer hot ball jars when canning from the 50's or earlier. I have one passed down from my mom's side.
#29 fondue fork. We had a fondue pot that was avocado green or harvest gold.... yikes.
Leslie K Russell
#24 used to transfer hot ball jars when canning.
#29 fondue fork
Cheryl
#17 is a shim
#13 looks like a device to carry a few grocery bags at the same time
#28 looks like something you could use to scrape food off a knife or spatula
Donna
#1 orange peeler? Tupperware used to have something similar.
Karen
#26 actually looks like a long-handled fork from a fondue set. My family made great use of a set just like this throughout the 70s. Cheese with wine, what could be better?
Susan Murphy
Hi there!
I believe #13 is a tool to pull a stove rack out so a potholder is not needed to grasp it. I guess there are two sides in case one side wears out. 🙄
You’re welcome.
Debbie
I was able to identify 13, not including the following guesses.
2. Device for evenly cutting a whole potato, but not all the way through
Then stuffing and baking it in foil
13. To hold rope for an outdoor clothesline
28. Jar lip cleaner after pouring contents
Debbie
Jaclyn
It's hard to tell scale from the photo, but could 19 be an over the door hook?
Lyn Holtrust
I agree...my guess too
Bev Watson
Number 13 is a.. I don't know if it has a name but it is something to wrap your cords around.
Number 2 could be an egg slicer but the top has me confused
Eric Larsen
I think that 13 is a "handle" for carrying grocery bags, Maybe? turn over, put the loops in the slots and carry?
Ben Hepple
14 looks like an old timey clothes pin to hang up laundry to dry on the line? 🤔
Kasia
I believe 16a and 16b are tea bag squeezers. Although most today have holes.
MsMood
13 is to pull out your oven rack