Abstract: A baster comprises a cylinder for taking and accommodating gravy and the like, a piston reciprocatingly movable in the cylinder so as to produce a suction to suck gravy and the like into the cylinder and then to pump the gravy and the like from the cylinder, and a handle connected with the cylinder only in two points which are spaced from one another in an axial direction of the cylinder so that an elongated slot remains between the cylinder and the handle.

Abstract: A manually operable extrusion press, especially one for producing pasta from a mass of dough, comprises a cylinder with a piston whose piston rod is embraced by flexible prongs of an operating lever that are pivoted to the top of the cylinder opposite a bottom nozzle provided with one or more shaping apertures. The sides of the piston rod facing the prongs have serrations coacting with driving pawls disposed on the inner prong surfaces which are outwardly yieldable during an upswing and engage the serrations on a downswing of the lever, the serrations being also engageable by retaining pawls on the cylinder serving as backstops. A 90.degree. rotation of the piston rod about its axis confronts both pairs of pawls with flat rod surfaces to enable free upward or downward motion of the piston. The entire assembly preferably consists of plastic material such as glass-fiber-reinforced polyamide.

Abstract: A verticle spindle carrying cutting blades at its bottom end and a knob at its top is rotatably and slidably journaled in a neck of a housing positionable around vegetable or fruit to be sectioned. Rigid with the neck and coaxially surrounding the spindle are oppositely oriented upper and lower sets of sawteeth whose sloping flanks coact with respective groups of camming formations rigid with the spindle and disposed at the upper and lower ends thereof. These camming formations engage the associated sawteeth during the final phases of a cutting stroke and a return stroke of the spindle with a relative offset of a fraction of a pitch to impart to the spindle, knob and blades a stepped rotary unidirectional motion. The upper sawtooth flanks are more steeply inclined than the lower ones whereby the angle of rotation during a manual downstroke is less than that occurring during an upstroke brought about by the pressure of a restoring spring inserted between the knob and the housing.