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Eliza Leone, a dietitian, teaches culinary medicine to a mix of medical, dental and dietetics students from Tufts University.
Chef Joe Randall, executive chef and owner of his self-titled cooking school, in 2016. “He made it clear that Black foodways are foundational to American cuisine, not a footnote to it,” the chef Marcus Samuelsson said.
Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.
New Year’s resolutions are all about improving ourselves, right? The same goes for your best buddy—your dog.
While your dog can’t physically tell you what they need to feel their best, there are simple things you can do to help set them up for success. Right now, you can save 50% off your first box of human-grade The Farmer’s Dog pet food, so that’s a great start. Check out these pup-centric resolutions and help keep their tail wagging into 2026—and for years to come.
Say goodbye to kibble this year by getting a subscription to The Farmer’s Dog. A new study from the company shows that fresh food can support healthier aging in dogs—and who doesn’t want more good years with their pup?
The Farmer’s Dog makes fresh dog food that’s formulated by on-staff board-certified veterinary nutritionists. Each batch is made from gently cooked meats and vegetables, has no added fillers or preservatives, and is quickly frozen to lock in nutrients. It’s then shipped to your door while it’s still fresh.
Sign up and The Farmer’s Dog will create a personalized plan with portions that meet your pup’s unique nutritional and caloric needs. Considering nearly 60% of dogs are overweight, these portions can support a healthy lifestyle.
Over 80% of dogs will get some form of dental disease in their lifetime. To tackle that stinky dog breath and protect their chompers, you’ll need a toothbrush designed for dogs and doggie toothpaste that has your vet’s approval. (Never use human toothpaste on your pup, as it can be toxic for dogs.) Start by putting doggie toothpaste on your finger and letting your pup lick it off to get them used to having your finger in their mouth. Eventually, replace your finger with the toothbrush.
While daily walks with your dog are key for physical fitness (for both you and your pup), training your dog is a fantastic way to provide them with intellectual stimulation. Teach your dog to sit or some ‘Gram-worthy tricks like playing Bach on the piano, as long as you give them positive affirmation, your pet will feel like the good dog they are.
When you’re making resolutions this year, don’t forget about your pup. Subscribe to The Farmer’s Dog today and save 50% off your first box of human-grade pet food—and keep the wag-worthy vibes going all year.
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A notice sent to several congressional committees added detail to the thinly articulated legal rationale behind three U.S. military strikes President Trump ordered on boats in the Caribbean Sea last month.
President Trump speaking about autism in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Monday.
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Prime Day 2025 ends tonight, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it's over.
Follow our live blog to stay up to date on the best sales we find.
Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.
Subscribe to our shopping newsletter, Add to Cart, for the best sales sent to your inbox.
New to Prime Day? We have a primer on everything you need to know. Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
Any working kitchen scale is better than no kitchen scale. This will always be true. However, if you’re disenchanted with the small weighing platform of the Escali, or you’re annoyed because your cheap off-brand scale ERRs-out when you put five pounds of cookie dough in it, my friend in food, it’s time to treat yourself to a better scale. Get the OXO Good Grips 11-pound capacity scale while it's on sale. From a professional recipe developing standpoint: I use it every single day, and it holds up.
I was using a small, round platform scale for years. It was about $20 and honestly, it was fine for a while. Then I started scaling-up recipes, I started recipe developing, and I needed to put bigger bowls on the wee scale. That’s when I started noticing that the readings would shift and be inaccurate if the ingredients in the bowl weren’t centered—and it was worse if the bowl or pan was overhanging the platform and display. (And then I couldn’t read the display.)
I replaced it with the OXO Good Grips 11-pound scale and it was like a weight off my shoulders (that I could now accurately measure). This kitchen scale has a large, square weighing platform that doesn’t get thrown off by large bowls, the display is backlit for overhanging bowls, and it actually pulls out away from the scale if you’re weighing a particularly large container. Even with the wide platform, the scale is rather slim, so I can store it easily in my silverware drawer without any issues.
The best part is that this scale is 23% off right now, making it $43.06, which is a great price considering all of the perks, especially when you consider that those dinky round scales have increased in price over the years. It’s hard to find a reliable one for less than $30, so invest in one that’ll keep up with your cooking for years to come.
Looking for something else? Retailers like Walmart, Best Buy, and Home Depot have Prime Day competition sales that are especially useful if you don’t have Amazon Prime.
Walmart’s Prime Day competition sale begins at midnight on July 8 and will include deals up to 50% off. It’s an especially good option if you have Walmart+.
Best Buy’s Prime Day competition sale, “Black Friday in July,” runs through Sunday, July 13 and has some of the best tech sales online. It’s an especially good option if you’re a My Best Buy “Plus” or “Total” member.
We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.
Prime Day 2025 ends tonight, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it's over.
Follow our live blog to stay up to date on the best sales we find.
Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.
Subscribe to our shopping newsletter, Add to Cart, for the best sales sent to your inbox.
New to Prime Day? We have a primer on everything you need to know. Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
In the remaining hours of Amazon Prime Day, you may have to start prioritizing which sales are worth your hard-earned cash. If you’re still rounding out your kitchen appliance arsenal, I recommend you consider the air fryer as one of your final purchases. There are some great models out there that are reliable enough to be worth their regular retail price, and while they're on sale, they're even harder to pass up. Here are some of the best air fryers to snag while they’re still discounted.
