I've been out sorting gear and getting it better arranged today and have more to do. I'm taking pictures of some of the gear and will post some that are interesting and handy to have. Some may be useful to you, some may be more than you need for your cook camp. I like old kitchen gadgets and many have came in handy at events. I'll post them as I get them cropped, but to start with, my rolling Pin and the bag it goes in. This was turned from a piece of scrap from the now defunt Hatfield rifle Company at St. Joe. A friend of mine worked there for a while and got this piece for me.
I might have got carried away with the stain, but it was so nice a piece, what else could I do. ;D
Keep it away from the wife or we'll be callin' ya lumpy. :o :o :o :o :D
Slim
That rollin pin looks like it was made with an absolutely beautiful piece of wood!
I love reading your posts, Del - so very, very interesting and informative! I learn something new almost every time!
Trina
The Hatfield rifle Company was well know for the quality of wood in their Suther Style Muzzle-Loaders. That is Tigerstripe maple with a red under tone from alkanet root stain, a golden oak oil added over that and then a light brown over that and then linseed oiled. It took two weeks to put on the finish, it is never washed, just wiped clean with a rag with a bit of lard on it.
Yes it is one of my favorite tools. ;D
Here's one you might have seen before. These came in many different styles and were a big selling kitchen gadget in the later half of the 19th century.
There were several forms of canning jars in the 19th century, the one most folks think if is this type, with the glass lid, wire bail and rubber ring to seal it. The first one is a Ball brand, 1/2 gallon, I use it for brown sugar, these are back being made again. They do not recomend them for canning and neither do I, but the make great containers for items in the cook camp. They keep moisture and insects out well.
The second one had some type of fancy coffee in it, I got it as a Christmas present, this one has Salertus (baking soda) in it.
Here's another one I use a lot. It is a potatoe ricer, you put peeled, boiled potatoes in it and press them through. You can thin use the squeezings for mashed potatoes, they are the best you've ever ate that way. Also use it for poatatoe pancakes or potatoe dumplings. Since I make a lot of Czech food, I make a lot of these dumplings.
My mother has one of them 'tater ricers.
Slim
I'm headed to the shed to work on gear, expect more pictures later.
Whirlybird eggbeaters, jars, and potato ricers; some of each have a home in our collections of family heirlooms. My kids and grands think we're wierd for keeping all of that "old junk"; but, as they get older themselves, and finally begin to understand the history of time, they are beginning to appreciate it more.
I like finding a garage sale where they kids/grandkids are getting rid of all that old junk. I have got some of my best pieces at such. Paid $14 dollars at one a couple of years ago and walked out with three paper grocery sacks. Yes they got good homes. ;D
Besides the ricer, one can use a potato masher. I don't have one of the wooden ones that look like a German gernade, yet. Will have one made when I find the right piece of maple.
The first one I have several of, I like using them to stir gravy with when makin a lagge oven full.
The second one is from Cracker Barrel, a little different design.
A good triangle is handy to call folks in. This one is about 30 inches on the sides, all different lengths for different tones. Made by Harlan Kruger a blacksmith friend of mine. The steel is from a torsion bar off a combine. Good steel, tempered well, it vibrates after the tone gets below the level of human hearing.
Yes the plywood on my shed door was assembled by the "Day Shift." ::)
These are two items from the one garage sale. The first is a adjustable potatoe slicer. The second is a crinkle cutter for veggies.
Here's one that most folks don't need in our age of pre-sifted flour. It's nice to mix baking powder and other dry ings. sometimes. Sometimes I'm where someone is doing a grinding demonstration of corn meal or flour, then it's handy because they often want me to bake something out of their grindings.
I have another smaller one of a different type, I'll add it when I run across it.
Del, all them pictures today brought back a lot of memories, I can remember being in grandma's kitchen and using the crank flour sifter and thte potaote masher.
You can tell I like old kitchen gadgets, these were for the most part according to my research around in one form or another in the late 19th century. What I look for is tin plating, nickel plating and wooden handles.
