What is this nipple doing in this bowl?
May 15, 2013 5:56 AM Subscribe
A friend in Montreal is organizing a rummage sale at her church, and this bowl was donated. I have no other information from her other than this picture. I've done my best to research and ask around, but I'm stumped and so are a few of my antique and vintage tchotchke dealer friends. It's not the value of it that we're wondering about - everyone was curious as to what is the intended purpose for a nipple-shaped protrusion in the centre of the bowl -- do you know?
The first thing I thought of was a lettuce crisper. You take the core out of a head of iceberg lettuce and then set it on the nipple.
Much like the iconic, Tupperware Lettuce Crisper.
It's a guess though.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 5:59 AM on May 15, 2013
Much like the iconic, Tupperware Lettuce Crisper.
It's a guess though.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 5:59 AM on May 15, 2013
Could be an Apple Baking Dish? The protrusion doesn't look tall enough or cylindrical enough, though.
posted by Rock Steady at 6:01 AM on May 15, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by Rock Steady at 6:01 AM on May 15, 2013 [2 favorites]
Hey! Check this out! Could it be a food dish designed to slow a dog down?
Here's another.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 6:08 AM on May 15, 2013
Here's another.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 6:08 AM on May 15, 2013
Lingam Tibetan singing bowls also have a protrusion at the centre. But your bowl doesn't look like you'd get much of a note out of it (other than a nice crash-tinkle if you dropped it).
posted by pipeski at 6:13 AM on May 15, 2013
posted by pipeski at 6:13 AM on May 15, 2013
My best guess is that it's to help promote even heating by keeping the food/liquid away from the hottest or coldest part of the bowl (depending on whether heating is from the outside or the centre bottom).
It was placed there by a troublemaker to make us all google nipple bowls
posted by pianissimo at 6:24 AM on May 15, 2013 [6 favorites]
It was placed there by a troublemaker to make us all google nipple bowls
posted by pianissimo at 6:24 AM on May 15, 2013 [6 favorites]
My first thought was an apple baking dish as well.
posted by Ostara at 6:27 AM on May 15, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by Ostara at 6:27 AM on May 15, 2013 [2 favorites]
Is it my idea or is it slightly off center? How large is the bowl?
posted by Dr Dracator at 7:06 AM on May 15, 2013
posted by Dr Dracator at 7:06 AM on May 15, 2013
Dang it. I saw a bowl like this on facebook a week or two ago (maybe posted from Pinterest?) but I'm not into the cooking thing so much, so I can't remember what it was about. Sorry.
posted by Doohickie at 7:48 AM on May 15, 2013
posted by Doohickie at 7:48 AM on May 15, 2013
Can you ask two questions of the picture sender and report back to the class?
posted by bilabial at 10:06 AM on May 15, 2013
- I can't really tell if the nipple is actually centered in this bowl, but it looks slightly off to me. Can you tell us if that's so?
- Also, are there any marks on the bottom?
posted by bilabial at 10:06 AM on May 15, 2013
How big is it? Because yeah: baked apple bowl. If it fits an apple comfortably, that's it.
With baked apples, you core them --- think of cutting a tunnel through from top to bottom --- but leave the skin on; stuff the empty core with raisins plus a tablespoon or so of brown sugar and top it with a teaspoon or so of butter. The 'nipple' in the dish would help hold the apple upright. Bake at 350 degrees for an hour, serve hot with vanilla ice cream. (Although I have to admit, in my own family we just bake the apples in a standard Pyrex baking dish, not no high-falutin' fancy individual-serve thing.)
posted by easily confused at 10:54 AM on May 15, 2013
With baked apples, you core them --- think of cutting a tunnel through from top to bottom --- but leave the skin on; stuff the empty core with raisins plus a tablespoon or so of brown sugar and top it with a teaspoon or so of butter. The 'nipple' in the dish would help hold the apple upright. Bake at 350 degrees for an hour, serve hot with vanilla ice cream. (Although I have to admit, in my own family we just bake the apples in a standard Pyrex baking dish, not no high-falutin' fancy individual-serve thing.)
posted by easily confused at 10:54 AM on May 15, 2013
It's not a lid? Looks like a spike where steam drips from while cooking, to baste what you are cooking.
posted by kellyblah at 1:07 PM on May 15, 2013
posted by kellyblah at 1:07 PM on May 15, 2013
It makes me think of the bottom half of a two-piece African Violet pot, though I can't find any pictures of one like yours. Here's one with a nipple on the bottom of the inner pot.
posted by oneirodynia at 3:29 PM on May 15, 2013
posted by oneirodynia at 3:29 PM on May 15, 2013
Response by poster: I've asked her, but she hasn't yet responded.
Also, not a troublemaker - but you don't want to see my browser history and the Google suggestions I get, as a sometimes antique dealer and collector...
posted by peagood at 7:56 AM on May 16, 2013 [1 favorite]
Also, not a troublemaker - but you don't want to see my browser history and the Google suggestions I get, as a sometimes antique dealer and collector...
posted by peagood at 7:56 AM on May 16, 2013 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
The reason I would say it's to help mix stuff is because that nipple shape would introduce turbulence into whatever liquids are being mixed, and so help mix them better.
But this is a wild guess and could very well be wrong...
posted by dfriedman at 5:59 AM on May 15, 2013