Julia Child acquired this potato ricer in the mid-1950s when she and her husband, Paul, were living in Germany. During their two-year tenure in Bonn for the United States Information Agency (USIA), she enjoyed searching out special German culinary tools. In demonstrating this ricer she proclaimed, "This is a great German potato ricer. It's good and solid. You see, the potato goes in and you go schoooom and out she comes! I love great big things like this, it really works very well. Of course it all comes apart for washing, so it's a very practical instrument." Julia used this ricer to make mashed potatoes until she acquired her "K5A," or KitchenAid mixer, model 5A.