Forget winter, what's really coming is a new Oreo. No, we're not talking about the holiday-themed Easter Egg oval-shaped ones, nor the recent king-size cookies and creme Oreo candy bars. These are something darker, cooler, maybe a bit more menacing, and definitely way more mysterious: Game of Thrones Oreos.
If you like craft fairs and sweet homemade pieces — like bespoke pottery, screen-printed tea towels, and hand-cast cement coasters — then you need to shop on Amazon more. Not really the place you'd think of when it comes to handmade goods, right? You probably hit up Amazon for cases of La Croix, trash bags, cookbooks, small appliances, and other kitchen items and then head to Etsy for the cutesy stuff?
What you might not have realized is that Amazon has a very Etsy-like shop called Amazon Handmade. In fact, a lot of Etsy makers are also on Amazon Handmade, where you can sometimes get free Prime shipping — and there's a whole section dedicated to artisans who make wares for the kitchen and dining room.
Keep reading to check out some of our favorite finds.
If you told me a few years ago that Martha Stewart was involved with hemp, I'd probably assume you meant that she was crafting macrame plant hangers. Well my friends, the year is 2019, and Martha Stewart is now an advisor to Canopy Growth, one of the leading cannabis companies in North America.
In the official announcement, the company revealed that Martha plans to help co-create a line of hemp-based cannabidol-infused (CBD) pet products, aimed at improving holistic health. Martha used to be an expert on weeding— does this now mean that she is an expert on weed?
Upon first thought, you might not think of Ina Garten as a model for meal prep. After all, if I had to describe her hallmark cooking style, I would say "effortless with endless amounts of time for leisurely cooking." But it turns out that if you're looking for brilliantly basic meals that are oh-so-rewarding, her recipes are just the ones to make during a meal prep session.
This Power Hour plan takes about two hours from start to finish, and will give you a week of breakfasts, lunches, and dinners for two. The recipes follow basic meal prep principals, with Ina-level results.
Ever wonder where you can meet the happiest, healthiest people in America? Turns out there's actually a way to find out without traveling to every single state yourself: The polling firm Gallup recently released its annual "Well-Being Index," a survey of around 115,000 people, which determined where the most contented people in the country reside.
The survey, which Gallup has conducted since 2008, calculates a state's overall well-being based on a set of five criteria: physical (overall health), social (supportive relationships), careers (job enjoyment), financial (economic security), and community (pride in the place you live).
When it comes to online shopping, you might think that Amazon is an unstoppable force. But it now looks like the Goliath of one-stop-shopping online retailers has some serious competition: Costco. Recently, Americans named the iconic members-only bulk-buying megastore their favorite place to shop online (to be honest, we're not all that surprised).
It's a little meta, but cleaning your cleaning tools is an important part of keeping your homemaking life humming.
For example, imagine how your bathroom-cleaning momentum would come to a screeching halt if you discovered you were out of your favorite tub and tile cleaner. And you won't be so amped to handle the living room once you realize that your usually-trusty vacuum is struggling to suck, and the brush is being taken over by a swarm of hair.
When it comes to the vacuum, this $5 tool—smaller than the average pen—saves the day: a seam ripper. (And if you're one of those people who finds satisfaction in cleaning hair balls out of a drain, this vacuum maintenance task will be fun for you, too.)
Those cans of chickpeas sitting in your cupboard have been hiding an amazing secret. Roasted in the oven, chickpeas transform into a crispy, salty, savory snack. So tiny. So easy to eat by the handful. So irresistible. This is dangerous knowledge.
If you haven't yet been introduced to this snack, please allow me to do the honors. Here is our step-by-step recipe for roasting chickpeas in the oven.
Perfectly styled open shelving? Check. Pristine marble countertops? Double check. Alright, all those thumb-stopping kitchens you've bookmarked on Instagram might not be exactly attainable for mere mortals, except ... are they? Maybe not the whole kit and caboodle (sorry), but look a little closer and I promise there are some valuable, usable lessons for real-life spaces once you look past the dollar signs floating across your eyeballs.
