Even if you only drink Two Buck Chuck, you need a corkscrew. But should you use a basic model that you swiped from a hotel minibar or invest in a fancy boxed-set lever-style corkscrew?

The so-called waiter’s friend is one of the simplest types of corkscrew. It looks like a long, slim pocketknife. Its funny name comes from the fact that it’s found worldwide in waiters’ pockets because it’s a cheap and light wine-opening tool, but you do have to know how to use one.

Screwpull was one of the first to start selling the lever-style corkscrew back in 1979, which some people recognize as rabbit-style. A lot of us have never known a world without it. The lever works against itself, rather than needing a fulcrum, and makes opening wine nearly effortless. Just clamp, close, lift, et voilà—it’s wine time. But Screwpulls and their decent imitators are bigger, bulkier, and generally cost more.

The two most respected brands in each style of corkscrew are Pulltap’s and Screwpull. There are a lot of knockoffs out there, so buy from reliable sources. Don’t, uh, get screwed.

If you have a Screwpull that’s not working like it was back in the day, try a replacement screw before you toss it. They do wear out eventually.

For more than you ever wanted to know about corkscrews, check out the Virtual Corkscrew Museum and its newsletter, the Weekly Screw.

Pulltap’s Corkscrew
By Pulltex, $6.95

The finest of the waiter’s friends, it lets you extract a cork in a completely vertical position, so you’re never in danger of breaking the cork. It’s small and light, so you can slip it in your pocket. A serrated blade flips out for cutting the foil. The Teflon-coated worm (the screw) penetrates corks smoothly. Its notched head is also a bottle opener. At publication time, this product was on sale with free shipping from ABestKitchen.com.

QuickSilver Deluxe Lever Style Corkscrew 4 Piece Gift Set
By Wine Enthusiast, $34.95

The sleek chrome finish and stylish ergonomic design of the QuickSilver make it look more expensive than it really is. It’s also heavy—die-cast and zinc-plated—which gives it better leverage. It comes in a gift box that includes a foil cutter, wax remover, and a display base that doubles as a bottle coaster. (The wax remover is kind of superfluous since most waxed wine bottles can simply be opened as if the wax weren’t there, but it’s a thoughtful gesture.) It’s easy to use, well made, and a bargain at the price.

Trigger Wine Opener Set
By Screwpull, $99.95

The newer lever-style Screwpull is even easier to use than the classic. Slip the screw over the bottle neck, and squeeze the trigger to hold everything in place. There’s still the same easy-to-pull lever and Teflon-coated screw. This Williams-Sonoma exclusive boxed set includes a foil cutter, a wine stopper, a drip ring, and an extra screw. It’s worth noting that an extra screw alone costs about $20.

Lever Action Corkscrew (LM400)
By Screwpull, $149.95

This streamlined addition to the Screwpull family is the easiest of all to use: Simply place it over the bottle neck, hold it in place with one hand, then pull the long curved lever up and over to open in one smooth motion. It’s specially designed to open bottles with all kinds of corks and necks, including synthetic corks and flanged necks. Its straightforward style, versatility, comfortable grip, and effortless action make it worth its price. It comes extravagantly packaged in a leather case and includes a foil cutter.

Unless you’re Asian, British, or a tea obsessive, you may not know the many pleasures of an electric kettle. Yes, it’s perfect for heating water for your fine fragrant leaves, but it’s also ideal for French press coffee, instant ramen noodles, and steel-cut Irish oatmeal.

Besides offices and homes, it’s good for dorm rooms, too. All you need is an outlet.

There are actually two primary types of water-heating devices: electric kettles and hot water dispensing pots. The first looks and works like a teapot, with a handle and a spout. The other stays upright and releases water with the push of a button.

Whichever style you choose, you want a pot that will automatically shut off when your water has boiled or reached your set temperature. Also, don’t bother with plastic pots: They affect taste and aroma.

Fill your pot only with water and take care not to overfill it, because boiling water can spill dangerously onto electric heating elements. All pots may need limescale deposits removed occasionally.

VE Hybrid Water Boiler & Warmer
By Zojirushi, $184.95

Like a hybrid car, this water boiler and warmer model from Zojirushi has been designed for energy efficiency. The VE stands for Vacuum-Electric: Water boils when the electric appliance is turned on, but it can stay warm even when the boiler’s turned off thanks to double vacuum insulation.

It heats up to four liters to three preset temperatures (175 degrees Fahrenheit, 195 degrees Fahrenheit, 208 degrees Fahrenheit). A reboil button automatically heats water to 212 degrees Fahrenheit, and the actual water temperature is always displayed.

The timer lets you set water to boil in six to ten hours, but unfortunately it’s not a clock. You can fill the boiler at night, then set it to boil in eight hours to have hot water ready for breakfast.

The clear-coated stainless steel exterior and seamless touchpad controls are easy to wipe clean. Zojirushi’s signature “Panorama Window” water gauge shows the level clearly. Lift the machine with the sturdy, fold-back handle. The large lid raises and detaches, revealing nearly the entire top for filling and cleaning.

The boiler plays a song or beeps to alert you when your water has boiled or if the level is low. Unlock the unit and then press the large center button to dispense hot water.

This boiler works beautifully, but it’s big and relatively expensive. However if you regularly have the need for great volumes of hot water, it is definitely worth the space and price.

International Cordless Electric Kettle (Model 678)
By Chef’sChoice, $59.95

This cordless stainless-steel kettle by Chef’sChoice features a big, stay-cool plastic handle and heating base. The lid locks for added safety. With a two-quart capacity it’s not only the biggest kettle made by the manufacturer, but one of the largest kettles on the market by about a cup. An exterior gauge shows the water level inside.

Despite its volume, this kettle still boils water far faster than a stovetop or a microwave. Plus, the 1,500-watt heating element is sealed beneath a stainless-steel bottom so it’s never in direct contact with the water, which means there are no mineral deposits to clean up.

The brushed finish resists fingerprints and polishes easily to a sleek shine. The pot’s stylish enough for table service, but warn your guests that it is very hot.

UtiliTEA Kettle
By Adagio Teas, $49

On the other end of the temperature spectrum, the UtiliTEA Kettle, made by the wonderful people at Adagio Teas, offers a highly variable control dial. Connoisseurs of green tea can bring their water to a lower temperature, while drinkers of darker tea can still get a rolling boil. A dial lets you make minute changes.

The UtiliTEA is also cordless, with a brushed stainless-steel body, a plastic stay-cool handle, and an exterior water gauge. It’s very compact, perhaps too small for some, with only a 30-ounce capacity.

While serious tea-drinkers love this kettle, I found it strange that there are no temperature markings on the pot. Once you hit on the perfect degree for your leaf of choice, you’ll have to remember where it was on the dial.

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I have a kitchen confession to make: I use dog bowls as mixing bowls when I run short at home. They’re good because they’re stainless steel—and pristinely clean of course—but they have flat bottoms that hide pockets of dry ingredients in batter. Another problem is the distraction of my dog staring, wondering what surprise treat she’s going to get.

When shopping for actual mixing bowls, consider that glass and ceramic are heavy and will chip and break. Plastic will scratch, as well as retain and release odors and tastes.

I don’t like mixing bowls covered around the base with a no-slip grip, because I want to be able to turn my bowl while whisking or folding. If I need a grip, I just throw down a damp kitchen towel or a silicone potholder.

Stainless steel, copper, and silicone are all good options. Stainless steel is inexpensive, lightweight, durable, and nonreactive. You can also use stainless steel bowls as simple double boilers over a pot of simmering water for tempering chocolate or making sauces.

Copper is long lasting and useful for when you actually want the metal’s ions to react with ingredients, most commonly while whipping egg whites.

Flexible, heat-resistant silicone mixing bowls are new on the market, and they bring some unique features to the kitchen table.

Heavy-Duty Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls (1/2 to 80 Quart)
By Vollrath, $6.63–$1,074.45

Vollrath, manufacturer of industry-standard stainless steel goods, produces these heavy-gauge yet lightweight stainless steel mixing bowls. Rolled rims make them easy to handle, and the satin finish is scratch and stain resistant. The various sizes, ranging from a 1/2 quart to a massive 80 quarts, nest for storage. They’re flat on the bottom and slightly weighted to sit securely on a countertop. If for some reason you ever need the 80-quart, you can be assured that it actually has a rounded base, so nothing will get left behind, unmixed, at the very bottom. The bowls are dishwasher safe—if you have a dishwasher large enough.

Copper Mixing Bowls (2.7 to 27 Quart)
By Mauviel, $69.95–$374.95

Monsieur Ernest Mauviel established his French copper cookware company back in 1830, in the Normandy town of Villedieu-les-Poêles, known for its copperware since the 12th century. Mauviel is widely considered the gold standard in copper cookware. While its products can last several lifetimes, they are a relatively expensive investment.

Mauviel copper bowls are unlined, as copper bowls should be, so they can react with their contents. They’re completely rounded inside and out, so there aren’t any corners your whisk can’t reach and they will turn easily while whipping. The bowls are available with a single ring or with two handles. They must be hand washed and occasionally polished to restore their luster.

Of course you don’t need a copper bowl to whip egg whites, but there is a noticeable difference in speed, shine, and volume. According to Harold McGee, the bowl’s copper ions react with the egg white proteins, quickly creating a stable foam that retains its moisture, so you have a bowl of glossy fluff. It’s not a huge difference, but it is an absolute pleasure to work with one of these bowls, from their gorgeous good looks to how a whisk sounds against them.

Flex-It Flexible Silicone Bowls (Set of Three: 1, 1 1/2, and 2 Quart)
By iSi, $44.95

These are the first large versions of the small silicone prep bowls manufactured by iSi, the company made famous by Ferran Adrià for its foamers.

The bowls can go from freezer or fridge to oven—including microwave—plus they’re dishwasher safe. They’re heat resistant to 490 degrees Fahrenheit.