Air fryers are one of the most helpful cooking appliances these days due to their speed and excellent crisping capabilities. Even the very cheapest air fryer will still be pretty darn good at what it’s made for (though, who knows how long the cheapest model would last). These air fryers have either made it to my list of best sales already, or they’re models that would be excellent for a particular type of chef or batch-size.
The Instant Vortex 6-quart was my first air fryer and it’ll always have a place in my heart, and on my counter. I think this model is perfect for daily cooking. I use it almost every day to do simple cooking quickly, and often with no oil at all. My Vortex rotation includes roasting sweet potatoes, peppers, and an entire pork loin. It's on sale for $84.99. You can read all the details about the Instant Vortex in my review.
I don’t think air fryers are generally expected to be portable, but the Ninja Crispi tosses that expectation out the window. This air fryer is designed with a detachable convection lid and comes with two differently sized glass cooking containers. The containers can also function as serving dishes and storage containers with the included lids. If you’re not sure a portable air fryer is for you, then maybe my review can help. You can still snag the Crispi for $159.95.
One of my biggest issues with air fryers is the noise. The convection fan can really cause a racket. The Cuisinart Air Fryer and Toaster Oven, however, is a gift for the folks who go to the quiet car on trains. I love it for the even cooking and unobtrusive hum, but fans of analog technology will appreciate the spring loaded timer dial and the other twisting knobs. I tested this one too, and reviewed it here. You can buy this near-silent appliance on sale for $153.95.
Although I haven’t tried this model myself, I’ve heard its large capacity and 13 cooking functions make it a tool that’s hard to live without. Breville is a premium brand and this model normally retails at $399.95. Right now, the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro is on sale for $319.95. If you’ve been eyeing this one, now is a good time to take the plunge.
This fashionable air fryer is taking a cue from combi ovens and incorporating a steam injection feature. A bit of steam (as long as it isn’t immediately ejected out of the vents) can help keep roasts moist and prevent other items from drying out too much. If steam is a big factor for you, then maybe you’d rather get a proper combi oven. Consider this one while it’s still on sale. The Our Place Wonder Oven is on sale for $140, 20% off the retail price of $175.
Air fryers only heat from one heating element, and usually it’s situated on the top or on one side of the appliance. While this works just fine most of the time, it can cause un-crisped bottoms or require you to flip the food. This Instant Pot Air Fryer with a rotisserie feature, however, takes care of all that business for you. It’s 41% off for $94.95 right now.
For folks that often cook large batches or like to prepare multiple racks of food at once, a regular basket-style air fryer might not cut it. Emeril Lagasse's Double Door oven-style air fryer allows you to cook multiple things at once (broccoli on one tray, and chicken fingers on another, for example). The double doors make it easy to reach inside and the windows allow you to keep an eye on progress. It’s on sale for $149.99 right now, more than $50 off.
Another big helper for big families or folks that like to make their entire meal in one go, the Ninja DoubleStack XL has two completely separate baskets that heat and function independently of each other. It’s easy to operate, and during my tests I was able to cook four different food items at once. (Read here for my full review.) Right now you can get it for $209.99.
Looking for something else? Retailers like Walmart, Best Buy, and Home Depot have Prime Day competition sales that are especially useful if you don’t have Amazon Prime.
Walmart’s Prime Day competition sale runs through Sunday, July 13 and includes deals up to 50% off. It’s an especially good option if you have Walmart+.
Best Buy’s Prime Day competition sale, “Black Friday in July,” runs through Sunday, July 13 and has some of the best tech sales online. It’s an especially good option if you’re a My Best Buy “Plus” or “Total” member.
We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.
Prime Day 2025 ends tonight, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it's over.
Follow our live blog to stay up to date on the best sales we find.
Browse our editors’ picks for a curated list of our favorite sales on laptops, fitness tech, appliances, and more.
Subscribe to our shopping newsletter, Add to Cart, for the best sales sent to your inbox.
New to Prime Day? We have a primer on everything you need to know. Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.
Part of the allure of having a KitchenAid stand mixer is the potential for attachment. You buy the stand mixer (like this one on sale from Walmart) with big dreams of mixing cookies and cakes, then pivoting to grinding sausage and rolling your own fresh homemade pasta. But those heavy-duty attachments often cost over $100 each. Normally, that’s pretty unaffordable, but in these waning hours of Amazon Prime Day you can snatch up the most popular KitchenAid attachments all for roughly 30% off.
The very front of the KitchenAid stand mixer head has a little silver flap on it. This is where every single attachment clicks in to be operated by the powerful motor within. Here are some helpful attachments that are on sale right now.
The pasta roller. Hand-cranked pasta rollers are quaint, but you basically need three hands to operate one if you’re rolling out long sheets of pasta. Attach this pasta roller and let the machine run so it can take care of the rolling and you can just focus on supporting the dough. It’s on sale for $89.99 (down from $129.99).
The food grinder. Make your own burgers, sausages, and ground turkey with this attachment. The set comes with three differently sized grinding dials, cleaning equipment, and its own storage case. This KitchenAid food grinder is on sale for $89.95 (down from $119.99).
