Q: What is this? Is it a kitchen tool?
Sent by Ben
Editor: Ben, oh yes! It's a corn stripper -- used to strip the kernels of corn off the cob.
• Mystery Gadget! Squeezy Handles and Spiky Ring
Readers, do you have one of these? Do you use it?
Related: Gadgetry: Corn on the Cob
(Image: Ben via The Kitchn's submission form)
Straw Mat from The ...

yup. That's for taking corn of the cob. Though a chef's knife works just as well.
we had one of these in our kitchen growing up. i never knew what it was for, and i never saw anyone use it!
Take the corn of the cob? That's just, just . . . wrong :)
That was the most used gadget in my family's kitchen when I had braces :)
There is one of these in my mom's utensil drawer and I have been fascinated by it for months... My mom doesn't even know where it came from. Looks like I'm making corn next time I see her :)
I need one! My oldest has lost his front teeth!
Its to take corn off the cob. I had one (was given to me at one point...) but I never used it. I always found a knife to take easily take care of the job.
Ha! My husband just bought one a Walmart in the camping section the other week. Wicked sharp. Careful cleaning it but it does work!
We had one of these growing up. We had a farm with a lot of corn so my mom would freeze it!
My teeth are my corn stripper! Even when I was little and didn't have the front ones I would gnaw from the side. I love fresh corn!
'Had one of these a few years back but gifted it to the goodwill during a cleanout of the kitchen. It didn't work especially well and a regular kitchen knife did a far better job.
I'm in the Alton Brown school of thought in that you should just toss such worthless things away (or better still, not buy them) As mentioned earlier, a chef's knife works just as well. For those who lost front teeth, I'd personally just opt to skip corn this year.
Had one. Found it useless. Tossed it out. Use knife.
I inherited one of these and love it! While for one or two ears a good knife is perfect, when processing twenty five to fifty ears for canning, this little tool makes things go much smoother.