I designed this Japanese-style vegetable knife, or nakiri, with Henckels International. Its cutting edge measures 6.5 inches and is 2 inches high, half the height of a Chinese cleaver; the deeper blade makes it easier to rest the flat side of the blade against the knuckles while slicing, for comfort and safety. The high-carbon stainless steel blade is well balanced; its edges are expertly honed and require little maintenance other than the occasional sharpening; and the smooth polymer handle is triple-riveted. This knife will make cooking fun again, since the food prep will be quicker, safer and easier. I could not recommend a knife more highly, especially at this amazing price. The knife is constructed out of German stainless steel with a forged one-piece design and triple-rivets in the handle. — Christopher Kimball

The Milk Street Kitchin-to™ Knife is available for Pre-Order*

The Milk Street Kitchin-to™ Knife is available for pre-order. When purchasing this pre-order you will purchase and pay today, reserving your spot. Knives will ship by August 15th.

A unique cross between a Japanese vegetable knife and a Chinese cleaver, the Kitchin-to™ will replace your chef’s knife. The knife's overall design borrows elements from our two favorite knives: the Japanese vegetable knife (nakiri) and the Chinese cleaver (cai dao). The 7-inch-long blade is nearly as tall as a cleaver—almost 2.5 inches at the butt—and 1.5 millimeters thick, much thinner than most Western-style knives and sharpened to an acute 15-17 degrees per side. The Kitchin-to™ can mince, chop, slice and push-cut, and it's broad enough to use as a bench scraper for transferring chopped foods from the cutting board. And similar to a Japanese santoku, the gently arced blade design can be used for both Western- and Japanese-style cutting methods. Its blunt tip keeps fingers safe, and the butt of the bolsterless blade is curved inward to make it easy to grip for fine control. A filework pattern machined into the blade near the handle acts as a grippy, tactile point for the thumb and index finger to grasp securely.

The knife’s ergonomic handle is made from micarta, a nearly indestructible composite created from layers of linen tightly compacted in phenolic resin. The material feels smooth and secure in the hand and becomes subtly grippier when wet. The handle is flattened on top to securely fill the palm, then tapers downward toward the butt of the knife to accommodate a secure grip.

The moHA! ginger grater has blades that are arranged in all directions for steady grating, as opposed to a one-directional rasp grater. But like with a wand-style rasp grater, moHA!'s cutting surface is made of sharp and durable precision-cut stainless steel. When you rotate the device, an integrated cleaning arm sweeps in a circular motion to scrape shavings off the blade, so all of the grated food ends up in your recipe, not stuck in crevices. A small compartment catches food shavings, for less mess and easier measuring; plus, the concave sides are comfortable to hold and allow you to keep a firm grip on the grater during use. The moHA! Ginger Grater has pieces that detach easily for cleaning, but the device stays together during use. When you're done using it, simply disassemble and toss it in the dishwasher.

This revolutionary butter knife makes cold butter easily spreadable; it is so ingenious that it is sold at the Museum of Modern Art's Design Store—and pretty much nowhere else. A row of small droplet-shaped holes on one side of the blade function as a grater specifically designed for cold butter. Simply run the knife over cold butter to soften and gather it in thin ribbons. ButterUp has a wider blade than other butter knives, which is ideal both for collecting the grated ribbons and spreading butter more evenly. Plus, cleanup is easy since ButterUp is made from dishwasher-safe stainless steel.