With one squeeze of the hand, the flexible rim will form a spout so you can pour wet or dry ingredients cleanly into tight spots like muffin cups, a food processor chute, directly into a running stand mixer bowl (set on slow), or the channels of a Baker’s Edge pan.

The base is more rigid to provide stability. The inside of the bowl is slick and rounded, while the outside is slightly grippy for easier handling.

These bowls are absolutely fantastic for chocolate work, heating in the microwave, and insulating as well.

The three sizes are sold separately or as a set, in three colors (white, red, and “wasabi” green).

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There are two kinds of cooks in the world: those who use garlic presses, and those who denounce them as useless gadgets. The latter group includes many French chefs, who think that processing pounds of tight, papery heads, especially in the daily race against a restaurant’s mise en place clock, is best done by smashing the heads with the side of a knife, then chopping quickly.

I’m all for using a press, if it’s a pungent garlic paste you want. A good garlic press should extrude cloves better and faster than slamming your fist against the top of your knife—and a great one processes unpeeled cloves without clogging immediately. It should have a roomy hopper and not require feats of strength to press thoroughly. It should also be easy to clean, ideally with nothing more than a quick dislodge of the peel and a rinse.

Here are a few popular presses put to the test. All work by simply loading cloves into a hopper, then pressing two handles together.

Good Grips Garlic Press
By OXO, $14.99

OXO redesigned its Good Grips press, giving it curvier, heftier handles covered in the line’s signature black rubbery grip. The sturdy die-cast zinc head’s roomy hopper clears easily. A small red plastic plate flips over so that its nubs fit perfectly through the extrusion holes to push out any remnants.

Though pressing one clove at a time is fine, a full hopper requires placing the press on a cutting board and pushing down with your full body weight. And the press can’t handle unpeeled cloves—a single one clogs up the works completely.

If you have the upper-body strength—or want to bulk up—then this press could do double duty as kitchen and workout gear for you.

Jumbo Garlic Press
By Zyliss, $22

Zyliss makes a garlic press favored by Chowhounds, the Susi. I actually prefer the Jumbo for its roomier hopper. Both sizes, however, handle unpeeled cloves beautifully.

Strong, slightly curved handles give some leverage, but strength is required with this peeler too.

A detachable cleaning tool, also with nubs to clean the holes, has an added feature with its flat end to dislodge peels, saving your fingernails or knife tips from the process. The cleaner stores inside the handle.

There are reports (membership required) that the coating on both Zyliss presses may peel from dishwashing and/or metal-on-metal wear.

Epicurean Garlic Press
By Kuhn Rikon, $34.95

Kuhn Rikon’s Epicurean press costs much more than the previous two, and it’s worth it. Its dramatically curved upper handle makes pressing a hopper full of unpeeled cloves shockingly effortless. The entire press is stainless steel, so there’s no worry about the coating peeling off.

Another big plus is that the sieve actually lifts out and the holes can be rinsed easily and completely.

The Epicurean is strong enough to press fibrous ginger terrifically too, creating a fine, juicy ginger mash.

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Tupperware (we all still use the name, even when the brand is different) is essential to the home cook. You may be content just reusing clear plastic deli containers, like the kind your Trader Joe’s hummus comes in. (They’re the containers of choice at Alinea, new and bought in bulk.) But if you’re buying containers, you’ll want to consider the following: Will the thing melt in the microwave? Will it stain when you put spaghetti in it, and always smell of garlic forever after? Will it drip salad dressing into your bag? Is it respectable enough to bring your leftovers to work for lunch?

All of the containers recommended below hold at least three cups, because that’s the container industry’s standard size for a main dish. They also seal tightly to securely survive mass transit. They’re freezer, microwave, and top-rack dishwasher safe as well as stain, scratch, crack, and odor resistant. Note: The lids must be vented when microwaving unless otherwise indicated.

The most stylish among them will transport and transform your déjeuner beautifully.

Heat ’N Serve Round Container (3 Cup)
By Tupperware, $14.50

Heat ’N Serves are as sexy and gadgety as small food storage containers can get. If 007 packed his lunch, he’d use these.

The translucent black bases and matching opaque lids cloak even cold pizza in an air of mystery. The bases have slightly raised centers that Tupperware says promote even heating, by reducing the center mass of chili, for example, and spreading it out around the edges. The lids have unique automatic self-adjusting steam valves so you never have to remember to vent them for microwaving. All of the pieces are made of heavy-duty polycarbonate, the same material used in bulletproof glass—though, really, don’t test that at home.

The one drawback: Now that we’re used to the low (free!) prices of disposable containers, the Heat ’N Serves do induce slight sticker shock, but these elegant LBTs (Little Black Tupperwares) will last a long, long time.

Premier Food Storage Container (3 Cup)
By Rubbermaid, $5.99

Minimalist modern design meets the ridiculously mundane. The crystal-clear bases and black-rimmed lids with see-through top windows strip away everything you don’t need and leave behind a clean frame for your food.

The lids have flexible rubbery edges, and each fits at least two base sizes, which means half as many lids to deal with in your cabinet. They also snap together and to the bottoms of the bases for neat storage. An entire set nests and stacks securely in the biggest container.

The deep grooves under the lids, which snugly grip the edges of the bases to create leakproof seals, can be difficult to wash thoroughly by hand. Also, while the bases resist tomato staining, turmeric can still yellow the clear material.

Twist ’n Loc Containers (4 Cup)
By Ziploc, $3.29 (two-pack)

Ziploc is synonymous with zip-top plastic bags, but it’s also one of the two major makers of the disposable containers that changed our lives. The Twist ’n Locs do as their name says, with lids that twist on to lock in the contents. They’re sold for liquid use but of course can hold everything from sugar to pencils.

The round-sided jars have handy measuring lines, as well as finger grips on the bases and ridges on the lids that make them easier to handle when opening and closing.

GladWare Containers with Interlocking Lids (3 1/8 Cup)
By Glad, $5.49 (Variety Pack)

GladWare introduced the first disposable containers way back in 1998, ending our vigilant watch at potluck parties.

This new incarnation keeps the same bases but changes the lids. They now have big center buttons that lock them together so they won’t slip and slide in drawers or cabinets. Both tops and bottoms are made from durable polypropylene.

These containers work well and are amazingly long lasting, so don’t dispose of them.

A potential stress point seems to be the corner tabs, so take care when peeling back the lids or you risk cracking them.

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Size and shape do matter when it comes to ice cream. How else do you explain all the bad ice cream we ate as kids just because it was served in big cylindrical or cube-shaped scoops?

Furthermore, when you’ve perfected your custom Salted Caramel Dark Chocolate Blondie Chunk concoction, you don’t want misshapen slabs jammed into a stale, tasteless holder. You want a beautifully rounded boule nestled in a warm, crispy, and chewy homemade cinnamon cone.

Or forgo the cone. A nice alternative to the round scoop is the French quenelle, the elegant handcrafted egg-shaped form found in fine restaurants. The classic technique requires a certain mastery of one or two spoons to shape the quenelle.

What I offer are a great scoop, a wonderful cone maker, and a quenelle-ish alternative.

Zerolon Ice Cream Scoop (Model 1020—2 ounces)
By Zeroll, $22

Never resort to a metal spoon. There are great scoopers out there that make the process effortless, and your end product will look much prettier. The new Zerolon scoop, for instance. Identical to the wonderful Original model, except for its black anodized Teflon coating instead of the classic shiny aluminum finish. Both models contain a sloshy fluid that conducts heat from your hand through the handle to soften ice cream while scooping.

The thick handle provides a comfortable grip, while the sturdy bowl easily rolls ice cream into a beautiful round ball. The scoop releases effortlessly with a touch to a cone or a bowl. It’s both lefty and righty friendly.

The Teflon coating is corrosion resistant, and Zeroll claims the finish will outlast the Original’s—which is no small claim since some of those scoops have been in service for decades.

All Zeroll scoops must be hand washed. The rep said it’s to protect the coating, not because there’s a risk of leakage from the handle. (She added that even if there were, the solution inside is nontoxic.)

WaffleCone Express
By Chef’sChoice, $51.99

The WaffleCone Express makes homemade ice cream cones, working like a standard round waffle maker but producing thinner pastry that can be molded into any shape. This machine is packaged with a simple short-handled cone form around which to shape your hot waffle.

Chef’sChoice also offers good, easy recipes for buttery waffle, delicate wafer, and chocolate cones.

Simply set the Color Control Knob (it’s like a toaster control), and a green light blinks when the machine’s ready. Pour about two tablespoons of batter onto the bottom plate: A trick to waffle making is to pour the batter very slightly above the center to ensure an even spread, because the machines close from back to front. Immediately press the top down to spread the batter completely. After one minute check the color and bake longer as you prefer.

Quickly and carefully remove your hot, thin golden waffle to a clean, dry kitchen towel. Place the cone form across the waffle with the point about a half inch from the edge, so when rolled the bottom of the waffle overlaps and seals the tip. Roll with the towel to protect your hands from the heat. Pinch the tip of the cone lightly to further seal against future melting ice cream drips.

You can also make waffle bowls by draping the hot waffles around overturned bowls.

Oval Squeeze Disher
By Vollrath, $15.75

We’ve called these common household devices ice cream scoops all our lives, but in restaurant supply–speak, they’re known as dishers. The name makes more sense when we realize their widespread use: In cafeterias across America these tools are used to dish up stiff mashed potatoes and savory brown gravy alike.

This disher by Vollrath has an oval bowl, creating not quite a quenelle but a reasonable substitute for those who can’t master the spoons.

It’s heavy-duty, die-cast stainless steel with spring handles that work for both left- and right-handed users. Squeeze the handles to trigger the bowl sweep, which is a thin blade that cleanly scrapes the contents out of the bowl.

The resulting oval scoops wouldn’t survive the withering scrutiny of old-school French chefs, but they add an air of sophistication to all-American Door County tart cherry pie à la mode.

The disher is industrial dishwasher safe.

