When I worked at K Mart, we got a mashed potato dispenser. I don't know the
particulars of it because I didn't work in the cafeteria. And it might have
been fine to use had it been in the back room but it was not. It was behind
the steam table for all to see. We got used to people shrieking when they
saw the potatoes come out. When the thing worked. Which it often did not.

The instant mashed potatoes were somehow stored hot in the machine and when
needed were dispensed into a portioning cup that also gave the potatoes a
rounded shape when put on the plate due to some sort of weird pink bladder
type thing. That was the part that made people shriek. And they would
often want to examine it more closely.

I see that such machines are still being made. This one might be a little
different. And maybe it actually works!

http://mashedpotatomachine.com/

I also saw a strange toaster at Children's Hospital in Oakland. Their
cafeteria was self serve for breakfast. They put out bread and if you
wanted toast you had to make it yourself. I didn't understand how the giant
toaster worked and got yelled at by one of the chefs. I still couldn't
figure it out on subsequent days so just ate my bread untoasted.

This thing was enormous and had conveyer belts that went up inside where the
heat element was. I can't remember the particulars now as to where exactly
you put the bread but I know that I didn't do it right. If done right it
will come up and over and then down onto your plate.

What's the weirdest things you've seen?

Do you stay up nights dreaming up these situations?

On Thu, 30 Aug 2012 03:05:08 -0700, "Julie Bove"
> wrote:

> What's the weirdest things you've seen?
>
When you say "kitchen" on this group, I think home kitchen not
commercial kitchen.

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

On Aug 30, 3:05*am, "Julie Bove" > wrote:
> When I worked at K Mart, we got a mashed potato dispenser. *I don't know the
> particulars of it because I didn't work in the cafeteria. *And it might have
> been fine to use had it been in the back room but it was not. *It was behind
> the steam table for all to see. *We got used to people shrieking when they
> saw the potatoes come out. *When the thing worked. *Which it often did not.
>
> The instant mashed potatoes were somehow stored hot in the machine and when
> needed were dispensed into a portioning cup that also gave the potatoes a
> rounded shape when put on the plate due to some sort of weird pink bladder
> type thing. *That was the part that made people shriek. *And they would
> often want to examine it more closely.
>
> I see that such machines are still being made. *This one might be a little
> different. *And maybe it actually works!
>
> http://mashedpotatomachine.com/
>
> I also saw a strange toaster at Children's Hospital in Oakland. *Their
> cafeteria was self serve for breakfast. *They put out bread and if you
> wanted toast you had to make it yourself. *I didn't understand how the giant
> toaster worked and got yelled at by one *of the chefs. *I still couldn't
> figure it out on subsequent days so just ate my bread untoasted.
>
> This thing was enormous and had conveyer belts that went up inside where the
> heat element was. *I can't remember the particulars now as to where exactly
> you put the bread but I know that I didn't do it right. *If done right it
> will come up and over and then down onto your plate.
>
> What's the weirdest things you've seen?

Years ago I had a neighbor who's kitchen window I could see into from
my kitchen. One night the dad was in the kitchen making lunch as he
worked the night shift. He didn't have a shirt on. His daughter was
picking the zits on his back while he was making a sandwich. That's
the strangest thing I've seen.

sf wrote:
> On Thu, 30 Aug 2012 03:05:08 -0700, "Julie Bove"
> wrote:
>
>> What's the weirdest things you've seen?
>>
> When you say "kitchen" on this group, I think home kitchen not
> commercial kitchen.

not weird, well maybe, depending... but this is is my favorite item
from a commercial kitchen:

http://ftupet.com/~tert/img/misc/misc/ouch.jpg

"Sqwertz" > wrote in message
...
> On Thu, 30 Aug 2012 03:05:08 -0700, Julie Bove wrote:
>
>> This thing was enormous and had conveyer belts that went up inside where
>> the
>> heat element was. I can't remember the particulars now as to where
>> exactly
>> you put the bread but I know that I didn't do it right. If done right it
>> will come up and over and then down onto your plate.
>
> You mean the same kind of toaster that is at every workplace cafeteria
> and hotel breakfast buffet bar across the nation? Yeah - they're
> really tricky. If you just stop and use your brain rather than being
> determined to make it complicated confusing, they work easily and
> well.

I have seen plenty of hotel breakfast bars and they always have the same
sort of slotted toaster that I have at home. Our workplace cafeteria had
the same. I had never seen this before and I have never seen it since.

"sf" > wrote in message
...
> On Thu, 30 Aug 2012 03:05:08 -0700, "Julie Bove"
> > wrote:
>
>> What's the weirdest things you've seen?
>>
> When you say "kitchen" on this group, I think home kitchen not
> commercial kitchen.

Okay.

