Kitchen Cutting Tools

Eleven tools for the part of cooking that happens before the pan: scissors with a chopping board built into the handle, spring-loaded salad shears that work inside the bowl, palm peelers that ride on a finger, and a range of cheese cutters from a handheld wire slicer to a rotary curler for Tête de Moine.

The cheese tools cover every format — wire for even slices off a block, a lever board for firm cheese that would crumble under a knife, and a hand crank for rosette shavings. Most pieces lock closed for drawer storage and go in the dishwasher. Prices run from about 7 to 30 dollars.