Mystery Gadget! Squeezy Handles and Spiky Ring

Suzy wrote to us looking for some information on this mysterious gadget. Do you know what it is?

Suzy says that she found it while researching vintage items for her Etsy store, Sparker Shop. It was so interesting she couldn't pass it up, but she also doesn't know what it is.

Well, we do have an answer for Suzy. It's a....

...Corn Cob Stripper!

• See an example here: Corn Cob Stripper

You stand the corn cob upright in a bowl, and slip the adjustable metal ring over its tip. Then you press down on the two yellow handles, and zip! The corn kernels are all skinned off.

Have you ever used one of these old-fashioned gadgets?

Related: Gadgetry: Corn on the Cob

(Image: Suzy)

Comments (7)

They are chopsticks Suzy.

posted by funstraw on July 15th 2009 at 1:34pm
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cuts the corn off a cob

posted by lew! on July 15th 2009 at 1:42pm
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I bought one of these several years ago - knife works just as well

posted by alexis on July 15th 2009 at 2:09pm
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Yes, they are for cutting off corn kernels from the cob.

posted by lindyleech on July 15th 2009 at 2:12pm
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Thanks, everyone!

Looks like I'm set for this summer's corn season. Off to hunt for recipes now...

posted by SparkerShop on July 15th 2009 at 3:17pm
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My family grew and froze a lot of sweet corn for the winter when I was young. Consequently, I ended up cutting a lot of corn kernels off the ears. My family had one of these gadgets as well as one other kind of gadget meant to cut corn off the ear. But the easiest tool to use, hands down, to cut corn off the ear was a knife.

posted by RoseCampion on July 15th 2009 at 11:15pm
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We always called it the corn shucker/schucker (sp?). It's advantage over a knife? I would not trust a child or teen to use a knife to s(c)huck corn. I remember using this with an adult and older kids. It is a good way to bring kids (or adults with no knife skills) into cooking.

posted by kushkush on July 16th 2009 at 11:40am
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