Miya Company Donabe Casserole Earth Green
If you’re serious about cooking the best rice you can, it’s worthwhile owning a proper rice cooker. There’s convenience to an electric cooker, but we much prefer the remarkably moist, fluffy grains of rice produced by clay donabe-style rice cookers. Clay heats evenly and maintains steady heat for uniform cooking, slowly heating the food to coax out flavor while maintaining moisture. This donabe—made in Japan’s Kansai region by fifth-generation donabe makers—has a lovely rustic design and emerald-green glaze. It’s a single-lid style, which is thinner and lighter than the double-lidded version, and holds about 4 cups of rice. We love how once it’s seasoned that this donabe is virtually nonstick and also how its lovely look can easily take you from stove to table.
Ito Shoten Tamari
Tamari, the liquid byproduct that results from pressing miso, is so much more than gluten-free soy sauce (a common misconception among American cooks). The distinct tamari from Ito Shoten—based in the Aichi Prefecture, a region of Japan known for deeply rich, uncommonly dark miso—is so complex it’s no wonder it has been likened to a wine. Aged in cedar barrels that are over 100 years old, Ito Shoten’s tamari develops a dark, almost inky color, as well as a wine-like depth and body. Its heady, malty aroma promises plenty of meaty savoriness, as well as caramel notes, deep umami and a lively salinity. This tamari is one to treasure: use it raw in small quantities to finish dishes where its flavor will shine, almost like a soy extract rather than a condiment. Its complexities get lost when it’s cooked into a sauce or dish.
JIA Inc. 3-Piece Steamer Set
Most steamers are either too large, too cheaply-made, or, in the case of the old-fashioned metal steamer inserts, too awkward to use. I bought this steamer set a year ago and have fallen in love with it.
The pot is a glazed fireproof ceramic that can sit directly on a burner. The steamer basket is made from cedar and the sieve base is made from terracotta to absorb excess moisture. You can use this steamer set in the oven or microwave as well. Both well-made and beautiful, we offer personal, large and extra large sizes, depending on your needs!
Dao Vua Leaf Spring Small Cleaver
It’s no secret we love cleavers in all their many forms. The tall blade and bit of weight behind the blade makes chopping most anything easy, and its height means it’s perfect for scooping up prepped foods to transfer to the skillet or mixing bowl. And cleavers are safer than a European-style chef’s knife: fingers remain shielded behind all that steel. At 200mm (roughly 7.8 inches), the Dao Vua is slightly smaller and lighter than a typical Chinese cleaver, though it packs some weight to enhance the chopping experience. It’s excellent for working through piles of vegetables for soups and stews, or chopping up chicken for a stir-fry. It’s a sturdy blade for taking on most anything. We love the rustic charm of Dao Vua’s handles and finish work. These aren’t perfect, showing the marks of the blacksmith on the blade. The darkened finish is a traditional approach to protecting the steel from oxidation. And its subtly nonstick too, meaning foods won’t cling once sliced.
NOTE: Because of the handmade nature of the knives, expect imperfections and texture on each blade’s surface. We think it enhances the character and uniqueness of each knife. The exposed portion of the cutting surface is susceptible to moisture and acid and will develop a patina over time. The knives should not be left wet and should be wiped down after slicing acidic foods. To minimize coloring, they can be treated with camellia oil and cleaned with a rust eraser.
We strongly recommend buying the camellia oil with this knife.
Aux Co. Moritsuke Tong
Roughly translating to “the Japanese art of presenting food,” moritsuke is a beloved tradition and delicate art. It’s a fitting name for Aux Co. Ltd’s Moritsuke Tongs, which are precise like kitchen tweezers, but still sturdy, making them the perfect multiuse tool for anything from frying to plating to serving. Sleek, with a long handle and slight offset angle, these tongs are great for twirling pasta, flipping over food in a pan, deep-frying and tossing salads. The cupped head of the tongs is ideal for picking up food without crushing it and is also strong enough to pick up heavier ingredients, like meatballs, and place them on a nest of spaghetti. Plus, the narrow head of the tongs come together to a fine point, allowing for precision and ease while plating, even for smaller ingredients like thinly sliced pieces of meat. And when they’re not in use, they can be flipped upside down to keep any food residue off your table.
