Food pushers in 1897 Otto Young Catalog. Mike Mozart / flickr / 2016 / CC BY 2.0
A food pusher can be two different things.
In the classical sense, a food pusher is a flat rectangle of metal attached at a 90 degree angle to a handle. It was used to push food onto a spoon or fork, particularly for a child if he or she weren’t supplied with a knife at the table. It could also be used by those with disabilities, e.g. people with crippling arthritis in their hands, or to push food off from platters onto plates.
Often made of silver, they sometimes had a person’s name engraved on the handle.
Typical dimensions might be a rectangle about 4 to 5 cm (1 3/4 inches) wide, attached to a handle about 10 cm (3 1/2 inches) long.
In the modern sense, a food pusher is a plastic tube, solid at the bottom, that is used to push food down the chute of a food processor or food mill.
Food pusher pushing tomatoes down chute of food processor. yourbestdigs.com / flickr / 2018
