Granny fork???

[atty]

I have two of these treasures, and I have not been able to find more of them anywhere. From the pics that I have been able to find on the Net, it appears to be a type of Granny Fork, but finding one with 4 tines has been quite a challenge. These were my mother's, and since I'm 63, you get a rough idea of their age.

Overall length is 7 1/4". Tine length measured from bottom of the wood handle is 3 1/2". Besides scouring yard sales, anybody know where I might score a few of these?

[brasicana]

We were just discussing my mom's fork -- she got hers when she got married in 1959. We would LOVE to find one again! All I can find are 3-tined ones. If you find any, let me know!

[justplainbill]

The tines on many older forks were more needle-like
Eichenlaub Besteck - Messer Roedter gegr. 1909 scharferLaden.de Messer Kochmesser Rasiermesser Scheren aus Solingen Laden Versand Schleiferei

[mcnerd]

Interesting conversation. My memories of the Granny Fork was 3 very sharp prongs and straight, instead of curved like an eating fork, and much longer (over 7 inches) since it needed to reach further for kitchen preparation, but shorter and smaller than the 2-pronged carving fork.

Saw something similar on Amazon.com and thinking about buying it, but the one I remember as a boy seemed longer and did not have the bend. My granny was in upstate New York when I first experienced it. Oh yah, I'm 67 now.

[Janet H]

Interesting. My mom had a bigger fork called a Foley Fork that she used to make gravy, strain steamed veggies and serve drippy things (to leave the drippy stuff behind). I covet it! It was about 11 inches long and the fork part about 2.5 inches wide. Unlike the one you mention, the tines weren't sharp however.

[CWS4322]

I have a couple of those! I didn't know they had a special name. I learn something every day on DC. Thanks for sharing.

[pacanis]

Interesting. These are called granny forks? When my mother gave it to me she called it a testing fork, for sticking into a baked potato (or whatever) to see if it was done. At least that's how she used one.
I had to do some rummaging through the drawer to find it

[GLC]

Isn't that wild. I'm 62, and my mother had a number of pretty much exactly that fork. Just a little utilitarian fork. I always took it to be part of a cheap flatware set. We used them for everything. Can't find them at all anywhere, today.

But we're still cleaning out her house. Next time I'm there, I have to look. She never threw away anything else, so maybe...

It also feels like a thing to watch for at Goodwill.

[Steve Kroll]

Originally Posted by GLC

Can't find them at all anywhere, today.

Well, Amazon has everything under the sun, including Granny Forks:

http://www.amazon.com/LamsonSharp-3-.../dp/B0018N0X1Y

For less than $12, it seems like a pretty good buy.

[Steve Kroll]

By the way, my dad always called these "meat forks". Maybe that's something different, though it looks like the one in the original poster's photo. Anyway, I still use the one he bought back in the 1940s.