The slicer and shredder. Your stand mixer can essentially do the work of a food processor with this slicer and shredder attachment. Select the cutter you want and quickly shred cheddar, slice radishes, and carrots. This bundle is on sale for $49.96 right now.
The shaved ice attachment. Perfect timing for summer, you can use your KitchenAid stand mixer to make a big fluffy pile of shaved ice. This shaved ice kit even comes with some freezer-friendly containers to store all of your creations. It’s on sale for $79.99 right now (down from $119.99).
The ice cream maker attachment. This attachment actually replaces the bowl, so you can leave the normal attachment port alone this time. Like other freezer bowl ice cream makers, The KitchenAid ice cream maker bowl goes into the freezer in advance, then hooks up to the machine so you can add your ice cream base and get churning. It's on sale for $79.95 (the regular retail price is $119.99).
The spiralizer. Spiralizing vegetables is still cool. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Buy this attachment, click it in, and add the blade size you want (it comes with four). Then press in your fruit or veggie and let it rip. The KitchenAid spiralizer is on sale for $89.95, reduced from $129.99.
By the way, all KitchenAid models are compatible with the attachment accessories, so you don’t have to wonder if these work with your tilt-head. As long as they’re genuine KitchenAid accessories (not from other brands) they’ll work with whichever model you have.
Looking for something else? Retailers like Walmart, Best Buy, and Home Depot have Prime Day competition sales that are especially useful if you don’t have Amazon Prime.
Walmart’s Prime Day competition sale runs through Sunday, July 13 and includes deals up to 50% off. It’s an especially good option if you have Walmart+.
Best Buy’s Prime Day competition sale, “Black Friday in July,” runs through Sunday, July 13 and has some of the best tech sales online. It’s an especially good option if you’re a My Best Buy “Plus” or “Total” member.
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The days are long and the weather gives you a sense of what the inside of an air fryer must feel like. While June is full of hope, July is just sweaty—and we’re closing in. The good news is that plants love the long sunny hours and gnarly humidity. Summer’s produce will directly benefit as it ripens during this time—and so will you. This monthly article can help you decide which fruits and veggies to buy before they skyrocket in price, or completely disappear for another 10 months.
Local produce is naturally going to be in season. Not only does buying local produce support regional farms situated somewhere closer to where you live but you’re likely to benefit from a cheaper price tag. When all of the sweet corn gets harvested, and all of those New Jersey blueberries get picked, they won’t last forever. Not just at the farmer’s market either; big box stores like ShopRite will also have a glut of zucchini that they’ll mark down significantly.
You’ll probably see a greater variety of tender greens and delicate fruits that don’t travel out of state well too. And let’s not forget about flavor: In-season produce is robust. If you’ve ever had an imported, wintertime tomato and then tasted an in-season tomato from a local garden (maybe even your own), you know they almost taste like different fruits entirely.
My very favorite fruits are beginning to stroll into the grocery store: peaches. These along with other incredible stone fruits are what I wait for all year. Don’t just buy enough fruit; buy “too much.” The excess is great for smoothies (here are a couple great blenders that might interest you), and pies.
Apples
Blueberries
Raspberries
Peaches
Plums
Nectarines
Tart cherries
Collard greens
Snap beans (green beans)
Carrots
Cucumbers
Onions
Peppers
Potatoes
Tomatoes
Sweet Cherries
Garlic scapes
Green sweet peas
Rhubarb
Snap peas
Snow peas
Beet greens
Apricots
Strawberries
Beets
Broccoli
Cabbage
Garlic
Mustard greens
Zucchini & summer squash
Lettuce
Radishes and their greens
Spinach
Swiss chard
Keep in mind that availability varies by a few weeks regionally—so don’t be jealous if rhubarb left you a week ago, and don’t get cocky if you started seeing plums at the farmer’s market already. Do consider getting a chest freezer though, because you’ll want to freeze your peak season fruits in a month or so. (Here’s the best way to freeze fruit.)
July is about the time we all start to hate turning on our ovens. It’s OK to avoid pie baking if need be. Instead, use your summer fruit bounty in no-bake desserts and for goodness’ sake, eat the stuff raw. Add peaches and plums to your cereal, oatmeal, or yogurt. Make stovetop compotes, which are quick and easy. Or you can really avoid the heat and use the microwave. I use frozen berries in this microwave compote but you can use fresh fruit too. Don’t count out the air fryer either. Roasting fruits, vegetables, and cooking small pies is quicker and the heat is less radiant than with the conventional oven. Here are my favorite air fryers of 2025 so far.
Naturally, the best way to cool off is with a frozen treat. Mix fresh fruit or your newly made microwave compote into homemade ice cream, sorbet, or a slushy. I suggest a simple ice cream maker like this Cuisinart Pure Indulgence, or for a single serving, nothing beats the Dash My Mug. If you really want to get fancy, use the Ninja Slushi for a frozen drink. Blend your fresh fruit into a puree before adding it into your drink mixture.
Speaking of refreshing drinks, you can also use frozen fruit to function as ice cubes for your summer cocktails. You can even use them to make an infused shaken Campari cocktail.
