6 Things That Japan Taught Me I Really Need in My Kitchen
When people find out I just got home from a two-week trip to Japan with my mom, they invariably say, “I’m so jealous! It’s totally on my bucket list.” And I say, “Yes, up until a few weeks ago I was on your side of this conversation!” I have spent my whole life wanting to go there, and for a recent big birthday (cough) my mom made it happen. It totally lived up to expectations: the temples, the culture, the beauty, and, of course, the food.
Jul 20, 2019
Improve Your Kitchen This Weekend With One Simple Step (That You Can Outsource, If You Want)
It's a simple safety task that's oh-so-easy to put off for basically forever.
Jul 8, 2019
The 3 Kitchen Essentials You Need to Have On Hand at Every Picnic
I’ve spent many years of my life living in and loving the city of Chicago, where interior spaces are relatively small and people can’t wait for the warmer months (40 below, no thank you). As soon as summer hits, folks flood the parks, beaches, and rooftops to host picnic after picnic. Picnic baskets aren’t hard to assemble—in fact, they’re pretty straightforward despite their loosey-goosey nature. You just have to think about what you may need in a pinch.
Jul 1, 2019
Why Everyone Should Own This $20 Pro Kitchen Tool
There is one show-off of a tool that I deeply believe everyone should have in their kitchen.
Jun 13, 2019
Why Instant Pot Users Are Obsessing Over This $30 Cart from Target
This cart has been making waves in the Facebook group for months.
Jun 10, 2019
Genius Kitchen Essentials (Under $20!) You Probably Don’t Have — But Should
These genius little kitchen tools bring something new (or super useful) to the table.
May 25, 2019
The Best Soda Makers
Soda makers, otherwise known as carbonators, may be the kitchen appliance you probably don’t realize you need. Bubbly drinks like seltzer and Prosecco are typically associated with special occasions, but the rise in popularity of flavored drinks like La Croix are making carbonated beverages more accessible, not to mention more fun. Getting that bubbly taste at home hasn’t always been easy.
May 23, 2019
The Best Wine Openers & Corkscrews
When you’re ready to unwind at the end of the day, the only thing coming between you and a glass of wine is…your corkscrew. These little contraptions are typically an afterthought — we don’t expect them to be exciting or attractive, as long as they work. Yet a solid, high-quality wine opener is key to keeping you and your wine happy.
May 23, 2019
How To Make a Rooftop Cutting Board
Inspired by Danish rooftops, Ferm Living has turned useful kitchen accessories into design-worthy décor. After coveting these, along with Susanna Vento’s self-made cutting boards, I decided it was absolutely necessary that I made one of my own. Here’s how to make your own rooftop cutting board… Upon research I found that maple and ash hardwood has a nice tight grain — suitable for daily use.
May 4, 2019
Do or Don’t? Foil as an Electric Oven Liner
I’ve moved in and out of eight different rentals in the last nine years, which means I’ve done my fair share of post-move-out cleaning. The one task I always dread is cleaning the oven. I hate using toxic oven cleaner, yet it seems to be the only effective combatant against that hardened puddle of food crumbs, melted cheese, and pie juice from a year of careless cooking.
May 4, 2019
Small Space Kitchen Tip: Use a Double Magnetic Knife Holder
I recently hung some shelves in my small kitchen and they displaced the magnetic knife rack we had mounted to the wall. Instead of finding another space on a wall, I decided to investigate double magnetic racks to utilize space on the refrigerator. This seems like a pretty simple idea and I expected to find lots of options – not the case! I searched high and low and only found a few options. See what I found, plus a few good DIY ideas… 1.
May 4, 2019
How To Clean and Care for Wooden Utensils
Wood utensils date back to ancient Egypt and are still one of the most common tools found in the kitchen today. Wood is a great material to cook with for a variety of reasons, and with the right care wood utensils and cutting boards can last decades. After many years of new materials such as silicone dominating the kitchen tool market, wood is making a comeback thanks to its timeless functionality.