Gear will be on hiatus next week, returning August 31.
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Faced with pounds of tart, garnet red Montmorency cherries to pit? Or bushels of sweetly tender golden Mirai corncobs to strip? Perhaps fragrant baskets full of Persian limes, Meyer lemons, or blood oranges to juice?

While versatility is prized in the kitchen, some tools do only one thing so well that they’re indispensable. They’re the ones you wish for when performing monumental prep tasks thinking, “There’s got to be a better way.”

An easy way to pit cherries without a pitter is to just squeeze out the stone through the stem end, but you crush the fruit and lose the juice. As for citrus, you can, of course, juice the fruit by hand, but it’s ineffective and uncomfortable. A knife slices kernels off cobs, but it can get dangerously wobbly—not to mention it sends golden bits bouncing off cutting boards and countertops onto the floor.

Here are some great single-minded gadgets.

Cherry Pitter
By OXO, $11.99

The cherry pitter from OXO features a removable plastic cylindrical splatter shield.

Simply load a cherry under the slender silver pitting pin, then squeeze together the handles. The pit pops out through the splatter shield, while the juice is contained, preventing errant squirts and staining.

The handles lock together for storage, but you can open the pitter in the dishwasher or wash it by hand. The body is made of durable die-cast zinc, with soft, grippy handles.

The cherry holding area accommodates the fattest Bings, while a recessed well nestles a smaller Montmorency.

Though purists claim recipes like clafoutis need the pits to impart a subtle almond perfume, those pits are not welcome in your morning preserves. This pitter will easily process pounds of cherries.

Corn Stripper
By OXO, $12

As much as I love eating corn directly off a generously buttered and salted cob, corn off the cob can be a fine ingredient in other dishes, like salad or salsa, or as an accompaniment to foie gras.

OXO’s new Corn Stripper looks like a big computer mouse from back in the day. It’s translucent plastic with two black rubbery grips on the sides. A small, toothy stainless steel blade on the underside shears kernels cleanly, securely biting into the rounded sides when you run it down the cob. The sliced kernels empty directly into the hollow stripper itself. The hopper holds a half cup of kernels, roughly one cob’s worth.

The stripper comes apart for cleaning and is dishwasher safe.

Enameled Aluminum Orange Squeezer
By Amco, $13.99

There is no better tool for making a party-size pitcher of margaritas than one of these aluminum squeezers. They’re better than an electric juicer or a manual reamer, because you don’t run the risk of getting a bunch of pith and pulp in the end product. And they’re better than those other manual squeezers that you have to twist the fruit back and forth on top of, because this kind is much easier to use. The long handles give you leverage and strength to press out every last drop.

Amco makes three of these classic enameled aluminum squeezers. The smallest one, designed for limes, is available in light or dark green; a slightly larger model for lemons comes in yellow; and the largest for oranges comes in, you guessed it, orange. Or you can just buy the orange one and use it for limes and lemons, too.

Here’s how they work: You slice your fruit in half, place the cut side down in the rounded bottom cup, then squeeze the handles together to press out the juice. The top cup presses down into the fruit, flipping the rind inside out. The bottom cup is slotted, so the juice flows out but the seeds and pulp remain.

The squeezers are dishwasher safe, but it’s best to at least rinse them out right after you’re done juicing, if not wash them immediately by hand.

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Homemade ice cream often fails our childhood expectations of a thick, creamy, frozen confection. It’s frequently lighter, softer, and more fragile on the tongue. This is ironic, because the “real” ice cream mouthfeel we learned from childhood is typically created by the addition of gummy stabilizers. Other times, however, it’s the home ice cream making machine’s fault.

A good ice cream maker will turn out a product that’s consistent in texture without icy shards or soupy spots. It should also be easy to use and clean. Making ice cream at home should not be backbreaking work.

I chose four models to test. Two are highly rated electric versions, one is a classic I’ve always been curious about, and the last is a novelty item that was too strange to resist.

I put them through their paces with my friend David Lebovitz’s rich vanilla ice cream recipe from his book The Perfect Scoop. It’s deeply fragrant with whole Madagascar Bourbon vanilla beans, and, when made correctly, acts as a luxuriously creamy canvas for everything from ripe, juicy berries to crunchy caramelized hazelnuts or warm chocolate sauce.

Supreme Commercial Quality Ice Cream Maker
By Cuisinart, $299

The Supreme Commercial Quality Ice Cream Maker by Cuisinart has a built-in compressor, so it freezes by itself. There’s no ice, salt, or bowl to prefreeze. You can make batch after batch of 1 1/2 quarts in 30 to 40 minutes a pop. There’s a timer you can set to run the machine automatically.

This is an excellent ice cream maker. The resulting product is thoroughly velvety, and the process of making it almost effortless. Though all parts are hand wash only, the unit’s streamlined design makes cleaning easy. It is big and heavy, but there are sturdy handles to lift it. Plus it’s beautiful enough to simply leave on your kitchen counter.

Extra bowls are available for only $6 each. I highly recommend them to make the most of your machine. Rather than scooping one bowl empty to start a new batch, you can have another on hand to get the next flavor started quickly.

Automatic Frozen Yogurt/Ice Cream/Sorbet Maker (Model ICE-20)
By Cuisinart, $49.95

The Cuisinart ICE-20 is compact and electric. It uses a double-insulated bowl filled with a cooling liquid inside its walls. You have to first freeze the liquid solid, until there’s no more sloshing sound when shaken. According to the manufacturer, this can take anywhere from six to 22 hours, depending on your freezer. (And Cuisinart suggests wrapping the bowl in a plastic bag to prevent freezer burn.) The machine makes 1 1/2 quarts of ice cream in 20 to 30 minutes.

After the bowl is frozen, place it on the machine, rest the mixing arm in its center, pour in the ice cream base, cover with the transparent housing, and turn the machine on.

The ICE-20 also makes very good ice cream consistently, each batch smooth and creamy throughout. And it’s inexpensive and small. Overall, it’s a great machine.

Hand-wash everything except the motor.

4-Quart Hand-Crank White Mountain Ice Cream Freezer
By Rival, $126.38

This classic wooden-bucket, hand-crank device by Rival looks like a prop from Little House on the Prairie. Inside the bucket is a stainless steel can and dasher (the vertical paddle that turns by cranking the handle). A 6-quart model is also available. Despite their antiquated appearance, the metal parts are actually dishwasher safe.

This machine does make a large amount of good, fully blended ice cream, but it’s pricey and tedious to use. The manufacturer says it takes about 20 to 30 minutes to make 4 quarts (1 gallon) of ice cream, but unless you’re cranking in really cold conditions, plan on at least 30 minutes to an hour. My guess is that if you broke this out at a party, friends and family would be falling all over themselves to help you churn at first, but after a few minutes they would get bored and wander off. Kids might last a couple more minutes, but an hour? Unlikely.

The unit weighs about 15 pounds empty, far more when full, so the flimsy wire handle on the bucket itself is merely decorative. Good luck finding a cabinet big enough to stash it in. Maybe there’s room in the barn.

Play & Freeze Ice Cream Maker
By Industrial Revolution, $24.99–$46.13

The Play & Freeze looks like a futuristic soccer ball, but it’s actually a hard, hollow plastic sphere designed for making ice cream. It’s often sold at camping stores, the idea being, I suppose, that it doesn’t require any electricity and is sort of compact, so you could ostensibly use it off the grid.

Pack the ball with ice and rock salt, then screw on the lid. Through an opening on the other side, pour your ice cream base into the metal cylindrical core. The instructions say to shake the ball or simply pass it around for 10 to 15 minutes to mix and freeze the base. When time’s up, open the ice cream end with the plastic wrench provided, then scrape and stir. You’re not done yet. Empty any water from the ice end, repack it with ice, and repeat the process. The ball maker says that the finished texture of the ice cream will depend on a lot of factors, including the amount of ice, your base ingredients, the outside temperature, and how much you shake the ball.

Unfortunately, if you play with the Play & Freeze, you yourself will freeze: The plastic gets very cold. Plus, when full of ice and ice cream base, it’s very, very heavy. Industrial Revolution does warn against kicking or throwing the ball, and suggests parental supervision.

The results are a few mouthfuls of hard, icy dessert, interspersed with softer, soupier areas.

Find me a kid who would have fun shaking a frozen bowling ball for at least 30 minutes, then enjoy hand washing all the parts later, and I have the perfect ice cream maker for you.

Shopping for new gear? What would you like Louisa to test next? Email gear@chow.com.

My greatest blender tragedy involved far less expensive ingredients than Will It Blend?’s iPhone, but it was much less amusing. (The aforementioned site, presented by Blendtec, features funny videos in which Tom the Tester sticks various things into a Blendtec Total Blender to answer the question “Will it blend?”) I’d spent hours shopping, cooking, and then finally blending to create a beautiful, warm orange-carrot-cardamom purée. As I lifted the pitcher to pour the ethereally light potage into individual handmade Japanese bowls, the pitcher’s bottom dropped out, spilling my entire first course across the counter and onto the floor.

Minor disasters followed with replacement blenders in seemingly never-ending whirring sessions that still left hidden, stringy veggie chunks or ended with motors giving off that telltale metallic burning smell just before dying out.

A great blender should be able to handle jobs ranging from crushing ice to making supersmooth purées. It needs a powerful and durable motor that ideally lasts through a second round of margaritas, and should have an easy-to-handle yet sturdy pitcher. The entire unit should also be low maintenance.

Fortunately great blenders do exist. In fact the field is so close now that there are two blenders I didn’t include in my recommendations but still merit mention. When I last shopped for a home blender, after the purée calamity, manufacturers hadn’t yet caught up to the market’s expectations, born of daily Frappuccinos and fruit smoothies.

Will It Blend?’s Blendtec Total Blender is a solid machine, but I find its square pitcher less maneuverable than a round one when scraping with a spatula. The square sides are great for holding more volume, which is why Starbucks and Jamba Juice use Blendtecs, but are not necessary for most home purposes. For $400, I’m going to be picky about every detail.