I hit garage sales and thrift stores, the potatoe ricer was $5 at a Goodwill and the coffee grinder was $20. I also buy any knife with a carbon steel blade. Some of these I replace handles on. Paid 50 cents for a Green River Skinner like Dixe sells, the handles were broke. I just used some scrap maple on it and it is a favorite camp knife. When I get the the knives all straightened out I'll snap a picture of the whole mess. ::) I carry plenty of paring knives, sometimes someone offers to peel.
Quote from: El Peludo on July 11, 2006, 01:08:27 PM
Whirlybird eggbeaters, jars, and potato ricers; some of each have a home in our collections of family heirlooms.
Here too. I'm gonna hafta post some pics of the corn sheller, apple peeler, cherry seeder, shingle knife and mallet (shingle knife ain't the right name, but I can't think of it right now)... and I got some a' them Ball mason jars with the bail too. 8)
Froe is the word. ;)
These are just the things I haul around with me, I do pick and choose what I take though. ;D
I'm gonna hafta start looking for one of them potatoe squishers, I like them potato cakes pretty good.
They have a state sponsored garage sale here in Arkansas, along hiway 64, 138 miles from LIttle Rock to Almost Ft. Smith, more sales than you can count. we usually look at about 30 or 40 miles of the sale, I'll have to keep my eyes open this year.
Annie Lee found them new somewhere last fall, don't know where right now.
I have a sifter and a cuisanart. :D I peel tater with a knife not a "tater peeler" and chop onions in my hand not on a chopping block. Makes Stumpy squirm. ;D
Just cause I 'membered it today, don't expect it tommorow. ;D
I do good sometimes to remember what day it is, I can tell you exactly how old the birds are by week and day but not the date, we don't celebrate weekends so it just all runs together
When the railroads came to the West they offered cheap transportation and much faster transportation. There were lots of citrus groves in both Florida and California. Lemons were in great demand and were shipped in in season and were preserved in heavy brine. This kept them from spoiling and the salt did not penatrate the thick waxy rind.
Lemon desserts were popular along with lemonade for special days like the Fourth of July. There were many kinds of Lemon Squeezers, this one don't look like a S&W, but it gets taken when a lemon dessert is on the menu.
Every cook camp needs a coffee pot, I have three, the first one is a 8 cup, it don't get used a lot, but sometimes in cold weather someone wants some de-caf.
The next one is a 20 cup one.
I also have a 32 cup one. I like the white because it is also white on the inside and it makes the inside clean up a lot easier to see in dim light at 5 am or so, from the pot left to warm over night. A clean pot makes much better coffee.
And my coffee griner that can bolt or screww to a wall or chuckwagon or has a clamp for the table.
Of course I have my little copper tea kettle for Turkish Coffee and a larger one for tea and hot chocolate.
You could get a lot of those hard to find tools in the old Cumberland General Store catalog. They use to have a website, but they shut it down to update it, and it never came back.
I think you can still order the catalog. Try google.
It was like looking through an old Sears catalog, but you could actually order all the stuff in it. They had lots of cookware, medicines, hats, instuments, and all kinds of stuff from the late 1800's.
In reality I have everything I need, still have many things I want. There is an Amish Company that has a lot also. I just enjoy the hunt.
I keep my coffee beans in a lightning jar, I cheat for the tea-totalers and give them the very late 19th century tea-bags I keep in a tin can with a lid. (Nobody has ever complained about the tea bags and opened to put the loose tea in their cup.)
And this is where I keep the coaco for hot chocklate and chocolate cakes. (I also often have the instant hot chocolate, but I won't drink it.) ::) If you don't read the modern stuff on the back this can is great, also Hershey didn't start producing cocoa till the late 90's. But it's to neat a can not to use. I set it in plain site to see if anyone besides me and my pard know. ;) Nobody yet.
:D :D :D
Del, I swear, you could have almost been diggin' 'round in our stuff. Nice to know we're not the only folks who 'preciate old stuff.