If you can get used to a little oven warmth, now’s the time to churn out some pies. Cherry pies, peach pies, or blueberry tarts—whatever fruit you can get your hands on. Here’s my fail-proof way to lattice pie crust, and my best advice on preventing soggy fruit pies. If you’ve had trouble with pie in the past, give these a read.
Beans, carrots, cucumbers, peppers, and tomatoes are all joining us for July. Sounds like a salad to me. If you’re not a fan of raw salad (I understand), try a warm salad with some grains tossed in. Make a quick stir fry with the cabbage, peas, and greens. Now is also the best time to make a crudité platter. I know, it sounds boring, but raw produce never tastes better than when it’s in peak season.
This goes for both fruits and veg: grill them. It almost couldn't be easier. Swipe a neutral cooking oil over planks of squash or halved peaches and pop them on the blisteringly hot grates for a minute just to get some color. Salt them when they come off the heat.
Before you know it, we’ll all be swimming in tomatoes. And during that time, we have a duty to eat as many as possible every day. Get a jar of mayo and sliced bread ready for when that time finally swings around.
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The only type of grill I ever saw growing up was one fueled by propane gas—they were at both of my parents’ houses, and at all of my friends’ homes. That’s not to say that charcoal grills aren’t a popular and high-quality option (read here to see if charcoal is right for you), but something about the large size and ease of using a gas grill feels very “family nest” to me. If you’re weighing the options for your next summer cookout, consider a gas grill.
Gas grills can be great long-term outdoor fixtures that can anchor the space of a patio or backyard. They used to be primarily large boxy grills, but now they come in a wide variety of sizes (and so do the gas tanks)—those big enough to cook a 20-person feast, down to more portable folding propane grills for camping. Regardless of the size you choose or whether you want folding side tables or not, gas grills boast a number of pros compared to other grill types.
Easy to use. Unlike a charcoal grill which can take some practice and accessories to properly get going, modern gas grills start with a twist of a knob and a click of a button. This makes it ideal for folks that see themselves grilling multiple times a week or even on a daily basis.
Cleaner fuel. If the plumes of smoke that come billowing along with charcoal grills bother you, it might be a good idea to go gas. Gas burns cleaner than charcoal—which is a trade-off in regard to flavor—but you won’t have to worry about smoking out your neighbors even with the occasional burger-juice flare up. If you have natural gas set up at your home, many grills can hook up to that line too (which is great if you hate refilling your propane tank).
Temperature control. Starting up the grill isn’t the only thing that’s done with a dial; you get precise temperature control with a gas grill. Gone are the days of prodding charcoal pyramids over to one side or wondering if your electric grill can even reach that high a temperature.
Peace of mind. While you can use a charcoal grill safely, there is a degree of peace of mind that comes with a grill that doesn’t involve stoking flames and nursing embers. No need to wait for the coals to die out completely—when you turn a gas grill off, it’s off.
Then there's the small matter of cost: Charcoal grills can be had for around $70, and electric grills are pricier, at around $150, but gas grills strike a huge range—and it's usually a high range. Medium to large gas-powered grills can easily sneak cost between $400 and $600, while large grill stations can cost $1,000 or more.
That doesn't mean you have to pay that much. For one thing, as we get closer to the Fourth of July, you'll start to see some great deals that can save you serious cash. Consider also what size grill you really need and whether extra features like side tables will be worth the cost, or if something more petite or portable will suffice.
If you frequently enjoy a weekend camping trip with friends or family the Coleman RoadTrip is something to consider. It folds flat-ish, has sturdy wheels and three adjustable burners. That's nothing to sneeze at. Three burners gives you 285 square inches of cooking real estate. For the food-visual learner, that's about 16 hot dogs and six burgers all grilling at the same time. It operates on one-pound gas canisters which means you don’t have to take up precious trunk space with a 20-pound propane tank.
You can’t always convert propane gas grills to natural gas, so if you’re set on hooking it up to your house's natural gas line then the Weber Spirit is worth checking out. It has a built-in thermometer to help you monitor the temperature while the lid is closed, and it even comes with a 10-foot natural gas hose so you can keep your grill a safe distance from the house. With 529 square inches of cooking surface, you’ve got a decent sized main grilling area with an additional warming rack. This is a great size for someone who grills dinner throughout the week and hosts backyard parties every other weekend.
This grill is monumental. It is a beauty. It's about as much of an outdoor kitchen patio fixture as you can get short of building in a true permanent outdoor kitchen. While it comes with a hefty price tag, this is the type of unit that should last you eight to 12 years or longer depending on how you maintain it.
This grill has four main burners, a smoker option, a side burner for pots or pans, a rotisserie feature, and the knobs even light up for after sunset cooking. Plus, it has that classic backyard, gas-fueled grill look. The Weber Summit is set up for either propane or natural gas.
It may not be the glamorous part of grilling, but safety is crucial to making sure your summer doesn’t go up in flames. While you don’t have charcoal embers kicking around, gas is your invisible opponent.
Gas safety involves being mindful of gas leaks, and preventing gas build up. If you smell gas and there’s no reason for that (like the grill is off), don’t light anything nearby, make sure all gas valves are closed, clear the area, and call emergency services to help you find out if you have a gas leak.
