answers to my less than popular game

OK, I give in. Since a couple more people played and a few of you sent me emails – I concede. Here are the answers for the second edition of “What the Heck is That?!?”  And very impressively, this time we had one person get all three items correct. Kudos to my super smart (and super sweet!) friend, Kim!

Object #1

This is a manche à gigot, otherwise known as a leg of lamb holder clamp. Gigot is the French word for a leg of lamb or mutton and manche means handle. So this tool is used when slicing the leg of lamb. It is attached to the shank and then tightened to provide a clean grip for the carver.

Object #2

As Kim guessed, this is a sharpening stone. It is used to grind and hone the edges of knives. But this isn’t just any old stone. 

This very stone belonged to Julia Child. I purchased it at an IACP conference about a dozen years ago and had Julia autograph it for me. Yep, it’s a true treasure!

Object #3

This cool item is a Chitarra or pasta guitar given to me by my dear friend, Tram. Chitarra (pronounced key-tahr-rah) is a pasta maker believed to have been invented in Chieti, Abruzzo region in central Italy around the 1800’s. Meaning ‘guitar,’ a chitarra looks like a double-sided harp, with strings set close on one side, farther on the other. In the center of the device is a slanted board, designed to allow the cut pasta to slide off easily once it’s been cut by the strings. Simply use a rolling pin, flatten and press the dough through the wires.

So even if you didn’t play the game, I hope you at least enjoyed seeing a few of the unique items from my kitchen. 🙂