Also, one of the most mysterious blenders in the world to the uninitiated is the Thermomix. It’s the $1,000 machine used by Ferran Adrià, and can only be seen by civilians after a prearranged in-home meeting with a “sales partner”—think Tupperware “consultant.” As if those obstacles weren’t enough, Vorwerk, the German manufacturer, stopped selling Thermomixes in the United States in 2003, says Aline Martin of Vorwerk USA. She says she doesn’t know why. I’ve used the company’s blenders nearly daily for years, including during my time at El Bulli. Yes, the Thermomix is a powerful, efficient blender with a built-in timer, and some models also weigh and heat the contents. But it’s a machine that deserves discussion beyond the context of blenders. Stay tuned for a future column—when I go behind the Thermomix curtain.

All of the recommended models below have measurements marked on their pitchers, lids with an opening that allows you to add ingredients while blending, and dishwasher-safe parts, except for the motors, of course.

PowerMax
By Braun, $46.30

Braun’s PowerMax is a good and relatively powerful blender, but its most notable feature is its price. At under $50, it costs less than a tenth of the most expensive model recommended.

It blends with removable, heavy-duty, stainless steel blades that fit into the bottom of the pitcher, like most classic blenders. The glass pitcher holds 58 ounces, a good-size average.

A simple five-speed dial features a pulse setting—the stop-and-start motion tosses solid chunks like ice cubes within the pitcher to give the blades better contact with whole pieces. While a pulse function seems standard these days, many blenders in this price range don’t have one.

This model is currently available only in white with gray accents.

I found the heavy glass pitcher and removable blades a bit of a nuisance, but for the performance and price, it’s a great-value home machine.

Polycarbonate 5-Speed Blender
By KitchenAid, $99.99

The KitchenAid 5-Speed Blender features a lightweight polycarbonate pitcher with the blades built right into the bottom. The 56-ounce pitcher is scratch, stain, and shatter resistant, and its handle has a soft inner grip. The blades are patented and set on four different planes for more thorough blending and crushing. The .9-horsepower motor is housed in a heavy, die-cast metal base, cushioned with four nonslip, nonmarring rubber feet. The smooth, seamless control pad features an Automatic Crush Ice button, which pulses the ice cubes at regular intervals for you. You can also pulse at any of the five speeds.

The machine crushes ice and blends consistently well, but KitchenAid advises against pressing or jiggling the pitcher while it’s running and suggests waiting until the blender has completely stopped before taking the pitcher off, to keep from stripping the gears.

This model is currently available in seven KitchenAid colors, ranging from Empire Red to Metallic Chrome.

The manufacturer offers a one-year “Hassle-Free Replacement Warranty.”

Vita-Prep 3
By Vita-Mix, $549

The Vita-Prep has long been the staple blender in restaurant kitchens. Numerous chefs, including Thomas Keller, endorse it.

The new Vita-Prep 3 has a three-horsepower motor that spins the stainless steel blades at 37,000 rpm. In addition to standards like ice and vegetables, you can fill the polycarbonate pitcher with peanuts to make smooth peanut butter (chunky if you prefer) or with rice to make rice flour. No liquid is necessary. While these feats can also be done in the other recommended blenders, the Vita-Prep 3’s combination of pitcher shape, blade angle, and power produces a far more consistent product.

The speed dial turns smoothly, never clicking into a preset speed, allowing you to make minute adjustments. There’s also a high-speed switch that sends the blender straight into turbocharge mode.

The motor is thermally protected, so in the unlikely event that it overheats it will automatically shut down before burning out.

The Vita-Prep is a proven, durable workhorse in pro kitchens: The pitcher withstands spoon and ladle smacks and drops into stainless steel sinks. The gears work despite inadvisable jiggling and jamming. And the blending power produces flawlessly smooth results.

Remember when we used to entrust our crucially cold summer refreshments to Styrofoam coolers? They’d inevitably begin disintegrating on the way to the picnic, spewing polystyrene bits everywhere. Meanwhile, drinks got warm, melted ice leaked out, and we grew nervous that the lovingly homemade chicken salad sandwiches had turned into a platter of food-borne illness.

Back to the future, where coolers are high tech and full of promises. But many are promising too much, offering bizarre bells and whistles like built-in MP3 speakers or even Transformering themselves into motorized trikes. What we really want is just a reliable, transportable container for our perishables.

The ideal cooler should be well insulated, spacious, and maneuverable, especially when heavy with food and drink. I highly recommend models with wheels and pull handles, so you’re not challenged to feats of strength trying to move more than your body weight in picnic food or farmers’ market finds.

Despite their name, coolers can keep food and drink warm too. The insulation maintains temperature inside, so your favorite potluck dishes don’t need reheating.

Get a better cooler to last you beyond summer.

High Performance 50-Can Collapsible Cooler with Detachable All-Terrain Cart
By California Innovations, $59.99

California Innovations invented the collapsible cooler in 1990, creating a roomy, soft-sided insulated box out of backpack-type nylon lined with high-tech thermal material. This model features a bag that folds down flat for storage and a foldable cart, which carries up to 80 pounds on sturdy all-terrain wheels. The bag detaches from the cart so both can be used separately.

The bag holds 50 12-ounce cans with room to spare for gel packs or ice. A small Velcro flap on top gives easy access to its contents without having to unzip the entire lid, for those beverage emergencies. Two gusseted cargo pockets and a zip pocket on the front hold things that don’t need to be insulated, like plates, utensils, and napkins.

If it weren’t for the sole color choice (navy), this could be the perfect cooler. Blue is not that bad, and does camouflage dirt well, but who doesn’t love basic black?

Wheeled Ultimate Xtreme Cooler (50 Quart)
By Coleman, $59.99

This Coleman hard cooler will keep ice, with some melt, for an impressively long six days in up to 90-degree conditions, with its two-inch-thick insulation. It is, in fact, the official cooler of the Badwater Ultramarathon, a 135-mile extreme running race in California that goes from Death Valley to Mount Whitney in as high as 130-degree heat. The black plastic wheels don’t leave much clearance for off-roading, so they work best on solid ground.

The cooler’s got a drain in the bottom, rather than on the side, so you don’t have to tilt it to get the water out. This is great when the cooler is filled to maximum capacity with 72 12-ounce cans and melting ice.

The hinged lid has four two-inch-deep drink holders on top—a nice bonus, what with the danger of spillage from fellow revelers in wild, outdoor settings.

It’s only available with a pale green body. And the handles and lid are high-maintenance white, a poor choice because they will inevitably get grimy from handling.

All-Terrain Cooler (100 Quart)
By Igloo, $119.99

Need to take 145 cold ones to the beach? This cooler is actually the smallest of Igloo’s All-Terrain line. It is, nonetheless, the biggest of all the coolers we like, plus it handles heavy loads with the best-designed wheels. It will hold ice, with some melt, for five days.

Its huge, cushioned, inflated tires roll over sand, one of the most challenging terrains, and support up to 300 pounds. The tires can be swung up along the sides of the cooler and locked in place when not in use, so the cooler sits flat on its bottom.

Close it with its snap-lock, child-safety lid, which does have a quick-access hatch. Drain it with a bottom plug.

The cooler is inexplicably only available in white, though there is a stain- and odor-resistant liner. We hope Igloo eventually offers this terrific line in a dark, lower-maintenance color.

Shopping for new gear? What would you like Louisa to test next? Email gear@chow.com.

Think chafing dish, and you probably envision rubbery scrambled eggs and soggy bacon at hotel brunch buffets. It’s hard to believe that back in the day, these appliances symbolized the height of gourmet gadgetry.

From ancient Greek and Roman times all the way to midcentury modern, the noble and middle classes busted out the chafing dishes at the toniest soirees—though said dishes were often actually handled by the slaves or servants.

The name of the dish itself, which sounds like something that rubs you the wrong way, comes from the French word chauffer, which means to heat. Ancient gourmets used similar devices, though in rougher materials, warmed over coals. In recent history, a chafing dish has typically referred to a covered silver dish that sits in a rack over a heating element, often a can of Sterno.

Tableside warming appliances are a necessity when you want to impress your guests with a big spread of classic cocktail fare. There’s nothing worse than missing your own party because you’re ferrying dozens of tasty tidbits from kitchen to table. Well, there’s one thing worse: cold pigs in blankets. When they’re hot, their crispy crust enrobes a juicy bite of sausage, making them a wonderful foil to icy cocktails. But when cold, the fat’s coagulated and the pastry leaden.

Thankfully you can forget about cold pigs, as well as older-style chafing dishes heated with coals, tea lights, or smelly Sterno.

Thermal Hot/Cold Tray
By OGGI, $39.99

I was excited to put the Thermal Hot/Cold Tray by OGGI through its party paces. It’s a cordless, stainless steel platter that has a gel core designed to stay hot or cold by simply sticking it in the oven or fridge. The instructions say the tray stays hot or cold for up to two hours after warming at 200 degrees Fahrenheit for six minutes or chilling for two hours.

If only that were true. The tray stays warm no longer than a hot pizza pan—which depends on how hot your food is to start with, and whether the tray is being brought out to a sunny patio or an air-conditioned room. It does remain cooler longer, similar to a frozen gel pack you’d use for a sports injury, but not even close to two hours.

While the 14-inch tray can be hand washed, its perforated surface opens directly onto its gel core, which means you’ll never get all that rumaki grease out. It seems that the designers thought having your food in direct contact with the gel pack would keep better temperature, without quite thinking through the cleaning issues.

Don’t bother using the tray for hot or juicy dishes, but for deviled eggs, it pairs perfectly.

Professional Buffet Server (Model BFS50)
By Waring Pro, $149.99

The new Professional Buffet Server from Waring Pro is an electric warmer with fitted covered serving dishes. It runs on 400 watts of power, which means it heats up fast. The brushed stainless steel housing surrounds three 2.5-quart stainless steel chafing dishes. Each dish holds 20 four-ounce servings, which is about how much caterers estimate serving to a guest at a time.

