Acids

99% Lactic Acid Powder

Material

The Forever Peeler

It's rare to see a peeler that is actually a nice object and that's really what it's all about for me.

I love that they ship a spare blade with it too, but it's really just a nice object to use.

...until you peel off your finger tip.

Steph

Yoshihiro

Amazon

Cookin' Cut Synthetic Rubber Cutting board 

Hinoki Cutting Board

R01 Maple Edge Grain Cutting Board

Cutting Board

Chopping Block

FRK20 Soft Cutting Board

Aptitlig

Finfordela Flexible Chopping Board

Proppmatt Beechwood Cutting Board

Skogsta Acacia Cutting Board

reBoard Recycled Plastic Cutting Board

Edge Grain Cutting Board

Hi-Soft Cutting Board

This cutting board has ruined other cutting boards for me. It's super gentle on knives, it doesn't slip around on your counter, it's relatively light, and it's easy to resurface with a little sandpaper if it gets too marked up or stained.

The only gripes I have are that it's an ugly color that stains easily and that handle cutout is pretty useless.

It's worth noting that there are a couple other LDPE (note: Yoshihiro claims it's made of "Soft PVA", but their manufacturer states that it's actually LDPE) models on the market, but as of writing they're significantly more expensive.

Though on the expensive end of cutting boards, I absolutely love this thing. It is a super nice texture that doesn't slide around. It does stain and the handle is way to small for my hands, but I use this everyday and don't like using any other cutting board now.

Truly a joy to use. It's not cheap but so much better than any and all synthetic cutting boards I've ever used.

A side note for those living outside the US where this might be hard to source, these boards seem to be sourced from Japan and they might be easier to order from there through the usual online retailers ("high soft" is the term that worked for me).

WINCO

Eighth Sheet Pan

A typical home baking sheet is called a "half sheet" (because it's half the size of a commercial baking sheet). Halve that again and you get the unsung hero known as a "quarter sheet". Then, a couple years ago, some genius decided to cut those in half to make these eighth sheets, and I just can't get enough of em.

One of these is on the counter as a spoon rest every time I cook, but a spoon rest I can pull a used bouquet garni onto, transfer my next ingredient to the pot, or mise a dish onto.

A particular design feature I like is the open bead that helps prevent water from getting stuck inside the rim. Very clever and still just as rigid.

de Buyer

Mineral B Carbon Steel 12.5" Fry Pan 

CRS12 Carbon Steel 12" Skillet

Black Carbon Steel Fry Pan 12"

Blue Carbon Steel Frying Pan (12")

M'steel Carbon Fry Pan (9.5")

Obsidian Carbon Steel Skillet

Carbon Steel Farmhouse Skillet

A classic European carbon steel pan in the same vein as Matfer Bourgeat and Mauviel, but this one's got a helper handle and a $20 price bump over the Matfer...

Hedley & Bennett

Meiji 10" Chef's Knife

Classic 210mm Chef's Knife

Spartan Ghost Chef's Knife 8"

8" Chef's Knife

The 8" Knife

Professional Series 8" Chef's Knife (MTH-80)

Premier Chef's 8"

Everyday Chef's Knife

Classic Ikon 8" Chef's Knife

Förslag 3-pc Knife Set

Rosewood 8" Chef's Knife

French Chef's Knife

Classic Chef's 8"

Vardagen Chef's Knife 8"

Briljera Chef's Knife 8"

Vörda Chef's Knife 8"

365+ Chef's Knife 8"

Pro Le Blanc 8" Chef's Knife

365+ 6" Utility Knife

Birchwood SG2 8" Chef's Knife

Black 5000MCD67 8" Gyuto

G-56 7" Santoku

G-2 8" Chef's Knife

GU-02 8" Asian Chef's Knife

210mm Ginsan Gyuto

Chef's Knife

Graphite 8" Chef's Knife (+ 13-pc set)

8” Brad Leone Signature Series Chinese Santoku Cleaver

7.25" Chef Series

8" Chef Knife

Koh 8" Gyuto

Kanso 8" Chef's Knife

Fibrox 8" Chef's Knife

Classic 6" Chef's Knife

Full disclosure: I think Hedley & Bennett overcharges for everything they make. A super basic apron made of super generic materials shouldn't cost $80-100.

When they introduced a chef's knife, however, I was intrigued. It's got a sleek, but classic design and better yet — it pairs it with my favorite low-cost steel: AUS-10.

So, I ordered one. And... it's pretty good. Nothing mind-blowing, but it's kinda like a lighter-weight version of the Misen chef's knife with a little nicer aesthetics. 

I still think Misen is my top pick for a budget knife because it's hard to recommend spending 30% more on a knife that's essentially the same in all the ways that actually matter.

I was pleasantly surprised by this knife, and actually find myself reaching for it more than I expected. 

Good job Hedley & Bennett.

For a first good quality knife, this one has done me wonders. It’s got a pretty nice feel to it and it’s been pretty easy to take care of and sharpen. Now I just need to work on my knife skills.

