Nordic households would not survive without cheese tools (as a native Swede, I should know). The iconic Norwegian tools we grew up with were designed in 1925 by Thor Bjørklund, an apprentice to a cabinetmaker. Bjørklund was inspired by the carpenter's plane, which gave him the idea to create a similar tool for slicing cheese. His original design is still in production today in Norway, and is available from Mjölk in Toronto.

Above: The classic Thor Bjørklund Cheese Tools are made from from beech and stainless steel; $15 each at Mjölk.