May 4, 2019
Save or Splurge: 15 Basic Tools Every Kitchen Needs
Quality should win out over quantity every time. But if you don’t have a ton of money to spend, and if you would rather save on items that don’t need the fancier version of itself, you’re in luck. You don’t need to spend money on the most expensive items to ensure a good product, and sometimes the most basic and least expensive things will do the job just as well.
May 4, 2019
How To Downsize a Kitchen: 8 Tips for Owning Less in the Most Space-Sucking Room in the House
Lately it seems that I’m hearing the word “downsize” everywhere. From friends buying their first bijoux apartments after years in shared and spacious rented accommodation, to my parents’ generation selling multi-bedroom suburban houses and moving into city condos, to articles about living more minimally, owning less is trending. Obviously, downsizing is going to be different for everyone.
May 4, 2019
Top Vintage Cast Iron Pans: Griswold, Wagner & Lodge
I love my cast iron cookware and use it every day for everything. While I don’t mind the newly made Lodge, I have an old Griswold just like the one above (made between 1919-40) that I bought in a second hand store years ago and it’s SO much better. With thinner iron sides all around, it’s much smoother, lighter and easier to maneuver around the stove and sink. It still carries heat and cleans up easily like any cast iron pan.
May 4, 2019
From Instant to Pour-Over: What Your Coffee Brewing Routine Says About You
Does your morning routine always include a cup of coffee? What about a caffeine fix to perk you up during that inevitable mid-afternoon slump? How you brew your coffee says a lot about you, whether you’re an instant coffee aficionado or a Keurig connoisseur. Find your preferred brewing method below, and see how you match up… You like to take things slow, and that includes your coffee. Who needs an electric coffee pot when you can brew one very precise cup at a time?
May 3, 2019
Quality Finds: 10 Crowd-Approved “Buy it for Life” Kitchen Essentials
As much fun as shopping can be, having to buy the same item over and over again is no bueno. That’s why it pays to know which products are actually worth the investment, especially when it comes to hardworking items for the kitchen. The commenters at Reddit know all about the importance of buying quality appliances up front. They started multiple “Buy It for Life” threads for this very reason.
May 3, 2019
HAY Launches a Kitchen Line at MoMA
While we’re anxiously awaiting the arrival of HAY’s collaboration with IKEA (due in stores this October!), the Danish brand has some more great news: They just launched a collection of kitchen items, and they’re available as of today at the MoMA store. HAY Kitchen Market is a curated collection of essentials from HAY’s co-founder Mette Hay.
May 3, 2019
The Storage Multi-tasker Your Struggling Kitchen Needs
It’s a sad truth of small space living that the smaller the kitchen, the harder it is to find room for storage (duh). Throw in the fact that you hardly have any countertop or cupboard space, and keeping your kitchen zone organized can really start to get tricky and frustrating. Luckily, even if you don’t have an extra inch of kitchen surface area, there’s one space that often gets overlooked: the walls.
May 3, 2019
The Future is Now! A Smart Coffee Cup That Keeps Your Beverages Warm
It’s about to be peak winter Hygge season and I don’t know about you but I’m excited as hell to stay inside and hold a mug with both of my hands. But sometimes the warmth emanating from own two palms is not enough to keep a mug of coffee warm as I slowly sip it throughout the morning. Luckily Ember, a Los Angeles based start-up, is here to solve this very particular, but common annoyance.
May 3, 2019
This Tiny Countertop Dishwasher is a Small Space Dweller’s Dream
Many a renter has dreamt of a dishwasher while sticking their hands into soapy water, scrubbing a stubborn pot. And while there are many benefits of a portable dishwasher, some kitchens just don’t have the space. Earlier this week at CES, Heatworks announced Tetra, a compact, smart and energy efficient dishwasher here to offer some sweet dishwashing relief for the dishwasher-less among us.
