The right tool can make all the difference between frustration and success in the kitchen. And Pyrex, the maker of glass bakeware, prepware and storage, has come out with new tools that are so innovative you will wonder why someone hasn’t come up with these before.

The new Pyrex box grater has see-through sides with measurement lines and a slide door on the bottom, so can grate exactly what you need and release it exactly where you want — not all over the kitchen counter.

They’ve also got some new nesting measuring cups that feature staggered handles so you can see all the measures at a glance. The cool part is that they have embedded magnets that keep them all together. So it’s easy to keep the cups together for storing, but you can use and clean just the one you want. They also came out with measuring spoons that do the same thing. The new Pyrex balloon whisk pairs stainless steel wires and flexible silicone-coated wires to help keep food from sticking in between the wires. The heat-, stain- and odor-resistant flexible silicone is overmolded on the whisk to scrape clean the sides and corners of cookware and bowls.

The bottom line: As with any tools, you could buy a cheaper grater, whisk or measuring utensils. But once you use these, you’ll realize how much easier they make the job. The collection ranges in price from $6.99 to $17.99 and is available at Kohl’s and Kmart and in limited distribution at Wal-Mart, and JC Penney.

Lifestyles reporter Sylvia Anderson may be reached at sylviaanderson@npgco.com