HOME RUN
It's three grinds and you're a hit with the cracked pepper. The King Pepper Baseball Bat Pepper Mill comes in two sizes (19- and 28-inch, the latter is a full-size bat). Made of beech, from Cole & Mason.
$34.99 (19-in.), $49.99 (28-in.), www.kingpepper.com.
PRESSURE TIME
Cut your cooking time (and energy usage) by more than 60 percent with a pressure cooker, such as this Duromatic Pressure Cooker from Kuhn Rikon.
From $134.95 to $319, Sur la Table, 3901 W. 50th St., Edina, 952-656-0045, www.surlatable.com.
STYLISH SPICE
Give the table a bit of North Shore flavor with porcelain personal-size salt-and-pepper shakers. Serve them on a mocha melamine saucer for extra style. Both from Alessi, the Columbina collection.
$11 (saucer), $32 (shaker set), Roam, 813 Glenwood Av., Minneapolis, 612-377-6465.
