Historical information

This item was brought to Australia by an Italian family in the 1920s who settled in Avonsleigh. It resembles historical hand-crank butter churns; however, it does have the notable difference of using a whisk-like structure rather than a paddle-based churn. (The whisks may have been a modification of the original machine.) It is possible it was used for another similar application requiring faster spinning, such as whipping cream, and it has been suggested it could be an ice-cream maker (though ice-cream makers also tend to use paddles). Another suggestion has been a cheese maker. There are no visible corporate logos or manufacturer's marks, limiting our ability to determine its true origins.

Significance

This is a unique example of food production tools in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Physical description

This item is in two parts, both made with metal heavily rusted on the outside and mostly clean on the inside. The larger section is the empty cylindrical container. The smaller section is both the lid to the container and a whisk for the butter churn; it has a whisk section which protrudes into the cream in the container, which is turned by the hand-crank and gears.

Inscriptions & markings

N/A