Think big, store small

Cooks with limited drawer space have fewer reasons to fret. Thanks largely to the expanding use of silicone in kitchen-tool technology, things that normally have tall profiles can flatten for storage.

Take measuring cups, for example. Even nesting ones require more space than the biggest one in the set. Chef'n makes a set of four, from 1/4 cup to 1 cup, that collapse from almost 2 inches tall to a mere 1/2 inch. Even bulkier are strainers and colanders, given their requisite bowl shape. Dexas makes a silicone strainer that collapses from 3 1/4 to 1 inch tall, and Normann Copenhagen makes another that gets just as short but starts off at more than 5 inches. Normann also makes a silicone funnel that does a similar shrinking act.

And then there are whisks, which can get tangled whether on their sides in a drawer or standing up in a countertop jar. Kuhn Rikon's Easy-Store Whisk, though, flattens for storage and then springs into full shape when egg-beating action is required.

They all work about as well as their regular counterparts. Some open and close more easily than others, and the strainers are more accurately considered colanders, since their holes are too big to really filter. But given the disappearing act they can perform, the space-challenged cook might be tempted to forgive them that. -- JOE YONAN

Chef'n Sleekstor Measuring Cups
$20, www.surlatable.com, 800-243-0852
Pros: Easily pop open and closed, yet sturdy enough for scooping up grains and flour.
Cons: None apparent.

Dexas Silicone Strainer
$15, www.surlatable.com, 800-243-0852
Pros: Can open with a flick of the wrist and close just as easily; quite strong.
Cons: More of a colander than a strainer, as it can drain but not really filter.

Normann Copenhagen Strainer
$58, www.tivolihome.com, 212-505-2067
Pros: Beautiful and very sturdy.
Cons: A bit stiff to open and close, slow to drain (doesn't filter), on the expensive side.

Normann Copenhagen Funnel
$25, www.plasticashop.com, 323-655-1051
Pros: Like the strainer, looks good and holds up well.
Cons: Somewhat harder to clean, with all those crevices, than a regular funnel.

Kuhn Rikon Easy-Store Whisk
$13, www.cooking.com, 800-663-8810
Pros: Slide mechanism makes it easy to expand and collapse.
Cons: None apparent.