Boska Pizza and Cheese Rocker
Perfect for thick-crust pizzas, focaccia and aged cheese, we love the Boska Pizza and Cheese Rocker. After testing six different pizza slicers to find our favorite, we found this one excelled in cutting through even the thickest pizzas. Its uniquely designed shape features a long, slightly curved blade that cuts on the first swipe and doesn’t require much elbow grease. The nonstick cutter also features two comfortable oak handles, one on each side so you can keep your hands far from the sharp blade and still get extra leverage when cutting. Best of all? It’s not just made for pizza. This rocker also can tackle aged cheeses like cheddar, Parmesan or Gouda.
Bona Furtuna Erbe di Sicilia
Bona Furtuna’s Erbe di Sicilia is a fragrant combination of rosemary, thyme, oregano and mint—all cultivated in sun-dappled Sicily by a master botanist on the family’s organic farm. The aromatic notes of rosemary and thyme pair gently with earthy oregano and sweet mint, flexible flavors that complement chicken, white fish, pork and vegetables, just as well as soups, stews, flatbreads and dips like whipped feta. Though just a few basic ingredients, the freshness of each herb really sets this blend apart from others like it.
Breka Bread Box with Removable Lid in European Walnut
Please allow 3-5 business days for this item to ship
sMade from stunning European hardwood by a family-run company in Slovenia, this clever Bread Box takes up little space on the counter and keeps your loaf fresher for longer. Designed to fend off moisture and pests, bread boxes are one of the best ways to make a loaf last, but they’re often a bulky eyesore in the kitchen. Breka’s, however, is equipped with a fold-down removable lid that doubles as a cutting board, which has deep grooves to catch crumbs and makes serving easy. Its well-designed construction is as useful as it is beautiful.
Atelier Miyabi Tenugui — Set of 2
Nearly ubiquitous in Japanese households, tenugui are decorated, all-purpose cloths analogous to the western bandana. They can be used for everything from washcloths, dishtowels and oven mitts to food storage–perfect as an all-in-one sandwich wrapper and napkin. You can even use tenugui as wrapping paper, a head wrap or handkerchief. Consider them a sustainable alternative to reaching for paper towels to clean up a spill or wrapping up leftovers instead of plastic wrap. And these ones from Atelier Miyabi are 100% cotton, so they dry quick and soften with every wash. Set of two available in blue or red.
Espelt Garnatxa Red Wine Vinegar
Made from 100 percent black grenache—or “garnatxa” in Catalan—grapes, this red wine vinegar from winemakers Espelt Viticultors has more depth and character than other vinegars we’ve tried. Because it’s made with a single varietal of grape, it gets more dimension than vinegars made from blends, as well as a balanced acidity. This one has a real sense of place: the rocky, minerally terroir and salty sea spray that make beautiful wines on the northeastern coast of Spain also flavor this rich, lush vinegar. Thanks to a 12-month aging process in French oak barrels, the tangy vinegar boasts notes of blackberry, vanilla and licorice on the nose, finishing with a toasted, plummy sweetness.
triangle Tools Serrated Pie Knife
Slice your pie and serve it, too, with this Serrated Pie Knife from triangle Tools. This sleek, stainless steel server features one smooth edge and one serrated edge, so you can cut into soft cakes or pie crust with equal ease. After cutting, the pie knife’s flat 7-inch blade slides easily under slices to pull them out cleanly. Their tools are made in Solingen, a German city known for high-quality cutlery. The handle is made from a sturdy polymer, hand-finished and completed with rivets for secure attachment.
Guelaguetza Designs Multicolor Otomi Table Runner
Handcrafted by artisans in Hidalgo, Mexico, this stunning table runner is embroidered with colorful flowers and birds. This style of embroidery has been passed down for generations among women, and each piece takes weeks to complete, finished with care and skill.
Suncraft Senzo Bunka Knife
Suncraft’s Senzo Pro bunka, made in Seki City, Japan, not only looks gorgeous but is a joy to use. At 6.5 inches long, the compact, nimble blade is hand-forged from laminated high-carbon SG2 steel—an alloy forged from a powdered base blend of ingredients balanced for durability, corrosion resistance and edge retention—which means an ultra-durable blade that needs minimal honing and maintenance. The blade edge is subtly curved tip to butt for intuitive, comfortable slicing and the tip makes quick work of mincing onions, shallots and garlic. It’s small enough to use for prep work, like peeling garlic or trimming mushrooms, but is long enough for slicing proteins and dicing big onions or thick carrots. And a finely pointed tip is just right for trimming meats and skinning fruit. The blade is finished with an oversized Pakka wood handle for a secure grip, as well as a mosaic pin—a tell-tale marker of a handmade, premium knife.
