It's a GEM!

How many people do you know who use an old 1899 Gem Food grinder? Well you know one! ME!

I simply cannot tell you how useful this kitchen chopper has been throughout all these years. It has been passed down from my grandmother to my mother and then to me. The sorry thing is...I don't think any of my family's girls or boys will ever use it later.

I have a modern food processor. It is a pain to clean. I don't have a dishwasher, but this old kitchen utensil just needs to be taken apart, run under very hot water and dried completely before its next use. No soap, no scrubbing, no sneaky crevices and grooves. Simply simple.

Today its assignment was routine. The Christmas ham leftovers gave it an easy workout. Now salad, patties, a loaf, soups, and other concoctions will be enjoyed from these ham pickin's to a finished product.

The Gem balked one time, several years ago when I was trying to put through one pound of pre-cooked bacon that we didn't like. My idea was that it would end up being bacon bits for salad toppings. It actually was too tough to grind! My shoulder was too weak to survive the effort and I ended up with a severe injury. Never again! Still gives me trouble.

The patent date is embossed on the front as Apr 25 99

This primitive cast iron and old-fashioned food chopper is my choice. I sure would like to have a copy of the cookbook, but I can't have everything!