What was this used for?

Goodday all.

I want to make use of your combined wisdom again please. I found these little brass "pots"? "holders"? in a brass mixed bag at our local thrift store in Pretoria (South Africa). Can anyone tell me what these were used for please? I asked my in-laws and my dad but they couldn't tell me.

Thanks in advance.

Regards from a very cold Pretoria.

Elsa

 

silent butler triple set....???

 

Interesting, I just googled silent butler - these however does not have a hinged lid?

 

Hulllooo Pretoria and Wilkomen ! Can you show us the bottoms-stamps/markings maybe ?
PS-Please send us some of your cold weather.

 

Hi there. They don't have any markings on the bottom. I will upload pics

 

Drat-that's a revolting development ! Tiny pedicure baths for individual toe nails perhaps ?

 

have they been "tinned" on the inside ( for food contact ) ?

Possible to cook something x 3 in bain-marie ( in another recipient containing boiling water on flame or oven )

Egg flan and certain chocolate deserts are cooked in this way .

difficult to clean

 

I was about to suggest the same thing.

 

Certainly looks like it. And I agree, they could have been used for combined au bain marie cooking.

 

I thought of the more pedestrian poached eggs.

 

I poach eggs by sliding them into whirling boiling water. So the eggs are in contact with the water, not with the sides of the pan.

 

I too considered the tinning.....but a look at how these are joined....... & I wouldn't trust them to hold liquid...... or be heated!!!!!!!!!

 

Elsa, I'd trade a day of your cold weather for my really hot summer!

I don't know what your set is used for and I thought cooking or steaming something too. I also wonder if it once set in a round container.

Anyway, just wanted to offer a thought about spice containers. I can't find anything similar but I wondered about some of the Indian spice multi containers. These look more handy with handles if that might be the case.

Just thinking out loud (well, in print actually)

 

Something like this? But not of the same quality?

https://westontable.com/products/vintage-1860s-french-copper-bain-marie-set

Debora

 

Bain Marie hope I spelled that right. LOL

 

With the screws on top, you can also use them as tinder box candle holders

 

Think this is the classic technique, but we Americans like things to be a uniform shape, so we have pans that are just for what we call poached eggs, which aren't a lot different than coddled eggs, when it comes down to it.

 

Yes, sounds like those are more like coddled eggs than poached eggs.

 

Egg poacher as I remember:



But there is also:

 

Thak you Debora, was looking for a piccie for ages !