[Sca-cooks] clay graters

Dragon dragon at crimson-dragon.com
Tue Mar 25 09:36:41 PDT 2008


Stefan li Rous wrote:
>Dragon commented:
><<< As for digging into the earth, we are doing that. In fact I went and
>played in the mud yesterday afternoon (I threw two small jars and made a
>nutmeg grater out of clay). >>>
>
>I've used a "regular" metal grater and a micrograter to grate nutmeg,
>but how do you use one made out of pottery? How is it made? With a
>metal grater you have the little spikes pushed up which shred the
>item and pieces fall through the holes in the grater into the results
>pile. Although some shreds and falls off the top. The clay grater
>just has points on it, right? With no holes for the pieces to fall
>through? How durable is the clay grater? Or is this more a slab of
>clay with other hard particles embedded in it?
---------------- End original message. ---------------------

It's a bit of an experiment based upon the fact that many ceramic 
Japanese mortars (called suribachi) have raised ridges inside that 
assist in the grinding.

Here is a photo of a suribachi:

http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/suribachis.htm

As nutmeg is not extremely hard, it should be possible to grate it 
with what I am making.

Like classic Japanese graters ( http://www.fine-tools.com/kitchen.htm 
), this has no holes for the grated material to fall through like 
western designs do. Basically, I made a portion of the outside of the 
grater with a set of sharp raised ridges in a pattern resembling a 
single-cut file. It should work once well once fired to cone 5 
(stoneware temperature, it is rather hard but not quite as glassy as 
porcelain). The idea is that this serves as a file to abrade off a 
bit of nutmeg to sprinkle directly on your dish at table. It should 
be durable enough to abrade the nutmeg while avoiding breaking off 
pieces of fired clay.

The design of the piece is a tube large enough to hold about three 
whole nutmegs inside, one end is closed and the other will accept a 
stopper, there is a hole drilled in a tab at the stopper end to hang 
it on a cord.

I will take a photo of it tonight when I get home and put it on a web 
page. I am hoping that it will work as I expect and if it does, it 
will get added to my feasting gear.




Dragon

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  Venimus, Saltavimus, Bibimus (et naribus canium capti sumus)
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