(Actually useful) kitchen unitaskers we love

A Grandpa Witmer’s Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Mixer, OXO Good Grips Cherry & Olive Pitter, and a Marcato Atlas 150 Pasta Machine on display in front of a orange, purple, and yellow illustrative background.

Photo illustration by Marki Williams/NYT Wirecutter; source photos by Marcato, OXO

Most of the time, our kitchen experts recommend do-it-all workhorses that can serve you across a wide variety of tasks. But, every so often, a gadget comes along that does just one thing. And it does it so incredibly well, it becomes well-worth the precious drawer space. Here are a few unitaskers you can find in our staffers’ own kitchens:

A simply superior cookie scoop: A good, comfortable-to-hold scoop pops out perfect balls of dough much easier and quicker than if you were to roll them by hand. They’ll bake more evenly, too—so you don’t end up with crispy cookies when you were aiming for gooey and chewy.
A melon baller: This two-headed beauty has sharp edges that make it easy to scoop fresh fruit into delicate little spheres. Supervising editor Marilyn Ong also likes it for hulling strawberries, de-stemming tomatoes, hollowing out squash, and more.
A crank that stirs peanut butter: Hand-stirring peanut butter can be a sticky, oily pain that leaves you with greasy countertops and an achey wrist. May we suggest mixing with this hand-crank threaded through the jar lid, instead?
A handy little pitter: There’s really only one use for this doodad—pitting cherries and olives—but if you anticipate making lots of pies, cobblers, or tapenades, you should have this tool in your arsenal.

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The Margaritaville Key West Frozen Concoction Maker on display next to a bottle of tequila, triple sec, and a lime within a orange colored illustrative frame.

“A gigantic Margaritaville mixer elevates all my happy hours”

This combination ice-shaver and blender makes serving frozen margaritas, mai tais, and frosés at home a breeze→

Four different knife blocks in a row with sliced fruits and vegetables next to them.

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One last thing: This 10-in-1 multi-cooker is surprisingly practical—and very beautiful

A navy blue Beautiful By Drew 10-in-1 6qt Electric Multi-Cooker sitting on a kitchen countertop.

Maki Yazawa/NYT Wirecutter

We were initially skeptical of this very handsome and celebrity-endorsed multi-cooker, especially considering its suspiciously affordable $60 price point. Yet after searing, slow cooking, braising, simmering, steaming, and beyond, kitchen staff writer Maki Yazawa found “it isn’t just pretty privilege that makes this appliance appealing.”

Great for starter kitchens→

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