Gift Guide: Swoonable Spoon

You don't know you need a perfect perforated spoon  - until you have one. Then you can't live without it. Honest.

Most examples of the form are simply spoons with a few random holes punched here and there.  This one is different.  For starters, its deep - the size of a cupped hand. Then there are the holes, which are designed to help you perfect the poached egg.  (Watch the video... and you'll understand the science.)

Michael Ruhlman (among other things he wrote the best book on braising) has dedicated his life to explaining the science of cooking.  Consider, for instance, his book Ratio.

Here he asks us to insist on perfectly poached eggs every single time. How? The spoon's designed to strain out the bits of white that won't congeal before the egg hits the water.  This way your poached egg stays completely compact, with no annoying flyaway strands. It truly works.

If there's a better present under $20, I have yet to find it.