Norpro White French Bean Slicer
This little tool--5-1/4 inches long--makes preparing string beans a snap. At the top of the hard-plastic slicer is a razor-sharp, stainless-steel cross blade; use it to remove a bean's top and tail. Then feed the bean into the slicer's funnel, which is spring-loaded to hold the bean firmly, with the bean's string to the outside. Push the bean firmly against the four sharp, stainless-steel blades until the bean slices emerge underneath. Finally, grasp the slices and pull the bean through. Voilà! The string is removed and the beans are cut, French style, into neat slices.--Fred Brack