These Are the Summer Kitchen Gadgets Chefs Can't Live Without

"My must-have gadget is my microplane. Great for zesting citrus and turning hard cheese into feathery ribbons."—Matt Hyland, chef at Brooklyn pizzeria Emily

$14; amazon.com

"My favorite gadget is a smoker. Nothing like a little smoked meat in the summer!"—Yvan Lemoine, executive chef at New York's Union Fare

$299; amazon.com

"I like to go old school—primitive style before there was school—with a mortar and pestle. It is amazingly versatile. From salsa verde to pesto or marinades, the flavors you develop with it cannot be replicated with any food processor."—Antonio Mora, chef at Quality Meats in New York

$20; target.com

"I've been taking advantage of the longer days (and great weather) and getting up early to eat breakfast on my back porch, so an egg topper has become an indispensable tool to enjoy soft boiled eggs. This device makes a clean cut, and professionally, I've been baking flan in cut, cleaned shells for events, which makes a beautiful presentation."—Bruce Kalman, chef at Union and Knead & Co. Pasta Bar + Market

$24; williams-sonoma.com

"My must-have summer gadget would definitely be a great oyster shucker, because there’s nothing better than super-cold oysters on a nice summer evening with a glass of rosé! I have a great one by Thérias et l’Econome."—Greg Bernhardt, chef at Paley in Los Angeles

$30; epicedge.com

"I love the Joule sous-vide stick. You can set it in a pot and sous-vide outside while grilling. Their iPhone app is great because it takes the guess work out."—Dimitri Moshovitis, chef at Cava Mezze in Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, and Cava Grill in D.C., Los Angeles, Maryland, and New York

$229; chefsteps.com

"The summer tool I turn to is a fireplace bellow for the charcoal grill."—Marc Meyer, chef at Cookshop, Hundred Acres, Vic’s, and Rosie’s, all in New York

$15; acehardware.com