May 3, 2019
Say Goodbye to Overstuffed Drawers & Hello to This 6-Tool Kitchen Capsule
Tight on space in the kitchen? Your storage problem might actually be a “stuff” problem. It’s all too easy to overfill your kitchen drawers and countertop crocks with pretty uni-tasking tools when you’re walking down the aisles of Barrel, Barn & Beyond with a gift card (or worse — a registry gun) burning a hole in your pocket.
May 3, 2019
These Are the Last Measuring Spoons I’ll Ever Need to Buy (And They’re Only $10)
When I give decluttering advice, I will always give you permission to get rid of duplicate kitchen tools. That’s because it’s a purchasing problem I always seem to fall victim to myself. I’ve had my fair share of kitchen tools that I don’t love, that I get new versions of, and that I keep all versions of for all the usual reasons: What if one breaks? What if I have people helping me in the kitchen and we both need it?
May 3, 2019
The Under $20 Item That Gives My Tiny Rental Kitchen More Counter Space
If you live in a small space, chances are that your kitchen is also equally diminutive. As you can see, my particular kind of tiny rental kitchen is of the single wall variety, with a paltry two cabinets width of counter to speak of. While that (and the single outlet) mean I have to cull the clutter and keep appliances elsewhere when not in use, even when the counter is cleared, that’s not a ton of space to work with if you’re trying to cook a meal.
May 3, 2019
These Le Creuset Look-Alikes Are 69 Percent Off On Amazon Today Only
If you have Champagne taste and a beer budget, today is your lucky day. Cuisinart’s Dutch oven, which looks a lot like Le Creuset’s, is on sale — today only — for $55. (It’s impressively marked down by 69 percent from its list price of $180.) Worried it won’t be as good as the Le Creuset? The 5.5-quart oval, which even comes in two fun matte options, has 4.3 stars on Amazon.
May 3, 2019
10 Genius Kitchen Buys That Keep My Countertops Clear
Having clutter-free countertops is one of the easiest ways to fake a clean kitchen. I’m not advocating for never rolling up your sleeves and scrubbing down your cookspace. I’m merely suggesting a shortcut for keeping it together in between cleans. The trick is finding the right gadgets that store your stuff neatly—without taking up tons of real estate.
May 3, 2019
Finally Ready to Get a Cast Iron Skillet? Get This One
If you’ve finally convinced yourself that nothing sears a steak like a cast iron skillet and that you absolutely have to have one to make crusty cornbread, your next decision is figuring out which one to buy. In our opinion, there’s only one choice. The good news is that it’s remarkably inexpensive. (That’s right—”the best” often means “the most expensive,” but not when it comes to cast iron!) Our must-buy is the Lodge 10.
May 3, 2019
One Good Reason Not to Throw Out Those Mesh Produce Bags
Repurposing your household items doesn’t just reduce waste—it saves money, too. That’s the good news. The great news is: You don’t have to be super crafty to reap the benefits of creative reuse. If you think you’ve got the chops (read: literally five minutes) for a super quick, easy, and clever home project, we’ve got just the kitchen DIY for you.
May 3, 2019
This $10 Kitchen Find Cut My Meal Prep Time in Half
I’ll be honest: I don’t get hyped about kitchen wares very often. Sure the occasional blender or zoodle-maker will come along and get me hyped for a week or two, but rarely does a non-traditional utensil stay in my lone kitchen drawer for long. (I know, one drawer—New York City kitchens are crazy.
May 3, 2019
This Is the Best Drawer Organizer You Can Buy for $35
There are two types of chefs in the kitchen: One that has their measuring cups tumbling with their kitchen shears and graters all in one drawer, and one that needs every tool in its own specific, neat home. If you can cook a beef bourguignon while blindly rooting around a drawer for a peeler and cutting board then good on you.
May 3, 2019
The 10 Best Kitchen Items You Can Buy on Amazon
As you undoubtably already know, Amazon is a never-ending pit of kitchen gadgets, groceries, decorative items, and thousands (millions?) of other things. It can be overwhelming! To help you navigate the pages—and pages!—of products, we polled the kitchen experts from our sister site Kitchn to see what goodies they recently bought for their own spaces. Here’s what everyone’s been shopping for, why they love their purchases, and how they’re using them.
