Small-batch spinner

Herbs have a water problem: Thyme sprigs need a bath before you season your sauce with them, but those tiny leaves are a bear to pluck from their twiggy stems when they’re dripping. Tarragon or cilantro or basil needs a rinse too, before you whirl it with olive oil and nuts into pesto, but then — well, it’s wet. And everyone knows water and oil don’t mix.

Enter the spin doctor — OXO’s new little salad and herb spinner. Expertly propelled with a toplike mechanism, the spinner even has a brake to terminate activity when delicate herbs have had enough. And as for the little salad spinner’s other intended use (implied by the name) — drying small amounts of greens — the durable gadget puts the best spin on salad for one. It’s available in cookware departments and stores or directly from OXO (800/545-4411) for about $18.