The stainless steel base also works independently as a warming tray, so you can keep baked goods toasty without them getting steamed and mushy under covers.

You can adjust the heat up to 200 degrees Fahrenheit with the chafers or the warming tray alone. You might want soup at a hotter temperature, but pasta lower, so it doesn’t continue to cook.

The server comes with two sets of lids: stainless steel with a slot for a serving spoon, and durable, clear polycarbonate. Both are heat safe, so it’s your choice whether or not you want your guests to be tempted by what’s under the covers.

Everything except the electric warming tray is dishwasher safe. Just wipe the tray clean.

UNO Warming Tray
By VillaWare, $84.49

This economical warming tray looks far more expensive than it actually is. It’s part of VillaWare’s retro-modern UNO design series of appliances. The tray’s sleek black tempered-glass top is flanked by the line’s distinctive aluminum finished handles, which stay cool to the touch. But the feature that friends and family invariably love the most is the five-inch “Hot Circle” in the middle of the tray that can reach 300 degrees Fahrenheit, while the area around it stays cooler. That way you can do things like keep your bagna cauda warmer than the roasted veggies you serve it with.

SmarTag Petite Chafer
By CookTek, $484.14

CookTek, manufacturer of fine induction cooktops, also happens to make beautiful high-tech induction chafing pans. They’re stand-alone stainless steel pots, with domed, hinged lids that stay open at a 60-degree angle for single-handed serving access.

You can use this product on any induction cooktop, but for optimum performance you need one with an RFID reader, which CookTek also makes. If you possess such a cooktop, it’s as if you have your own household help carefully monitoring your chafer. Simply set the temperature on your cooktop, then place your chafer on it. As your guests are served, the dish’s temperature fluctuates from a variety of factors, including opening and closing the lid and emptying the contents. The RFID chip in the chafer communicates its real-time temperature to the cooktop, which adjusts automatically as needed.

As much as I love a pimped-out burger, it has to start with great meat. And quite frankly, supermarket ground beef is not worth the Styrofoam tray it’s shrink-wrapped on.

Grind your own. It’s competitively priced, easy, and erases some of the fear of food poisoning.

I like my burgers rare, and sometimes raw as steak tartare—with homemade fries, of course—but I don’t like to indulge unless I grind the meat myself. Ground meat is the most susceptible to contamination because of increased surface area. I know my hands, meat, and grinder are all clean when the goods go in, so there’s less risk.

Grinding your own meat means that you get to pick what goes in it too. No more mystery meat and fat trimmings, which ultimately makes for better taste and texture.

There are a number of meat grinder options out there, but I strongly discourage manual ones. They’re heavy, bulky, slippery, hard to clean, rust-prone, and inefficient. Yes, my grandmother used one back in the day, in the rear of our restaurant. But the second we bought an electric machine, she and her exhausted arms never went back.

Meat grinders are also the essential tools in making a great food partner to burgers on a grill: sausages. Besides a grinder, all you really need are casings, spices, and herbs to taste. Attach a feeding tube to your grinder to easily fill the casings if you don’t want to try to do it by hand.

Here are some of the best meat grinders available:

Food Grinder (Stand Mixer Attachment)
By KitchenAid, $49.99

When talking about home meat grinders, the KitchenAid Food Grinder attachment always comes up first. It’s a user-friendly, plastic-bodied accessory that simply screws onto the front of any KitchenAid home stand mixer, sold separately.

The Food Grinder processes raw and cooked meats; firm fruits and vegetables—fresh or dried—like apples and carrots; and hard cheese like Parmesan. It’s not a replacement for a food processor, though there is some crossover between the two appliances.

KitchenAid does warn that when grinding bread—for breadcrumbs—you should dry it thoroughly or not at all, because partially dried bread can gum up the works; the manufacturer also cautions against grinding anything that’s too hard or dense.

The attachment comes with a coarse and a fine grinder plate, a hardwood “stomper” (a rod to push food in, instead of using your fingers), and a wrench—for removing the grinder accessory only.

KitchenAid suggests grinding meat when it’s very cold or even somewhat frozen, and grinding beef twice, for a better mix and more tender results. It also says fatty meats should only be ground once—otherwise the fat may be processed out.

The grinder body, grind worm (looks like a screw and turns the knife inside), ring (holds the plates in place on the front), and wrench are dishwasher safe. The knife, grinding plates, and stomper are not.

A Sausage Stuffer Kit that includes two tubes to make thin and thick links is sold separately.

KitchenAid covers the Food Grinder with its one-year replacement warranty.

Professional Meat Grinder (Model MG800)
By Waring Pro, $160.55

The Waring Pro Professional Meat Grinder is a stand-alone machine, not an attachment, and also grinds meats and other firm foods. In addition, this appliance easily grinds whole, raw poultry bones, a big consideration for the many users who buy the tool specifically to make raw pet food.

With its powerful 450-watt motor, the grinder quickly processes double-digit pounds of meat and bone. There’s also a reverse function in the unlikely event that something gets stuck.

The grinder package includes three cutting plates (fine, medium, coarse), a black plastic food pusher, and two sausage attachments.

You must follow the easy washing, drying, and oiling instructions to keep parts rust-free.

Waring Pro offers a limited five-year warranty on the motor.

Meat Chopper (Model 4812)
By Hobart, $1,969

True, most of us don’t need this Hobart Meat Chopper at home, but some of us are in the market to outfit that gourmet butcher/burger shop we’ve always dreamed about. Hobart is the industry standard when it comes to meat grinders, and this model offers good bang for the nearly 2,000 bucks.

It is steeply priced even for an industrial grinder, but Hobart is known for its reliability and great service, unlike cheaper Chinese brands out there.

Hobart grinders cleanly grind meat, without mashing it like some industrial machines. This model features a large feed pan (the tray that surrounds the feed chute), an extralong plastic feed stomper, an eight-pound capacity, and a mighty 1/2-horsepower motor. The stainless steel body rests on sturdy four-inch-high legs with rubber feet, which makes it easy to clean under. This last feature is important, since at 118 pounds, it’s nearly impossible to move.

Hobart recommends the 1/8-inch plate for ground beef. The 4812 will grind eight pounds per minute.

Every part that comes in contact with food is easily disassembled for washing.

It should be noted, however, that this Hobart meat chopper/grinder does not have sausage-making accessories.

There are two kinds of cooks in this world: those who love an organized kitchen, and those who are lying. We who played with Tupperware as kids and jump on any excuse to go to the Container Store know it’s all about finding the right system—one that’s modular, affordable, durable, readily available, and easy to add to. There’s nothing worse than committing to a system, only to have the manufacturer discontinue it, forcing you into mismatch mode or, worse, a complete system overhaul.

Restaurants use Cambros and hotel pans, the ubiquitous all-purpose vessels in the kitchen.

When chefs say Cambros, they’re referring to large square plastic containers that look like enormous measuring cups. Cambro is the manufacturer. Home and pro cooks use big and small versions for short and long-term storage of everything from fruit to stock to flour.

Hotel pans are, generally speaking, shallow, rectangular stainless steel pans with a flange (flat rim) that can be slid into buffet steam tables. But they’re available in a wide variety of sizes and materials, and besides being great baking pans, they serve as everything from bowls to portable drawers when inserted into a kitchen rack. Their standard sizing system, called Gastronorm, is universally modular. So if you’re using them in a steam table, one full-size well holds either one full-size pan, two half-pans, three three-pans, and so on. But you don’t need a steam table to appreciate their usefulness.

Camwear CamSquare (8 Quart)
By Cambro, $14.79

With their square shape, Cambros nest neatly and line up snugly next to each other, maximizing storage space in kitchens, pantries, walk-in coolers, and freezers. Their volume graduations make taking inventory a snap: You know how much flour you have on hand by simply looking at the container you’re storing it in. Good news if you have to make cupcakes for the Great American Bake Sale.

Chefs use Cambros for far more than dry goods-storage though—from washing raw spinach to measuring veal stock—plus pouring from a corner of a Cambro is much easier and cleaner than from a round container.

They’re available in seven sizes, from 2 quarts to 22 quarts, in three materials. At the top end is the extremely durable and highly impact-resistant yet crystal clear polycarbonate, temperature-resistant from minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit to 210 degrees Fahrenheit. Next is the less expensive opaque white polyethylene—also impact-, stain-, and chemical-resistant—but temperature-resistant up to only 160 degrees Fahrenheit. The least expensive translucent white plastic is also durable and stain-resistant, but again temperature-resistant to only 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

Lids are sold separately. They’re color-coded to match different-size containers, made of polyethylene, snap tight, and lift off fairly easily with one corner thumb tab.

All CamSquare containers and lids are dishwasher safe—though you’ll never fit the bigger models in a standard home machine.

Super Pan 3 Stainless Steel Steam Table Pan (One Half Size, 2.5 Inches Deep)
By Vollrath, $12.24

Home and pro cooks use hotel pans as prep containers, mixing bowls, marinating pans, cutting board stands (to reduce back strain), and mise en place.

Vollrath has long been respected for its durable goods. Its Super Pan 3 models have a patented angled lip designed to lift easily out of a steam table well. Standard flat lips sometimes need the help of tongs or spoon handles wedged under the edge, which can scratch. The angle of the lip rolls drips and spills back into the pans, which are attractive enough to be used for table service.

The Super Pan 3s are available in low- and high-temperature plastic, stainless steel, and nonstick-coated steel.

The high-temperature plastic can withstand minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit to 375 degrees Fahrenheit, for use in steam tables and microwaves, but not in ovens. The low-temperature plastic is heat-resistant up to only 210 degrees Fahrenheit. The nonstick-coated pans are heat-resistant up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit, but are not designed to be used with metal utensils.

Indispensable perforated pans—what restaurants use as colanders—and covers are also available. You can even use the former to make spätzle. They’re all nestable and modular, but won’t jam or stick together, and they are dishwasher safe.

All of Vollrath’s hotel pans meet Gastronorm standards, so if you do ever need to stick these in a steam table, you know you’re good to go.

