Uses for French potato forks?

[BobB]

I was on vacation in the south of France recently and ran across these "pommes de terre fourchettes" in a kitchenware shop (you know you're a Chowhound when you find yourself browsing kitchenware shops on vacation, right?).

Never seen anything quite like them in the States so I had to buy half a dozen, just because. Now I'm trying to figure out what to use them for. Serving pickles & olives, perhaps?

[Caroline1]

How to use them? hmmmmm.... If you know a blind man you really dislike, you could invite him to a formal sitdown dinner and make sure he gets one of those.

You could also invite five or six friends over (depending on whether you want to participate or just judge) and give each a fork and a large jar of sliced dill pickles. Whoever spears the most pickles gets to keep the fork.

They look pretty useless for that old hang-a-fork-on-a-toothpick-on-a-glass-and-burn-the-toothpick trick.

I think you may have the world's largest collection of white elephants on your hands. SIX! '-)

[sunshine842]

I actually DID see something similar at my local market this week.

The only customers buying them seemed to be little old ladies, and from the snippets of conversation I heard...yes, the 3 tines are to keep the potatoes from shooting off of the fork (it's a cooking fork, not a table fork) -- and for testing to see if they're done.

The ones at the market had straight tines, much to the dismal of the lols, who felt that they should have angled tines (like yours in the photo) so they do a better job of securing the potatl.

[RUK]

My mother used those for peeling cooked potatoes, usually nice golden type of potatoes for salad etc.....holding the hot potato in place without burning your hands while peeling.

[BobB]

Thanks, that's useful to know.

[Ikkeikea]

You could host a Halloween party. They are spooky looking.

[BobB]

You're right, they do have a bit of an evil claw thing going on. Excellent for serving eyeballs! (I'm referring to sheep's eyeballs, of course).

[calliope_nh]

So funny. My first thought upon seeing them was witch's arms.

[sharhamm]

Maybe the 3rd tine is for sitting on the top side of the pot?

[sunshine842]

how big are they? (I can't get any perspective from your photo)

It sounds like they're fairly small -- so yes, I suppose pickles/olives might be a good use, but I've never seen one before.

[BobB]

About six inches long - or more appropriately, 16 cm.

[sunshine842]

maybe they're used to spear cooked potatoes? The tine arrangement looks like it would help keep a cooked potato from shooting off the end of the fork and onto the floor.

[BobB]

I assume that's what they're sold for given the name, but I've never had a problem using regular forks with potatoes.