Always open the lid of the grill before you click on the gas. This will prevent a gas pocket building under the hood before you ignite it, and gives you a chance to take a look around. Clean the grates to minimize flare ups and yucky flavors. Actually, get in there and do a deep clean every now and again, here's how to do it. It’s also a good idea to keep a fire extinguisher nearby just in case.
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Clichés suggest that when it comes to food, dads are only good for manning the barbecue. But plenty of dads are great home cooks, fancy coffee connoisseurs, or just guys who know how to appreciate a novel snack.
Father’s Day is June 15, so you’ve got just enough time to get the right gift for your own foodie father. Here are nine gift ideas any dad will devour, metaphorically or otherwise.
After a couple years struggling with a cheap probe meat thermometer that would take nearly a minute to give me a semi-accurate internal temperature reading, I switched to the Thermapen One from ThermoWorks. I now shiver just thinking back to at all that lost time, because I get an accurate temperature reading of my steaks, chicken thighs, and roasts in one single second. Your father deserves this accurate, time-saving tool too. Check out the ThermoWorks website for their exclusive Father's Day sale, with plenty of fancy colors to choose from.
Before culinary school, before cooking professionally, the first apron I ever bought myself was beautiful. It was from Anthropologie and it had a floral design—but it was more good looking than good for cooking. If you've got a dad who loves to spend time cooking, get him a good quality, practical apron. There are several styles out there, so consider what he enjoys cooking as much as his body type. For example, I prefer the bib variety. Beyond that, choose an apron that’s made of a sturdy canvas, with several easy to reach pockets.
Maybe dad can sear a fantastic steak or make the most beautiful kale salad you've ever seen, but there's still something missing. Odds are good that a swipe, drizzle, or dollop of sauce is what he needs to take his cooking to the next level. Saucy is a cookbook with about 50 approachable sauce recipes that range from thick, spreadable aiolis to pourable vinaigrettes. The best part is that there's a sauce for everything dad is cooking up, and the front of the book even gives you pairing suggestions. Read my full review of Saucy here.
The jury is still out on whether or not coffee is a food group, so I’ll treat it as such until the decision is made. If your dad has recently emerged from his shell of Maxwell House and discovered the burgeoning world of boutique coffees, it might be a good time to present him with a pour-over coffee kit. All the better if your dad is a sometimes (or all the time) scientist because pour over is a measured dance of time and temperature.
Air fryers aren’t new to kitchen gift roundups, but every year they’re getting more powerful, more intuitive, and cleverer in design. If your dad got a wee basket air fryer five years ago, it’s time for an upgrade. Try one with dual cooking zones, a window on front of the basket—or, if he’s fed up with the basket style, try the oven variety this time (or the other way around). Read about my favorite air fryers here to see which one is the best match for your dad.
Your scientific pops will need a kitchen scale to measure water and coffee grounds, but really, every cook should have a kitchen scale at their disposal. This is the definitive example of buying someone a gift they’ll use often but will never buy for themselves. Look for one with a large weighing platform and a large (or light-up) display.
If yours is a dad who likes to snack, then your decision is easy: Get some snacks already! A mostly silky chocolate with the allure of a nutritious morsel of fruit tucked inside, Trü Frü is sure to win over your father's heart and tummy. They make two varieties of chocolate covered fruit: frozen or hyper-dried. The frozen ones are simply raw fruit pieces covered in milk, dark, or white chocolate. The banana one has the addition of peanut butter (this one is my favorite). The hyper-dried fruit are also covered in the chocolate coating of your choice, but the center fruit piece is extremely crispy and light due to that hyper-drying process. These don't need to be kept frozen so they make a great snack for dads who are always on the move.
Father’s Day might be the holiday second-most associated with grilling and barbecue (after July 4, obviously), because by the time June rolls around, all we want to eat are burgers and grilled chicken thighs. Barbecue sauce might not seem glamorous, but you better believe it’s going to be used, and dad is going to appreciate the gift of the good stuff. This thorough list of barbecue sauces work well on pizza (grilled pizza counts), but you can use the tasting points to settle on the right sauce for what your dad likes to grill most. For a sweet, garlicky barbecue sauce with plenty of umami, I suggest Bachan’s. The consistency is a bit thinner than your average BBQ sauce, so be open to a subsequent application.
Great for a novice, but even if your pater is the most seasoned chef, he’ll enjoy a one-off cooking class. They’re perfect for a small dose of socializing and you get to enjoy an incredible meal at the end of the session. Not to mention, usually adult cooking classes have wine at the end. I suggest checking out culinary schools (like my alma mater, ICE) for their extra curricular courses; they’ll have industry professional instructors and normally provide high-quality ingredients.
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Knife blocks seem like a great idea at first. You assume there are a variety of useful knives in there, and you get a whole row of steak knives for one low price. You may not eat steak that often, and never with seven other people, but who can say “no” to so many matching knives? You, that’s who. That mass-produced knife set is unlikely to work with your unique food personality. Skip the block of cheap knives (many of which you won’t touch anyway).
Instead, focus on fewer, better, personalized knives. A high-quality knife (or three) can be versatile enough to meet all of your needs without blowing your budget. Use this guide to help you pick a knife, based on your specific needs, budget, and available space.