I sat down with Zwilling J.A. Henckels to produce three everyday knives that meet the needs of every home cook. Manufactured in Albacete, Spain—where Henckels has been making knives since the 18th century—these knives feature comfortable, midsize polymer handles and tough high-carbon stainless steel that will hold an edge and resist rust. They are constructed from German stainless steel with a forged one-piece design and triple-rivets in the handle. The set includes a 7-Inch Chef's Knife inspired by the lightweight Japanese santoku knife; 5-Inch Utility Knife with a microserrated edge; and 4-Inch Paring Knife with a Japanese-style, acutely pointed kiritsuke tip. — Christopher Kimball

The Garlic Slicer Mincer Set from Microplane perfectly marries form and function—with a shape that fits snugly in your hand and two different blades for mincing, grating and slicing notoriously unruly garlic into uniform pieces. Along with an integrated removable scraper and transparent collection chamber, it also features two different blades specially made for slicing and mincing. This tool can tackle three or more cloves at a time efficiently and safely without needing to contend with a heavy chef’s knife, precarious mandolin or even a cutting board, keeping your fingers away from danger (and that ever-lingering garlic odor).

And it’s not just efficient—thanks to Microplane’s thoughtful design, it’s also incredibly user-friendly: Simply attach the chute to your cutting plate of choice, then position both in the clear bottom cup. Add the peeled cloves to the chute and insert the plunger on the top handle into the shoot and then press gently with the lid and slide it back and forth along the cutting plate, watching as expertly-sliced garlic cascades into the cup—ready to be bloomed in butter to toss with pasta or pan-fried into savory garlic chips. When you’re done, use the scraper to sweep your fresh garlic from the cup and into your pan. Thanks to its stainless steel blades, the tool is dishwasher safe for easy cleanup—simply dismantle and toss in the top rack. You won’t have to worry about it’s pieces getting lost in your kitchen drawer either: Nestle the scraper back into the lid and click onto the base with the blades inside to compactly package the parts together.

The Pazaar Közmatik is available for pre-order. When purchasing this pre-order you will purchase and pay today, reserving your spot. This item will ship by September 7th.

This Turkish tool is the secret to perfect char-roasted vegetables, especially if you don’t have a grill or fire pit. The disk fits perfectly over the grate of a gas grill or the burner of a gas stove, so no more painstakingly monitoring vegetables under the broiler or accidentally setting them on fire. The design lets heat circulate evenly around the vegetables, so you are truly roasting, rather than searing (as you would on a skillet). The holes in the közmatik are spaced close enough to hold even small veggies, so there’s no struggle to keep a bulbous eggplant steady or keep slender spring onions from falling into the fire or rolling off. It’s also less messy than trying to char directly on the burner: The közmatik catches nearly all of the bits of charred vegetable skin and juices that would otherwise leak onto the surface of the stove; and, once cooled, it can be thrown in the dishwasher for easy cleanup. Virtually impossible to track down in the U.S., this tool is essential for achieving luscious roasted eggplant and smoky-sweet roasted peppers.

Also known as a fish spatula, Lamson's slotted offset spatula is an indispensable and endlessly useful kitchen tool for sautéing, stir frying, grilling and more. The long, flexible paddle is lightweight and easy to manipulate, yet it's sturdy enough to lift half-pound burgers and whole grilled cheese sandwiches. On the other hand, the sharp, angled edge and ultrathin design will easily slide underneath delicate foods like eggs, pancakes or its namesake fish fillets. The hardened and tempered high-carbon stainless steel—the same stuff Lamson makes its knives from—gives it a terrific springiness. We worked with Lamson to produce this exclusive version of the Slotted Turner, with a durable polymer handle in our favorite Milk Street high-visibility orange. The pop of color makes it easy to find in the messiest utensil drawer or beneath all the dishes in an overstuffed sink.

A favorite of our Food Editor, Matthew Card, this innovative peeler was developed with smart design elements after testing about 200 other different peelers. Don’t let its visual simplicity fool you—the Ever Peeler is a 2020 Good Design Award winner. The blade is made from 440A stainless steel is normally used for high quality knives, so it stays sharp with daily use and slices through produce with the utmost ease, unlike other flimsy brands. It makes quick work of even the toughest, hard-skinned foods like butternut squash, breaking it down into paper-thin shavings. Plus, it’s eco-friendly, too, featuring replaceable blade inserts that switch out easily. No need to throw away the whole peeler. Its handle also is ergonomically shaped and comes in different shapes for right handed and left handed users, making it comfortable to use no matter what.

