While visiting my Uncle Tootsie last year, I suddenly heard loud thwacks coming from the kitchen. I found my uncle whacking the cover of a plastic contraption that pushed a potato slice through a grid. It produced small cubes for his hamburger stew.

While my uncle raved about the gadget’s good qualities — faster than using a knife, creates uniform pieces that allow for even cooking, etc. — I was dubious. I tried replicating his results, but I admit I don’t have the strength of my uncle, a man in his 70s. My Auntie Linda, backing up her husband, chimed in, saying the gadget was easy to use.

“I just step on it,” she said.

My expression must have conveyed my concerns about cleanliness because she followed up with, “I wash my feet first.” (By the way, she’s right: The device is really easy to use if stepped on. But I’m glad my auntie sticks to baking. Her desserts are delicious.)

So, while one of my uncle’s favorite tools would not have won a perfect score from me, I can appreciate other people’s particular likings. This week I would like to share two favorite gadgets of our readers.

Cooks Innovations Butter Mill
Peter Rosegg

After reading about the failings of the Norpro Butter Spreader in my March 8 column, Rosegg, a Nuuanu resident, clued me in on “one of the three greatest inventions in human history.”

This butter mill works, Rosegg said in an email. “It pushes butter out in thin, uniform swirls that are easy to spread on bread, corn or baked potatoes. … It is easy to control so you only get as much as you need.”

Rosegg said he owns the plastic version ($19-$27 online), but there is also a stainless-steel version “that’s a bit more elegant on the table.” Those run $29-$35 on various sites.

Chef’s Choice Egg Cooker Model 810
David and Carole Ann Kwiat

The Kailua-Kona residents use their egg cooker to make hard- and soft-boiled eggs. “Every single egg is cooked absolutely perfectly,” David wrote in an email. “Once the alarm goes off, we take each egg and put it into a bowl containing ice water for 30 seconds or so to stop the cooking process. The egg yolks are always perfectly yellow with none of the green discoloration.”

The couple have owned the device for “five or six years” and use it “multiple times per week.” They love it so much they bought one for their daughter and her husband, both graduates of the Culinary Institute of America.

The egg cooker costs around $40 online.

Got a gadget that you love? Curious about one you’d like us to test? Email crave@staradvertiser.com or write Crave, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, Honolulu 96813.