I’m obsessed with finding oddities for the kitchen. Some of them are for the looking, not for the buying, especially when they’re laughable—like a Bagel Guillotine I once found in Sur La Table.

But sometimes, by choice or by luck, I find myself in possession of cooky gadgets that are both useful and cute. Here are some that have recently found their way to my little culinary corner, guided there by the kitchen gods.

Kitchen Curiosity #1: The Butterfly Whisk

This fancy little piece of culinary toolery claims to give you “more power for less effort” in whipping eggs, cream and sauces. I’ve tested it with an Alfredo sauce, and I loved the silicone coating because I wasn’t scared that my pan would get the brunt of all my whisking. And the “wings” are pliable, so I could really reach into pan corners where an ordinary whisk wouldn’t have. Those designers at Kuhn Rikon Switzerland are genuises!

* Thank you, W. and A., for my sexy new whisk. Those Scalloped Potatoes that we ate for three days were so good because the sauce was whisked into creamy submission with this!

Kitchen Curiosity # 2:  Mysterious Black-Bunned Lady On My Table!

…who’s actually pretty Nonna, my new cheese-and-nut-grater friend from the Pylones store in Grand Central Station in NY. Pylones was this wonderful doodad store that really was just an excuse to overstimulate your senses with cuteness. Everything there—from hairbrushes to toothbrushes—have characters on them, just like my Nonna. To explore the world of Plylones, there’s an entire Flickr pool of fans HERE, or you can read THIS FEATURE about the whimsical French design company on Apartment Therapy.

Nonna was too cute to pass up. Plus she’s wearing one of my favorite color combinations—black and pink! What I like about her is the fact that she’s a standing grater, and would be useful for nutmeg or lemon zest. Though I have a sinking suspicion it will take months before I can bear to actually use her!

* Thank you to the most intrepid New Yorkers, Cee-cee and Mamita, for leading me to the wonders of Pylones. I still remember our afternoon of gorgeous stinky rats on Bleecker and the delights of a true Jamaican patty in Grand Central!

Kitchen Curiosity #3: Fingerless Kevlar Baking Sleeves

Did you just say “What?” Because I certainly did when I got these. They’re heat-resistant sleeves that go up your arm. I didn’t know there were such things! They’re made for clumsy cooks (me) who trip on air in the kitchen, or are so engrossed in looking at a pie baking in the oven that they end up doing this to themselves:

I love the fact that they’re fingerless because I can wear them even as I prep and am able to handle spatulas, wooden spoons, etc. I just wear the oven mitts over them when I’m ready to slide a pan into the hot oven, and take the mitts off so I can work on frosting and test the cake for done-ness with a toothpick when the time comes. I haven’t had a burn on my arms since I started wearing these, EXCEPT on the the two times I forgot to wear them when I promptly heard the sizzle of skin on hot metal. Oy. I’m going to have to start taking these with me in my purse, because I sometimes end up cooking in friend’s houses!

These are the only pair in black and pink. They were custom-dyed by someone very thoughtful, because they apparently come in  factory/industrial beige, and that JUST wouldn’t go well with my skin tone. Haha! I kinda feel like Madonna when I’m wearing them!

* Thank you, E., for watching out for my arms. Maybe I should’ve worn them during that mortal-wounding lightsaber battle with my brother the other day!

Have a curiously culinary weekend, all.