Tag Archives: Tool

Spoon

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Spoon

Would you like a spoon of facts?

  • Spoons are tools or utensils that are cutlery items used primarily to eat or prepare food.
  • Spoons feature a shallow, curved receptacle, that is attached to a longer handle.
  • Stainless steel is one of the most common materials used to make spoons, while wood, plastic, ceramic, or other metals are not uncommon, though some cutlery is made of a combination of two or more substances.
  • Spoons are most often used to eat, mix, distribute and measure food.
  • Ancient civilisations made spoons from a variety of materials like wood, bone, rock, gold, silver and ivory, depending on the utensil’s purpose and availability of materials.

Spoon, Metal, Plastic, Assortment, Invention, Cutlery, Ten Random Facts

  • Spoons have been adapted as souvenirs making them collected items, while both antiques and limited editions are popular among collectors.
  • The modern manufacturing process of metal spoons starts with a flat metal sheet, that is cut and shaped using dies.
  • Spoons have been used in past societies, including Egyptian and British, to symbolise status and power.
  • The modern appearance of spoons was only adopted in the 1700s, and soon after they became a prominent household item.
  • A spoon is most commonly used for eating when the food is liquid-based or small, such as rice, cereal, ice-cream and soup.
Bibliography:
Jones T, The History of Spoons, Forks and Knives, 2013, Today I Found Out, http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2013/10/history-spoons-forks-knives/
Spoon, 2015, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spoon

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Tin Can

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Tin Can

Tin cans are the stars of food packaging.

  • Tin cans are containers most commonly used in commercial production, to package or store items like food or other products.
  • ‘Tin cans’, also known as ‘tins’; ‘steel cans’; ‘cans’; and ‘steel packaging’, are made of a metal material that is easy to cut, such as aluminium or tinplate steel.
  • The shape of a tin can is most commonly cylindrical, although round-edged prisms are also available; and they generally feature a rim on the top, and sometimes bottom edge, as well as a label, that is usually either printed or glued on.
  • Tin can walls often have one or more ridges or indents circling the can, giving a corrugated look, and these are designed to add strength to the can, and they can also sometimes be found on the top and base.
  • Tin cans are measured by a variety of formats, from net weight, volume and size, often varying by country.

Tin Cans, Nesquik, Bundle, Metal, Homebrand, Ten Random Facts, Select, Fruit,, Invention

  • Tin cans are typically made by forming a piece of sheet metal into a cylinder, and the edges if there are any, are welded, soldered, or adhered together, while the lid and top edge is often folded into place by a machine, to seal the can.
  • Around 50 to 75 percent of tin cans are recycled, causing the can to be the most recycled packaging product in the world.
  • After lengthy storage periods, tin cans can corrode and toxins spread into foods, thus causing poisoning, with symptoms like vomiting and dizziness; although corrosion is minimised by the application of a special lacquer coating to the interior of the can.
  • In 1809, Frenchman Nicholas Appert, a chef, developed a method of preserving food in sealed containers, for which he won a prize, and Philippe de Girard, an inventor also from France soon used this idea with tin cans, and after the patent was sold by Englishman Peter Durand to Bryan Donkin and John Hall, the idea was further refined and the two commenced mass production of canned food, in 1813.
  • The opening of tin cans usually requires the use of a cutting tool, such as a can opener, or a lever mechanism such as a pull tab.
Bibliography:
Geoghegon T, The story of how the tin can nearly wasn’t, 2013, BBC News Magazine, http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-21689069
History of the Can – Timeline, 2015, Quality by Vision, http://www.qbyv.com/en/canhistory
Tin can, 2015, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tin_can

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Stick Blender

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Stick Blender

Blend… with the stick blender.

  • Stick blenders are inventions used in cooking, to purée or mix food ingredients.
  • A ‘stick blender’ is also known as a ‘hand blender’, ‘wand blender’, ‘immersion blender’, ‘boat motor’, ‘Bamix’ and ‘Bermixer’.
  • Stick blenders are roughly cylindrical in shape, and are usually held by one’s hand on the upper section, which is generally made from plastic, while the blades at the base are usually made from stainless steel.
  • Stick blenders are portable tools that blend food, especially soup, in the container that it was cooked or made in, and as such, they do not require large or special mixing bowls.
  • A stick blender differs from a mixer, in that due to its small fine blades, it performs a cutting action, rather than beaters that just mix the ingredients, however, some hand blenders can be purchased with extra attachments to make the appliance more versatile.

Stick Blender, White, Electric, Ten Random Facts, Hand, Appliance, Kitchen, Culinary,

  • The invention of the first stick blender, known as a ‘Bamix’, made from the French words ‘battre et mixer’ (beat and mix), is attributed to Roger Perrinjaquet, an inventor from Switzerland, who patented the idea in 1950.
  • Stick blenders are commonly used to make well-blended and puréed soups, beverages, and sauces, and they are also often used to make home-made puréed baby food.
  • Stick blenders became increasingly popular as people were made aware of them, and various companies now produce this handy kitchen tool, and the price of the blenders is determined by brand, quality, features and power.
  • The length of stick blenders can range from 25.5 to 30.5 centimetres (10 to 12 inches), up to 90 centimetres (35 inches) in length, and the long ones are usually used in commercial kitchens where large quantities of food are cooked.
  • Stick blenders are usually powered by electricity, although they may be cordless, in which case they will generally have a charging station included.
Bibliography:
Alfaro D, Immersion Blender, 2015, About Food, http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/glossary/g/Immersion-Blender.htm
Historical Past of the Best Immersion Blender, 2013, slideshare, http://www.slideshare.net/cirrusspoon2/historical-past-of-the-best-immersion-blender
Immersion Blender, 2015, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immersion_blender

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Broom

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Broom

Sweep the broom here and there.

