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Unknown utensil

The photo is of a utensil found in a European (French) kitchen. What is its use?

The knife is 7 inches (18 centimeter) long.

3 Answers 3

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The handle of the round plastic object feels really distinctive to me. It would clearly work with a normal hammer-like grip, but it also has the thumb-print inviting the user to choke the grip up close and apply lots of force. I'm pretty sure it's for scraping.

The metal tool is a bit confusing; it looks like it could cut, but it's clearly not a knife.

After a minute's thought, I'm comfortable guessing that this is a child's pumpkin-carving kit.

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    I'd never even heard of a pumpkin carving kit, but from looking at others on Google Images I'm convinced. The colour of the plastic parts ties in to that too.
    – dbmag9
    Commented Jun 10, 2020 at 13:08
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    @GdD How does it not answer the question? The OP asked what the use of the utensils is; ShapeOfMatter answered that the utensils are a child's pumpkin-carving kit.
    – dbmag9
    Commented Jun 10, 2020 at 13:09
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    I misread the question @dbmag9, my bad.
    – GdD
    Commented Jun 10, 2020 at 13:19
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    The little saw is surprisingly effective at carving a pumpkin, and much safer than using a kitchen knife. Though they do tend to be flimsy and easily bent to the point of no longer being usable. They're very common in U.S. grocery stores around Halloween.
    – bob
    Commented Jun 10, 2020 at 20:34
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    Yep, I have a pumpkin carving kit and it looks very similar to this.
    – Kat
    Commented Jun 10, 2020 at 21:00
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Suqash utensils

I found a Swiss website that offers a similar set of tools, called «Ustensiles à courge», which translates to «Squash utensils».

Squash utensils

I believe that @ShapeOfMatter correctly identified the purpose, so I am givng that person the correct answer status...

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    Luckily they offer their site in a language I understand better than french - it says "Set for hollowing out pumpkins, mellons and similar" ^^
    – eagle275
    Commented Jun 11, 2020 at 9:15
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    Although the two sets seem designed for the same purpose, the ustensiles à courge seem to be meant for serious cooks. They're better made, and the serrations on the knife are sharp enough that you could cut your fingers. The orange-handled set has dull serrations that are child-safe.
    – AndyB
    Commented Jun 12, 2020 at 2:37
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It could also be a form of grapefruit knife I believe.

enter image description here

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    That was my initial guess too, though it looks like we've found what it is with certainty.
    – Joe M
    Commented Jun 11, 2020 at 16:00
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    @Thomas Grapefruit knives are curved to follow the shape of the fruit, as you can see in your picture. The one in the question is clearly flat. Commented Jun 11, 2020 at 18:21

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