You have to start somewhere. Instead of buying four cheap knives, you’re better off putting that money into one good knife that’s versatile enough to make a lot of different cuts. (Like the six basic knife cuts everyone should know.) For a knife that provides power and maneuverability, and can chop, slice, mince, and carve, two knives stand out: the chef’s knife and the santoku.
The chef’s knife has a wide blade with a curved edge that tapers to a point, giving it the functionality of three knives in one. The wide blade with a deep heel has cleaver-like qualities, making it good for downward chopping with meats and root vegetables. The curved edge caters to a rocking motion, almost like a mezza-luna blade, which is prized for mincing and slicing. The narrow, sharp tip allows for precision carving and finer cuts, whether it’s slicing a strawberry or guiding meat off the bone. If you slice meats, chop veggies, and mince herbs, onions, and other aromatics, this is probably the knife for you.
The santoku is a blade shape that originated in Japan and has similar functionality to the western chef’s knife. This knife has a wide blade with a less dramatically curved edge. The tip is noticeably different from the chef’s knife, with a more blunt, downward design. The santoku comes with a smooth blade or a Granton edge (long dimples along the side), which keep food from sticking to your knife.
These features make the santoku more cleaver-like, with the Granton edge keeping meats, fruits, and veggies from suctioning onto the blade, allowing for faster, more efficient chopping. The santoku can do what the chef’s knife does, but if you find that you do a lot more chopping in comparison to carving or slicing, this might be the knife best suited for your needs. I chop and cook vegetables almost every meal, so I reach for my santoku far more frequently than my chef’s knife.
The chef's knife or santoku will be your go-to food prep, slicing, and carving knife. Whichever you choose, you want it to be capable of powerful cuts. Look for a knife with a full tang which will lead to a weightier handle. Make sure the handle and bolster are comfortable in your grip. Both of these features will allow you to control the blade better, and put some oomph behind your cuts. The chef’s knife and santoku both come in a variety of sizes, but I think smaller ones afford more maneuverability. Stick with a six- to eight-inch blade.
Three knives will allow you to explore blades with more specific functions. One of the knives should be a workhorse–the chef’s knife or santoku. The other two should be versatile, but hone in on more specialized functions. The following two blades cover a wide variety of foods with more precise handling.
It might sound like the bread knife only cuts one thing, but it can break down more than a sourdough. A bread knife has a long, thin, narrow blade and a serrated edge, with either sharp or rounded serrations. It’s this feature that makes the bread knife special. Unlike the knives we’ve discussed so far, the edge punctures and saws through food to eliminate drag, and works horizontally, rather than with downward force. Use a bread knife for slicing anything that has a tough outer layer and a softer texture inside, including breads, pies, flaky pastries, eggplant, or tomatoes. Bread knives come in sizes ranging from six to twelve inches. I suggest an eight-inch bread knife to comfortably cut a broad range of ingredients.
A utility knife, sometimes called a “petty knife,” is a medium-sized knife with a sturdy blade of about four to six inches. The blade has the same taper as a chef’s knife, but is more narrow. This makes the heel of the knife rather shallow, but overall the knife is versatile and easy to handle because of its more compact size. The utility knife is better suited to slicing and precision cutting, rather than chopping; the heel of the knife may not drop to the cutting board before your knuckles do. Utility knives come serrated or smooth, and can do a lot of the work paring knives do, thanks to their narrow design. Use this knife for slicing, deseeding, or peeling fruits and vegetables, take it on a picnic, or cut through a tall turkey club.
If you have room for five knives in your life you can have a little fun. You already have your chef’s knife or santoku, a utility knife, and a bread knife. Consider the things you prep with those three knives, and what you wish was either easier, or faster. Maybe the utility knife is a bit too big for cutting fruit. Is breaking down a chicken clunky? You might need a more flexible blade. Fileting a lot of fish? That calls for a thin, long blade. Take a look at the following knives and pick two that will best serve your needs.
A paring knife is the tool you're reach for when you're hulling strawberries, peeling apples, or snacking on cheese. It’s what you want for fine, precision work. A paring knife has a short, thin, tapered blade that may or may not be angled. You can’t put a lot of chopping power behind a paring knife, it's better with small cuts. Most of its value lies in maneuverability.
Usually two and a half to three and a half inches, you can use this blade for slicing small ingredients that don’t require a lot of force, like citrus or berries, peeling potatoes, or mincing onions and garlic. I have a cheap Victorinox serrated paring knife, and honestly, it’s a great size and has stayed extremely sharp even with high use. The Opinel paring knife is also a popular choice.
This knife has a unique shape and feel in comparison to the prior knives listed–it’s long and skinny, thin and razor sharp, and ranges in feel from sturdy to downright flexible. Boning knives are meant to slip under silverskin and around cartilage, to separate meat from the bone, and to get in between bone to separate joints when butchering. If your grown-up kitchen involves taking apart chicken, trimming steak, or breaking down whole fish, this is a good knife to add to your collection.
Not so subtle in stature, the cleaver has an intimidating look that might make you think it’s only for chopping meat and bones. Not so. While it is good at those things, the cleaver is a veritable multitool in the kitchen. This knife sports a wide, strong, rectangular-shaped blade with plenty of weight, and more weight means more power.