Hold on to your Instant Pots, folks, because you're about to be inspired. These are the best kitchens I've seen on Instagram and what you can learn from each one.
Around the World in 30 Soups: This month we're collaborating with chefs, cookbook authors, and our own Kitchn crew to share a globetrotting adventure in soups from countries and cuisines around the world. Today's stop: Ecuador.
Emma, one of our original food editors, translated this soup for us from traditions found throughout much of South America. This uniquely comforting soup contains flavors and flourishes most commonly found in Ecuador.
This South American soup holds many good and tasty things, from the tender pieces of potato to sweet nibbles of fresh corn. But the best part might just be the cheese. Queso fresco to be exact, which doesn't fully melt, but rather softens into chewy morsels in the warmth of the milky broth.
Amazon has a lot of flash sales on big-ticket items like Vitamix blenders and Instant Pots, but sometimes it can be nice to take advantage of big sales on smaller things, too. If your kitchen tool arsenal needs an upgrade, today is your day. Until midnight P.T., Amazon is offering as much as 41 percent off a variety of smart, useful tools. They include both everyday essentials as well as more niche finds that will nevertheless make your life a whole lot easier. See all the sale items here, and some of our favorites below.
If you question, for a second, just how in-demand the vegan mozzarella from Trader Joe's is, think again. It is highly coveted; so much so that every trip I took to TJ's for two weeks straight, I encountered an empty slot in the cheese section where the vegan shreds would normally be stocked. Beside the gaping hole was a hand-written sign: Coming back soon!
Eventually, we were able to snag a few bags and try it for ourselves. (By the end of my mission, the crew members at my local store had probably hung a "Wanted: Cheese Shred Stalker" poster with my mugshot on it back in the stock room.)
Thirty minutes seems to be the magic number when it comes to a dinner we can pull together and still feel good about. It leaves room for prep, cooking, and some cleanup if you approach the whole effort with some smart multitasking.
These recipes fall under the umbrella of things that can be made in 30 minutes (and some of them you can make in even less time). Even more, they are made exclusively on the stovetop — a boon for those nights when you'd rather stick to the stove. This batch of recipes relies on methods that specifically lend themselves to this kind of cooking, so you'll find a handful of wok recipes, fast and fancy pantry pastas, and quick-simmered soups.
I am one of the very few people in the world who wasn't a huge fan of the Instant Pot at first. I actually sold mine and wrote a post all about it. I received a lot of backlash in the post's comments and even got some hate mail sent directly to me. I did expect it, though. I know that most people love their Instant Pots — I just didn't. (I explain why I didn't like it in that other post.) However, I'm writing this now to let you know that I'VE BEEN WON OVER!
By the cute, little 3-quart Instant Pot Duo Plus, which people rarely seem to talk about. For the most part, people focus on the 6-quart Instant Pot (in any model). This very site suggests that the 6-quart is the best size for most home cooks.
Me? I'm now totally obsessed with the smaller version. Here's why.
One of the most valuable things I learned during a round of Whole30 is to seek out the foods and recipes you want to eat, and then find a way to make them Whole30-compliant. For me, herb-flecked Italian meatballs were at the top of the list. As it turns out, making a grain-free, dairy-free version is surprisingly easy, and they're just as irresistibly tender and delicious as the classic.
Served over a pile of zucchini noodles, roasted veggies, or sautéed greens, they're sure to satisfy a craving for a saucy Italian-style dinner. Trust me — you'll never even miss the spaghetti.
Vinegar is one of those wonder ingredients people love to use all over the kitchen to do everything from descaling coffee makers to getting grime and rust off of small appliances. But even with so many applications, it's important to remember that it's a relatively strong acid, and that not all finishes and materials can handle it. While you might not notice a catastrophic change if, say, a little bit of your vinegar-based all-purpose cleaner lands on these surfaces, beware of using it regularly.
Here are seven things you should never clean with vinegar.
