Now that garden-fresh tomato season is here, my favorite kitchen tool is on its way out—from the drawer to the counter. It’s a tomato knife, and while I certainly could cook without it, I don’t want to.

I justified my splurge on the knife a few yeas ago when I realized how often it would be used in the summer. Once the tomatoes start ripening in my garden, the knife is used every day. It’s superior to a paring knife because of its serrated edge. It slices effortlessly through tomatoes, large or small, soft or firm. And while a larger serrated bread knife could also do the job, the tomato knife’s smaller size and thinner blade give it an edge. The forked tip is useful for serving slices.

Several knife manufacturers offer a tomato knife (with blades 4 to 5 inches long), including Wüsthof-Trident (shown), Zwilling J.A. Henckels, LamsonSharp, Messermeister and Forschner.