May 3, 2019
10 Smart Kitchen Tools Restaurants Have On Hand (And You Should Too)
Fun fact: You don’t need to be a professional chef to take advantage of some of the smart tools used in restaurant kitchens. And no, we’re not talking about $200 knives or fancy sous vide machines. We’re talking about the inexpensive, everyday sort of stuff that’ll make your time in the kitchen neater, easier, and just a tad bit better. See, many of the gadgets and tools that professional chefs use in restaurant kitchens can be just as useful to us casual home cooks.
May 3, 2019
The Best Thing I Ever Did (By Accident!) for My Cast Iron Skillet
When I make pie, I use my grandmother’s pastry blender and rolling pin, but one thing she did not pass down was her cast iron skillet slick with a history of family feasts. Instead, I received my cast iron pan five years ago—a new Lodge pan, fresh with the factory seasoning. Even with a factory fresh seasoning, the surface never felt smooth; it always had a pebbly texture. I’ve worked with enough cast iron pans that I knew the pan was supposed to be slick enough to fry an egg.
May 3, 2019
A Smart and Frugal Way to Make Your Cast Iron Skillet Last Longer (With Just a Paper Towel)
The first time I cooked with my now-husband, I was surprised to learn he had a collection of cast iron pans in an array of sizes. What impressed me most wasn’t that he had a larger (and more well-seasoned) set of cast iron than me, but the smart way he stored his cast iron pans. Instead of simply nesting cast iron pans one inside another, metal on metal, he used a single paper towel to separate each piece of cookware to prevent friction.
May 3, 2019
What to Buy to Take Care of Your Instant Pot
They call it the Swiss Army Knife of the kitchen for a reason: The ultra-functional, ultra-fast Instant Pot boasts seven functions, so you can saute your veggies, steam your rice, and pressure cook your protein in one, fell swoop. Sounds easy, right? For the most part, it is. While the Instant Pot is attractive in large part for its convenience, using it—and caring for it—comes with a bit of a learning curve.
May 3, 2019
This $9 Kitchen Tool is a MoMA-Approved Design Icon
If you’ve been to the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in midtown Manhattan, you’ve probably marveled at its permanent collection, which includes some of the most iconic and immediately recognizable works, ever — there’s the melting clocks of Salvador Dalí’s The Persistence of Memory, the soft-focus pastels of Claude Monet’s massive Water Lilies triptych, and everyone’s go-to poster from their freshman year, Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night.
May 3, 2019
5 Storage & Design Hacks Every Stand Mixer Owner Should Know
A stand mixer is a staple of many home cooks’ kitchens—and it can also be an amazing focal point. It’s sculptural! It’s industrial! It comes in so many different colors! On the flip side, a stand mixer can be big and bulky and presents a fair share of other problems you might not have anticipated before you decided to spring for one. But don’t fret—there’s probably a hack for whatever it is that’s ruining your stand mixer state of bliss.
May 3, 2019
This Site Will Help You Restock Your Kitchen Tool Drawer for Just $30
Those little tools, utensils, and gadgets in your kitchen drawer somehow add up to quite a large sum of money. Ten bucks on a pizza cutter here, 12 on a grater there… before you know it, you’re spending hundreds of dollars stocking (or restocking) a single drawer. Luckily, some companies—like Brandless and Tobox—are hoping to help you change that, selling all sorts of kitchen gear for just $3 a pop.
May 3, 2019
13 Classic Kitchen Staples We’re Buying at IKEA for Under $10
The only thing better than a stylish kitchen utensil is one that didn’t cost you an arm and a leg. Luckily, IKEA is brimming with inexpensive, Scandi-style kitchen essentials that probably cost less than your fancy morning coffee. From wine racks to colanders, here are 13 go-to kitchen wares at IKEA for under 10 bucks.
