Milk Street Közmatik
This Turkish tool is the secret to perfect char-roasted vegetables, especially if you don’t have a grill or fire pit. The disk fits perfectly over the grate of a gas grill or the burner of a gas stove, so no more painstakingly monitoring vegetables under the broiler or accidentally setting them on fire. The design lets heat circulate evenly around the vegetables, so you are truly roasting, rather than searing (as you would on a skillet). The holes in the közmatik are spaced close enough to hold even small veggies, so there’s no struggle to keep a bulbous eggplant steady or keep slender spring onions from falling into the fire or rolling off. It’s also less messy than trying to char directly on the burner: The közmatik catches nearly all of the bits of charred vegetable skin and juices that would otherwise leak onto the surface of the stove; and, once cooled, it can be thrown in the dishwasher for easy cleanup. Virtually impossible to track down in the U.S., this tool is essential for achieving luscious roasted eggplant and smoky-sweet roasted peppers.
Christopher Kimball for Henckels International 7-Inch Chef's Knife
Our chef's knife blade is 7 inches, not 8. It weighs a bit over 6 ounces, not 10. It has a deeper blade, a huge advantage that makes it easier to rest the flat side of the blade against the knuckles while slicing, which substantially improves comfort and safety. The heel of the blade is scalloped, which means there is room to bring up your fingers for a good grip on the blade for close-up work. It also feels like a knife that you can handle, which won't get away from you like a 20-inch chainsaw or a 12-cylinder sports car. It has enough power to do the job, but it's not overwhelming. The knife also features comfortable, midsize polymer handles and tough high-carbon stainless steel that will hold an edge and resist rust. (To preserve the blade’s edge, we strongly recommend hand washing and drying.) It is constructed from German stainless steel with a forged one-piece design and triple-rivets in the handle. — Christopher Kimball
moHA! Ginger Grater
The moHA! ginger grater has blades that are arranged in all directions for steady grating, as opposed to a one-directional rasp grater. But like with a wand-style rasp grater, moHA!'s cutting surface is made of sharp and durable precision-cut stainless steel. When you rotate the device, an integrated cleaning arm sweeps in a circular motion to scrape shavings off the blade, so all of the grated food ends up in your recipe, not stuck in crevices. A small compartment catches food shavings, for less mess and easier measuring; plus, the concave sides are comfortable to hold and allow you to keep a firm grip on the grater during use. The moHA! Ginger Grater has pieces that detach easily for cleaning, but the device stays together during use. When you're done using it, simply disassemble and toss it in the dishwasher.
Milk Street: Fast & Slow
The New Home Cooking comes to the Instant Pot! Milk Street Fast and Slow shows you how to make the most of your multicooker, with a host of one-pot recipes that show how to prepare the same dish two ways. For the quickest meals, use the pressure cooker setting to cut down on cooking time. Or if you prefer the flexibility of a slow cooker, you can start your cooking hours ahead. Our 304-page cookbook contains more than 125 recipes all shown in full color, and more than half the recipes can be made either fast or using the slow-cooker option on your Instant Pot.
Make great pasta in an Instant Pot, including Two-Cheese Pasta with Cauliflower and Pasta all’Amatriciana. We also have vegetables and side dishes, like Whole Steamed Cauliflower and Mashed Yukon Gold Potatoes. Classic meat dishes with a long simmer or braise become quick and easy, from Chili Con Carne to Korean Braised Short Ribs; similarly, upgrade chicken dishes like Chicken Paprikash and Georgian Chicken Stew. Or make beans from scratch, such as homemade Hummus or Black Beans with Bacon and Tequila. We also teach you how to quick-cook rice, bulgur, lentils, oatmeal, polenta, and risotto in the Instant Pot.
Christopher Kimball by Regal Ware 8-inch Premium Stainless Steel Skillet
Our five-ply cookware has three layers of aluminum sandwiched between two layers of nonreactive stainless steel. The aluminum core heats evenly and retains that heat well, eliminating hot spots, while the magnetic stainless steel exterior makes this premium cookware ideal for any cooking surface, including induction cooktops. The skillet's heavy-duty construction also ensures that it won't warp over time, unlike thin metal pans that become raised in the center. And the rounded, oven-safe handle feels comfortable and well-balanced in the hand, even when handling a full pan of food; plus, the handle's hollow core is lightweight and stays cool during stovetop cooking. We use an 8-inch skillet for a wide range of kitchen tasks from toasting nuts and spices, to breakfast duty, to omelets, to smaller jobs such as steak for one.
Milk Street Palmpress Portable One-Cup Coffee Press
Il Colle Del Gusto Arachidella Peanut Spread
Not to be confused with your run-of-the-mill peanut butter, Il Colle del Gusto’s Arachidella Peanut Spread is decadently sweet—elevating the beloved taste of the childhood favorite with the molasses-y depth of caramelized brown sugar. Petite flecks of candied peanut add a toffee-like crunch to every spoonful, while a silken base of extra-virgin olive oil yields a luscious, caramel-like texture. And as we learned from the ever-popular “Nutella,” the Italian suffix “ella” is tacked onto a word to show affection, so there’s no question why it’s used in the name of this divine spread.
Milk Street Garlic Confit
The worst recipe ingredient is, “4 cloves garlic, minced.” You know that it is going to be hard to do, it will make a mess, and you will end up with garlic all over your cutting board and knife. Jarred supermarket garlics are, well, awful! They often taste bitter and harsh or lack flavor altogether. Our solution to this problem is to create a garlic confit—mellow but full-flavored and enhanced with a few nice touches, including bay leaves, Aleppo pepper, ghee, olive oil and a hint of lemon. You will never have to mince garlic again!
Milk Street Pickled Red Onions
Like flaky salt or a squeeze of lemon, pickled red onions are one of those essential hip-pocket ingredients that will make a dish pop. They’ve got the right combination of piquancy and sweetness to elevate and sharpen flavors and an addictive crunch to keep a dish engaging start to finish. But after being dissatisfied with the versions we found on the market, we decided to make our own. Milk Street’s Pickled Red Onions are the perfect balance of tart, sweet, spicy, with rich onion flavor. The addition of coriander, allspice and árbol chili adds a great depth to the mixture, while the fresh crunch adds bright texture—other versions we tried were mostly mush. Use as an all-purpose accent for almost any dish, from tacos to curries to salads.