Kitchn's Delicious Links column highlights recipes we're excited about from the bloggers we love. Follow along every weekday as we post our favorites.
If you've ever had a late-winter head cold so bad that your teeth hurt, you know chicken soup doesn't cut it. Go for soup when you want something brothy and light, but when you have sinus pressure and a ravenous appetite, consider chili instead. This white bean chicken chili is hearty enough to stick to your ribs and spicy enough to clear out your sinuses, and if you start with a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, the whole thing will be in your bowl within 30 minutes.
Making a good bolognese sauce is a real labor of love. Sure, you could just add some ground beef to a tomato sauce and call it good (and heck, we often do!), but there's a certain irresistible silkiness and a deep, meaty flavor that can really only come from all-day cooking. This is a dish that takes a humble package of ground beef and turns it into something worthy of the finest dinner party. Bolognese is that good.
If you remember, back in September we announced KitchenAid's special Misty Blue stand mixer in honor of the brand's 100th birthday. (For a refresher, see: We Got An Early Sneak Peek of KitchenAid's Prettiest Mixer Yet.) The pale blue color was meant to feel vintage-y and pay homage to the past. Well, now the brand just announced a new limited-edition color that's meant to look forward to the next 100 years.
Any guesses to what it might be? It's ...
Would it surprise you to know that there's a storage container with a very passionate fan base? Well, if you've been ignoring our pleas to ditch your wimpy plastic storage containers for the greener and arguably more versatile glass variety, Amazon is currently offering a great deal on five large premium glass containers. And based on the reviews, people really love them.
Hummus is the ultimate healthy snack: Chickpeas are packed with fiber and protein, and accompanied by a platter of crunchy veggies for dipping, you're really getting double the nutritional value. Basically, if you're looking to replace chips and salsa with a snack that actually benefits your body, you need to grab some hummus.
There's just one problem: Chickpeas can be a little boring (sorry), even with the addition of salt, olive oil, and a dash of lemon juice (double sorry). Lately there has been some pushback against flavored hummus (and dessert hummus really is a bridge too far) but I do understand the impulse to spice up this simple snack. That's why Trader Joe's buffalo hummus sounds so appealing: It's a familiar flavor that goes great on our favorite junk foods (hello, chicken wings!) and might make it just a little easier to stomach eating healthy.
Instant Pots make a huge difference in the cooking life of many Americans, with the super-speedy pressure-cooking options and the one-pot abilities to brown and cook stews. Whole genres of cooking and food blogging have been devoted to the multi-cooker in the years since the kitchen appliance arrived on American shores. But now, reports Gear Patrol, a kitchen appliance company called Gourmia is offering a competitor that one-ups the famous pot, called the CoolCooker MultiCooker.
America has never really been accused of being the most health-conscious of countries. What with most of our national foods including red meat, thick cheese, and heaps of condiments (yummy), we might be the most boisterous, perhaps the loudest country on earth, but most assuredly not the healthiest.
That's why when a popular magazine released its healthiest countries list, I had to brace myself for what place the United States found itself. But who was at the top of the heap of healthy countries came as a pleasant surprise.
Welcome to Kitchn's series Kitchn Crush, where we highlight some of the coolest, most inspiring people in food you need to know about right now.
Vallery Lomas would like to reintroduce herself.
The lawyer-turned-baker-turned-blogger from New York City is the winner of the third season of The Great American Baking Show — but you wouldn't know that because her season never aired. Back in December 2017, her season was cancelled after the premiere, when sexual harassment allegations emerged against one of the season's celebrity judges, Johnny Iuzzini. Immediately following the scandal, all evidence of her victory was effectively scrubbed from ABC's archives, aside from a one-minute-and-thirty-second-long highlight reel.
Vallery hasn't put down her whisk just yet, though. We got a chance to chat with her to talk about why she's still baking, blogging, and betting on herself.
Welcome to Snapshot Cooking, the home of Kitchn's easiest recipes. These mini recipes are so simple you can practically cook from the before-and-after snapshot itself.
