There are lots of kitchen gadgets that really make a difference and others that seem like a good idea when you buy them, but are more work to use or clean than, say, reaching for a knife.

The right tools can make the difference between a passable meal and one that's truly memorable. In this age of extreme specialization, where your average cooking store carries four versions of every tool and thousands more are available on the Internet, it's not easy to choose the right tool for the right job.

Don't let their name make you think they're one-trick ponies. Rice cookers make just about anything that absorbs hot water during cooking, but do especially well with grains and certain pastas, like couscous. Made from durum wheat, couscous comes in four main varieties: instant, Moroccan, Israeli and Lebanese.