Faith Durand

Why is buying a good toilet paper holder such a crapshoot?

What’s the most important part of a nutritious diet? Most of us can automatically recite the answer: fruits and vegetables. And yet it can be tough to eat the daily recommended amount of produce, and most Americans simply don’t. I’ve certainly been among that 75 percent—the estimated percentage of us who don’t eat enough veggies. I realized, though, that part of the problem was that I didn’t really understand how much we were talking about.

There is one show-off of a tool that I deeply believe everyone should have in their kitchen.

Depending on where you live and your proximity to a popular summer travel destination (the Grand Canyon? Disney World? New York City?) you may find yourself deep in houseguest season. I don’t live in a particularly touristy city, but I host houseguests frequently, and I think it’s part of the fun of having a house with room to share. In fact, in just a few weeks my husband’s brother and sister-in-law will be piling in with their three kids for a sleepover.

Every year the impending arrival of the Super Bowl incites a parallel culinary sport: churning out lighter takes on wings, healthier spins on classic dips, and “fresh” appetizer ideas beginning (but not ending) with kale chips. But you know what? Just like Thanksgiving, there’s no call to go off-script with the Super Bowl. Just like you want marshmallow-topped sweet potatoes, I want seven-layer dip and hot wings.

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) This year we put out the call for great toffee suggestions and submissions from around the country and received ten amazing toffees to sample. After intense tasting in our offices over two days, everyone voted. • Best Toffee! The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) These cute little pot props help a boiling pot to let off steam. Say hello to the Little Pot Critters! • Pot Guard Critters The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) We probably all have at least one friend who can’t seem to get through a day without downing a bottle of kombucha. This holiday season, give them the gift that truly keeps on giving: a kit to brew batch after batch of their very own kombucha. • DIY Kombucha Gift Kit

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) Forget cheap chocolate. Forget Christmas ornaments. What about an advent calendar of delicious tasty craft beers?! Now this is the kind of advent calendar I can get behind. • Beer Advent Calendar The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) Remember back in August when we told you that Bon Appétit would be launching its Seal of Approval in the December 2012 issue? That time has come. Curious to see what made the list? • Bon Appétit’s 50 Best The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) Vegetables are front and center in this seasonal centerpiece. Mini golden beets, red beets, and carrots with their leafy green tops look splendid paired with calla lilies atop a bed of moss. • Carrot & Beet Centerpiece The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) Deborah Madison has shared thousands of recipes and a vegetable-centric style with millions of readers. Today we focus on just five of her simple yet astute recommendations, and a few words about her forthcoming book, Vegetable Literacy. • Deborah Madison’s Essentials The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) We do a lot more dishes around the holidays. The premium dish soap companies have caught on and have started offering limited-edition holiday scented dish soaps. Do you switch to holiday-scented cleaning products come December? • Holiday Dish Soap The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) Treasured family recipes are priceless, which is why they can easily be transformed into special gifts with minimum expense and just a little time. Here are four favorite ideas for giving family recipes as gifts. • Family Recipe Gifts The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) It’s been raining heavily here for several days now, and this has necessitated a slightly different approach to meal time. Instead of asking my usual question what do I want?, I begin by asking what do I have? • Resourcefulness The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) Aside from being a college co-ed you typically aren’t seeking Liquid Cocaine or a Prairie Fire as your drink of choice. So can shots be sophisticated? And what’s the difference between a shot and shooter anyway? • Sophisticated Shots The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) I have specific storage places for things like measuring spoons and knives, but I’m thinking I could loosen up a little and bust out one of these DIY LEGO utensil holders! • LEGO Utensil Holder The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) Here are 15 recipes we think work quite well under all sorts of potluck circumstances — from a festive grain salad, to a decadent baked potato dip, to a creamy baked squash casserole. • 15 Potluck Recipes The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) Meals are a shared experience in most cultures, so it is a classic time for loneliness to come up if you find yourself alone at meal times. Do you eat alone often? How do you deal with the times when a single place setting at the table feels lonely? • Eating

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) How pretty are these hammered silver cabinets? Although it’s a small kitchen, the shimmery panels make the room feel very luxe. Would you ever go for this look? • Silver Cabinets The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) Ludo LeFebvre is the French-born chef and creator of the pop-up restaurant LudoBites, the hottest spot in Los Angeles. In anticipation of his new cookbook, we got a peek at his home kitchen. Take the tour with us and tell us if you notice a motif! • Ludo Kitchen Tour

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) The pita bread you make at home is worlds apart from the stuff you buy in stores, and watching them puff to glorious heights in your oven or on your stovetop is culinary magic at its best. Here’s how to do it. It’s easy! • How To Make Pita Bread

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) How do you get dinner on the table, week in and week out, without getting bored? How do you stay energized and engaged with the act of cooking at home? Here are fifteen of our best and most universal tips for learning how to plan your meals. • 15 Tips for

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) Nutella (obviously). Cream cheese. A sprinkle of salt, and crusty Italian bread. Crisp toasted outside and hot, gooey inside, oozing with tangy cream cheese and the scent of chocolate and hazelnuts.This is dessert, in the guise of a sandwich. • Baked Nutella Sandwich The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) I love this cheery little pantry, which illustrates some cute printable labels from Better Homes and Gardens. What I really love, though, even more than the labels, are the calendar and shopping list on the back of the door! • Pantry Meal Planner The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) As I’ve researched and shopped for my own new kitchen, I’ve made some trade-offs in costs and priority that, so far, seem worth it to me. Here are five of my own save/splurge decisions for a new kitchen. • Kitchen Renovation Money The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) Here are 20 of our favorite sandwiches of all shapes and sizes, from chipotle chicken fajitas, to a perfect tomato sandwich, to a spicy lentil wrap (better than Trader Joe’s!) and homemade piadinas. • 20 Scrumptious Sandwiches The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) Microgreens are expensive, but they are beloved by chefs, who use their intense flavor to enhance expensive restaurant plates. But you can grow microgreens at home with nearly no effort whatsoever, and the payoff is terrific. • How to Grow Microgreens The Kitchn

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy) Would you ever put wallpaper in the kitchen? Or does the idea make you shudder? If the latter, you might have your mind changed by something unusual about the wallpaper in the photo here. • Wallpaper in the Kitchen The Kitchn