Last week, I discovered a cool, slightly gimmicky kitchen tool that I’m pretty excited to have added to the cupboards: a pre-cut brownie pan.

When I set out to spend some time with homemade brownies, my original idea for a “tool” post was about alternatives for a brownie pan since I had none and so had used many other stand-ins. But then I busted my glass tea jug, which brought me to Big Lots for a replacement. I inevitably spent too long ogling too many spiffy things—including the “Amazing Brownie Pan.” At $7, I couldn’t resist.

It’s simple, really. It’s a rectangular pan, a little under 11 inches by 7 inches, with a nestled, removable bottom and insertable grid-like piece that separates the batter as it bakes and results in 18 perfect little brownies. I thought it was a little silly when I first saw it, but I’m pretty fond of the thing.

Brownies are a little crumbly, and they tend to stick a bit to even the best-greased pan, so by the time they make it to your plate or napkin, there’s a mess of crumbs to clean up. Mine still stuck a bit to the bottom of the pre-cut pan, but the edges came away from the grid beautiful and clean. It lifted away from the rest of the pan, leaving most of the brownies behind with just a few in the middle needing a tap or two to come free.

There’s also a nice edging effect created by having a piece of metal in between each individual brownie. Whereas it’s usually just those along the perimeter that come out with that perfect crisp-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside texture, this pan makes it so that every brownie gets a little crust.

And, as you can see from the picture, you can use a pre-cut pan to make any baked treat—cake, coffee cake, banana bread, bar cookies, cereal bars, cornbread, and so on. We used it on this week’s kiddo recipe, G-Free Chocolate Chip Cake (pictured), which eliminated bickering over the “big piece.”

I didn’t think I’d like it as much as I do. It’s a little tricky to grease, but overall a handy lil’ gadget, impressively so for an “As Seen On TV” product. They usually retail for around $20, but I’d check your local discount store before you pay full price.