30 Items Tagged

Tools

Tinder Fungus

One of the earliest fire-starting “technologies.”

Antica Aguzzeria del Cavallo

Once known for its horse-powered knife sharpening, this 200-year-old shop offers an array of blades and hard-to-find culinary tools.

Tête de Moine

"Monk's Head" cheese requires a special shaver.

Sharkskin Wasabi Grater

Traditional sushi chefs produce optimal condiments with this ancient tool.

The Boston Stabber

This praised oyster shucker is as elegant as it is dangerous.

Cucumber Straightener

Victorians used this glass tube to keep their cukes from curling.

Tools fill the shelves.

Berkeley, California

Berkeley Tool Lending Library

Check out a shovel along with your Shakespeare.

An advertisement for customizable cucumber glasses.

objects of intrigue

How England Got Its Curvy Cucumbers Straightened Out

The cucumber straightener was a marvel of British horticulture.

Abbey Perreault August 9, 2018

The DuBois Parasol Pruner was a useful gadget for gardeners who didn't want to get their skirts or hands dirty.

How Post-Revolutionary France Grew Obsessed With Gardens and Gadgets

As park and garden space expanded, middle-class fleuristes needed shears, watering cans, and umbrellas topped with pruning shears.

Jessica Leigh Hester May 10, 2018

When the melted aluminum solidifies inside the wooden mold, the spoon maker pries it open, and removes the spoon.

Ban Napia, Laos

Spoon Village

Heavily bombed during the Vietnam War, this small town turns unexploded munitions into utensils.

Fire is useful for shaping hardwood.

Found: Fire-Shaped Wooden Tools Used by Neanderthals

It's rare that wood survives for 170,000 years.

Vittoria Traverso February 7, 2018

Southport, England

British Lawnmower Museum

This unique collection of lawnmowers includes vintage blueprints and automatic robot mowers.