Vermicular Musui-Kamado
The Musui-Kamado induction cooker is downright revolutionary—unlike anything we’ve seen before. It consists of a Musui cast-iron Dutch oven-style pot that is inserted into the Kamado, which is a precise induction heater that cooks from the bottom and sides. Even without the Kamado, the Musui is exceptional. Its name means “waterless” because the lid fits so tightly that little to no liquid is required, so food cooks in its own juices and concentrates flavor for restaurant-quality meals with very little effort. And it’s about half the weight of other enameled cast-iron Dutch ovens.
But when you insert it into the Kamado, that’s what’s really impressive. It was designed to mimic the enveloping heat of a traditional Japanese wood-burning stove, heating on all sides up to 445℉. The Musui-Kamado’s precise temperature controls means you can roast meat or make yogurt, sous vide or ferment. But it’s at its best for methods we use at Milk Street all the time, including braising with little to no added water, searing then steaming vegetables, and low-temperature roasting.
Ridges on the base of the Musui create space between the heat source and ingredients to help prevent the bottom from burning, and the tight-fitting lid was designed to be lighter at the front so it gently floats to vent pressure instead of boiling over. Both the lid and pot are equipped with ergonomic handles for a secure, comfortable grip when transferring the pot from stove to oven or from kitchen to table.
A user-friendly LED touch panel helps you click the right temperature for whatever you’re making, including in 1-degree increments between 90℉ and 200℉ for proofing, fermenting or making yogurt. Available in charcoal, sea salt and matte black.
La Chamba 5 Quart Flat Casserole with Lid
Made of black clay, a typical medium for traditional Colombian pottery, this lidded 5-quart casserole works beautifully for rice dishes, casseroles or seafood stews. Each dish benefits from a low, wide, flat baking dish and the steam-capturing lid. La Chamba’s casserole dishes are still made the traditional way, by families in central Colombia who practice their craft on the banks of the Magdalena River. This striking black baker transitions easily from kitchen to table; the unglazed clay has a light, sophisticated sheen and the casserole will retain heat long after coming off of the heat, thanks to the naturally occurring mica in the clay. As each piece is handmade by Colombian artisans, slight imperfections in form or finish are to be expected, including the fit of the lid to the casserole. It is appropriate for the oven or microwave, but despite being incredibly sturdy and long-lasting, black clay pieces should be heated slowly, as they can’t withstand drastic changes in temperature.
Guelaguetza Designs Large Oval Platter
Handcrafted exclusively for Milk Street by potters in Puebla, this glazed ceramic platter is painted in the distinctive Talavera style, whose intricate designs evolved from Spanish artisans who arrived in the 16th century. Each platter is unique, with slightly different brush strokes and sizes. Perfect for serving your main course while entertaining or as centerpiece on your table when not in use.
Vermicular Musui
Vermicular’s enameled cast iron Musui takes Dutch oven cooking to the next level. Its name, which is Japanese for “waterless,” refers to the lid’s exceptionally tight fit thanks to hand-machining the edges of the pot and lid to less than 0.01 milimeter of variance. The resulting seal locks in so much moisture that no liquid is required to cook most foods, which concentrates the natural flavors of the ingredients. Three layers of heat-resistant enameled coating made from a proprietary glass composition distribute the heat evenly and self basting rings on the lid redistribute moisture onto the food. Ridges on the base create space between the heat source and ingredients to help prevent the bottom from burning, and the Musui’s lid was designed to be lighter at the front so it gently floats to vent pressure instead of boiling over. Both the lid and pot are equipped with ergonomic handles for a secure, comfortable grip when transferring the pot from stove to oven or from kitchen to table. Use on its own to steam-roast vegetables, cook rice, soups, stews, braises and more. Or, insert with the Vermicular Kamado for precision cooking. Available in black, charcoal or sea salt.
JIA Inc. Persona Teacups — Set of 4
The teacups in JIA's four-piece Persona set are modeled after gaiwan, lidded vessels for loose-leaf tea that can be used both for steeping and serving. The pieces fit neatly together and are designed to be used together for drinking, with the lid holding back leaves as you sip. When you're not using it to cover the cup, rest the lid upside down, with its handle functioning as a base. This keeps the inside of the lid clean and, much like a saucer, the concave interior prevents moisture from dripping onto tabletops. In classic Chinese fashion, the teacups are made of fine, translucent porcelain, which is exceptionally strong despite its thin construction. A different texture on each teacup in the set shows off the delicate material through four different patterns: checkered, dotted, spiral and striped.
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