Use this knife to chop through a large quantity of veggies or thick fibrous produce like butternut squash, or mow down a whole boneless cut of meat into mince. The tall, flat blade with a deep heel is good for cleanly cutting and separating bread dough, biscuits, or slicing up a finished pizza. Don’t forget the broad side of the blade; use that real estate to crush garlic, or like you would a bench scraper when transferring food from cutting board to pan.
A carving knife can have a long, narrow blade with a tapered tip or blunt tip, and some carving knives look a lot like overgrown chef's knives. In fact, you may be able to get away with simply using your chef's knife for carving as long as it has a long enough blade. The important thing is to have a carving knife large enough to make thin slices across wide cuts of meat. Instead of trying to navigate halfway across a flank steak or hack apart a Thanksgiving turkey, use a carving knife to make long, clean cuts in a single motion.
While these are my main suggestions when you start selecting knives, take a moment to think about what you eat. The point of a knife is to make cooking easier, faster, and less work. A good knife shouldn’t make you tired or give you blisters, and it should perform well for a long time (providing you care for it). These knives will take care of most of your needs, but it’s just a starter list. If you need two santoku knives of different sizes, go ahead and get them. If you prepare one particular food a lot, like raw oysters, well then add an oyster shucking knife to your shopping list. Just don’t get a knife block. You deserve better.
Your kitchen should have the right tools. Welcome to A Guide to Gearing Up Your Kitchen, a series where I help you outfit the space with all the small appliances you need (and ditch the ones you don’t).
The air fryer has blessed us all with quick convection heating at affordable prices, and the unparalleled reheating of leftover fried food. What more could a girl ask for? Compared to a microwave or stand mixer, it’s an appliance I haven’t lived with for very long, but I can’t imagine living without it now. Whether it’s your first time using an air fryer or your 500th, you’ll love these fool-proof dishes. Here are some of my favorite air fryer recipes to date.
All you need is a small to medium cut of pork belly and a handful of ingredients to make these crisp, buttery-rich meat morsels. The high heat and strong convection winds create a subtle blistering effect on the surface of these pork belly bites, making them even more irresistible. The trick is a crisping assist from a small dose of cornstarch added to the seasoning marinade. Check out the recipe for pork belly bites here.
Air fryers bring speed, ease, and efficiency to our kitchens and there is no recipe that honors this cooking appliance more than these mushroom chips. It's a two-ingredient recipe that requires hardly any preparation and you are rewarded with a savory, crunchy snack. These mushroom chips can be eaten on their own or as a crunchy topping for soups, salads, or casseroles. They're also naturally gluten-free and vegan.
I'd give you separate instructions for every freakishly delicious vegetable that's every come out of my air fryer, but then you'd be reading forever. Luckily, the air frying method is similar regardless of the plant, and all you need to do is check on the cooking progress to make sure your side dish doesn't overcook. The method usually looks like this: Rub the vegetable with a light layer of oil and a three-finger-pinch of salt. Chuck them in a 375°F to 400°F air fryer for five to 20 minutes. Read here for the specifics on popular veggies like squash, sweet potatoes, and green beans.
Pigs aren't the only thing that deserved to be wrapped in a cozy carb comforter. For a vegetarian option, or just because cheese is great, use salty, stretchy, fry cheese as the center of your snack. Many higher protein cheeses have the helpful quality of being melt resistant. They soften but they never liquify. Get the full recipe here.
Maybe it's just me, but I rarely see or hear much about meatloaf these days. The vintage recipe of seasoning ground meat and shaping it into a sliceable log fell out of fashion years ago. Maybe because it takes too long to cook in the conventional oven—or maybe because logged meat isn't so sophisticated? Well that's fine, it fits right in with these air fryer recipes. In just 15 minutes you can have a fully cooked meatloaf for four. Try this simple recipe and welcome meatloaf back to your dinner rotation.
There are few things more satisfying than a soft pasta pocket full of potatoes, meat, or vegetables. But a crispy-shelled pasta pocket might be just the thing. These air-fried pierogies are easy, thanks to the frozen food section in the grocery store, but make sure you follow my tips here so you end up with a light and shattering shell.
Prepackaged supermarket meatballs make quick and easy work of these cheese-filled meat bites. I enjoy them particularly as a Super Bowl snack, but let's be honest: Sometimes there are no sports on but a savory craving hits nonetheless. These are the three-ingredient snack for you. Simply hollow out the center of a meatball and fill it before crisping up the edges in your air fryer. Read here for the full recipe.
Stuffed mushrooms are easily in my top three favorite snacks. They're satisfying, bursting with umami and extremely quick to make in the air fryer. My recipe uses sausage, spices, and a bit of cream cheese to bind it all together but you can easily replace the meat with a different filling of your choice. Once they're in the air fryer, they only take about 10 minutes to cook—a fraction of the time they would take in the conventional oven.
Scotch eggs are like breakfast baseballs. A hard-boiled egg is encased in a thick shell of sausage, breaded, and deep fried. This air fryer recipe breaks with tradition, but only just. Instead of using a deep fryer to cook the protein ball, a light spritz of oil and the wild winds of the air fryer take care of the cooking. The outside crisps up while the sausage remains juicy and the egg doesn’t overcook. Try the recipe as soon as possible.