Every summer we’re seduced by long, lean strangers that promise we won’t get burned—while satisfying desires we didn’t even know we had. We should know better.

Some of the season’s most tempting grill tools are unfortunately ones that will last no more than a fling. There are the extremely long tongs: hard to handle, much less while using them to grip a heavy rack of ribs. Or the Corn-on-the-Cob BBQ Basket, designed to clamp four shucked ears, complicating one of nature’s most grill-friendly foods. Then there’s the spatula/tenderizer fork/serrated slicer with a bottle opener at the end of the handle. Marrying blunt weapons, beer bottles, and burning metal isn’t the brightest idea.

Luckily there are honest, hardworking grill tools—ones you won’t regret bringing home to meet the family.

Good Grips 16-Inch Locking Tongs
By OXO, $12

Longer tongs keep your hands and forearms farther from the heat, but the longer they are, the more difficult they can be to maneuver. Some are nearly two feet long. If your fire is that hot, you might want to review some cooking basics, or if you’re that sensitive to the heat, try another cooking method altogether. These 16-inch OXOs are just long enough to keep you at a safe distance while allowing you to move and flip ribs or roasting chickens with control.

They’re stainless steel with the signature Good Grips rubbery, slip-resistant pads on the upper part of the arms. A pull-tab on top locks them closed for compact storage.

The spring-loaded hinge gives comfortably, unlike some tongs that cramp your hands after a long night of grilling. The ends are shallow and scalloped, holding your food well without damaging it.

The tongs are also dishwasher safe.

8-by-3-Inch Long-Handle Turner
By Dexter-Russell, $21.59

This turner by Dexter-Russell is technically a cake turner, used by bakers to lift, turn, and flip whole cakes or layers. It’s strong and flexible, with great reach, just what you want in a grill hamburger-turner too. The wide, thin blade, extending a generous eight inches, easily slides under the biggest burger patties, yet still sturdily holds weight.

True, this tool won’t open bottles, but it multitasks by cleanly turning and securely lifting delicate items including thick, juicy, cheese-laden burgers; butter-basted salmon steaks; and caramelized peaches.

The turner has a beautiful rosewood handle and is not dishwasher safe.

3/8-Inch-Wide Stainless Skewers (set of six)
By Steven Raichlen, $14.99

They say soaking bamboo skewers in water renders them fireproof. They lie. Bamboo will burn over high enough heat. I also don’t like their toothpick taste or horrible acrid aroma if they smoke.

Stainless steel skewers won’t smoke or burn. And if they’re flat, like these, they’ll actually turn your food along with the skewer, unlike round ones.

Three-eighths inch in diameter, these skewers by grill master Steven Raichlen have enough surface area to grip stuff that tends to fall off into your coals, like soft roasted tomatoes and charred kefta kebabs. But they’re narrow enough to spear cherry tomatoes, too.

The looped end keeps food from slipping onto the lawn, but the spear side might need a little help with a starter incision from a sharp paring knife.

All stainless steel skewers will get hot, so handle with care. They’re dishwasher safe.

Grill Wizard China Grill Brush
By Grill Wizard, $24.95

If you use your grill frequently, one job that you can actually put off is cleaning the grate after cooking. That residual fat coating actually helps protect it from rust. But it’s absolutely essential to clean the grate hot before and during grilling for sanitary, stick-resistant cooking. In restaurant kitchens, that’s done with a thin scrub pad, sometimes insulated with nothing more than a folded kitchen towel—and yes, knuckles get burned.

This Grill Wizard brush model holds two thick, removable, washable, and replaceable stainless steel scrub pads. They’re tough, but also soft enough to smush deep down between the wires on a grate.

A hook at the top of the handle makes it easy to store—preferably right next to your grill.

The long, adjustable-angle 14-inch handle keeps your knuckles far off the grill but gives you leverage for power scrubbing; it’s one time when length really does matter.

Grill Wizard sells replacement Stainless Steel Scrubbies for $8.95, but the company freely informs you that you can use any woven pad by simply snapping it into place under the head.

The Grill Wizard, with its poplar handle, is not dishwasher safe and won’t do well left outside exposed to the elements.

There’s a moment of faith required when making French macaroons (macarons), the delicate almond meringue sandwich cookies completely unlike American coconut macaroons. As soon as they’re done, you whisk them from the oven, lift an edge of the parchment paper on which they’ve baked, pour water into the pan, and then set the parchment down again. You hold your breath because you want to get it right the first time. The cold water needs to hit the hot pan and create steam to gently release the pastries. You want to slide the paper off, then cleanly pluck every single one of the fragile cakelets, leaving them intact.

The best pan for this sensitive job is one of the most inconspicuously versatile tools in any kitchen: the sheet pan. It’s a shallow rectangular pan with sides, oven and broiler safe, that can also withstand freezing cold, scrubbings, and machine washings.

But say you’re finishing one small piece of fish in the oven—sometimes you don’t need a whole sheet pan. That’s when a little pizza pan comes in handy.

Then there’s the sizzle platter—think fajitas or tandoori. This is a pan designed to go from a hot oven, broiler, or even grill directly to the table. Not something you’d use every day, but it makes quite an impression at dinner parties.

Oven and broiler pans should be durable, and warp and rust resistant. Don’t bother with unpredictable nonstick coatings; just do as pros do and use butter or oil, parchment paper, or silicone liners.

Bun Pan (One-Half Size)
By Vollrath, $9.95

If you’re confused by the name of this pan, you’re not alone. Almost no one except for cookware manufacturers calls it a bun pan. In pro kitchens it’s known as a sheet pan or a jelly roll pan. The size I recommend because it fits in home cooks’ ovens, 13 by 18 inches across the top (sheet pans taper slightly at the bottom) with four 1-inch-deep sides, is called a half sheet pan.

This one, by Vollrath, is made of impact-resistant aluminum. It’s stackable with a slightly concave bottom that flattens out when heated for even cooking and resistance to warping. The bend is subtle—not concave enough to rock on the counter when you’re prepping. The Silpat Jelly Roll Liner fits perfectly inside. The pan can also slide sideways into a speed rack or bun rack, essential in pro kitchens for separately stacking pans safely and efficiently.

Vollrath’s sheet pans are dishwasher safe, but they may discolor. They don’t fit into my home machine but scrub off well by hand, and there’s no nonstick coating to worry about.

Pizza Pan (CTP Series)
By American Metalcraft, $1.95

These pizza pans are used not only in pizzerias but also in fine restaurants, for broiling or oven-finishing. You no longer have to wonder whether your sauté pan is ovenproof—simply brown your surf or turf stovetop, then transfer it to a pizza pan to oven-finish.

One of American Metalcraft’s specialties is pizza-making gear, with more than 4,000 different shapes, sizes, and materials of pans, all the way up to a mob-feeding 29 inches in diameter.

I recommend keeping on hand a stack of the little 6-inch aluminum CTP Series Coupe Style discs, which are inexpensive and lightweight yet sturdy. You’ll grab them for all the small jobs that don’t require a sheet pan—and you’ll save yourself some time when washing up.

They’re even good-looking enough to use as very casual plates. But CTP Series pizza pans are not dishwasher safe.

Sizzling Platter
By Vollrath, $25.87

You might recognize sizzling platters—more commonly known simply as sizzle platters—from those steakhouse cast iron cow shapes on thick wooden bases.

They’re meant to keep food warmer longer at the table. But they make a dramatic presentation device, with, say, herb butter noisily spattering, the aroma of grilled steak and wild mushrooms wafting across the dining room.

These sleek, modern models by Vollrath are made of heavy-duty stainless steel. They nestle safely in heat-resistant polyester underliners. Built-in handles provide extra protection.

Both the sizzle platters, available in oval and rectangular shapes, and the underliners are dishwasher safe.

Think those tissue-thin beet slices, perfectly julienned radishes, and endless curls of parsnips emerging from haute cuisine kitchens are the work of master knife-wielding chefs? Think again. Such culinary wonders are within the reach of your very own mortal hands without a knife in sight.

As much as we love power tools and well-sharpened knives, simple manual slicers can work their own brand of magic.

Benriner is the Japanese manufacturer of compact, flat mandolines used in home and restaurant kitchens worldwide. They slice precisely, rinse off quickly, and stow away in even the tiniest Tokyo spaces.

For the most part, Benriners have taken the place of classic French mandolines, which have unwieldy stainless-steel bodies and legs. Unfolding the legs alone can be like trying to open an unruly umbrella—one equipped with a razor-sharp blade.

Benriner also makes a turning slicer that’s a favorite of chefs in restaurants from Los Angeles sushi joints to Ducasse in Paris, where I first used it.

One essential accessory to slicers of all kinds should be the cut-resistant glove. Get in the habit of using one, if you happen to value your fingertips.

Super Benriner Asian Mandoline
By Benriner, $49.95

The Super Benriner Asian Mandoline shaves large transparent slices from whole hard vegetables, like daikon radishes.

With a 5-inch blade, it’s the widest model made by the renowned Japanese manufacturer. (The standard Benriner slicer blade measures 3.5 inches.) The slightly extra width is well worth it, in its ability to accommodate the diameter of uncut produce—for example, slicing large sweet onions for hoops of beer-battered rings.

The mandoline comes with four blades, including a straight edge for slices and three toothed julienne blades for fine, medium, and thick strips and sticks. You adjust slice thinness by simply turning knobs on the sides.

The Super Benriner does not have legs, so you simply angle it over a cutting board or lay it across a bowl while holding the top bar handle. The blade is set at a 45-degree angle, which makes it easier to slice hard vegetables than when using a mandoline in which the blade goes straight across—think of the difference between slicing an apple with the knife going straight down, compared with going in at an angle. Plus it doesn’t trap food shavings like those with V-shaped blades do.

The Super Benriner is not dishwasher safe, but it is completely submergible for easy hand washing.

