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I've "inherited" this thing a long time ago, and I have no idea what it is. It consists of a cylindrical porcelain bowl with the words "Mason Cash England" stamped in the bottom, a very sturdy cast-iron frame with a screw through and two circular discs of zinc-plated iron that fit neatly inside. I could half imagine it being use to produce a perfectly circular burger, but it seems like absurd overkill. Here's a couple of pictures:

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What is it actually for - anything to do with cookery at all?

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    Never underestimate the power of the useless kitchen gadget!
    – GdD
    Jul 13, 2020 at 9:43
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    While this one looks like it belongs in a kitchen, very similar contraptions exist for pressing leaves, books and just about anything else that needs pressing. One plate on the bottom, one plate screwed against it and whatever needs flattening in the middle.
    – Mast
    Jul 14, 2020 at 11:22
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    While Elendil's answer seems correct, why not contact masoncash.co.uk directly & ask? They could probably give you information on the age and how to clean it as well.
    – Dragonel
    Jul 14, 2020 at 15:24
  • I think you can use it for sauerkraut...
    – umn
    Jul 15, 2020 at 14:05
  • @Mast: Everything must press!
    – Vikki
    Jul 21, 2020 at 1:51

2 Answers 2

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It appears to be a 'Meat/Cheese Press':

https://picclick.co.uk/Vintage-Mason-Cash-Cast-Iron-Ceramic-Meat-312233238612.html

I'm not sure why you'd press meat, but you'd use it with cheese to press the whey out.

An image of a similar item, captioned "Vintage Mason Cash Cast Iron & Ceramic Meat / Cheese Press"

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    You'd press meat if you're making, say, a paté.
    – LSchoon
    Jul 13, 2020 at 9:25
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    @LSchoon Ah yes, good call
    – ElendilTheTall
    Jul 13, 2020 at 9:42
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    Can likely also be used to press carcasses.
    – Johannes_B
    Jul 13, 2020 at 9:44
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    @Johannes_B Like a duck press, you mean? I would worry about drainage, in that case.
    – LSchoon
    Jul 13, 2020 at 9:52
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    When I was a kid my grandmother was given an ox tongue and needed to press it; my uncle, a car mechanic, did it with 2 enamel metal plates and a couple of G-clamps. They left it for several hours.
    – Michael Harvey
    Jul 13, 2020 at 16:17
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You might also use this to slowly get excess moisture out of tofu! I usually put my slab between 2 plates with weights on top, so I can get it dry enough to fry in panko batter.

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