A weekly feature of our local newspaper has a "real deal" section where products are given comparable ratings and on this past week-end's offering the feature was kitchen gadgets designed to shear corn kernels off the cob.  Four designs were put to the test of discerning whether or how well they worked, from a Kuhn Rikon corn zipper, a Zyliss corn stripper, J.B. Lee's corn cutter & creamer, to a Progressive corn stripper. 

All but one came out a winner; the Kuhn Rikon corn zipper won the contest with its super-sharp blade effortlessly lopping off the kernels

I do, often enough, strip fresh corn kernels off their cobs, when I'm preparing something that requires them.  As, for example, yesterday when I filled fresh tortilla shells with stripped corn kernels over a base of tomato paste, topping them with chopped green onions, chopped red bell pepper, strips of fresh sliced tomatoes, then liberally sprinkled with basil over which went generous portions of aged shredded cheddar cheese. 

Folded over and baked in the oven it makes a delicious, nutritious meal.

Coincidentally, because I still have plenty of fresh corn cobs and because it's a cold, blustery day I'm planning on making a chicken-corn soup with chopped tomatoes, strips of chicken,  and corn kernels, red pepper, onion, cumin, oregano, chili, to warm the cockles of our being at dinnertime. 

As for the kitchen gadget of my preference, I will be using, as I always do, a nice sharp paring knife, although any good quality, sharp knife will do - to remove those corn kernels from their cobs.

There are times when specialized kitchen gadgets are useful, other times when they unneeded, since there already exist plentiful alternates for the job at hand.