A pickle press.... eh? What? We were going to include this as part of the Japanese edit but got so excited about all the different possibilities for this piece of kit that we have kept it separate.

It is a very Japanese bit of kitchen equipment, used to make tsukemono or Japanese quick pickles. These are lightly salted, crunchy vegetables that are served at pretty much every meal. The press speeds up the process and lets you make these little beauties in a matter of hours rather than weeks. And, crucially, without dribbling pickle juice all over the inside of your fridge.

We have been experimenting and have used it to whip up some gherkin style pickles and even some gravlax. Grab one and get curing.