May 3, 2019
The Easy, Genius Way to Clean Your Cheese Grater
Freshly grated mozzarella (or any cheese!) is an amazing addition to all kinds of foods, but the process of grating it can be a pain. And we’re not just talking about the actual work of running it across the grater over and over again—without, hopefully, cutting your fingers!—but also the actual cleanup. That soft, fatty cheese can get stuck inside the grater’s holes and you can tear up your sponge (or really injure yourself!) trying to get it clean.
May 3, 2019
Your Knife Block Is Full of Mold—Here’s How to Clean It
Here’s the thing about knife blocks: We don’t really recommend them. They can dull the blades of your knives as you drag them in and out of their holders, they’re often sold as an expensive set with knives that you really don’t need, and they can harbor some serious mold (and maybe even bacteria) in those dark, hard-to-reach slots.
May 3, 2019
This Quick Trick Will Tell You If Your Cutting Board Is Too Small (It’s a Big Problem)
For all the talk around wood versus plastic, there’s very little talk about the SIZE of cutting boards. And this is one case where size really does matter. One of the biggest mistakes we see time and time again? People opting for cutting boards that are too small. A too-small cutting board is not only awkward to use, but it can also be unsafe! We’ve all done it before: You’ve pulled out a little guy, thinking you just have to mince some garlic.
May 3, 2019
Affordable Quality: 9 Top-Rated Blenders Under $200
A good rule of thumb for home purchases is the following: if you use something regularly (at least weekly, especially if it’s daily!), you should always buy quality. A dirt-cheap blender (or even one that you might have “borrowed” from your parent’s garage) is almost guaranteed to leave you frustrated with leaky pitchers and clumpy drinks. Say “No more!
Apr 30, 2019
The One Thing That Finally Got Me Excited About the Instant Pot
It finally happened—I am obsessed with my Instant Pot. In the past four days I’ve made six dishes in it, and I can’t stop. I’m about to pressure cook everything in the house that isn’t nailed down. I admit that I was a late adopter to the Instant Pot. I got one a few months ago and made rice and lentil soup. Honestly, it just wasn’t super exciting (dear reader, is lentil soup ever that exciting?).
Oct 7, 2018
How I Finally Broke my Ziplock Bag Habit
We all have our home vices, don’t we? Taryn, our Lifestyle Editor, for instance, went on a “Green Clean” journey to reduce her dependance on paper towels last year — a move that made me take a good hard look at my own wasteful practices in and around my home. I’m pretty good about remembering to bring my reusable bags to the grocery store (and when I forget, I always try to return the plastic bags to the recycling bin at my local Publix on the next trip).
Feb 24, 2018
The Alien-Looking Tool that Makes Me Really Happy in the Kitchen
Last spring when my mother was in town, she offered to help me make an epic month-long supply of freezer meals. While preparing for the task, I came across a recommendation for a kitchen tool that I’d never seen or heard of before. Now they make me happy every time I have an occasion to use them. They’re so delightfully handy, I’ve even given them as gifts.
Nov 15, 2017
This New Company Wants to Bring You the Cleanest Water Ever
Just how clean is your drinking water, even after you put it through that Brita? According to one new German company with lofty goals to innovate water purification and provide safe, healthy drinking water to everyone, everywhere, even our filtered water hides some very dirty truths — and if the gif from their Kickstarter is to be believed, grody to the max, man.
Nov 11, 2017
Today’s the Day to Get an Electric Tea Kettle
If you’re a tea lover, then you already know the importance of investing in a quality kettle. Although old-school stovetop versions are widely available and inexpensive, digital tea kettles—a.k.a ones that warm up electronically via a built-in heated base—are usually smarter investments in the long run.
Oct 11, 2017
The Best Under $30 Buys From Amazon For Your Kitchen
Struggling with a not-so-stylish kitchen? Have a space you love, but want to tap attractive products to round it out aesthetically? Whichever situation you relate to most, sprucing up your counters and cabinets with goods that will make your kitchen look and operate better is a winning strategy (especially when any piece item is super affordable).
