Mystery kitchen objects

My daughter found these two metal disks stored in her kitchen cabinet. (See photos.) Do any of you recognize them? I feel like the detective in a mystery -- there's always a line about "something was playing at the edge of my memory but I couldn't quite get it into focus".. Anyone?

cookbookchick
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30 Comments

cookbookchick
cookbookchick January 18, 2014
You all ROCK!! Thank you so much -- I knew I could count on my Food52 buds! Now all my daughter has to figure out is how they ended up in her kitchen cabinet -- minus the pots!
 
Greenstuff
Greenstuff January 18, 2014
Bingo, mixter! I googled Seal-O-Matic cookware and through images, got to this site, which had pictures of both as "Flavorite with TempTone." The big holes held cups for poaching, and the little holes were a steamer unit adapter plate.
http://unitedcookware.com/
 
cookbookchick
cookbookchick January 18, 2014
LBF, the larger holes are egg-poacher size. I'm becoming convinced that it is a part of an egg poacher with the cups missing, though my daughter has never poached an egg. (See my answer to mixter re: the ex.). Perhaps mixter is right about that Seal-O-Matic set -- maybe the smaller disc was meant to be on the pan bottom to help control the simmer as the eggs were poaching? Is that possible??
 
cookbookchick
cookbookchick January 18, 2014
Thanks, mixter, for the info and a good laugh! I, too, have kitchen gear that's been around since I started keeping my own kitchen. That would be 1967 for me. This would make a good topic, don't you think? "What are some of the oldest items in your kitchen that you don't use and why do you hang onto them." I'll have to ask my daughter's ex if he has the rest of that Seal-O-Matic! Could be it was a hand-me-down from his mom. Grasping at straws here!
 
mixter
mixter January 18, 2014
Back in my college years (74) I bought a set of cookware made by a company called Seal-O-Matic. A friend had a "party" and lo and behold someone was there selling this cookware. I cut a deal to buy the set on lay a way for 5.00 per month. Included in the set were what looks like the discs you have. I never knew what they were for, either. I guessed that the one was for poaching
as the set included metal cups to fit the holes.(Brilliant, I know) There are two pans that the disc fits into. The other one, I could never figure out. Still have the set after 35 years.
 
LeBec F.
LeBec F. January 18, 2014
yay mixter!!
 
cookbookchick
cookbookchick January 18, 2014
You have to view this thread on a tablet or laptop to see the photos. If you're viewing on the Hotline app, you won't see them. They're up near the top of the thread.
 
tiffanylee
tiffanylee January 18, 2014
Where is the picture? Would love to see what your talking about.
 
cookbookchick
cookbookchick January 17, 2014
Um.. no.
 
LeBec F.
LeBec F. January 18, 2014
never did hear how large the holes are; could the one on the right be an insert for a pressure cooker for canning jars?
 
Maedl
Maedl January 17, 2014
Does she have any Indian friends who may have visited?
 
cookbookchick
cookbookchick January 17, 2014
Wow, that's a far-out suggestion given that my daughter is a good baker, but does not do much cooking. She wouldn't poach an egg let alone make an idli! There's no way an idli mold would have made its way into her kitchen -- even with Sam's can of beet theory! :-)
 
Maedl
Maedl January 17, 2014
Have a look at this: http://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/idli-recipe-how-to-make-soft-idlis/
I think idli is a distinct possibility!
 
Droplet
Droplet January 17, 2014
I have seen metal devices with several tiers like these that Indian women use for what they call Idli, I think (not sure of the spelling).It would still need cup inserts as in the poached egg possibility suggested by Sam, and maybe the one with smaller holes goes in between to allow the steam to travel between layers. Just a guess, as Indian cuisine is a hazy one for me.
 
cookbookchick
cookbookchick January 17, 2014
I agree, Maedl. Definitely not a spatzle tool. I think the two belong to the same set, whatever it us, as they appear to be made the same way. And they are fairly large. They would seem to fit into a pot of some sort, as Sam suggests. I was hoping someone would say "oh, yeah I have one of those____!"
 
