What's this?

April 2, 2007 3:37 PM

Any idea what this is? My sister has it in her kitchen, but doesn't know what it is. Our guess is it has something to do with grapefruits, but doesn't look like a regular knife or spoon. Grapefruit spork?

Oh, yeah... it's about 5-6" long.
In very tiny letters is:
Vitacaille
Nogent-Inox
France
Péposé
(Some of those letters may be different- very hard to read)

posted by MtDewd to home & garden (18 comments total)

Looks like it may be for skinning and fillet-ing small fish.
posted by mds35 at 3:44 PM on April 2, 2007

Fillet knife and scale knife in one.
posted by lain at 3:56 PM on April 2, 2007

Except for the serrations on the top edge, it looks a lot like a can opener we had when I was a kid. Ours just had one notch at the end of the top loop (for the edge of the can.)
posted by PeteJacobsen at 3:57 PM on April 2, 2007

Avocado pitter?
posted by briank at 3:57 PM on April 2, 2007

For opening cans of kippers, then scaling the bastards.
posted by Clyde Mnestra at 4:10 PM on April 2, 2007

It's not a grapefruit spork.
posted by spork at 4:24 PM on April 2, 2007

No hits for "vitacaille" but a caille is a quail – maybe this is a gadget for taking the bones out of very small birds?
posted by zadcat at 4:27 PM on April 2, 2007

"Nogent-inox" refers to the metal, like 'stainless steel'. "Péposé" could be a maker's mark... these funky scissors has it too.

I'd guess it's some tool for easily and quickly scaling fish... 'écaille' is scale in French, slap on 'vite' (quick), and there you go.
posted by CKmtl at 4:40 PM on April 2, 2007

Oh. On closer inspection of those scissors (actually reading it :P), it's "déposé"... in terms of metal tools, I'd say that would be 'plated'.
posted by CKmtl at 4:44 PM on April 2, 2007

It's a fish scaler. On the Nogent site, they sell a more modern-looking tool similar to this one - it's listed as "Ecailleur à poisson Vitécaille Classic." The description says, "Permet d'enlever les écailles, de couper les nageoires, d'ouvrir le poisson sans abimer les entrailles, d'enlever les viscères sans le contact des doigts" (Lets you remove scales, cut fins, open fish without damaging entrails, remove internal organs without touching it with your fingers)
posted by candyland at 4:50 PM on April 2, 2007

Here's a larger image of a modern fish scaler.
posted by iconomy at 4:57 PM on April 2, 2007

Inox is short for inoxidable, French for stainless steel (won't oxidize).
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 5:08 PM on April 2, 2007

candyland has it.
"Déposé" means "registered" (short for "registered trademark" or "registered patent").
posted by bru at 5:09 PM on April 2, 2007

Err, inoxidable does mean stainless or non-rusting (as in stainless steel), 'cause rusting is a kind of 'oxidiation'; however, the French for stainless steel is acier inoxidable, acier being steel.
posted by onshi at 8:37 PM on April 2, 2007

Err, je sais. But inox has become the generic European term for stainless steel. Search Wikipedia for inox.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 11:34 PM on April 2, 2007

To clean a fish you first use the serrated side to scrape off all the scales. Then you insert the pointy blade just under the skin at the anus and then run it up the belly to the head to slit open the abdominal cavity. The shape of the blade is so that you run it horizontally to cut cut just under the surface of the skin without digging into the guts and making a mess. You then dig in and grab a hold of the guts in your fist up at the head and rip them out down to the anus. Rinse and you're ready to cook. That's some good eatin'.
posted by JackFlash at 12:19 AM on April 3, 2007

I have no idea what it is, but my grandparents have got one in their kitchen drawer. If no-one's worked it out by the weekend I'll introduce my grandfather to MeFi...
posted by twine42 at 2:18 AM on April 3, 2007

Thank you all. I put a question out, go to bed and have it solved when I wake up.
When I saw it I was telling everyone you guys know everything. (in your own way)
posted by MtDewd at 3:41 AM on April 3, 2007