Flat sword-like skewers

Does anybody know an online or bricks and mortar source for the flat, sword-like skewers that are typical of Lebanese, Greek and Middle Eastern restaurants?

I really dislike the way meat and/or veggies on regular skewers tends to roll and slide around.

If you google "sword skewers" you'll get a number of hits right out of the box.

I know what you mean, though, about veggies falling off of more slender skewers -- I sometimes interpret this to be an indication that I maybe cooked the veggies too long (my preference is to just take a little of the edge off the veggie by very briefly cooking to maintain a lot of the body and crispness).

Hammond

Apparently I am an idiot. I had no luck finding them the other day. Not sure if I used the word "sword" in my search though.

I am not as dumb as I thought. Other than a couple of over-the-top skewers that are actually shaped like swords, right down to having a faux hilt, I am still coming up empty.

I did find another poor soul with same problem though:

“I searched high and low for the flat metal skewers Steven calls for to make ground lamb kebabs,” writes Edward Jaro from Raeford, North Carolina, ” I finally wound up going to a local metal fabrication shop that supports a local poultry plant. I bought 6 flat stainless steel skewers, each 18 inches long and 3/8 inch wide for $8! Was it worth it—the lamb kebabs turned out great. Thanks for making me a better grill master!”

If you don’t have a metal fabricator near you, you can order flat metal skewers for making Near East and Indian ground meat kebabs from Yekta Supermarket, tel. 301-984-1190.

BellevueLonghorn wrote:I am not as dumb as I thought. Other than a couple of over-the-top skewers that are actually shaped like swords, right down to having a faux hilt, I am still coming up empty.

See, I thought those were the ones you were looking for...and the pricing seems to be in the $8-10 range. Actually, I would consider using the ones with the faux hilt, though I'd imagine they'd become dangerous toys if you have young males in the house.

Hammond

I think your best bet is going to be to go to places that sell cooking supplies on Devon. These skewers are used a lot in Indo-Pak cooking as well as Mid-Eastern cooking (sikh kebabs, kifta come to mind). I'd be willing to bet that there are tons of these available in small shops on Devon.

Best,
Michael / EC

Are you looking for skewers like these?



If so, there are tons of them up for auction on ebay.

I saw those for auction on Ebay as well. Probably going to bid on some. Would be just as happy to find some plain ones though.

Weber makes two pronged skewers. I have found them useful for keeping veggies and other round things from turning independantly when flipping the skewers. You can get them anywhere grilling accessories are sold.

I don't know how wide the sword needs to be, but oh-so-posh Sur la Table actually has them. They're flat "bladed" with a simple ring at the end rather than a hilt or a sculptural emblem of some kind. If my memory serves me correctly, the price for a pack of 6 was around $8 - $10. I couldn't find them on the website, but I bought mine in the location at North and Halsted.

If it's more convenient than a trip to Devon, it doesn't sound like they're too out of line on price.

rien

Excellent. Now we are getting somewhere. I am much more likely to go to Sur La Table than I am to search out some out of the way Pakistani grocery.

And if I get the ones on EBay with the bronze pigs and such on top, so much the better.

I have seen them in shops along Kedzie south of Lawrence. Can't remember exactly which one, since I don't need any.

By the way, these are the only kind of skewers for making grilled kofte, the flat blade allows you to build the kofte around it and turn it while grilling.

I found mine at Home Depot. 12" flat blades, cutaway pointed tip, wooden handles. I use mine for grilling big shrimp, as they are easy to flip; also, since the shrimp only take a couple of minutes to cook, the handles are never in peril of bursting into flame. They were really cheap, too - like, a buck-forty-nine apiece or so. Check the barbamaque accessories section of your friendly neighborhood Home Depot.

Weber makes a kabob set with flat skewers and a rack to fit on top of the regular grill. I bought one years ago and still use the skewers but rarely bother with the rack. The rack prevent sticking by keeping food from contact with the grill. If your food has been marinated using oil among the other ingredients, sticking isn't a problem anyway.

BellevueLonghorn wrote:Does anybody know an online or bricks and mortar source for the flat, sword-like skewers that are typical of Lebanese, Greek and Middle Eastern restaurants?

These skewers are readily found in the Armenian, Persian, and Russian markets in Los Angeles. My brother and his neighbours use them on a regular basis.

Here is a bin of the skewers at Sahag's Basturma:


They are priced at $2 each.

Erik M.

Sahag's Basturma
5183 Sunset Blvd.
Hollywood, CA
323.661.5311

Well, I purchased the funny skewers with the brass animals on them on EBay for $10. We received them the other day and it turns out they are like 8" long. So they are more like letter openers than functional skewers. Oh well. They are still interesting.

I did find an internet source for skewers similar to those pictured above. Though they were more like $3 each (plus shipping).

http://www.barbecue-store.com/signaturestainlesssteel38inchwide-setof6.htm

I am hoping they do the trick.

I just remembered I saw these at Cleopatra as well as the grocery store a few doors from it (maybe Sahar). Both are on the same side of the street and a few doors from Semiramis (as annieb mentioned above)

The flat skewers are about an inch to inch & half wide, with or without a wooden handle. Less than a $1 each (60¢, IIRC). They were in the back, in a corner, each covered in plastic wrap, and the whole thing covered in a brown paper, with only few inches or the wooden handle sticking out.


Cleopatra Meat & Market
4605 N. Kedzie,
Chicago, IL 60625
(773) 539-0080

Sahar Grocery?
4508 N. Kedzie,
Chicago, IL 60625
(773) 583-7772