A mandoline vegetable slicer by Japanese company Benriner is standard equipment in most Japanese homes and restaurant kitchens around the world. We prefer this tool’s simplicity, durability and efficacy over other more complicated models. It comes with three interchangeable blades: The fixed straight blade—which is also removable and replaceable, ensuring long-term durability—creates slices ranging from .5 mm to 5 mm. Use the dial on the underside of the mandoline to fine-tune and adjust the thickness of your slices. You can also screw in one of other two blades, which allow you to julienne or finely shred your vegetables. We especially love that the finger guard, which extends across the width of the entire blade, is easy to handle and keeps a firm grip on ingredients while slicing. Additionally, a non-skid base, safety handle and notches in the mandoline will keep the device steady whether you lay it across a bowl or prop it against a countertop.

The Palmpress is an ingenious new device that is essentially a collapsible French press. The durable plastic device looks like an over-sized hockey puck, but unscrew the lid and it pops open to reveal a silicone funnel. Add coarsely ground coffee to the marked line, pour in water that is just shy of boiling, give a stir and wait 4 to 6 minutes before inverting the press over a mug and pressing to extract. The flavor is bright and strong--just the way we like it. Perhaps best of all, clean up is a breeze: just scrape out the grounds and then give it all a rinse. There are no paper filters or pods to dispose of and no fragile parts to disassemble. Note: it produces 1 cup of coffee at a go.

The Milk Street Kitchin-tan™ Knife is available for Pre-Order*

The Milk Street Kitchin-tan™ Knife is available for pre-order. When purchasing this pre-order you will purchase and pay today, reserving your spot. Knives will ship by August 15th.

This utility-size companion to our Kitchin-to, the Kitchin-tan strikes the perfect balance between a paring and chef’s knife, it will be your new go-to. The easy-to-maneuver 5.5-inch blade is 1.5 millimeters thick, much thinner than most Western-style knives and sharpened to an acute 15-17 degrees per side. Its blunt tip keeps fingers safe, and the butt of the bolsterless blade is curved inward to make it easy to grip for fine control. A filework pattern machined into the blade near the handle acts as a grippy, tactile point for the thumb and index finger to grasp securely.

The knife’s ergonomic handle is made from micarta, a nearly indestructible composite created from layers of linen tightly compacted in phenolic resin. The material feels smooth and secure in the hand and becomes subtly grippier when wet. The handle is flattened on top to fill the palm securely, then tapers downward toward the butt of the knife to accommodate a secure grip.

It is a standing joke around the office that I LOVE this rice washer. It is just the right size, so storing it is not a pain (it’s small enough to keep it on my drain board at all times), it’s lightweight, it’s well-designed, and—if you like—it also washes rice. Why do we all have huge colanders, anyway? This 2.5-quart colander is the perfect size for 95 percent of your kitchen draining jobs. With rice, the device allows one to cover the rice with water and swish it around; there are tiny drain holes in the bottom and larger holes near the spout. You can use this simple bowl for washing any sort of produce, including berries—a simple but brilliant concept. As for cooking rice, I use a ceramic Japanese rice cooker (the Kamado-San Double-Lid Donabe Rice Cooker—available in our store) and use slightly less water than rice.

Opinel's Brunch Knife might be the new favorite knife you never knew you needed: a breakfast knife that actually cuts. The blade is partially serrated to slice crusty toast and chewy sausages—it's not overly sharp, just keen enough to get the job done without a struggle. The 4.5-inch broad blade and rounded tip are very effective at scraping the bottom of jars and spreading butter and jam on toast. Choose between a natural beechwood or blood orange handle, both of which have sleek, classic designs that will match any table setting. To keep your knife in good condition, we recommend hand-washing and drying promptly.