There are just a few drawbacks: A removable finger guard is awkward if not impossible to use. At times, trying to maneuver it nearly drove my fingers into the blade. Also, you’ll often find a Benriner slicer stored in its original battered cardboard box, because it has no stand to put it on for storage. Use a small container to hold the detachable blades for this otherwise excellent, proven slicer.

Turning Slicer
By Benriner, $89.95

Benriner’s Turning Slicer transforms a lowly potato into a long, continuous curl just begging to be deep-fried barely golden.

The slicer is a simple hand-cranked machine designed for morphing everything from carrots to cabbages into strings, ribbons, and strips. Simply load your vegetable horizontally between the blade and crank; then hold the safety tab (clearly labeled Push) while turning the handle to slice. Now you can turn cucumbers into pickled sweet-tart swirls and summer squash into roasted, candied nests.

Like the Super Benriner, the Turning Slicer comes with four blades (one for slices, three for julienne), but again there is no storage. It is not dishwasher safe, but it, too, can be fully immersed for hand washing.

The Turning Slicer is currently available only in its distinctive retro mint-green color.

Whizard Handguard II
By Wells Lamont, $18.13

Cut-resistant gloves are just that—cut-resistant. They’re not cut-proof and despite the fact that some are made with Kevlar, the synthetic fiber often found in body armor, they’re not bulletproof either. Cut-resistant gloves can be cut through, especially by high-speed electric slicer blades or highly serrated knives. It should also be noted that cut-resistant gloves are not stab-proof.

The Whizard Handguard II is the most cut-resistant glove made by Wells Lamont, the highly respected 100-year-old glove manufacturer specializing in industrial hand protection. It’s lightweight but extremely strong, providing flexible protection.

Use it when slicing and changing blades. Make slipping one on as automatic as using any valuable appendage protection.

The glove is machine washable and dryable, but the manufacturer recommends the use of a laundry wash bag to prolong the life of the glove. You can also wash it in your dishwasher, but Wells Lamont suggests removing it after the wash cycle to air dry, because the high heat of the dry cycle can damage the fibers.

The Handguard II is available in sizes from extra extra small to extra large—check the Whizard sizing chart (if you’re between sizes, order one size smaller for a better fit and less material to snag). The gloves are available in white (until recently the most common color of cut- and heat-resistant gloves) and the more forgiving and fashionable gray.

The annual National Restaurant Association Show is more than an industry event. It’s a surreal convergence of exquisite food tastings, celebrity chefs, and futuristic gear. From May 19 to 22 in Chicago, 73,000 food-service professionals tasted Japanese Wagyu beef and Canadian bison washed down by espresso and Icees, while Thomas Keller joined Grant Achatz at the PolyScience booth to freeze starch-modified strawberry purée on the Anti-Griddle, producing something that tasted and felt like a more natural version of Starburst candies.

Show-goers heard the NRA’s 20 hot and cold (passé) restaurant trends for 2007 (hot: minidesserts; cold: okra). And watched artisans carving ice and sculpting sugar.

Here are a few of the most alluring new products marketed to professionals at NRA 2007.

I5 Commercial Oven
By TurboChef, price TBA

TurboChef has been getting a lot of press lately for its new, colorful, high-tech, high-speed, and high-priced home oven, with Charlie Trotter as the company’s spokesman, occasionally joined by celebrities like Kim Cattrall and Cynthia Rowley. Who knew they ate, much less cooked?

But what’s got pros truly hot and bothered is the company’s new I5 commercial oven, introduced at the NRA Show. This model incorporates TurboChef’s most advanced cooking technology to date, which means it can roast a whole chicken in about 10 minutes.

The I5 is compact (24 inches tall, 27.2 inches wide, 28.3 inches deep), but with a roomy two-cubic-foot cooking cavity. It combines air and microwave technologies for fast, even cooking, but the microwave system can be used with standard metal pans. The built-in i-Menu program stores up to 500 recipes, plus the unit is smart card and USB capable. You’ll simply upload your family’s favorite recipe for lasagne directly into your oven from your computer via a USB cable or a swipe of a magnetically striped card.

This commercial oven will only be available in stainless steel, with black touchpad controls and a black insulated handle, unlike the cute, candy-colored residential models. It will hit stores in January 2008.

AutoStir
By Angott Products, $399

You might think an automatic stirrer sounds like another useless kitchen gadget, but laboratories use them all the time.

This one is motorized, stainless steel, and adjusts to fit pots from 12 to 22 inches in diameter and 6 to 24 inches deep. The guy who invented it, Paul Angott, is an entrepreneur who holds patents on products ranging from wireless doorbells to self-guided lawn mowers.

Angott estimates that if you made 20 pounds of chili 300 times per year, you’d save $4,025 in labor and burnt food with his stirrer.

The AutoStir is cordless, can run for 30 hours on rechargeable batteries, and has a nine-hour recharge time. You can program the time between turns from 30 seconds to 4 minutes. All parts are industrial dishwasher safe, except the motor and the battery. The unit weighs about six pounds.

Currently the AutoStir is only available directly from Angott via email (PGAngott@comcast.net) and comes with a two-year warranty.

Radius by CleanTech
By Meritech, $1,200–$1,700 (available mid-August)

After an exhausting day at the NRA Show, one of the most surprisingly refreshing products was this automatic hand washing machine. It was like a miniature spa treatment on the convention floor.

The new Radius by CleanTech is the smallest automatic hand washing and sanitizing machine made by Meritech. You simply stick your hands into the two holes on the front until the water starts, and leave them in until it stops. The company’s machines, which include boot washers, are primarily for industrial food processing, but this compact model can easily fit into tighter spaces like restaurant kitchens. It’s available as an in-counter, wall-mount, or portable table-mount unit.

Paul Barnhill, Meritech cofounder and vice president of engineering, said that a monitor is in the works that will track a user’s hand washing compliance. The employee will wear an RFID tag that will be detected by a reader on the machine, which will record the information. This retrofittable option will be available this fall.

Barnhill mentioned that Meritech also holds the patent for an automatic full-body washer, but he said, “Humans aren’t ready for it yet.” Oh yes, I think we are.

Hurricone Floor Drying System
By Hurricone, $325

The Hurricone is a “why didn’t someone think of this before” product. Specifically, it’s a floor-drying fan built into a wheeled, portable base as a substitute for those wet-floor warning cones. It was created to prevent slip-and-fall accidents and lawsuits. It dries mopped floors in less than five minutes, decreasing drying time by 90 percent.

The unit blows air out 15 feet in all directions. It’s cordless, and can run 12 hours after an 8- to 10-hour charge on a removable battery pack, designed so you can replace it with a fully charged battery without taking the machine out of commission. The manufacturer claims the battery will last up to 11 years if run 12 hours a day.

The Hurricone weighs about 20 pounds but is easily maneuverable on lockable casters, unlike lightweight signs or cones alone, which always seem to get knocked over.

The base is also sold separately and can be used with most standard cones as well as the Hurricone. An optional blinking light to top the cone is available.

Devices used to separate water from food come with many names (and I’m not talking about salad spinners here). A colander is typically a bowl-shaped tool with holes to drain water. A china cap is a cone-shaped, perforated metal strainer with a long handle. A chinois (pronounced “sheen-WAH,” French for Chinese, masculine form) looks like a china cap, but strains through mesh. Chinois is often misspelled and mispronounced as chinoise (“sheen-WAHZ,” French feminine). In a French kitchen, every kind of conical strainer is called a chinois. In the United States, both are often just called strainers, and the mesh one specifically a bouillon strainer.

And they’re all good for different jobs. You need a colander to drain pasta or wash fruit and vegetables. A china cap or chinois works too, but they’re designed to funnel and drain stocks and soups directly into a pot, plus they’re usually more expensive.

The Superbag is yet another type of—relatively new—strainer that’s very popular right now with experimental chefs. It looks and feels like a Tyvek sack (that tear-resistant material used for everything from shipping envelopes to wrapping your house), but is actually a fine yet durable filter used for achieving ultraclear products like consommés.

Here are my three favorites.

Endurance Precision Pierced Colander (5-quart)
By RSVP, $29.99

Most colanders look like mixing bowls with holes punched in them. The roomy, 5-quart Endurance Precision Pierced Colander, on the other hand, resembles mesh at first glance. In fact, it’s stainless steel that’s been perforated with a laser. It washes clean with a few swipes of a soapy sponge, unlike mesh, which can require a stiff brush. The colander’s holes are small enough that even the finest capellini won’t slip through or clog up the works.

This Endurance colander is lightweight, unlike the All-Clad one I picked up recently. The latter is gorgeous and solid, but you don’t need its heavy weight when you’re draining a hot pound of pasta.

A ring pedestal keeps the Endurance off the bottom of your sink and is easier to wash than the three individual feet found on some colanders.

According to the manufacturer, it’s dishwasher safe, but it’s been reported (registration required) that the colander’s big loop handles sometimes pop off after repeated machine washings. For the most part I’m just rinsing off pasta water or produce dirt, so hand-washing works fine—plus I hate jamming colanders into a home dishwasher because they take up half a rack.

Exoglass Bouillon Strainer
By Matfer Bourgeat, $49.95

A chinois—or strainer—has traditionally been your last line of defense against graininess. Remember when Top Cheftestant Betty suffered from unsmooth soup because she failed to use her chinois enough? You want one that’s fine yet tough.

This so-called bouillon strainer—a.k.a. chinois—by Matfer is distinctive in restaurant kitchens because of its unique heat-resistant plastic handle and lip. Most strainers are completely stainless steel, but not only is the Exoglass plastic heat resistant up to 430 degrees Fahrenheit, the handle is also insulated, so even if the chinois is hanging over a stockpot on a hot stovetop, you can hold it comfortably with your bare hands. The Exoglass is molded in one piece as well, so there are fewer crevices in which food particles can hide.

Sturdy wires cross around the stainless-steel mesh cone to provide unobtrusive protection against dings and jabs, which, like stocking runs, will lead to holes that will render the chinois useless. Some strainers are protected with wider metal bands that can annoyingly get in the way while draining every last drop or washing.

