Most of my subscribers likely know this, but I review kitchen gear for a living. Since 2018, I’ve been making a whole lot of food and storing even more gear in the name of finding the best air fryers, pizza ovens, stand mixers, saucepans, skillets, induction burners, and more. And before that, I worked in recipe developement, helped edit cookbooks, and even went to pastry school. This is all to say: I’m particularly passionate about kitchen-related gadgets and gear.
For this week’s newsletter, I decided to focus on a handful of kitchen things I’ve particularly liked lately.
Chef’n FreshForce Citrus Juicer
Pretty much every review site names this their favorite manual citrus juicer and for good reason: it has a dual gear that works incredibly well and juices citrus thoroughly. It strains out seeds and—thanks to the star-shaped perforations in its base—directs juice downwards, minimizing splatters. In case you didn’t know, place your lemon half cut-side down in the juicer, which is sort of counterintuitive to how the jucier is shaped, but works way better.
Fellow Clara French Press
I’ve been really enjoying a full-bodied cup from this Fellow French press lately. It has a weighted handle that makes for balanced pouring, a sleek, matte exterior, and stainless steel construction that keeps coffee hot. It even comes with a wooden spoon for agitating the coffee grounds and water during the brewing process.
Smeg 2-Slice Toaster
I’m not saying this is the most even-toasting toaster there is, but it works well, is simple to use (it has just one lever, a few buttons, and a dial), and is beautiful. I weigh aesthetics fairly heavily when I choose kitchen gear and I cant complain with how this toaster looks on my countertop.
Shun 8-Inch Classic Chef’s Knife
Knives are incredibly hard to review because they’re so personal. What works for one cook (feels balanced, has a comfortable handle, etc.) may well not for another. Me? I really like my Shun Classic chef’s kife. I’ve owned it for about 10 years and, still, it’s consistently the one I reach for most nights. It feels really great in my hand, is balanced, yet lightweight—it’s just right.
OXO Good Grips Plastic Cutting Board
I own a couple of sizes of this plastic cutting board (the carving and cutting and utility models) and find both supremely useful: they’re lightweight, easy to clean, and have non-slip bumpers that keep the board in place. I also own a few of these boards from Material and while I wouldn’t recommend using them without a stabilizer mat/kitchen towel/damp paper towel underneath (they moving around too much) I do find myself consistently reaching for them. They’re the perfect size for tossing in the dishwasher after food prep.
Smithey Cast Iron Skillet
While I absolutely agree that you can buy an inexpensive, $20 cast iron skillet and it’ll work as well as this $200 one, I do adore my Smithey. It’s beautiful and makes me want to cook with it—and there’s something to be said for that.
MIU Fish Spatula
This has been my go-to spatula for years, so I felt validated when it was recently named a winner in Serious Eats’ recent fish spatula testing. It has a nimble head that easily scoots under pancakes, fish fillets, burgers, and skin-on chicken thighs, flipping things both delicate and sturdy with ease. It has a comfortable, gently squared-off handle, too, and is reasonably priced.
Thermapen ONE
If you don’t have an instant-read thermometer, get one. It’ll ensure you don’t overcook or undercook food again. The Thermapen ONE is silly fast (as its name suggest, it does do readings in about a second) and incredibly accurate. It comes in a range of colors, too (I’m partial to the purple).