At a Glance

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Cobaā€™s Coffee- and Tea-Infused Chocolate Bars

These little bars pack a perk-up punch when you need it. Pitched as a trail-ready alternative to brewed coffee or tea, I find the espresso and chai flavors particularly enjoyable in lieu of an afternoon coffee-al-desko. Each Ā½ ounce bar of infused white chocolate contains about the same caffeine as a cup of coffee, and the mind-sharpening boost kicks in without the jitters.

TipTop Proper Cocktailsā€™ Whiskey Box and Gin Box

Hosting a motley crew this Christmas, where half the party is Cali sober and the other half is more, ahem, old fashioned? Look no further than TipTopā€™s boxes of cocktails, organized by base spirit and delivered in giftable 18-packs, plenty to host a happy hour or keep a home bar stocked with options. We give bonus points for their pocket-sized cans, perfect for chairlift nips.

Spicewalla 18-Pack Kitchen Essentials

Founded by James Beard Award-winning Asheville chef Meherwan Irani, Spicewallaā€™s collection of foundational seasonings include great-quality kitchen workhorses like dried and ground chiles, crushed herbs, and baking spices. The variety of flavors are sealed inside small stay-fresh tins that stack neatly in a cabinet or bounce merrily in a backpack without spilling.

Yeti 6-oz. Stackable Mugs

The cutest tea party Iā€™ve ever attended involved two toddlers, a chilly afternoon outside, and these mini Yeti mugs perfect for little hands. Theyā€™ve become my go-to gift for the under-5 crowd. And while the tea at that particular party was lukewarm, the mugsā€”like all of Yetiā€™sā€“are just as effective at keeping small pours of grown-up beverages ripping hot (like espresso) or bracingly cold (like martinis). Just donā€™t forget to ā€œCheers!ā€

Meater Pro Duo

Our favorite meat thermometer is now twice as nice with the introduction of MEATERā€™s Pro Duo. The rechargeable WiFi-enabled base connects two super accurate probes to an app that keeps you informed about everything thatā€™s cooking. Simultaneously use one on the grill and the other in the oven for a seamless and perfectly executed holiday meal.

New West Knifeworks 7ā€ Teton Edge Santoku

New West is possibly the best knife manufacturer in America, and their 7ā€ santoku knife serves as my go-to for making dinner every night. Its Goldilocks size and chef-knife-oomph makes it the perfect tool for almost every job. The handles come in nine color options to match your kitchen (or personality), and the Teton range etched into the blade provides both form and function. Razor sharp out of the box, New Westā€™s knives come with free personalization and lifetime free sharpening. This is the knife Iā€™ve told a dozen friends to register for their wedding or give as a milestone gift, and now Iā€™m telling you, too.

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Everyone loves a backyard barbecue, but what if you donā€™t have a backyard? Not long ago, I ditched my house for a second-floor apartment. While I donā€™t miss mowing the lawn, the absence of convenient outdoor cooking hurts, as smoking and grilling have been huge fixtures of my year-round lifestyle, especially since beginning three book collaborations with barbecue master Aaron Franklin. Franklin Smoke,Ģżour third book, explored the intersection of grilling and smokingā€”my favorite way to cook. Once I lost my backyard, I had to find a grill that I could store in a closet and easily take outside when needed.

The portable grill market offers a wide range of models, but most of them excel at only one of two things: being easily transportable or grilling food well. The ($695)Ģżappears to be an exception, as it combines true portability and high-level grilling performance with versatility as a smoker. I discovered the Nomad last year via a hypnotic and mouth-watering from my friend, the great live-fire chef Adam Perry Lang, who was using it to sear piles of tomahawk ribeyes. The unique design caught my eye, and I spent the summer testing a loaner model of the grillā€™s latest iteration, which comes with twice as much ventilation as the first-generation model. With minimal setup and easy breakdown, I happily found that I could be up and cooking in minutes whether at my apartmentā€™s green space, a park picnic table, a truckā€™s tailgate, or a walk-in campsite.

The Nomad Grill and Smokerā€™s Brilliant Design

The Nomad may be the sleekest-looking piece of barbecue equipment ever created. It looks like something Q Division might have designed for James Bond, but every detail has a function, and no aspect is gratuitous. The more you use it, the deeper your appreciation gets.

