Wine with dinner? Take a look at your corkscrew. However it's designed, regardless of frills such as cutting blades or levers, the key is simple.

A genuine coil -- look down the length of the screw and what you see is open space -- will grip the cork firmly and make removal easy.

If your screw is basically a spike with a metal band wrapped around it, like a giant wood screw, get rid of it. It has a tendency to simply punch a hole in the cork and leave you thirsty.

Do you have a question about an ingredient or cooking technique? We'll find the answer for Tip of the Day. Call 905-526-3450 or e-mail gofood@thespec.com.