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snookums_gw

Need to find an odd utensil - any ideas?

snookums
19 years ago

My dh is Greek, and my mil is trying to teach me how to make some of her dishes. One of the tools she uses all the time she brought back from her mother's kitchen in the village in Greece. I don't even know what it's called or where to get something like it, but I need one!

Imagine and mortar and pestle. What I'm looking for is the stick part of it, but much, much larger (the size of a large hammer, maybe), and all wood. She uses it for a variety of things, and both she and I have been on a search for one for me, and she swears that I'm not getting hers until she dies.

Any ideas?

Comments (9)

  • akastj_northern_ca
    19 years ago

    I just ran a Google.com Search for wooden pestle and it returned a number of hits. Many outside the US.

    However, one of the links noted a 7" wooden pestle. I've linked those results below...

    TJ

    Here is a link that might be useful: Kalyx.com / 7-inch Wooden Pestle Suribachi

  • jackie37
    19 years ago

    snookums, If I understand correctly, I too looked for that same item. I wanted it to use with a China cap as a food mill. I eventually found a pale imitation(only 10 inches long) at an old timey mail order place out of Ohio. I vainly looked to find the name, but I found the place through a link somebody posted here. The most common name this Restoration Hardware type outfit carries is Heartland Ranges, but their site is down. Good luck finding your "bowling pin", as I have not seen what I really wanted in over 20 years...Jackie

  • pkguy
    19 years ago

    Without exactly seeing it it does sound like something that wouldn't be very difficult for someone with a wood lathe to make. Ask people you know at work etc..there's bound to be some guy who works with wood as a hobby in his garage or basement.

  • momj47
    19 years ago

    Here's a {{gwi:1467288}} is this what you are looking for? It's from a place called Fantes, in Philly. Good luck in your search

    Here is a link that might be useful: Fantes

  • arley_gw
    19 years ago

    The Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book mentions an item called a dough knob--a wooden implement about a foot long, the handle about 3/4 inch diameter and the head about twice as big, a few inches long. (The illustration looks like a 1.5 to 2 inch diameter stick was lathed down to make a 3/4 inch handle, leaving a business end of about 1 1/2 inches diameter, a few inches long.)
    If that is what you are looking for, good luck--they said they weren't able to find one either in any store. I googled for that item without success, as well.

    jackie37, that place in Ohio you mention might be Lehman's. I'll link to it; I have bought several hard to find items from there, and have always been impressed with their quality, prices and service. I'd do business with them anytime.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Lehman's

  • snookums
    Original Author
    19 years ago

    arley & all who kindly responded - yes, that's what I'm looking for. Hers is about 10 inches to a foot long (I haven't measured) and looks kinda like the one with ridges linked to here. She uses it for so many things...

    Mashing potatoes
    Straining bits through a small strainer for gravy (this is one of the things I really want it for)
    crushing spinach
    pounding meat
    working with dough
    shaping pastries
    and the list goes on and on and on... If her house burned down I seriously think she'd grab that.

  • arley_gw
    19 years ago

    Success, maybe--Whetstone Woodenware has an item they call a Colonial Masher. Looks pretty heavy-duty, 12 in. by 2.5 dia. Something like this?

    (on the link page, go down to the third picture, look at the middle item)

    Here is a link that might be useful: Masher

  • snookums
    Original Author
    19 years ago

    arley - that's pretty darn close - except hers has a rounded tip, which I do think it needs. (But maybe I can have my dh make it into a rounded tip...hmmmm....)

  • lindac
    19 years ago

    Sounds like an old fashioned wooden potato masher to me....serves a lot of purposes...smashing mashing poking, pushing etc.....
    Linda C