If youโve ever gone treasure hunting in your grandparentsโ home, youโve likely dug up an unusual tool or two that leaves you scratching your head.
Recently, an online user shared a photo of some metal instruments that โ if not for the nut-shaped bowl they sit โ look like little weapons.
Netizens jumped in with their thoughts, sharing various uses for these odd objects, one even suggesting itโs used to โlocate cavities.โ Keep reading to learn more about this unusual tool!
Weโve all heard of a nutcracker, not the ballet with the dancing Sugar Plum Fairy but the metal tool designed to crack the shells of nuts.
The tool, which resembles pliers, typically consists of two hinged metal levers or arms, usually serrated, which are connected at the top.
The nut is placed in the jaws of the nutcracker, and pressure is applied by squeezing the levers together, which then cracks the shell, allowing access to the edible part inside.
Nutcrackers come in various designs and sizes, ranging from simple handheld models to more elaborate decorative pieces.
Some nutcrackers are specialized for specific types of nuts, while others are versatile enough to handle a variety of nut sizes, and crustaceans, like lobster or crab.
Stealing the fruit from the hard-shelled nut isnโt a simple process.
Once youโve cracked the shell, youโre left with the meat clinging to the tough walls that once housed it.
Thatโs when you use a pick, the instruments that are puzzling online users.
A nut pick, often used after the cracker, is a small, pointed tool used to extract the edible portion of a nut from its shell after it has been cracked.
The pick typically has a pointed end that can be inserted into the crevices or openings in the cracked nutshell to extract the nut meat without damaging it.
Nut picks come in various designs and materials, including metal, wood, or plastic. Some may have decorative handles or ergonomic features for ease of use.
They are handy for enjoying a variety of nuts, such as walnuts, pecans, almonds, and others, where the edible part needs to be separated from the shell.
Online users jumped in and commented on the many uses of the versatile picks.
One user, recalling the laborious task of cracking nuts in the past, writes: โWe use them for walnuts back then you didnโt get cracked walnuts in a bag when you wanted to bake with nuts, you bought a bag of walnuts and cracked them open yourself.โ
A second shares: โFor nuts, walnuts pecans etcโฆthey came with the nutcracker. They also worked to get the lobster out of those tiny legs.โ
โThey [are] crab and [lobster] meat picks. Iโm lucky to still my familyโs set. Grew up near Maine so there were lots of occasions to use them!โ writes a third.
Another cybernaut shares she has multiple uses for the pick: โI have used them for what they [are] used [for] However when [youโre] an artist [you] can find other ways for it as well.โ
Meanwhile, other users offer their thoughts: โThey are called Oliveย picks, but can be used for other things, so your hands donโt touch the food,โ writes one. A second jokes, โUsed mostly to pick your teeth after a big dinnerโฆalso helpful in locating cavities for you.โ
What are your fondest memories of using nutcrackers and picks?
Please let us know your thoughts in the comments section and then share this story so we can hear what others have to say!
