Charcoal Starters: Propane Torch, AKA The Weed Burner
here are ordinary charcoal starters and then there’s the crowd pleasing Red Dragon flame thrower. Connect it to a propane tank, hit the spark, and whoosh! Within a few minutes a whole bag of charcoal is glowing and that makes it popular on the competition circuit. Plus it is great at burning weeds in your driveway!
Charcoal Starters: The Electric Starter
The electric charcoal starter features an electric coil similar to the coils on a hotplate. Pour a pile of charcoal in your grill and jam the coil into it and plug it in. As the coals ignite, remove the coil, and mix the unlit and lit coals together with a fireplace shovel. We do, however, prefer a charcoal chimney.
Charcoal Starters: The Looftlighter Review
A cross between a hair dryer and a flamethrower, the Looftlighter is electric and requires an outlet. Just make a pile of coals (try to count them first or use a giant coffee can to measure a fixed amount), place the tip of the Looftlighter against the coals, and within 20 seconds you’ll see sparks flying.
Ooni 3 With Gas Burner Review
You’ll love making pizza outdoors in the Ooni portable pizza oven. The standard model is wood fired with pellets, but we prefer the optional gas fired system and award it our Gold Medal. With the gas burner, pizza doughs and toppings cook perfectly with slightly charred bubbles and leopard spotting on the crust.
Maverick LT-04 Infrared Laser Thermometer Review
Read our review of the Maverick LT-04 infrared thermometer which received a Silver Medal for its performance.
ThermoWorks IR-IND Industrial Infrared With Leave-In Option Review
The ThermoWorks IR-IND Infrared Thermometer is the company’s high-end unit in this category. It features a precise 30:1 measurement angle and will accept normal thermocouple temperature probes as well, so it can double as a conventional probe thermometer. It got our top rating for quality and performance.
ThermoWorks ProNeedle Instant Read Thermometer Review
Read our complete review of the ThermoWorks ProNeedle digital instant read thermometer that performs very well, earning another Gold Medal.
Professional Kitchen Sharpening System. It Isn’t Worth The Trouble
This was our least favorite sharpening system of the lot. It comes with no instructions whatsoever, and we had to search online for an assembly manual. It works but isn’t really worth the effort. Find out why in our review.
Bavarian Edge Kitchen Knife Sharpener Isn’t As Great As The TV Ads Claim
Heavily advertised on TV, this device has two independent spring-action arms made of tungsten carbide, which move and adjust as you push and pull your knife through the sharpener.
V-Sharp Classic II (a.k.a. Warthog Sharpener) Looks Complicated But Isn’t
With several moving parts, this knife sharpener looks a bit like Rube Goldberg device and functions reasonably well. Check out our review for all the details.
PriorityChef Knife Sharpener Is No Frills And Functional
With only two slots, this sharpener is very compact, which makes it easy to handle and use, regardless of whether you have large or small hands.
Dianova Cook Double Sided Diamond Sharpener, A Handheld Model That Does The Job
The hand-held Dianova Cook Double Sided Diamond Sharpener and its diamond grit surfaces did a very good job sharpening straight edge steel knives. It also sharpens scissors and other blades. The device measures 10” long, has a handle constructed of strong composite material, and is lightweight and easy to use.
Chef’s Choice 120 Diamond Hone Pro EdgeSelect Electric Knife Sharpener Review
This unit features three-stage precision sharpening for chef’s knives, butcher knives, sporting knives, and serrated knives. Its solid construction makes this a durable sharpener that can even handle commercial use.
AG Russell Ceramic Knife Sharpening Rods Can Be Used Frequently
This V-sharpener uses ceramic rods set at 15° per side, creating a combined 30° angle on the blade edge. It’s a simple, inexpensive sharpener for frequent use.
Corkscrews: The Foil Cutter (AKA Foil Mohel)
Perfectly remove the foil from wine bottles with a foil cutter. Screwpull makes one of these handy tool to cut the foil off the bottle so you can clean the top nice and neat.