​​Julia Child Kept This Versatile Gadget In Her Kitchen. Maybe It Deserves A Spot In Yours, Too

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For much of the 1960s and ’70s, Julia Child was the de facto cooking authority in most American homes, thanks to her popular and pioneering show “The French Chef.” The show laid the groundwork for food television as we know it today, bringing viewers along each week as she attempted a different French dish. She dispensed sage cooking advice alongside recipes like beef bourguignon, as well as tips that made every meal a work of art, and improved the kitchen repertoire of generations of home cooks. On “The French Chef,” Child regularly utilized a now-vintage tool called the Foley Fork, which can be used for prep tasks ranging from whisking eggs to cutting butter into flour for pastries. 

The eponymous and versatile fork was produced by the Foley Manufacturing Co. It looks quite like a regular fork but with a broader root that has six tines (instead of the standard four) and a slight upward curve that allows the tines to sit nicely in the bottom of a mixing bowl. It resembles a mini rake and is a kitchen workhorse; it was extolled by Child and other chefs for its variety of uses and easy-to-store profile. The Foley Fork can whip in extra air for the fluffiest scrambled eggs, quickly mash avocados for a wicked avocado toast, and readily smooth out lumpy gravy or mashed potatoes. 

Why did the Foley Fork fall out of style?

The Foley Manufacturing Co. merged with the Belsaw Company in 1985, thus closing the official chapter on the Foley Fork, but the style, also called a blending fork, continues to be made today by a few contemporary kitchenware labels. Not having Julia Child continue to laud it on-air may have also led to its fall into obscurity. It was never a mainstream cooking implement, but her willingness to take risks in the kitchen was inspiring to home cooks, and when she made suggestions, viewers took note. 

Child was known for being a big gadget fan and had drawers full of hand tools for a variety of very specific uses. Today, a lot of the work that could have been done with a Foley Fork is instead handled by useful, innovative kitchen tools, as well as a traditional fork or a whisk. These more generally available implements may not have won Child’s acclaim, but they certainly can get the job done. Perhaps a renaissance is in order for this simple all-around gadget.