Corn off the cob

Corn off the cobOxo’s new corn-cutting tool gives the lie to Gypsy Rose Lee’s axiom that “ya gotta have a gimmick” to make it as a stripper. There’s no gimmick here, just a strange and wonderful design. The tool looks like a computer mouse but instead of a light or a wheel underneath, there are teeth that strip the kernels right off when you slide it down the cob. The kernels don’t fly around; they’re caught by the little half-cup capsule (enough for about one medium cob), which comes apart for easy cleaning. No sharp knives, no muss, and the measuring’s done as you go. But the corn stripper doesn’t get the kernels at the very top and bottom of the cob, so there’s a row left at the extremities. Think of it as a touch of coy.

Oxo Good Grips Corn Stripper, $12 at Bed, Bath & Beyond, Sur La Table and Williams-Sonoma stores.

-- Christina Yoo and Susan LaTempa