Sep 28, 2017
Meet My Two Favorite Lunch Buddies: Prepd and Monbento
Lunch monotony is real and we know it all too well. You were excited to have prepped a lunch the night before, but those leftovers look kind of sad and boring now that noon is rolling around and your stomach is grumbling. Today I’ve got two bento boxes that are total lunch gamechangers: Prepd Pack and Monbento. They’re super functional (compact, wash easily, no leaks) and super cute.
Sep 23, 2017
5 Breakfast Machines for the Most Important Meal of the Day
Do you love breakfast? If you’re looking for ways to get creative with the most important meal of the day, here are five appliances that rank from cool and useful to niche and wacky that you can actually buy to build a better (or more complicated) breakfast. Don’t want to leave your toast to chance? Get this clear sided toaster to keep an eye on the progress of your slice. The slot is wide enough for bagels and long enough for slices of non-standard sized loaves.
Mar 28, 2017
The Kitchen Gadget That Sold Me on Kitchen Gadgets
I love gadgets, but not usually in the kitchen. Kitchen gadgets are often fads that come and go. Everything I find, however, comes with a good recommendation and this one came from a friend in LA, who emailed me with this crazy happy recommendation: “Maxwell! This thing is so exciting to use and it makes chopping so fun. I use mine almost every day.” Was she being paid to tell me this? Turns out, no — she genuinely loves this thing. So I got one and checked it out.
Feb 23, 2017
What Do Those Microwave Settings Actually Do?
We can install our own surround sound and hack wires to do what we need, but somehow, the microwave still eludes us. Yes, our microwave has a “beverage” button. No, we don’t know exactly what it does. Instead of living life in the dark, we wanted to find out exactly what all those crazy microwave settings are designed to do.If you’re equally confused by your own microwave, the first step is going to be reading the manual.
Sep 29, 2010
Avoid These 8 Common Dishwasher Mistakes
Life lessons happen less frequently as you get older. After years of getting to know the ins and outs of the world, you find you’re a pro at life—navigating your once-foreign city with ease and troubleshooting the office coffee maker. Yeah, yeah. But you’re probably still loading the dishwasher wrong. Sorry. Don’t feel bad. There’s a reason these are 8 common dishwasher mistakes.
Sep 8, 2010
Is This Normal? Standing Water Left in the Dishwasher
One of our tips for “How to Know When to Replace Your Dishwasher” was to check that your dishwasher is draining properly by looking out for water leftover after it runs a cycle. But the truth is, not all standing water is a bad sign. After a few awesome commenters asked about their own water woes, we’re here to help set the record straight.How much water should there be?Anywhere around 1 cup of water leftover after a cycle is normal.
Sep 3, 2010
Help! My Microwave Turntable Won’t Spin
Repairs are expensive. New microwaves are cheap. But you don’t have to spend a dime on either. If your microwave turntable stopped spinning, here’s an easy way to try and fix it. And all you need is some warm, soapy water and your own two hands.You don’t have to be an appliance expert to troubleshoot a seemingly broken microwave turntable. You might find that all your little Zappy needs is a checkup and a good, thorough cleaning.
Aug 25, 2010
Fancying Up Your Dishwasher With Cabinet Fronts
Some of the expensive dishwashers have these great fronts that seem to blend into the rest of the cabinetry. While if you have the money, you can get yourself one of these, we found found that hacking your own dishwasher a lot cheaper, since the only things you need to buy are some cabinet fronts.You can use any kind of cabinet fronts that you like, but they need to match your current kitchen cabinets. Once you’ve chosen those, it’s time to start hacking!
Jul 20, 2010
Maxwell's Fantastic Find: Lunch Boxes Roundup
Maxwell's Fantastic Find: Lunch Boxes Roundup
Jun 6, 2024
Maxwell's Daily Find: Zyliss Food Chopper
Maxwell's Daily Find: Zyliss Food Chopper
Jun 6, 2024
7 Things You Should Be Recycling
7 Things You Should Be Recycling
Jan 5, 2018