Our Place

3qt Saute Pan

Always Pan Pro

The main feature of this pan is its titanium oxide coating — which does in fact make it pretty nonstick, but it's applied so poorly that I can't recommend it.

Definitely interesting materials science, but genuinely one of the lowest-production quality pans I've ever tested.

Chrome

Kramer by Zwilling

Sur La Table

210mm Heavy Cleaver

220mm Chukka Bocho

210mm Gyuto

180mm Santoku

In my first comparison, 3 knives stood out. This was the biggest surprise of all of them.

See, Zwilling has something of a reputation for... let's say "budget-quality" knives. I suspected they just backed up a dump truck full of money to Bob Kramer's house so they could stick his name and his trademark Way-Too-Tall™ profile on their same old also-ran knives.

Boy howdy, was I wrong.

52100 steel makes all the right compromises for home cooks. It's easy to maintain, easy to care for (for a carbon steel at least), and with this geometry, it fucking flies through anything in its path.

The handle feels so lovely, I don't even mind that it's formica and resin with gaudy gold fittings on the end.

Just sensational all around. 

Great work, Zwilling. Sorry for doubting you, Bob.

I was intimidated by this knife at first because of it's bulky profile, but it's actually very pleasant to use. 

It's weighted toward the front which is great for preventing wrist discomfort, and the blade holds an edge like a champ! 

It is a carbon steel knife, so you just need to make sure you're drying it quickly after washing or it'll rust.

Steelport

Bernal Cutlery

When we walked into my favorite knife shop, I spotted this on the wall and immediately let out an audible "Oh, wow...". I still feel that way every time I see it. Steelport have made what has to be the most beautiful chef's knife on the market with tons of thoughtful features, a stunning blackened finish, and a price tag to match.

First, this is made of 52100 steel, which is a high-carbon "ball bearing" steel. It's medium-hard and super durable — especially at this thickness. It's a lovely steel to sharpen and maintain and 3 of my 5 favorite knives are made of it.

Really, the only thing stopping this from being my favorite knife is the geometry — it gets just a little too thick at the spine — and I'm at a loss for anything else I don't love about this knife. It's got a hell of a price tag on it, but I've never really met a knife that I thought justified its price better with its materials and design.

I just wish that spine were a *tiny* bit thinner.

Update: I had it thinned by a pro sharpener with a belt and it's now my favorite knife. Pity it takes the extra work, but now I genuinely adore this thing.



It's too heavy for me to enjoy using more than I have to. But it is absolutely stunning.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Hado

This knife, y'all. It's absolutely wild. From stem to stern, it feels and looks amazing. It holds an edge super well and I could swear it takes negative effort to slice through damn near anything.

It's biggest weakness is its biggest strength: its concave bevel. It feels sharper than anything, but it chips easily because it's so thin at the edge. So that means anything tough is really out of the question. You need a dedicated backup if you're ever going to be cutting partially frozen meat or — god forbid — a kabocha squash.

It's the motorcycle of knives: not the most practical, but it feels unlike anything else.

It's light-weight and has excellent geometry. 

It's a little longer than I typically prefer in a chef's knife, but it's so easy to use and light that I hardly notice.

Lamson

Just like the Kramer by Zwilling, I initially expected this knife to be all flash and no filler. I was wrong again.

In fact, I only really have two complaints against it whatsoever: 1. it's a little too big for some people's hands, and 2. the metal reverberates like sheet metal when it's tapped against something. That's not really a problem per se — I was actually super impressed with its balance of lightness and edge retention — but it feels a little too cheap for a knife at this price point.

But other than those couple of nits that I couldn't help but pick at, I've actually grown quite fond of this big, goofy knife. It's friendly in a way that a lot of kitchen tools aren't — just like its big, goofy namesake.

It's too big for my hands, but it's a fun bench scraper / knife combo.

I absolutely love this knife - I bought a version of this as my first "real" knife back in 2020 and it's been my daily driver ever since.

The most important thing to address in opinion is "how does this knife feel in hand? " And honestly, this is an extremely fun knife to use. Despite it's size, it is surprisingly maneuverable and light weight. It is a perfect work horse for prep work of veggies, meats, (almost anything tbh) and for me it gives me the right leverage for handling most cutting jobs. Also, because of it's size, you feel like a badass using it.

Cons for me - on my version the handle is fine but I'd prefer a different shape. Also, over the time I've had this knife, it has been a little difficult to take care of the wood that Lamson used. Another note, over the past few years, the knife has had some tarnishing and staining (I personally don't mind but it's something to note)

All in all - I think this is a fun knife to have in your kit. Especially for the cost I think you get a good bang for your buck

Cult Flav

Essential Apron

Crossback Apron

Supply Apron

Neon Chef Apron

Lowboy Apron

Luxe Chef Apron

Utility Apron

Beelzebib

I love the colors and the design.  There are plenty of pockets and in all the in the right places.  The long strings around the waist are much appreciated. I bought one of each.  The best part - they're made here in the USA.  I try to buy products made in the US - I don't recall seeing this detail when ordering (I may have missed it), so I was pleasantly surprised - made the higher price completely worth it.  

