An all-over-the-place assortment of stood-behind products culled from this very website that appear in the October 23 issue of New York Magazine.
Best in Class
When writer Elissa Suh asked professional chefs, food writers, and recipe developers about the best can openers, many people mentioned the obvious choice here, the always-reliable OXO. (A couple of electric options that made the list proved to be no more effective than a manual device and a lot more expensive.) But a sleeper manual hit emerged, apparently a longtime chef ’s favorite: the Korin Ganji Kankiri. Jeremy King, chef and owner of Little King, has found over the years that his kitchen staff love this no-nonsense can opener, which more closely resembles an objet d’art. It has an incredibly sharp blade and gets the job done much faster than other models, according to Wizard Hat Pizza’s Josiah Bartlett, who has been using it for five years. It’s one of the rare models that works for left-handed users with no awkwardness, can pull double duty as a bottle opener, and has a bright-burnt-orange color that makes it impossible to lose in a busy drawer. Baker Natasha Pickowicz perhaps gave it the best endorsement: “It works 100 percent of the time.”
Celebrity Shopping
“I walk every day from my house to Le Bernardin through Central Park or on the streets, rain or shine — and I have this knapsack on me always. In the small front pocket, I put my keys, my headset, my glasses, some tissues, whatever. And the bigger one, I put files in or have room if I buy something. I like that there’s no label whatsoever.”
“For my company, Bounty & Full, I grow all of my herbs and roots to manufacture my skin-care products and seasonings — everything from peppers and tomatoes to ashwagandha and fruit. The full gamut. And I can’t live without a tractor on the farm. It makes really long and arduous tasks, like plowing, planting, and fertilizing, into very easy jobs.”
“Some mascaras that I’ve used in the past wouldn’t wear super-well, or when you go to wash them off, they pill and they’re all over your face. But this Tower 28 mascara is so buildable. It looks like I’ve applied lashes after I use it. It’s an easy cleanup. I also love the packaging — I’m a sucker for some good packaging.”
Please Advise
In his latest column, Chris Black helped one reader find alternatives to the classic North Face.
“These guys have been at it since 1971, and it shows: 100 percent nylon with down filling, it will keep you warm for years — and every teenager in Soho vaping won’t be wearing the same one when temperatures dip.”
“I have this one in my cart as we speak. I love the material (waterproof, tearproof nylon), and the green is a nice respite from the usual black outerwear.”
“This is an excellent alternative to the North Face, Patagonia, and Arc’teryx. It comes in several colors, will keep you warm, and feels appropriate for most situations in the city or traversing the outdoors.”
“I own this one, and it works.
It is austere and logo free, which makes it feel timeless. It’s technical and functional and super-warm. Size up: The Veilance collection tends to be slim.”
Our Shopping Cart
I first heard of the Dik-Dik a few years ago, but it was always sold out. This year, I got my own just in time for the cooler weather. I find these days my neck gets a lot colder in winter, and I feel more susceptible to drafts, but I don’t necessarily want to wear a turtleneck all day or deal with a scarf. I like that the Dik-Dik is compact and a little weird and subversive. I also plan on knitting myself a wool turtleneck dickey this season. —Winnie Yang
Ask a Cool Person
Below, a few of the lesser-known varieties that made our list.
Mama Teav’s is a garlic-chile crunch with a consistency similar to the classic and beloved chile crisp Lao Gan Ma but spicier and without fermented beans. “It’s actually really big crispy chunks of garlic and peppers,” recipe developer Chloe Walsh says, “and the overall ratio of crisp to oil is perfect.”
Verde is a serrano-pepper-based sauce that includes cilantro, fennel, and onion, and it’s a favorite of recipe developer and newsletter author Caroline Chambers’s. It’s not too hot with a bright, herbal taste. And as for the texture, she says, it’s “substantial enough to really use as a sauce, not just a topping.”
Recipe developer and private chef Jane Morgan grew up using Crystal Hot Sauce and to this day still “drenches things in it,” she says, including to finish off a big pot of beans. “There’s a tanginess so that it doesn’t just feel immediately hot on your tongue,” she adds.
“You know when you get oysters and there is hot sauce, mignonette, lemon, horseradish?” says Walsh. “This sort of combines those all into one.” Because of the high vinegar content in this sauce, she likes it for all fish and seafood.
Assistant Files
We spoke to Jules Peres, who’s the assistant to Alida Boer, founder of hair-care brand Nolé. Throughout the year, Peres handles typical assistant tasks, but when October rolls around, she helps her boss with her holiday-gifting spreadsheet. Boer tells Peres what she wants to give each person based on their interests, and they’ll make a note of new or favorite brands in the category. Peres then cross-references the document with the previous year’s to make sure there aren’t any repeats, starts sourcing products, and texts Boer links for approval. The same process applies for baby showers and birthdays. Here, a few gifts that made the cut last year.
“There was so much Tata Harper being gift-wrapped in our office last Christmas that Alida could have opened her own spa,” Peres says. She ordered more than two dozen items for Boer’s family because Boer prefers to gift an entire routine.
When it comes to baby showers, Boer’s go-to gift for new moms is the Solly Baby Wrap, which she used with her own children. “It’s functional and really comfortable, and it keeps the baby happy because they’re so close to the mother’s chest,” Peres says. Peres has purchased at least six for Boer.
Jungmaven tees are a staple in Boer’s wardrobe for their “perfect vintage feel” and price point — they “don’t cost an arm and a leg despite being made of hemp,” says Peres, who now owns around six herself. Boer had Peres buy at least a dozen for her mom and sisters when they visited from Guatemala for Christmas.
This Thing’s Incredible
When my kids started preschool, dinner suddenly felt like I was on Top Chef, except the judges were small, unreasonable, and wanted only dino nuggets. A couple of years into this struggle, when my kids were 3 and 5, I was indulging in one of my favorite pastimes (Googling “picky eating ideas kids”), and I stumbled on these dinner plates. They offer a Candy Land–like path for different foods and a dessert prize at the end. Not only did they work, but they even got them to sit at the table for longer than two minutes.
The sections are small, so they didn’t overwhelm my selective eaters, and the separate sections didn’t violate the first rule of the picky-kid eating club: You do not eat different food items that touch. I learned to mix in foods I knew my kids would eat (like watermelon and bits of chicken) with just a few unfamiliar items (like edamame and leftover noodles). I also realized that burying the new items in the middle of the plate worked best. If I was going to get my preschooler to try kale, he first required an amuse-bouche of fish-shaped crackers. It’s been six years since I found these, and my kids (9 and 11 now) still ask for the path plates for lunch. —Julie Vick
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