Brod & Taylor Sourdough Home
Temperature is a key component to maintaining a healthy sourdough starter, affecting both the flavor and overall structure of your loaves. However, it’s easier said than done to stay on top of daily changes: A fluctuating room temperature or too cold fridge often forces bakers to adjust ratios and frequencies when feeding to keep their starter alive. Enter Brod and Taylor’s Sourdough Home, the compact storage system designed with adjustable heating and cooling so you can keep your starter at the perfect temperature. Featuring degree by degree set points from 41–122 degrees Fahrenheit, the Sourdough home can fit a single quart jar or two smaller jars seamlessly. Simply set your temperature and feed your starter on your own schedule. More advanced bakers can even adjust the temperature when desired to play around with flavor profile, aroma and texture.
Suncraft Namiba Monster Japanese Bread Knife (17.7-Inch)
Long, ultra-thin and flexible, the Suncraft Monster Bread Knife, made in Seki City, Japan, is a game-changer for your largest slicing jobs. Crafted from durable stainless steel and lightweight, sturdy polypropylene, this knife weighs in at only 6 ounces, so you get all the force and efficiency without tiring out your arm. The sharp, micro—serrations, coupled with the sheer length of the blade (a whopping 17.7 inches), make it easy to tackle just about any job—from massive loaves of bread and sheet cakes to barbecue ribs. It’s no wonder professional bakeries and chefs rely on it for clean slicing every day. Available in two sizes.
Miyabi Koh 8-Inch Chef's Knife
Meticulously made in Seki City, a renowned knife-making area of Japan, the Miyabi KOH 8-Inch Chef’s Knife is a thoughtful version of a classic chef’s knife. It’s crafted from advanced FC61 fine carbide stainless steel, which provides excellent corrosion and chip resistance so it stays sharper, longer. Plus, its mirror-polished blade is hand-honed using a traditional Japanese process that ensures a scalpel-like precision. The octagonal pakka wood handle is complete with a rounded spine and heel for a more comfortable grip and is stamped with a silver mosaic pin.
The chef’s knife is a classic all-rounder, a workhorse in the kitchen that’s perfect for everyday cooking tasks. Try it for dicing and mincing vegetables and herbs, slicing meat or fish, chopping nuts, fruit or chocolate and any other task.
FryAway Cooking Oil Solidifier
The worst part about frying at home? What to do with fry oil afterwards. Pouring it down the sink can stop up your drain (and contributes to fatbergs), while pouring it out in the garbage can make for a stinky, sloppy mess. Enter FryAway Cooking Oil Solidifier. Made from a proprietary mixture of plant-based fats, these sustainable flakes are the easiest solution to a quick and mess-free cleanup after frying. Simply add flakes into your hot oil, stir to dissolve and allow to solidify. Once solid, scoop and throw away directly into your garbage or compost. Problem solved!
Victoria Cast-Iron Mini Skillet
Clocking in at just 1.2 pounds, this mini skillet from Victoria, made from high-quality cast iron, is designed for your smallest jobs. Cast iron is prized for its ability to heat up evenly and retain heat. The pan is seasoned with a coat of Kosher-certified, non-GMO flaxseed oil, made with zero synthetic chemicals. Like all cast iron, this saucepan will grow more nonstick with use and time.
Use this skillet for serving, cooking, baking, grilling and oven-to-table recipes, as it works on most heating surfaces—including induction, ceramic, grills, ovens, gas stoves, under the broiler and even in a campfire. We like it for making eggs and baking cheeses, like feta and Brie, but it’s also excellent for broiling small items. (Arguably, our favorite use is for single-serve skillet cookies and mini desserts.) Made in Colombia by a family-owned company.
GIR Ultimate Whisk
Balloon whisks, the classic bulb-shaped wire whisk every kitchen needs, are not all alike—some are heavy and tiring to use over long periods of whisking, while others are flimsy and inefficient. We tested seven models to find the best one, and the GIR Whisk won by a landslide. It’s built for all-purpose mixing: to combine dry ingredients, remove lumps from batters, mixtures and sauces and incorporate air into whipped cream and egg whites. Made from 12 high-quality stainless steel wires, the whisk’s head is designed to optimize wire tension and spacing to create the best foam and aeration. This is balanced by a handle made from platinum-cured, pharmaceutical-grade silicone, which is safer than food-grade silicone and more resistant to wear-and-tear. It’s solid enough to grip comfortably, while staying light enough to allow maximum vibration (without wearing out your wrist). The whisk is modestly sized, clocking in at just over 11 inches tip to end, but offers plenty of whipping power—as much as some of the larger, commercial-kitchen-sized products we tried.
Like all GIR products, the ultimate whisk is stain-, odor-, and microbe-resistant plus it heat-resistant up to dishwasher-safe.
Milk Street Digital Class: A Taste of Southern Thai with Pailin Chongchitnant
If you think Pad Thai is all there is to Thai cuisine, have we got news for you. Guest chef Pailin Chongchitnant, who was born and raised in Thailand, has at least 100 Thai recipes you should know, all of them featured in her new book, “Sabai.” We spend this pre-recorded Zoom livestream class learning about two of them, starting with the basics. You’ll learn about the two types of red curry paste commonly used in Thai cooking: gaeng kua is the most adaptable and doesn’t use dry spices, while gaeng ped is spiked with coriander and cumin. With Pai’s guidance, you’ll make a batch of the former, since it can so easily be transformed into numerous other curries, and learn how to portion and freeze it for later use. With our curry paste in hand, we turn to a dish that exemplifies simple luxury in southern Thailand: Turmeric Crab Curry. You’ve never met a dish that comes together so quickly but sings with so much flavor. Earthy turmeric, umami-rich fish sauce, rich coconut milk and fragrant black peppercorns make it a dish you’ll turn to again and again, especially since you can easily swap in other proteins. Finally, you’ll make one of the most refreshing side dishes you can imagine. Creamy tofu topped with a Thai herb salad is refreshing, light and flavorful—and just happens to be vegan. Join us to be transported to Thailand.
