Serving

Look sharp with this fish knife.

Good tools are a necessity in the kitchen. They save time, heartache, and money in the long run. A good knife, in particular, can really make or break your food preparation--which, in turn, can determine whether your meal inspires or falls flat.

When it comes to serving, I often choose form over function. But knives? Forget it. I don't care how much a knife costs; I care how well it cuts. For slicing tomatoes and cucumbers for Israeli salad, for example, I use the world's cheapest knives, purchased in a four-pack in Israel years ago. But sometimes, you … Read more

Patio furniture for eating in the pool

Summer is officially here and that brings with it one thing for sure: heat. From time to time we cover outdoor grills and other alfresco food-related entertaining. A dining table for the backyard is still a dining table after all. Considering the heat is just getting started, I am drawn to this Swimming Pool Bistro Set from Hammacher Schlemmer.

Designed to be submerged in the shallow end of your pool, the patio furniture set seems to me long overdue. Tiny perforations are docked in the table and chairs, allowing water to get in and submerge the set. If used properly … Read more

Drink up with reusable hemp tea bags

When you start looking for ways to conserve and cut down on waste, you can find them in almost every corner. Take tea bags, for example. Even if you've mastered the "reuse it before you toss it" trick, you're still throwing away every tea bag you use.

Now, you could toss the tea bags in your compost crock, but if you're using bags with staples in them, you've got to remove the staples first. And not all bags are made from compostable material. And that string, and the plastic coating on the paper tag--there'… Read more

Good things come in threes

Sometimes one meal at a time isn't enough. I don't necessarily mean overeating; rather, I speak here of flavor. The Spanish concept of tapas or small plates is appealing to me: lots of different flavors and foods during one meal. In a single setting you can have fish, fowl, beast, and everything in-between. It's a great idea for those among us who enjoy sampling different bites during a meal. Sometimes however, we know what we want in general, but perhaps not in the specific.

Like Neapolitan ice cream, this Triple-Channel Lasagna Pan covers all bases. It's … Read more

Reusable lunch kits for kids

Ah, school lunches. Brown bags, zip-top baggies, paper napkins, plastic water bottles--not the most environmentally friendly solution. And thankfully, companies are starting to realize that, and come up with innovative ideas. Like the Kids Konserve Waste-Free Lunch Kit, an eco-friendly yet stylish lunch bag that includes stainless steel containers, reusable sandwich wraps and cloth napkins--all made from the safest, nonleaching, bisphenol-A-free (BPA), lead-free, and phthalate-free materials.

The lunch kit comes with a stainless-steel beverage bottle you can fill with water or juice, 2 8-ounce stainless-steel containers with leakproof plastic lids, a reusable baggie for sandwiches, a cloth napkin, and a … Read more

The amazing shrinking salad spinner

Salad spinners are great. Before I discovered that they existed, I would do as many others and wash my lettuce and then pat it dry. Problem is, it never seemed to really ever get dry. The lettuce, not being perfectly flat, always managed to hide moisture in some nook or cranny. After tearing the lettuce into bite size pieces and adding the dressing, the result was all too often a salad that on occasion even tasted watery. All that changed when somebody gave me a salad spinner. Problem solved. No more watery lettuce. Then I couldn't find a proper … Read more

Glassware that's green in more ways than one

The first time I walked into a West Elm store, I knew I would fall in love with it. The company focuses on organic housewares, both in design aesthetic and in the materials they use, and I got a good feeling when I looked around at the natural bamboo furniture and painted branches.

It's this kind of mindful design that is growing increasingly popular, as our concern for the planet waxes and our tastes for expensive luxuries from synthetic material correspondingly wanes. But the pieces that end up in stores like West Elm are no less beautiful than those … Read more

Green lunchbox does double duty

Like many of my colleagues, I pack my lunch when I go to work. One thing that has always bothered me is the number of plastic bags that go to waste as a result. I try to reuse them as many times as possible, but I can't help but be bothered when I throw them away because I know that they'll end up in a landfill or in the ocean. What's worse is that the plastic utensils my work provides are just as bad at biodegrading as these plastic bags are. As of late, I'd like … Read more

Funky flatware for your table

I host meals in my home at least twice a month, and usually more often than that. And because I am competitive by nature, I am constantly trying to, well, show off a little with my table settings, recipes, presentation, and so on. A girl's gotta have a creative outlet, right?

Until recently, I didn't own "good" silverware. I have multiple sets from Target (my kitchen is kosher, so I have separate sets for meat and dairy), but nothing fancy.

And then, one day, I decided that I would buy myself silverware that I love. And … Read more

Age-old cookware for the modern cook

I am a huge fan of saving time and energy in the kitchen. Why wash a pot and a serving dish if I don't have to? But serving directly from pots and pans doesn't always have that look of understated elegance I'm striving for.

Clearly, this is an age-old dilemma. Back in the Stone Age, apparently soapstone was the go-to material for cookware. No, really. The Internet said so, so it must be true. Anyway, soapstone is a prime cookware choice because it heats evenly, doesn't alter flavor or react to acids, keeps food warm, and … Read more