(whisper) --- But, we do have a Cuisinart, and a big Kitchenaid. :o ;D ;D
Quote from: El Peludo on July 12, 2006, 02:45:31 PM
(whisper) --- But, we do have a Cuisinart, and a big Kitchenaid. :o ;D ;D
YOU HAVE WHAT!?!?! ;)
An old time food prosscesser prouserr pruceser a thing that slices and dices. ;D
Most will remember a grater like this first one, I have 3 of them. would like to fine one of the 4 sided ones.
The second grater is for nutmeg, hard cheese and other smaller items that need ground fine, it would also work for fresh horseradish.
When baking it often says to cut in the lard or butter. Well here's the tool, I have a couple of these.
This enemalware seive/colender is a peice you don't see often.
All interesting tools, I can remember Grandma having em all, seems like the cheese grater she had, could be took apart and a different size of grater (the handle and grater) put in, it seems like she had more than one size for it.
did the seive/colender come in different size seives? course to fine?
Now that you mentioned it I have seen the graters with blades that interchange.
As for the colinder/seive, I don't know, it's the only one I ever seen, it was in a box of junk a friend bought at a sale. He got what he wanted and gave me the items he thought I might like.
One of my wood-handle, nickel plated serving ladles.
And a slotted serving spoon.
A handy pair of tongs, I have several.
And a spatula, useful for many things.
I could have these all made out of forged iron, but this stuff or varients of it were being made in our time period by mass production.
I don't know for sure about colinder/seive, but I believe grandma had 3 sizes all fit inside the other one
Quote from: Delmonico on July 13, 2006, 08:57:16 AM
A handy pair of tongs, I have several.
And a spatula, useful for many things.
I could have these all made out of forged iron, but this stuff or varients of it were being made in our time period by mass production.
That ain't a spatula. That's a frosting spreader. I used one of those to put the frosting on my better-half's birthday cake on Saturday. ;D
Slim
Works for both, you can also use it to turn the cake out of the pan. ;D
Here is a turnin' type spatula. Made by my friend Harlan Krueger, of Dream Catcher Forge. He also is the fella that made the triangle.
I have a lot of dish towels, there sometimes is a lot of dishes to do, Some are terryy cloth, some are muslin and some are calico like the ones on top. I need to watch the dollar a yard rack at Wal-Mart and find some cheap material to make some more, I like the colored ones.
I carry some thin rope and these old type clothes pins and put up a line. That way the used ones dry and when I pack them up if I don't get to them for a day or so they don't turn musty. I wash all the ones I use in hot water and Chlorox, that way they get sanitized well.
Since my perrsona is a portable Hell on Wheels type resteraunt instead of a chuck wagon cook, I add some nice little touches, the first one is a cheapy from a craft store, new and unused yet, I haven't did anything that I took vinegar for yet. but it will look good sitting around and makes a proper place for my vinegar.
The second one I've used a couple of times, Slim will remember it full of my very hot, thick pepper sauce at The GAF Muster.
Quote from: Delmonico on July 13, 2006, 03:25:14 PM
I have a lot of dish towels, there sometimes is a lot of dishes to do
Hay Delmonico, ya mean that after you do all the cooking they still make ya do the dishes? ??? Now, the cast iron, I kin understand.... ;)
Appreciate this thread Pard.
Goatlips
Accualy, I most times don't do many dishes in camp. As I get to it I'll show some more of my stuff, but I have 2 large galvinized tubs I fill with hot water. Every one gets to go through and washes their eatin' irions. For some reason the ones of mine and any mixing bowls and serving spoons end up washed. ;D
Quote from: Delmonico on July 13, 2006, 10:45:56 PM
Since my perrsona is a portable Hell on Wheels type resteraunt instead of a chuck wagon cook, I add some nice little touches, the first one is a cheapy from a craft store, new and unused yet, I haven't did anything that I took vinegar for yet. but it will look good sitting around and makes a proper place for my vinegar.
The second one I've used a couple of times, Slim will remember it full of my very hot, thick pepper sauce at The GAF Muster.