It's hard to argue with the convenience of a slow cooker. It does the work for you while you go about your business, and you're rewarded with dinner without even trying. Yet, as wonderful as it is, the slow cooker rut is real — especially when you make the same chili or pulled pork over and over again.
That's when a little inspiration goes a long way. We always find that Trader Joe's carries the spark we need to jazz up our slow cooker routine. These five mini recipes call for a few TJ's ingredients that, when brought together in a slow cooker, make for ingenious — and delicious — dinners.
The lunchtime sandwich may be as American as the flag itself, but let's face it: Slapping the same smears onto bread — day after day, week after week — can leave kids and parents a little bored.
Here are 10 ideas for sandwich-free lunches that take cues from home and abroad. Test drive them all with your little eaters (or yourself!) to find new, interesting lunch box variations that keep everyone's appetites healthy. To pick which one you should start with, play our video recipe roulette. Simply hit pause whenever you like and let the universe choose for you.
Around the World in 30 Soups: This month we're collaborating with chefs, cookbook authors, and our own Kitchn crew to share a globetrotting adventure in soups from countries and cuisines around the world. Today's stop: Japan.
Say hello to your newest cold-weather best friend: Miso soup is that salty, savory broth, dotted with green scallions and silky tofu, served at most Japanese restaurants before the sushi trays arrive. Making it at home is one of the simplest and most satisfying ways to treat yourself during the frigid winter months.
At home you can also customize the soup to your liking, explains Sonoko Sakai, author of the upcoming cookbook, Japanese Home Cooking: Simple Meals, Authentic Flavors. She recommends branching out from the traditional wakame, tofu, and scallion trio often found in restaurants.
"My husband loves broccoli in his miso soup, and I love kabocha squash and onions," says Sakai. "If you're vegan, kombu shiitake and dried shiitake mushrooms make a flavorful dashi. You can make a cold brew dashi by just soaking the two ingredients overnight."
Here's how to make miso soup in just a few easy steps.
Kitchn's Delicious Links column highlights recipes we're excited about from the bloggers we love. Follow along every weekday as we post our favorites.
One great thing about cooking chicken is that it's basically a blank canvas for all your experimentation with new flavor combinations. This recipe for cheesy baked BBQ chicken exemplifies that idea: At first, you might be skeptical that cheese and barbecue sauce go together, but against all odds it works. And when you think about it, it's actually just a bread-free version of buffalo chicken pizza. Plus, you can easily customize it to fit your tastes.
Figuring out a way to get your home designed by the Joanna Gaines herself is tricky. Emulating her style is about as close as you can get these days, and honestly, it's not as easy as it looks on "Fixer Upper." Unless you have a warehouse filled with vintage treasures, your own line at Target, or a partner in crime like Chip to do your demo. It's tough to strike that perfect "Farmhouse Modern" chord without making some mistakes along the way. Luckily, fixing them is as simple as asking, "What would Jo do?"
If you've shopped for dinner plates at all recently, you might have experienced some serious sticker shock. Some plates can cost, say, $52 each. EACH! We assume that everyone would rather get four plates for that price, we decided to round up some of the most beautiful ceramic plates — for $13 a piece or less.
Each of these look like they would have cost you a small fortune. And they're all dishwasher-safe, which is really what counts when it comes to good-looking dinnerware.
It might not feel like it, but spring is indeed just around the corner — and new collections are starting to roll in. Target's Hearth & Hand with Magnolia brand is a reliable source for simply designed (but always pretty) farmhouse-friendly decor, and their latest collection doesn't disappoint. While there are offerings for every space, the most standout items can be found in their kitchen goods such as flatware and linens. Check out our favorite picks for a spring refresh below, and browse the entire collection here.
Our kitchens are where we can find some of the most expensive things in our homes. Appliances, cabinets, countertops — these things ring in at serious prices. But sometimes, it can be the (relatively) smallest purchases that have the biggest impact. When my husband and I renovated our kitchen last fall, out of all the expenditures (and there were some doozies!) the thing that had the most life-improvement per dollar spent was a hundred-dollar organizer for our pots and pans.