  • Brooms are inventions typically used on a floor to sweep messes, dust and dirt into a pile for disposal.
  • Brooms usually consist of a brush, used to sweep; and a stick handle, that is generally long and cylindrical.
  • The bristles in the brush of a broom are typically made of plastic, straw, animal hair or other plant fibres.
  • In the early 1900s, the number of factories in the United States that manufactured brooms reached over 1000, although later, this number dropped by at least two thirds.
  • Brooms created before the 1800s were generally made by people at home, and were often impractical bundles of branches, grass and other fragile objects that collapsed under a few uses; however they became more sturdy during the 19th century due to improvements in construction, and machinery built for the purpose.

Broom, Many, Brush, Sweep, Ten Random Facts, Black, Blue, Pan, Invention

  • Witches are commonly associated with ‘besom’ style brooms, that have a long handle protruding from the centre of a bundle of bristles, as they are said to ride on them for transport purposes.
  • Levi Dickenson, a Massachusetts’ farmer in the United States, is credited with inventing a broom in 1797, that used fibres that functioned significantly better than others, and it quickly became a popular fibre for the tool.
  • The material that Levi Dickenson used in his broom was a species of sorghum, Sorghum vulgare, that became known as ‘broom corn’, and it became one of the most common fibres used for making the tool in the 1800s, and the plant is still used for this purpose today.
  • A broom is generally used by holding the handle and using a sweeping or dusting motion, while those with a handle at a slight angle to the broader, but shorter, bristled brush, allows the tool to pull or push dirt along the floor.
  • Brooms are commonly used in a metaphorical sense in poetic literature, and are often used symbolically for other purposes.
Bibliography:
Broom, 2015, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broom
Early American Brooms, n.d, Broom Shop, http://broomshop.com/history/

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Colander

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Colander

The most efficient liquid remover is the colander.

  • A colander is a type of sieve, that is an invention used for culinary purposes, to separate liquid from other food.
  • ‘Colander’ comes from the word ‘colum’, which means ‘strainer’ or ‘sieve’ in Latin, and they are also known as ‘kitchen sieves’, ‘strainers’ and ‘pasta strainers’.
  • Most commonly, colanders are used to strain pasta, and canned items; as well as to rinse or wash vegetables and fruit.
  • Common materials used to make colanders include aluminium, ceramic, plastic, silicone and stainless steel.
  • Generally, colanders are found in the shape of a bowl, that is often deep, and sometimes they have small legs at the base.

Colander, Tupperware, Plastic, White, Black, Deep, Shallow, Culinary, Food, Invention, Ten Random Facts, Strainer

  • Colanders feature many holes or slots at the base for liquid to drain, that can range from small to large in size.
  • Colanders have been used for thousands of years, and specimens have been found that date back to at least 1300 BC.
  • Colanders are typically used over a sink, although a catcher, that is sometimes especially designed and paired with the colander, may be used if liquid flavouring or the like is wanted for other purposes.
  • Care should be taken when draining food via a colander, as steam can rise from boiling or hot liquids, and scald.
  • Colanders have been used by some religious organisations, notably those that ‘worship’ the Flying Spaghetti Monster from the Pastafarianism organisation, as head coverings.
Bibliography:
Colander, 2015, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colander
How Did the Colander Get Its Name?, 2012, CulinaryLore.com, http://www.culinarylore.com/food-history:origin-of-word-colander
What is a Colander?, 2015, WiseGEEK, http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-colander.htm

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Basket

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Basket

Have you looked inside the wicker basket recently?

  • Baskets are receptacles used for the primary purpose of storing objects, or for holding objects so that they can be easily moved.
  • Baskets are typically woven, and can range from an open-weave form to a solid-walled structure, and materials commonly used include leaves, grass, wicker, cane, wood, straw, bamboo, plastic, metal and horse hair.
  • Many baskets can be woven with an attached or removable lid, or often they have no lid at all.
  • Baskets can be used ornamentally; in cooking; as a trap; for holding laundry; as a rattle; and they are also sometimes used for traditional religious purposes.
  • Baskets were originally intended for carrying loose items so that that could easily be transported.

Basket, Brown, Wicker, Ten Random Facts, Two, Assortment, Size, Large, Handles, invention

  • The first baskets were said to be originally short-lived because they were made of bark; and the containers were later supported with woven fibres to further extend their use.
  • Baskets have been in use for thousands of years and the remains of well preserved baskets have been discovered from possibly as early as 5000 BC.
  • Baskets can come in numerous varieties of shapes, sizes, colours and patterns and they can range from 0.6 to 90 centimetres (0.24 to 35.4 inches) in diameter, or more; and in many circumstances they can be considered to be an art.
  • Baskets may feature handles for ease of carrying with one’s hands, and some can be placed on one’s head to carry, which is a common traditional practice.
  • Nearly every ancient culture has made an abundance of baskets throughout history, including Egyptian, Chinese, Roman, Greek, Japanese, and Native American, while the latter are particularly well known for their baskets.
Bibliography:
Basket, 2015, Made How, http://www.madehow.com/Volume-4/Basket.html
Basket, 2015, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basket

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