My dad alway has vinegar on his spinach. The hot sauce was good.
Slim
I have a wooden handled, tin plate food mill. Sometimes when we make a grocery run to a small town store they only have whole canned 'maters and I need crushed. Out comes the food mill.
The first picture is my "wreck tubs" the place to put and do dirty dishes. These are the large ones I take for when I cook for large groups. They are just galvinize wash tubs. One for soapy water, one for rinse. Everyone is expected to wash their own "eatin irons."
The other enemal ware ones work when there are not a lot of folks around. They also double as bread panns, I can knead it as well as mix it in them and a dozen other jobs, like peeling and such.
One needs hot water to do dishes, i use one to three enemal-ware water bath canners near the fire to heat the water, I had a picture of them, but seem to have lost it.
Lye soap would be period correct, but I use Dawn because it I know is bio-degradable, I can just pour the pans out. The bottle is interesting, my wife got me some by a chance, they have never been used, but they are bottles to grow bacteria in in vacine production.
I also add Chlorox to the rinse water, it will kill any germs that way, just to be safe. The stone jug is for that.
Here is a neat item another blacksmith friend, Dave Zahm made us, we have 4 of these, they can be used as a trivet in a deep oven to hold up a pan. Note the circle is forge welded and the legs are rivited on. One can make these using more modern welding if wanted, but the hand made adds to the camp.
What these are nice for is to have them setting over by the ovens, when you remove the lid from an oven, you have a place to set it that is not in the dirt. Maybe not what you'd see on a chuckwagon because of weight, but our perrsona is portable resteraunt anyway because we cook for more than a chuckwagon would in most cases. You can see the leg of one under the oven lid.
One can also toss down a bunch of coals and set one of these on top of it and put a frying pan or coffee pot one it. Most the time there is a oven with coals on the lid so we can put one of these on top of the oven and use the coals on the oven.
In the thread on making a cobbler I showed another type of trivet I use to keep pans off the the bottom of the oven when baking delicate things that burn easy. I have two sets of these, here they are again.
Two more types of trivets in the gear are this cast iron butterfly it bought at a thrift store. Someone thought it was an antique one time, but I found Tiawan cast in it on the back.
The other one is another one made by one of the blacksmith's with a sense of humor. don't remember which one right now.
Ain't said so yet 'n I need ta. Enjoyin' the heck outtah this thread. Almost like seein' things in a mooz'em.
Thaks, I enjoy posting them.
This is the metal can I keep my white flour in, I use smaller ones when I take rye flour, cornmeal or whole wheat flour. This keeps the flour dry and safe from insects and dirt. This can holds about 20 pounds of flour.
The other day I asked my in-laws if there were any tater ricers around. My mother-in-law brought me this one. ;D
(http://www.cascity.com/forumhall/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=4508.0;attach=7543;image)
Slim
Slim, that looks like it could double for a grape stomper if you wanted to make a litte sipping wine. ;D
It can be used fer a lot of things. Like, squishin' maters after a cooked 'em. ;D
Slim
did ya get ya another tomatoe outa the garden today ???
There might be one ready tonight.
Slim
I always use those Roma tomatoes for making salsa, they just have a really good flavor
I agree with whoever said your posts are always interesting. And your recipes are awesome.
I have an old rolling pin with a small Maple leaf carved into it. It is very old but i couldnt tell you exactly the age of it. It makes the top pie crust come out beautifully.
Love your rolling pin. The grain in the wood is gorgeous.
Delmonico,
I love the pics, even if I see a bunch of the things that Sierra Paker and I have in our kitchen ;D. I am still trying to figure out how to get my mother-in-law's grater that she uses for making coleslaw, it is similar to the adjustable potato slicer.
Modoc,
You can find the cabbage slicers at most any antique mall. Haven't checked prices recently. Good luck!
Better late than never!
Cool thread, pard!
I sure remember a lot of those things from the Grandfolks and Dad's kitchens!
Some of those goodies might be corn-fuzed with kinky sex-toys. :o ::) ;)