One of my favorite snacks when I’m eating a high-protein diet (and when I can afford it) is a bowl of steak bites. The air fryer makes quick work of these “popcorn” steak nibbles but beware, the average recipe will have you overcooking them in minutes. Follow my recipe instead and use the freezer to keep your expensive snack juicy and flavorful.
When you’re after a crisp crust on your chicken fingers, starch is your best friend. It turns out, dried potato flakes are loaded with the stuff. They’re easy to work with, and can even make for a delicious gluten-free “breading.” All you need are a few ingredients to make this recipe, and you’ll have an irresistible batch of potato-crusted chicken fingers of your own.
I always suggest this recipe to folks open to giving new combinations a chance. If you’re OK with salty peanut butter on a slice of banana, you’re probably just one flavor adventure away from enjoying these bacon-wrapped banana bites. The recipe couldn’t be easier and the payoff is sensational.
The air fryer makes perfectly blistered roasted veggies in a fraction of the time the conventional oven takes, and that means you can have these shishito pepper poppers ready in less than 10 minutes. Since you can eat the seeds and ribs in a shishito, there’s not much more preparation you have to do than split them and swipe a bit of cheese mixture inside.
Frico is when low-moisture cheeses cook to a literal crisp, and it’s one of the most divine cheese experiences you can have. Eat frico as a snack, or cover your leftover gratin potatoes in Parmesan frico with this simple recipe. It’s an easy way to transform leftovers, and give them a new texture and a second life (that might actually be better than the first one).
Remember how I said cooked cheese becomes crispy? Well, leftover mac and cheese did all the frico-prep for you. All you have to do is slice it up and stick it in the air fryer. Make bite-sized squares or long mac and cheese sticks for an easy afternoon snack. A quick blast in the convection oven will frico the edges to crunchy cheese glory.
Part of what draws me to cooking in the air fryer is that it invites simplicity. You can’t stick a spatula in there while it’s cooking and stir things around, there’s no adding a splash of this or that halfway through, or covering it with a lid to simmer. It’s an appliance where the heat talks, and whatever you put inside either flourishes in the hot winds, or fails. A banana absolutely thrives. You know bacon-wrapped bananas do well in the air fryer, but don’t forget about dessert. This recipe tells you the best way to air fry a skin-on banana with just a few sweet toppings.
As lawmakers raced to secure a funding deal that would keep the U.S. government open, Washington and its federal work force braced for a potentially disruptive holiday season.
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Just like last holiday season, everybody wants a Stanley mug this year. That's fine, except for a few issues: Those bad boys are pretty expensive for insulated travel tumblers; a lot of the people who want one already have one (or five); and 2.6 million Stanley mugs were recently recalled due to a potential burn hazard. Whether gifting a cup to someone else or broadening your own trendy collection, maybe it's time to start looking elsewhere.
First up is my favorite tumbler of all time: the Owala FreeSip. I have a green and pink one, but regularly see dazzling color combinations in my travels. These trendy buggers are everywhere and I can't just attribute that belief to some weird Baader-Meinhof phenomenon, since they were everywhere before I even got my hands on one a few months ago. In addition to coming in all kinds of cool color combos, it's just a superior travel cup. It has a push-to-open lid that makes it very difficult to accidentally open or spill. Once open, you have the option of sipping through a spout or using an attached straw. The plastic loop around the lid also doubles as a carrying hook, which is how I've come to notice so many in the wild: People just clip them right on their bags. That makes them more convenient than the Stanley Quencher by a mile.
Owala also produces a more direct Stanley Quencher competitor in the form of an insulated tumbler that retails for $30.39 and has a 40-ounce capacity.
I also like the Contigo West Loop. Contigo made the water bottle I had way back in college (because I could buy one with my Barnes & Noble employee discount). Contigo has withstood the test of time, creating mugs and bottles that feel nice in the hand, keep drinks at your preferred temperature, are easy to drink from, and aren't outrageously expensive.
Next up is the tumbler from HydroFlask, which is also very popular. Personally, I only recently learned that HydroFlask is a brand name itself; my friends and I accidentally committed a bit of a genericide years ago, incorrectly calling any to-go tumbler a "hydroflask." As it turns out, that's a good sign, since—like when people use "Kleenex" to mean "tissue"—it implies brand trustworthiness and dominance. Reviews for real-deal HydroFlasks frequently hover around the 4.7-star mark and are based on thousands of ratings, so the general population agrees that this one keeps drinks the temperature you like them and is easy to tote around.
The Brümate Era tumbler seals completely shut. It's not necessarily cheaper than a Stanley, but you're saving money and time by not destroying the inside of your bag in a freak spill accident. The Brumate Era even seals its straw completely. Yes, you can get little straw covers for the Stanley, but they're more decorative than effective. That's not true here. This is one tumbler that is truly spill-proof
A Yeti 10-ounce Rambler is just $20. It's Yeti, so you know the insulation is top-tier; plus the lid is vacuum-sealed and the opening to the spout uses a magnet, so you can feel confident it won't spill all over you. Thanks to its size, you also know it'll fit in a cup holder, which is kind of a big deal and something at which Stanley Quenchers historically fail.
