up for a couple bucks a pair Otherwise, you can find acceptable models online, like the Extra-Long Chopsticks from Hong Kong Imports Ltd ($2) 17 Wine Key Regular corkscrews and $100 rabbit-shaped models will get your cork out, and fast But with a little practice, a waiter’s wine key will open wine bottles (and beers) just as fast, and make you look infinitely cooler The key is to use it as a lever If you are pulling on it hard, you’re doing it wrong! I keep a few in my cutlery drawer (like pens and razors, they tend to wander off into the world on their own from time to time), as well as one in my knife kit 18 Citrus Juicer Every professional kitchen has its own hazing rituals, and as a young chef-in-training, I endured a period of time—a good eight months or so—when my first duty every single morning was to ream twenty-four limes, twenty-four lemons, and a dozen oranges for fresh juice to use on the line during service And the only tool I was allowed to use to do the job (lest I risk being called a wimp—believe me, a wimp is the last thing you want to be in the macho world of professional kitchens) was a wood lemon reamer from Scandicrafts, Inc ($4) It was two weeks before I could complete the task from start to finish without taking a break to nurse my painfully swollen hands, and I went through four of the reamers in the course of those eight months, slowly wearing them down until the grooved edges on the business end were as smooth and soft as river stones This is not to say that it’s a bad product—I’d strongly recommend it for the occasional juicer—but if you go through a lot of citrus juice (some people believe that lemon juice is as important as salt, just ask the Greeks!), there are a number of other options on the market I use the Two-inOne Juicer from Amco ($19.95) You place the citrus cut side down in the perforated cup-shaped holder, then squeeze the handles together to extract the juice It’s fast, efficient, and much easier on the hands than a conventional reamer The only issue is that it sometimes leaves a bit of juice behind, forcing you to manually squeeze the empty citrus shells for maximum extraction And though it comes in small (green), medium (yellow), and large (orange) sizes, intended for limes, lemons, and oranges, the yellow one works fine for both lemons and limes, making it the one to get 19 Cake Tester I know many chefs and cooks who keep a cake tester tucked into the pen pocket of their whites and none who use them to test cakes Not that you can’t test a cake’s doneness with them, it’s just why would you, when there are so many more interesting assisted-poking tasks at which it excels? Essentially a heavy-gauge wire with a handle, it’s about as simple as a tool can get The idea is that you poke it into the center of a cake and pull it out If it comes out clean, the cake is done So, it’s sort of like a glorified toothpick, but the fact that it’s long and made of metal means that it’s useful for all kinds of other things The most obvious is testing the doneness of vegetables ... options on the market I use the Two-inOne Juicer from Amco ($ 19.95) You place the citrus cut side down in the perforated cup-shaped holder, then squeeze the handles together to extract the juice... recommend it for the occasional juicer—but if you go through a lot of citrus juice (some people believe that lemon juice is as important as salt, just ask the Greeks!), there are a number of other options... it comes in small (green), medium (yellow), and large (orange) sizes, intended for limes, lemons, and oranges, the yellow one works fine for both lemons and limes, making it the one to get 19