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Our Nana passed, and we found this in her kitchen. It appears to be well used. That is an ordinary razor blade it is holding. The screw forces the blade into a curve.

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Basil Bourque
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Bookaholic
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1 Answers1

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This appears to be a bread lame - a tool used to score the top of bread (mostly, but not entirely, for aesthetic reasons).

Rdd
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    She did always slice a pattern in her bread. Seems obvious now that you told me what it is. Thank you. – Bookaholic Aug 02 '21 at 14:08
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    It's not mostly aesthetic, cutting the top of the loaf before baking helps it to expand in the oven, without the slash bread can remain tight. Condolences @Bookaholic! – GdD Aug 02 '21 at 14:16
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    … or you get blowouts. Scoring controls the expansion of the loaf. That it can be done more or less artistically, is secondary. (But it looks super impressive if done well!) – Stephie Aug 02 '21 at 14:59
  • Blowouts can look cool, they look like pillow lava. – GdD Aug 03 '21 at 11:35
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    What does this do that an ordinary knife doesn't? I understand the reason for cutting the top of the loaf, but not sure why a specialized tool is needed when any old knife would work just as well? – Darrel Hoffman Aug 03 '21 at 18:08
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    @DarrelHoffman It's sharper, and easy to keep it sharp by replacing the blade. Many kitchen knives are not particularly sharp, or at least don't stay sharp long, so they tend to drag the surface of the dough instead of scoring it cleanly. Note that the tool is for scoring raw dough, not baked bread. – Vaelus Aug 03 '21 at 18:30
  • I knew what it was but didn't know the name. Thanks @Rdd! – Raydot Aug 03 '21 at 19:55
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    @DarrelHoffman apart from being very sharp (-> no dragging or tearing the skin of the loaf) the slight curve makes especially the very shallow cuts for e.g. baguette (-> gives good “ears”) easier. Yes, a very sharp paring knife is an option, but there’s a reason many bakers insist on having a lame. In a pinch, try bending a razor blade slightly and push a skewer or slim chopstick through the larger holes, then try out that makeshift lame for yourself. Costs just a few cents. Caveat: It may take you a few tries to get the hang of it, just cut swiftly and with confidence. – Stephie Aug 03 '21 at 21:30
  • The curve adds a bunch of mechanical integrity and stiffness to the blade, which is pretty floppy when not bent – Scott Seidman Aug 03 '21 at 22:44
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    Maybe worth noting that _lame_ is a French word meaning 'blade' and is pronounced 'lahm' to rhyme with palm, psalm, etc, as it says [here](https://www.americastestkitchen.com/equipment_reviews/1541-bread-lames-for-baguettes) – Michael Harvey Aug 04 '21 at 11:12