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Unknown utensil

The photo is of a utensil found in a European (French) kitchen. What is its use?

The knife is 7 inches (18 centimeter) long.

Peter Mortensen
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Robert Miller
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3 Answers3

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The handle of the round plastic object feels really distinctive to me. It would clearly work with a normal hammer-like grip, but it also has the thumb-print inviting the user to choke the grip up close and apply lots of force. I'm pretty sure it's for scraping.

The metal tool is a bit confusing; it looks like it could cut, but it's clearly not a knife.

After a minute's thought, I'm comfortable guessing that this is a child's pumpkin-carving kit.

IconDaemon
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ShapeOfMatter
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    I'd never even heard of a pumpkin carving kit, but from looking at others on Google Images I'm convinced. The colour of the plastic parts ties in to that too. – dbmag9 Jun 10 '20 at 13:08
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    @GdD How does it not answer the question? The OP asked what the use of the utensils is; ShapeOfMatter answered that the utensils are a child's pumpkin-carving kit. – dbmag9 Jun 10 '20 at 13:09
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    I misread the question @dbmag9, my bad. – GdD Jun 10 '20 at 13:19
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    I think you might be right! I believe I've seen that knife for such things. In fact, Googling for "pumpkin carving knife" shows that exact one. I'm betting the other tool is for scooping out the insides. – Rob Jun 10 '20 at 14:31
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    The little saw is surprisingly effective at carving a pumpkin, and much safer than using a kitchen knife. Though they do tend to be flimsy and easily bent to the point of no longer being usable. They're very common in U.S. grocery stores around Halloween. – bob Jun 10 '20 at 20:34
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    Yep, I have a pumpkin carving kit and it looks very similar to this. – Kat Jun 10 '20 at 21:00
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    As an adult pumpkin carver, I still like the location of that thumb grip. – shadowtalker Jun 11 '20 at 12:45
  • My mom has a pumpkin carving tool with a blade that looks *exactly* the same as the blade in the question, with the same orange (pumpkin colour) handle of a similar shape. (We're in Canada, where Halloween is very much a thing, and jack-o-lanterns are common). Pumpkin flesh is easy to cut, and this blade can make controlled plunge cuts and turn sharp corners. This plastic scoop looks maybe sturdy enough to scrape out the inside of a pumpkin decently; I normally just use a metal dessert spoon because the plastic scoop that came with our knife is too flimsy to really scrape the inside clean. – Peter Cordes Jun 12 '20 at 15:46
  • I am glad the French are carving pumpkins. I worry there is not enough Halloween worldwide. – Willk Jun 14 '20 at 23:47
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Suqash utensils

I found a Swiss website that offers a similar set of tools, called «Ustensiles à courge», which translates to «Squash utensils».

Squash utensils

I believe that @ShapeOfMatter correctly identified the purpose, so I am givng that person the correct answer status...

Robert Miller
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    Luckily they offer their site in a language I understand better than french - it says "Set for hollowing out pumpkins, mellons and similar" ^^ – eagle275 Jun 11 '20 at 09:15
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    Although the two sets seem designed for the same purpose, the _ustensiles à courge_ seem to be meant for serious cooks. They're better made, and the serrations on the knife are sharp enough that you could cut your fingers. The orange-handled set has dull serrations that are child-safe. – AndyB Jun 12 '20 at 02:37
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It could also be a form of grapefruit knife I believe.

enter image description here

Thomas
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    That was my initial guess too, though it looks like we've found what it is with certainty. – Joe M Jun 11 '20 at 16:00
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    @Thomas Grapefruit knives are curved to follow the shape of the fruit, as you can see in your picture. The one in the question is clearly flat. – Bloke Down The Pub Jun 11 '20 at 18:21