The taste of fresh mozzarella

If you're cooking an Italian recipe, the odds are pretty good that it will call for fresh mozzarella. It's tempting to use pregrated mozzarella or another less-than-fresh alternative--it can take extra work to slice up fresh mozzarella--but you'll be missing out on an amazing flavor. Mario Batali has the Mozzarella Slicer, which will make the process simple enough that you won't have an excuse to not use fresh mozzarella in every recipe. The slicer uses stainless steel wires to slice the soft cheese into perfectly round slices that you can add to pizza, salads and anything else. It doesn't compact the delicate cheese while separating it.

The Mario Batali Mozzarella Slicer is designed with fresh cheese in mind. It has a curved center that will hold your cheese in place while you slice, which is definitely an improvement on trying to grip slippery mozzarella while you are handling a sharp knife. The design of the slicer adds even more stability: it has non-skid feet to keep the slicer steady. Best of all, the whole unit is dishwasher-safe; you don't even need to take any of it apart to get it clean. It's priced at approximately $29.