Two toothy hooks on the front of the lip secure the strainer across the top of the pot. If you’ve ever had a chinois with only a single shallow hook slip, you’ll appreciate the added protection against the culinary tragedy of spilling everything you’ve just strained. Strainers are often pressed into heavy duty, literally, with ladles mashing out every bit of liquid, and this Matfer model holds up well. It’s also dishwasher safe.

Superbag
By International Cooking Concepts, $45–$50 (based on current exchange rates at time of publication)

I first encountered Superbags while working at El Bulli. We used them for the exhausting task of squeezing almond milk out of fresh almond purée. We simply filled the large porous bags with the purée, then squeezed them to release a torrent of almond milk, and finally wrung them to extract every drop.

The Superbag is a rarity in even the finest restaurant kitchens because it is so new, and I suspect chefs believe it looks flimsy. But when you need an extraordinarily fine filter that won’t impart a metallic taste to delicate ingredients, plus is flexible yet durable, heat resistant, and dishwasher safe, there is no other choice.

Chef Shola Olunloyo of Studiokitchen in Philadelphia uses Superbags to collect tomato water, allowing raw tomatoes to sit in the bags until they drip out their clear, fragrant, flavorful liquid. He also creates a transparently green honeydew soup, which he garnishes with blue crabmeat, lemon balm, and basil oil.

Superbags are available in the United States exclusively at Le Sanctuaire, in 1.3- and 8-liter sizes at three filtering levels: 100, 250, and 400 microns.

Of all the pointless macho posturing that still happens in professional kitchens, showing off with knives ranks as perhaps the worst.

You’ve no doubt seen some evidence of this on TV. A chef picks up his knife with one hand and a sharpening steel—that rough metal rod with a handle—in the other. He starts clanging away as if he’s re-enacting a scene out of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. It’s an abomination to the knife, arguably the most important tool to a chef.

That TV chef isn’t really sharpening; steels are meant to straighten knife edges, because blades start to curl with everyday use. It’s imperceptible to the naked eye, but not to a ripe tomato, which will stubbornly refuse to yield to what looks to us like a razor-sharp edge. Using a steel will bring the edge back to center again, but it’s a mellow endeavor, not something out of an action flick.

Actual knife sharpening is a métier so precise that unless there is a serious metalhead on staff, even many of the best restaurant kitchens send their knives out. At Ducasse in Paris, we had a guy who came in and picked up our knives about once a season, after lunch service, then delivered them back sharpened just in time for dinner prep. In the hands of an unskilled amateur, going all out with a sharpening stone or electric sharpener can file away a beautiful blade unevenly and excessively.

For professional knife sharpening, call restaurants in your city and ask what service they use. In Chicago, Northwestern Cutlery sharpens knives for only $3.50 each. It’s first come, first served, but usually no more than a 15-minute wait. You can also ship your knives to the company.

In the meantime, two products can improve your daily knife life. If you use it every day, a steel will realign your blade’s edge well. You’ll still need to sharpen your knives professionally if they’re really expensive, or truly dulled. But for tiny tune-ups, and when you just can’t get to the knife shop, you can sharpen lightly at home. For this, you’ll need the manual AccuSharp. While it does remove more metal than a steel, it will not take out nicks and bent tips—and that’s a good thing. Leave that to the pros.

Ceramic Steel
By Edge Pro, $20–$30

A steel is usually a metal rod, but it can be made of ceramic, as is this one by Edge Pro. It’s not as odd as it seems: We see ceramic knives and vegetable peelers. The white ceramic rod’s surface is 1,200 grit, an ultrafine measure that feels smooth but is still abrasive. And unlike classic metal steels that can take off too much of a knife’s blade, this one works precisely, removing a bare minimum of material. The wooden handle has a ring on the end so it can be hung for convenient access, but the steel also fits into most standard knife blocks.

To correctly use this steel, and most steels, grab the handle with your nondominant hand and place the steel tip down vertically on your countertop, ideally on a silicone potholder to keep it from slipping. Take your knife by the handle with your dominant hand, hold the blade down and angled against the steel at about 20 degrees. Because the ceramic is so smooth, it won’t file down your blade like a coarse metal steel, so getting the exact angle isn’t as crucial. Start with the heel of your knife at the top of the steel, near the handle, then simply draw the entire length of your knife down in a single fluid motion. Don’t saw or clang. The weight of your knife alone against this ceramic steel is enough. Repeat the gesture about three times, alternating on each side. As you do this, the edge of your blade is being realigned.

Edge Pro’s ceramic steel is available in 8-, 10-, and 12-inch lengths. Get the one that’s long enough to draw your knives down in one move.

A drawback of ceramic tools is that while they’re sturdy, they do break more easily than metal ones, so don’t play lightsaber with them.

They say you should hone your knife on your steel every time you use it. Well, we’re supposed to brush our teeth after every meal too—just try to make it a habit. The ease with which you’ll thinly slice fragrant, ripe heirloom tomatoes will remind you that it’s a good habit to keep.

AccuSharp Knife and Tool Sharpener
By Fortune Products, $11.79

For gentle knife sharpening touch-ups, when you need a little more than your steel’s realignment, the AccuSharp is a simple, manual tool to use. It has a plastic handle and a small, v-shaped blade notch that fits over your knife.

To use the AccuSharp, place your knife on your countertop with the blade facing straight up, holding it firmly by the handle. Fit the sharpener’s blade, which resides inside the notch, over your knife near its heel end, by the handle. Using only light downward pressure, run the AccuSharp across the entire length of the knife in one smooth pass. It may freak you out at first to move your knuckles over the upright blade, but there is a plastic band on the AccuSharp that acts as a guard. Repeat a few times as needed.

The AccuSharp is not for your high-end Kill Bill knives: The best blades require intimate knowledge of the correct angles for their material, and this sharpener is not adjustable. It is, however, a terrific, inexpensive manual knife sharpener that produces fast, easy results for amateurs and pros alike on everyday knives.

The sharpener is also lefty friendly and dishwasher safe. Reversible replacement blades are sold separately. And if you need more encouragement, it’s even got a testimonial by legendary rocker/hunter Ted Nugent (“This is the best *$@#% knife sharpener on the market!”).

Nearly every chef gets his or her start working the salad station. Some cooks consider it the lowliest place in the kitchen, but with great greens costing as much per pound as some meats, that’s a huge misconception.

And now some of the finest produce that was once available only to restaurants can be delivered straight to your doorstep, thanks to farmers’ markets and CSAs—Community Supported Agriculture—in the form of weekly harvest baskets. You’ll want to treat it preciously.

Washing your greens and drying them well will keep them fresher longer, and able to hold the lightest coating of dressing without repellent beads of water. Spinners dry greens faster and more easily than any other method. Paper towels are a huge, unnecessary waste. Kitchen towels can’t handle a large volume of greens, and you just end up with wet towels hanging everywhere. The pillowcase trick—sticking your greens into a pillowcase, then spinning it around to dry by centrifugal force—only works outside, unless you like water droplets spattered all over your kitchen.

Don’t get salad spinners with little pull-strings or flimsy crank handles. Instead, buy these.

Spin’nStor
By Argee, $11.75 (pack of 12 reusable bags)

Spin’nStor bags look just like plastic grocery-store produce bags—the kind you tear off a roll and can never seem to open. But they’re a little thicker, comparable to Ziploc bags. They can take the place of your pillowcase, especially if you live in a fifth-floor walk-up and don’t want to run downstairs to spin your salad on a busy city sidewalk.

Just put your freshly washed greens into the bag, hold the top closed, spin it around overhead in a big arc for maximum force (Argee suggests about a dozen times), and the water drains out through little slots at the end of the bag into a reservoir. Tip the bag to pour the water out through the grandly named “Turbo drain” that runs along one side. While this all sounds a little goofy, it actually works.

The bags are reusable—hand-wash and air-dry—and recyclable. The number of times you can reuse them will vary according to use and care.

They’re available in a pack of 12 directly from the manufacturer with free shipping—just enter the coupon code SNSFREESHIP—or in some local grocery and gourmet stores in packs of 4.

SteeL Salad Spinner
By OXO, $49.95

The OXO salad spinner has long been a home-kitchen favorite, with its pop-up pump that starts it spinning with a push, and a simple button to brake it to a stop.

This SteeL model has an outer stainless-steel bowl that doubles as a stylish and durable serving bowl.

A big advantage of a conventional salad spinner is that you can also use the bowl and basket to conveniently wash your greens. Just fill the bowl with water, swish your greens around, and then lift everything out while still in the basket. Empty the dirty water in the bowl, then replace the basket to spin dry. A clear lid lets you easily keep an eye on your progress, and a nonslip base stops the spinner from sliding around.

The lid comes apart for washing, and all parts are dishwasher safe.

If you really want this spinner but storage space is an issue, OXO will be releasing a smaller version in July.

Manual Salad Spinner (Model E 10)
By Dynamic, $139

While I agree with some of my CHOW colleagues that paying over $100 for a fancy salad spinner just for looks is inexcusable, this pro spinner is well worth the bucks, because it spins your greens better than a Vegas casino.

It holds 2.5 gallons—about four heads of lettuce or roughly as much as that box of mesclun mix from Costco. Rather than slowly eating only half of your greens and throwing the rest away, wash up the entire case to serve at your next party.

The sturdy crank handle on top operates the gears housed within the lid. Once it’s going, especially if you crank it up to a fearsome speed, don’t attempt to stop the action by grabbing the handle—it can catch your fingers, resulting in a nasty sprain. Let the spinner slow down, then to stop it just lift the cover off.

It’s not dishwasher safe—hand-wash and -dry.

If you and your family and friends—neighbors, acquaintances, people you want to be your friends—are hard-core salad eaters, check out Dynamic’s Electric Salad Spinner. It has double the capacity—5 gallons, about six heads of lettuce—and retails for around $500. That, my friends, is some serious green.