It took me a long time to come around to cottage cheese (I'm talking like 30+ years!). And while I'm not totally there with eating it as is from the container, I am 110% on board with using it in everything from high-protein pancakes and omelets to fancy toast and creamy casseroles. I've learned that it's a quick way to get a boost of protein, lighten up otherwise super-rich classics, and make dishes creamier.
Ree Drummond knows how to feed a crowd. She's always got cowboys, ranch hands, kids, friends, and surprise guests rolling through the lodge, not to mention the lines of people who snake around the block just for a bite to eat at The Mercantile. It's old (cowboy) hat to her!
And what better way to fill all those hungry bellies in the middle of a Pawhuska winter than a giant pot of steaming-hot soup? Ree is definitely on to something. Here are 10 of our favorite Pioneer Woman soup recipes to make at home. Leftovers for the win.
Sick days at home with kids require a lot of energy — both the mental kind required of parents trying to balance working from home and playing another episode of Paw Patrol and getting another glass of water, but also for whoever is fending off sickness.
Feeding sick kiddos is also a balance of making something tasty (especially if appetites are low) and also nourishing and hydrating to help with recovery. These 10 soups, pastas, and smoothies are easy to make, flavorful, and soul-soothing too.
Spot-cleaning kitchen cabinets after spills and drips is easy enough, but finding a process and product that removes the grime and grease from many a meal preparation takes patience and a little bit of label research (especially if you are tackling a painted surface).
I tested four cabinet cleaners — two spray formulas, a plant-based product, and a traditional oil soap — to find out which product would clean my kitchen cabinets best. Here's what I discovered, and how you can clean greasy cabinets at home.
When you're just having a "day" and that balanced dinner you were planning won't do, let these Flamin' Hot Tots come to the rescue. In my opinion, sometimes the best way to cheer yourself up is to cook something just for the fun of it.
These tots fit the bill. They're quirky and playful, which is reason enough to keep a bag of frozen tater tots on hand at all times. Inspired by fiery Cheetos, they're spicy, savory, and totally irresistible — especially when you serve them with a good-sized bowl of queso for dipping.
Kitchn's Delicious Links column highlights recipes we're excited about from the bloggers we love. Follow along every weekday as we post our favorites.
I always get excited whenever I see a slow cooker full of miniature meatballs at a party. Next to deviled eggs, they're some of the most versatile party hors d'oeuvres you can serve. You can sauce them with any kind of flavors — sweet, salty, savory, spicy, or all of the above — and they're small enough for people who just want a bite, but substantial enough for anyone who skipped dinner.
Slow cooker meatballs are even a pretty good dinner on their own. Just add some vegetables to a recipe like this one for honey-chipotle chicken meatballs, and you have an easy weeknight dinner that will bubble away in the slow cooker for hours, without your having to chop or dice even a single ingredient.
When I get a craving for meatballs, I have a very specific meatball in mind: They're completely tender all the way through without even a hint of toughness. They're big enough to require a fork, but modest enough to justify several on the plate. Maybe some onions and fresh herbs mixed in. Nothing fancy. Totally old-school.
Yes, this is a recipe for those very meatballs. More than a recipe — I'm walking you through each step, from mixing the meat (use your hands!) to shaping the meatballs to cooking them to perfection. I know what I'm having for dinner tonight. Do you?
Dutch ovens can get pretty pricey — especially the ones from iconic brands like Le Creuset and Staub. While many people dream about having a complete set that'll rival a display at Williams Sonoma, it's just not practical without a bottomless bank account. And that's okay! Because you really can get by with just one — as long as you're smart when you shop for it.
If you're only going to have one Dutch oven, here's how big (and what shape) it should be.
Before the big reveal, go ahead and take a guess.
A sponge? Nice try, but nope.
Paper towels? Not very green. But also, nah.
