Kevin Kelly - Cool Tools in the Kitchen: Things We Recommend

So youve decided to make pizza at home. But you quickly discover theres no substitute for a crust baked on brick or stone. No problem: You get a pizza stone! But then you find out that sliding a 12 pizza from a peel onto a 14 stone or wooden board is possible, but just not so easy. After multiple messes, overshoots and fold-overs, you retire the stone. :(

Now, suppose you had a peel with a built-in conveyor belt? The Super Peel is, as difficult as it is to picture, exactly that: A baking peel with a conveyor belt that lifts the delicate, sticky dough from a surface and transfers it onto a board for easy transport. This tool definitely prevents needless baking and pizza disasters.

Place the corner of the pizza onto the peel. Then, slowly retract the peel while pushing the board forward andvoil!the sticky dough simply slides on. To put it back on any surface or stone, simply lower the board until it touches and reverse the process.

Dont get it? I didnt either at first, but this short clip is worth thousands of words.

The Polder timer/thermometer features a 43-inch cord running from the thermometer to the probe, which allows you to take active readings without opening the oven. I really like being able to adjust the cook time or reset the finish temperature on the fly. Plus, theres a magnet on the back, so you can attach the thermometer to the side of the oven.

The Polder also allows you to preset a desired high/low temperature simultaneously. When either temperature is reached, the units beeping alarm sounds. Its helpful for remembering to check on liquids and meats. My 8-year-old son has even used ours to check the temperature outside: You can insert the metal probe underneath your window, and its quite accurate.

The timer, which counts up or down, is very handy for a range of other household uses, such as, You have three minutes to pick up your room before I come in with a trash bag thats headed for Goodwill! Best of all, the thermometer is amazingly durable. Weve had ours for at least four years and have dropped it many times.

Lastly, it can be set to display in Celsius or Fahrenheit, which proved to be a huge help when we spent some time living in Ireland. I had my American recipe books and was able to use the Polder thermometer to convert temperatures for a Celsius-based oven.

We avoid clutter in our kitchen, so all towels, pot holders and oven mitts live in a drawer next to the stove. Accessible, but nowhere near as handy as this apron that literally puts two padded mitts at your side, right where you need em, whenever you need em. So simple, so elegant. The slits lessen your below-the-belt coverage, of course, but the convenience is a worthy trade.