A slicer of the action and a tool with real peel appeal come into our test kitchen today.

Cutting up a take away pizza is normally not too hard, not once you’ve unstuck it from the lid of the box.

Back at the bossman’s pizza joint someone has usually made a half-hearted attempt at doing it for you, and so slices come away in a rough kind of fashion leaving bits behind.

But what are you gonna do to improve matters? Get it out of the box and have a go at it with the breadknife?

No, I didn’t think so. Ah, but if you had one of these Microplane Pizza Cutters you’d be in slice heaven

The principal of any pizza cutter is simple. A circular blade so you can slice in one continuous movement. But there are pizza cutters and pizza cutters and, as might be expected, Microplane’s is a cut above.

The blade is sturdy stainless steel, it doesn’t wobble or bend when used and the 3.5cm clearance means it can handle not only crusts, but also breads such as focaccia, flatbreads, tarts, quiche, pies and other baked items.

And it’s sharp, so sharp that it comes with a protective cover to keep it safe in the drawer, as well as you safe from accidents.

The Soft Touch handle is large and comfortable, letting you apply more pressure for those thicker bases as well as ones that are a bit overdone.

Best bit? The circular blade detaches completely for easy cleaning. No more germ-prone gungy bits around the wheel’s centre.

If you love pizza, this is a very sound investment. You could even say Microplane have reinvented the wheel.

The Microplane® Pizza Cutter Slicer in black, RRP £15.95, is available from hartsofstur.com and independent cookshops nationwide.

Microplane® Professional Peeler with integral potato eye remover,

My father, who had been in the navy, always peeled potatoes at home with a pocket knife.

This was because in the navy he was often on punishment duty (that’s where I get it from) and he had to peel hundreds of spuds with a knife and in one continuous peel – no breaks – and as thinly as possible to avoid waste.

I graduated to a traditional slicer, the kind with the orange string handle, but it was always a struggle to use, and then I found the T-Shaped peeler which was a revelation. So easy!

So I was a bit dubious about this new Microplane peeler. Was it not going back to the bad old days?

The first thing you notice is it that it is heavier than the peelers of yesteryear. Not a lot, but enough to be remarked on.

This in fact gives it a nicely reassuring heft and along with the Soft Touch handle makes it easier to hold without needing to seize it in a death grip that makes your wrist ache.

In action, it is surprisingly easy; there is no need to actually’dig in’ as the stainless-steel double blades naturally catch the skin and are so sharp that you glide along with the 30-degree rotation following the contours effortlessly.

The T shape peelers tend to encourage short sharp strokes which leave pieces of peel everywhere, whereas this peeler creates long strips that are easy to clean up.

The peeler itself is dishwasher safe but in fact running it under a fast tap does the job as well.

My dad would perhaps have actually abandoned his trusty knife for this peeler, and I can’t recommend it higher than that.

The Microplane® Professional Peeler, RRP £19.95, is available from hartsofstur.com and independent cookshops nationwide.