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With its white tiles, vintage detailing and tenement-green bagel case, Zucker’s Bagels and Smoked Fish, which just opened in TriBeCa, has a properly dated look to suggest it has been around almost as long as such New York icons as Russ & Daughters (since 1914) and Barney Greengrass (since 1908). The architect, Glen Coben, has even hung a weathered carved sturgeon on the sign outside.

The menu of smoked fish, salads and delicatessen meats sold here does not stray from the tried and true, and is much the same as at Murray’s Bagels in Chelsea, which like Zucker’s is owned by Matt Pomerantz. But here he offers smoked wild Pacific Coho salmon in addition to sockeye and king, and serves a few more egg dishes for brunch. There is a counter for a quick bite and several simple wood tables in the dining area.Zucker is the maiden name of Mr. Pomerantz’s mother, and Murray is his father’s given name: 146 Chambers Street (West Broadway), (212) 608-5844.Shortcuts to a Rich Tradition: Two Pumpkin Pie Tricks

Pumpkins used for jack-o’-lanterns are not the type best suited for pie; they are too watery and stringy. Many pie bakers, especially those who do not shop at farmer’s markets, opt for the convenience of canned pumpkin. An alternative has just been introduced in a line of food products made by Heritage Family Specialty Foods, a Texas maker of private label foods. A hefty jar holds a rich, deep orange mixture of pumpkin, spices and sweeteners. The addition of three eggs and a cup of milk is all it takes to produce a pie filling that is mellow, fragrant and deliciously custardy, with an almost honey color. I was not too happy about the preservatives among the ingredients, which are at odds with the notions of heritage and home baking, but the result trumped this concern. One way to decorate the often blank surface of your pumpkin pie is to arrange some Moravian pumpkin spice cookies on the top. The thin, crisp, gingery-tasting cookies, from Salem Baking in Winston-Salem, N.C., each shaped like a pumpkin, would also be perfect alongside mugs of hot cider.Helpful New Utensils With Vintage Style

As cluttered as my gadget drawer may be, I could not resist a couple of items in a new line of utensils from Sur La Table called ”Things Cooks Love.”

Highest on the list is the granny turning fork, with its polished, elegant-feeling wooden handle. The three-prong fork, designed after one that was used in Civil War mess kits and made by a company that has been in business for 170 years, is 10 inches long, enough to reach into the roasting pan and move around the onions as they sizzle in the drippings, to turn the potatoes in their baking dish, to spear some soup ingredients out of the pot. It’s narrow enough to extract pickles from a tall jar.

The slightly curved head of the undersize 9 1/4 inch masher, called a petite masher, also has a smooth wooden handle. It does a better job than a fork on fruits or vegetables in a small saucepan or bowl, can help mash ingredients through a sieve, is good for softening cold butter and can even be used as a pastry blender. It is made by artisans in Massachusetts.

Källa New York Times