Or what about surface-cleaning spray? Eh, not really!
Everyone loves pizza; this is an indisputable fact. But pizza is not exactly the most health-conscious food, and I'd wager there are probably a lot of people out there desperate for a diet-friendly alternative. Luckily Trader Joe's has a new gluten-free, egg-free broccoli and kale pizza crust in its freezer aisle. I recently decided to try it out for myself and, for the most part, the hype is earned: It's super customizable, vegetable-forward, and will satisfy your pizza craving.
One of my favorite treats in the world is strawberry yogurt — the French kind with the little pieces of fruit in it. Because of its unique texture and ability to go bad in a snap, freshness is always on my mind when eating it. I often even have a person double check it (yes, really) to make sure it's not expired even though the expiration date is days, sometimes even weeks from the day I'm eating it. I guess you could call me a expiration date skeptic.
Turns out my polar opposite has been living in the same county as me all this time, and he just completed an experiment: eating "expired" food for a year.
When I was growing up, my dad had a few dinners he'd rotate through: There was spaghetti, Hamburger Helper stroganoff, baked breaded chicken cutlets, and meatloaf (lots and lots of meatloaf). Honestly, I can't really remember a week when there wasn't meatloaf.
While I loved it as a kid, I eventually got pretty tired of it. When I moved out and started cooking for myself, I bid goodbye to meatloaf nights. It's always held a nostalgic place in my heart, though, so when I was given the task of cooking four popular celebrity meatloaf recipes (Ina Garten's, Ree Drummond's, Paula Deen's, and Chrissy Teigen's), I was totally up for reliving my childhood. All told, there were some clear hits and misses — here's how I ranked them, from worst to best.
In news that will surprise nobody who follows the grocery industry closely (which, let's be honest, may be just me), Whole Foods announced that it is going to completely kill off its 365 brand of stores. You may remember that the smaller shops were designed to be a lower-priced Trader Joe's competitor aimed at younger, more dollar-conscious shoppers. You might also remember that Whole Foods kicked off this year by announcing they would no longer open any new locations of the brand. Now, reports Yahoo! Finance, they are converting all of the existing 365 stores into standard Whole Foods stores.
Around the World in 30 Soups: This month we're collaborating with chefs, cookbook authors, and our own Kitchn crew to share a globetrotting adventure in soups from countries and cuisines around the world. Today's stop: Germany.
There are beer soups and cheese soups in Germany and also some soups thickened with bread, so I kept that in mind and tried to create something of my own. A fall and winter dish that we've served at our restaurant for years, this soup always sells like crazy. With beer, Emmentaler cheese, and rye bread together in one warming, satisfying bowl, I imagined it as something you would get in some Alpine tavern or something — maybe after skiing or other winter activities.
It's important to use a malty dark lager, like Spaten Optimator, for this soup, as hoppier beers will turn it bitter. Accompany the soup with freshly baked bread or soft pretzels.
—Jeremy and Jessica Nolen, authors of New German Cooking: Recipes for Classics Revisited
While I didn't always love spicy food, I very much love it now. So when I saw Chrissy Teigen's meatloaf recipe titled as "spicy," I was immediately into it. Most meatloaf recipes are simple, savory affairs, but hers calls for a mix of hot Italian sausage and ground beef, so I was intrigued.
My gut told me it was going to be great — adding sausage would bring a whole lot more flavor. I took to the kitchen feeling pretty hopeful, but unfortunately things didn't turn out quite like I wanted them to. Here's how testing Chrissy's meatloaf went.
Kitchn's Delicious Links column highlights recipes we're excited about from the bloggers we love. Follow along every weekday as we post our favorites.
Pub food like cheesy fries, chicken wings, and mozzarella sticks are a constant temptation, but as delicious as these snacks might be, they're not exactly the healthiest option. That's why I love this recipe for garlic butter steak bites and fries from Damn Delicious: It's a less greasy version of the crowd-pleasing pub meal that you can easily make at home.
