This gadget, shaped like an oversized garlic press, claims to streamline the chore of preparing chestnuts for roasting by cutting their tough shells to make a steam vent. We took 2 pounds of chestnuts into the test kitchen and pitted the device against the traditional method of scoring the nuts with a paring knife. Ten nuts in, one test cook cut herself with the knife, but even colleagues who emerged unscathed had to admit that driving a sharp knife into a round, slippery nut made them a little nervous. The Chestnutter worked as advertised, punching consistent X-shaped cuts regardless of a chestnut's shape or size. While the device does require a strong squeeze, it left our fingers unharmed and shaved three minutes off a seven-minute task.