"tert in seattle" > wrote in message
...
> sf wrote:
>> On Thu, 30 Aug 2012 03:05:08 -0700, "Julie Bove"
> wrote:
>>
>>> What's the weirdest things you've seen?
>>>
>> When you say "kitchen" on this group, I think home kitchen not
>> commercial kitchen.
>
> not weird, well maybe, depending... but this is is my favorite item
> from a commercial kitchen:
>
> http://ftupet.com/~tert/img/misc/misc/ouch.jpg

Yow!

Chemo wrote:
> On Aug 30, 3:05 am, "Julie Bove" > wrote:
>> When I worked at K Mart, we got a mashed potato dispenser. I don't
>> know the particulars of it because I didn't work in the cafeteria.
>> And it might have been fine to use had it been in the back room but
>> it was not. It was behind the steam table for all to see. We got
>> used to people shrieking when they saw the potatoes come out. When
>> the thing worked. Which it often did not.
>>
>> The instant mashed potatoes were somehow stored hot in the machine
>> and when needed were dispensed into a portioning cup that also gave
>> the potatoes a rounded shape when put on the plate due to some sort
>> of weird pink bladder type thing. That was the part that made people
>> shriek. And they would
>> often want to examine it more closely.
>>
>> I see that such machines are still being made. This one might be a
>> little different. And maybe it actually works!
>>
>> http://mashedpotatomachine.com/
>>
>> I also saw a strange toaster at Children's Hospital in Oakland. Their
>> cafeteria was self serve for breakfast. They put out bread and if you
>> wanted toast you had to make it yourself. I didn't understand how
>> the giant toaster worked and got yelled at by one of the chefs. I
>> still couldn't figure it out on subsequent days so just ate my bread
>> untoasted.
>>
>> This thing was enormous and had conveyer belts that went up inside
>> where the heat element was. I can't remember the particulars now as
>> to where exactly you put the bread but I know that I didn't do it
>> right. If done right it will come up and over and then down onto
>> your plate.
>>
>> What's the weirdest things you've seen?
>
> Years ago I had a neighbor who's kitchen window I could see into from
> my kitchen. One night the dad was in the kitchen making lunch as he
> worked the night shift. He didn't have a shirt on. His daughter was
> picking the zits on his back while he was making a sandwich. That's
> the strangest thing I've seen.

Ew.

On 8/30/2012 3:50 PM, Julie Bove wrote:
> "Sqwertz" > wrote in message
> ...
>> On Thu, 30 Aug 2012 03:05:08 -0700, Julie Bove wrote:
>>
>>> This thing was enormous and had conveyer belts that went up inside where
>>> the
>>> heat element was. I can't remember the particulars now as to where
>>> exactly
>>> you put the bread but I know that I didn't do it right. If done right it
>>> will come up and over and then down onto your plate.
>>
>> You mean the same kind of toaster that is at every workplace cafeteria
>> and hotel breakfast buffet bar across the nation? Yeah - they're
>> really tricky. If you just stop and use your brain rather than being
>> determined to make it complicated confusing, they work easily and
>> well.
>
> I have seen plenty of hotel breakfast bars and they always have the same
> sort of slotted toaster that I have at home. Our workplace cafeteria had
> the same. I had never seen this before and I have never seen it since.
>
>
The cafe on the ground floor where I worked used to have one of those.
It worked well, but you'd have to get used to the heat settings, and you
have to check it before you put yours in because everyone changed it to
their liking. I liked it especially for bagels.

"Sqwertz" > wrote in message
...
> On Thu, 30 Aug 2012 03:05:08 -0700, Julie Bove wrote:
>
>> This thing was enormous and had conveyer belts that went up inside where
>> the
>> heat element was. I can't remember the particulars now as to where
>> exactly
>> you put the bread but I know that I didn't do it right. If done right it
>> will come up and over and then down onto your plate.
>


It is just as well. I have found that, while I have no wheat sensitivity at
all, I do seem to have some sort of sensitivity to toast made with one of
these contraptions. Not toast in general, mind you, but this machine is
somehow manipulating the very essence of the bread molecules in some
strange, unnatural way.

"Pico Rico" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Sqwertz" > wrote in message
> ...
>> On Thu, 30 Aug 2012 03:05:08 -0700, Julie Bove wrote:
>>
>>> This thing was enormous and had conveyer belts that went up inside where
>>> the
>>> heat element was. I can't remember the particulars now as to where
>>> exactly
>>> you put the bread but I know that I didn't do it right. If done right
>>> it
>>> will come up and over and then down onto your plate.
>>
>
>
> It is just as well. I have found that, while I have no wheat sensitivity
> at all, I do seem to have some sort of sensitivity to toast made with one
> of these contraptions. Not toast in general, mind you, but this machine
> is somehow manipulating the very essence of the bread molecules in some
> strange, unnatural way.

Hmmm...

I looked online and found a similar pic. I don't think this was quite the
same but this was about 11 years ago.

http://www.bigtray.com/hatco-vertica...2-c-27210.html