The Magnet 046: 10 Kitchen Tools You May Not Know About

The impressive Alton Brown dislikes what he calls “unitaskers” — kitchen tools designed for a single task that could easily be accomplished with a general-purpose tool, like a knife.

Brown’s got a point. Many unitaskers are just novelty gadgets (like this banana slicer), but over the years I’ve added at least a dozen useful unitaskers to my kitchen tools collection. In this issue of the newsletter, I’m sharing my top 10.

(Note: most of these links go to Amazon because that’s where I bought these things. The gadgets are likely available at other online stores or at a local store. I’m not using affiliate codes in my links.)

Rechargeable Handheld Frother ($17)

Most battery-powered frothers are wimpy and will stall if you try mix anything other than low-viscosity liquids. I wanted something to blend nutritional powders and almond butter into drinks, and this USB chargeable frother does the job without stalling. I charge it every couple of months.

Strawberry Huller ($8)

Many people make fun of this strawberry huller online, but I use it every time I de-stem strawberries. It’s fast — just push the green button, plunge the spring-loaded jaws into the berry, release the button, and twist. Watch this video to see how it works.

Pan Scraper ($2)

This polycarbonate scraper has a sharp edge all the way around and has different curve shapes to reach into corners of pans. It scrapes all the stuck, burnt food from pots and pans. Mine has fallen into the garbage disposal a few times but it still works.

AccuSharp Knife & Tool Sharpener ($11)

To use this knife sharpener, you hold a knife on the counter blade side up. Then you stroke the blade several times with this tool, which has two tungsten-carbide blades in a V-shape. I use it on all my kitchen knives, even serrated ones. Watch this video.

Garlic Rocker ($20)

I prefer this garlic rocker over a traditional garlic press for a few reasons. First, it has no moving parts so it won’t ever break. Second, it’s easy to use — put a peeled clove on a cutting board and rock the tool over the clove to turn it into little bits. Third, you can rinse the rocker under running water and rub your hands over it and the stainless steel will neutralize the garlic smell on your fingers. If any of the holes get plugged, you can push out the garlic bit with a knife point. Watch this video.

If you’re a paid subscriber, you’ll see another email with details and photos of the other five kitchen tools on my list: a pointed ice cream scoop, two kinds of jar openers, a smooth-edge can opener, and a sharp vegetable peeler.

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