Pink

Black

Tilit

This fabric is so soft and cozy. If it were 2" longer and a little more visually interesting, this'd be my go-to in a second.

Also, the best hand pocket design in the industry — just wish there were two of them...

I love the slanted hand pocket with smaller buddy pocket above, and a slanted chest pocket to boot! I just wish it had two slanted hand pockets.

The fabric is soft and gets softer the more you wash it. The neck fabric is equally soft and comfortable.

I love the length of this little apron, but I'm a shorty.

Hitohira

If you have the money, go buy one of these today. This thing is a hidden gem and more people should have them.

Feels like a fucking razor and holds an edge like nothing I've used before.

I love the shape. I love the size. I love the feel. It's not the prettiest knife, but it sure ain't bad. It's simple, useful, and probably a great first carbon steel knife if that's something you're interested in.

Update: The problem is — as with many Japanese knives — they're unique and so they sell out quickly. The link is already dead and it's sold out the manufacturer's site too. Looks like a couple other knife shops have stock and they'll probably change over time. Good luck!

This little baddie is my carbon steel go-to for daily use. 

I love how light this knife is, and the shorter blade and razor edge  gives me the extra confidence I need when tackling a new knife skill.

The only down side is how brittle this knife is, and being that it's carbon steel it does need dried off immediately.

This knife is super light! But, that lightness probably contributed to it showing up with a few dings, and scratches right out of the box. 

The blade's sharp - don't get me wrong, but it's also unfinished at the choil and ended up scratching finger making it uncomfortable to wield. 

So soft it's easy to damage and annoying to sharpen, but other than that... I surprisingly didn't hate this knife and I actually like the handle.

That's a real triumph for Our Place whose pans have the world's worst handles.

Calphalon

D3 8qt Stockpot

Premier 8qt Space Saving Stock Pot

8-Quart Stockpot

Big Deal

8qt Stainless Steel Stock Pot

Dutch Oven

Titanium Series Stock Pot

Eater Series Stock Pot

In the near-decade, we've spent with this pan, it has seen countless pots of pasta, chicken parts for stock, and has spent so, so many hours sitting on the stove simmering soups and stews. Of all of our household tools, this is the one I am most reliant on. And it certainly doesn't hurt that it's dishwasher-friendly or that I can easily swap its lid with several other pans we have kicking around.

Turns out Calphalon got something right when they made a line of pots and pans that can easily stack on top of each other. Too bad they're throwing it away.

Aprons

Chef's Knives

Chili Oils

Cookbooks

Cooking Utensils

Cutting Boards

Dutch Ovens

Food Storage

Graters

Hand Blenders

Instant Noodles

Instant Thermometers

Kitchen Scales

Knife Sharpening

Knife Storage

Leave-in Thermometers

Oils

Peelers

Plating Utensils

Presses

Saucepans

Saute Pans

Serving Bowls

Sheet Pans

Skillets

Soy Sauces

Spice Grinders

Stockpots

Vinegars

Wearables

D3 3qt Sauce Pan

Premier 2.5qt Space Saving Sauce Pan

3-Quart Saucepan

Saucy

2qt Stainless Steel Saucepan

Sauce Pan

Titanium Series Saucier

Eater Series Saucier

This is the little sauce pan that could, and hasn't let us down in nearly a decade. In fact, we we liked it so much, we went out and bought all of the stock the store had left (which was unfortunately, only 2).

This is the go-to pan we reach for 90% of the time. It's big enough to be practical, but small enough to be convenient.

It was too good for this world, so now Calphalon is discontinuing it in favor of its cheaper, nonstick brethren.

We got this pan around 2015 and loved it so much we bought two more just like it. 

They stack securely, the lids don't slip, and they hold up great over time - the only wear I've seen since purchase is some microscopic erosion in the aluminum core. 

I just wish Calphalon would bring these back as a single purchase instead of trying to sell it as a part of a set.

Hestan

NanoBond Titanium Skillet

D3 10" Fry Pan

Premier 10" Space Saving Fry Pan

10-Inch Skillet

Deep Cut

10" Stainless Steel Frying Pan

Fry Pan

Titanium Series Fry Pan

Eater Series Frying Pan

This is the smaller version of my favorite skillet on earth and for those who need a small skillet for things like eggs... I think this is the best all-around performance money can buy.

While it's definitely not fully nonstick, it does react less-strongly with protein which offers home cooks a little bit more wiggle room on initial temperature. That means more control to cook the way you want to cook rather than the pan forcing you to cook a certain way. 

On that note, it's also extremely responsive to heat changes due to its super thick internal layer of aluminum. That's something I value very highly and I think gets overlooked by many home cooks.

Blueberry Habanero Ice Cream

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