When I was in high school, my social club worked in the corn-on-the-cob booth at the Hawaii State Farm Fair. We had to dip the corn in a vat of melted butter and then wrap it in foil. Every kernel was buttery and delicious (sweet, too, because of the sugar added to the corn cooking water).

At home I use a butter knife to slather on the tasty fat, which usually leaves butter dripping off the knife as only a small section of the metal surface touches the corn.

Enter Norpro’s Butter Spreader with its curved bottom. A great idea! And the packaging said it could be used on pancakes, toast and for greasing baking pans, too.

How it works: Drop a stick of butter into the holder, place the plunger on top and press down until the butter reaches the bottom of the dispenser. When done, cover and store.

Does it work?: Somewhat. While I had an easier time buttering corn, it wasn’t always because of the curve. Several cobs didn’t fit the curve. What made it easier was being able to rub the stick of butter along the cob. This also worked with the baking sheet but was horrible for pancakes and toast. I ended up with holes in my toast and crumbs stuck to the butter. Also, the food had to be piping hot if the butter came straight out of the fridge.

Pros: Minimal butter wasted while buttering hot cobs; the device comes with a cover so the container stores neatly in the refrigerator; easy to wash, although, like any other greasy item, it takes hot water and a good soap to remove the oiliness.

Cons: The container is a smidge too short for my liking (I buttered two pieces of corn, and the plunger still stuck out on the end); when the container, filled with butter, comes straight from the fridge, the plunger is hard to push; as the butter is used and the plunger slides inward, remnants of butter stick to the sides of the container, making it messy and my fingers greasy; and after buttering my toast I found corn silk on my bread, left over from a testing a week earlier. Yuck.

Cost and availability: I bought this one for $2.39 on amazon.com. It is now $1.28 on the same site.

Worth it?: If used just for cobs and baking pans, maybe. But remember, the corn needs to be hot, and the exposed layer of butter needs to be removed after each use so bits of old food aren’t spread across new items.

Got a gadget that you love, or are you curious about one you’d like us to test? Email crave@staradvertiser.com or write Crave, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-210, Honolulu 96813.