LeBec F.
LeBec F. January 18, 2014
Oh, yeah I have one of those! Come to think of it, the last time i saw it was when i lent it to the set designer for Cast Away , who gave it to Tom Hanks so he could set up a showerhead on his desert island.
:-}
 
Maedl
Maedl January 17, 2014
I don't think the smaller one is for Spätzle--if it is, I think the Spätzle it produced could double as cannon balls. Spätzle makers need to be easily removed from the pot (this thing has no handle) and should also have something to push the dough through the holes.
 
cookbookchick
cookbookchick January 17, 2014
You two are hysterical!! If the mystery is never completely solved, it was worth posting these just for the enormous fun of your responses. Thanks for the laughs and yes, we should ALL go to bed now!
 
LeBec F.
LeBec F. January 17, 2014
I've never made spaetzle or gnocchi type things, but is it possible the left disc could be held above boiling water while spaetzle dough is scraped across the top of the disc, pushing spaetzle down and into the water to cook? or maybe i should just go to bed now?
 
cookbookchick
cookbookchick January 17, 2014
Sam, I am now wondering if these could be inserts for a slow-cooker. Check this out: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mirro-Matic-Electric-Casserole-Avocado-M-0341-37-with-Egg-Poacher-Insert-/171216352674?pt=Small_Kitchen_Appliances_US&hash=item27dd4a35a2
 

Voted the Best Reply!

Sam1148
Sam1148 January 17, 2014
I'm 99 percent sure the disk with large holes is a egg poacher. With missing cups. The other disk is probably a steamer insert for the bottom to let it fit on a skillet without contacting the bottom high heat--it could have come as part of a set.

As for "not remembering"
Some kitchen gadgets seem to spontaneously generate. If you look in guy's tool box, you'll find little shafts of screw drivers without a handle..which have no purpose and no one remembers purchasing them they seem to shed their handles occasionally before moving to junk drawers and tool boxes. And no one remembers a screw driver in the middle phase of losing it's shaft.

In most kitchens, a drawer or cabinate left alone long enough will spontaneously generate a egg slicer or mushroom slicer; which no one will remember purchasing.

There is a theory that this could be part of the life cycle of migratory socks and coat hangers and such anomalies are simply camouflage to change their appearance and to Puzzle humans and continue with a happy home in a drawer.

There is another theory...that any pantry left alone long enough will generate a can of beets.
 
cookbookchick
cookbookchick January 17, 2014
Aha, UhOhSarah, that's it! A few years ago, I gave my daughter a George Foreman grill that I got as a freebie with a microwave oven, but I never saw it opened or used one myself. I now see that tool in a product picture on Amazon. One mystery solved -- thank you so much!
 
Sam1148
Sam1148 January 16, 2014
Well, see if this link works...It is a poached egg steamer (the large one) with missing cups that fit in the holes. Designed to fit on a skillet for steaming and removing the cups for service.
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_kw=vintage+poached+egg
 
cookbookchick
cookbookchick January 17, 2014
Sam, you may be right and it had occurred to me that it might be an egg poacher but I couldn't figure how it would work. The missing cups would explain that. The thing is neither my daughter nor I have ever poached an egg, so (I ask myself) why would such a thing be in the kitchen of her house, a house that has only ever belonged to her? And what is that other disk which seems to be a part of the same set? Hmm.. this may require further thought. But I like your theory and appreciate your taking the time to help figure this out.
 
LeBec F.
LeBec F. January 17, 2014
I bet that one on the right is for poaching eggs, like you linked. CBChick's daughter should go through her pans that have lids and see if it fits one of them....
 
cookbookchick
cookbookchick January 16, 2014
Also this..
 
UhOhSarah
UhOhSarah January 16, 2014
That one is a spatula/scraper for a George Foreman grill I believe :)
 
cookbookchick
cookbookchick January 16, 2014
Oops -- the image disappeared on me! Try again..
 
Sam1148
Sam1148 January 16, 2014
I think those might be inserts for a poached egg steamer. With little missing cups for holes.
I'm not sure if the other thing is related..but could be a steamer insert.
http://img1.etsystatic.com/000/0/6357046/il_570xN.350402845.jpg
 
LeBec F.
LeBec F. January 17, 2014
maybe i'm crazy off base here, but those discs struck me as resembling parts that would be put on a machine for extruding pasta or sausage. A photo can deceive; how big ARE those holes?

Also,the one on the left looks like something you should always fly with because if you ever ended up on a desert island, it could work really well in setting up a shower head :-}
 
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