The Nomad is shaped like a large briefcase or what used to be called a valise (before humanity woke up and put rollers on luggage). Its oversized plastic handle provides a comfortable and spacious grip. At 28 pounds, the Nomad is not something youā€™d want to schlep on a long trail, but for a short trip from hatchback to campsite, itā€™s compact and ideal.

The caseā€™s exterior is made of perforated anodized aluminum, which gives it a polished industrial look but also provides toughness and airflow, as the exterior is really a shell for the grill inside. Two durable plastic briefcase-like clasps (that stay cool during use) unsnap to open the unit. When opened and laid flat, each half of the shell houses a heavy, die-cast aluminum box that will contain the fiery hot charcoal.

Together, the thick aluminum interior and shell allow for enough heat dissipation that the Nomadā€™s outer surface stays cool during useā€”enough so that you can set it on surfaces like picnic tables without fear of setting them ablaze.

Classic Charcoal Grilling

It takes two seconds to open the Nomad, and then itā€™s ready to go. The manufacturer sells proprietary high-quality charcoal made from Thai fruitwood and some fire-starter tumbleweeds, but any type of charcoal works. Whatever charcoal you use, I recommend starting it in a chimney, which is faster and easier than any other method.

The Nomad comes with a grill grate that covers one of the two sides when the box is open. Ordering another separately will let you double the area of grill surface (and add an extra threeĢżpounds to the total package). The grate itself is unique and speaks to the quality of the manufacturerā€™s workmanship and design. Made from rigid, cast stainless steel, its slightly convex shape (for structural integrity and coal clearance) features a honeycomb pattern that successfully prevents almost anything from falling through. For ingredients with a propensity to rollā€”sausages, asparagusā€”just turn the grate over and let it be a shallow basket. Cleverly, the grate is also magnetized, snapping satisfyingly into place and remaining there without rattling even when the Nomad is collapsed and on the move.

Once you dump the hot coals and set the grate on top, it takes five to ten minutes for the grill surface to get hot enough to cook on. Manual vents on the ends of each side allow for control over airflow. Open them to whip up the flames, close them partially to dampen heat, and shut them fully to extinguish the coals when the Nomad is folded and locked.

As a grill alone, the Nomad excels. The short distance between coal bed and cooking surface maximizes the heat intensity, making it perfect for searing. Every time, achieving a deep, flavorful crust on steaks was a breeze. For thicker cuts, I constructed a two-zone fire, mounding the coals on one half of the grill while spreading them out loosely on the other for a more mellow roast. Of course, you can also close the Nomadā€™s top to create an interior cooking chamber, which allows another set of possibilities.

Able and Creative Smoking

The ability to instantly shut the suitcase lid and turn the Nomad into an oven or smoker is one of its best features. When closed, the Nomadā€™s built-in analog thermometer conveys the internal temperature, and the side vents to control airflow become ever more important. If you plan to close the lid to create oven-like conditions, definitely organize your grill in two zones to make room off the coals for your food to roast. The thermometer told me that after ten minutes I was hitting temperatures over 400 Fahrenheit when using a fair bit of charcoal, though it was easier to maintain temperatures in the 350-degree range.

In this mode, adding wood chunks or wood chips directly to the coals or on the grate above them will provide smoke. Then you can configure the vents to create draft: open the vent next to the coals while keeping the one above it closed and do the opposite on the other end. This pushes air directly to coals, which smolders the wood, while the open vent next to food pulls the smoke across and out.

Smoking any slow-cooking cut (think brisket, ribs, or pork shoulder) takes hours, and this is not where the Nomad shines. Its heat retention is good, but not in the same league as something like the Big Green Egg, thus youā€™ll need to replenish its coals fairly regularly, which is a bit of a pain considering you have to open it, set the meat aside, remove the hot grill, and add more hot charcoal thatā€™s been prepped in a chimney.

My best results came from deploying the Nomad as the hybrid it is: smoking for short durations to add a savory-smoky layer of flavor on top of the juicy tang of charcoal grilling. In practice, that meant smoking marinated chicken parts with the Nomad closed for 20 to 30 minutes, then opening it, ditching the wood chunk, and cooking directly over the coals to get that pungent char. It worked just as well in reverseā€”searing thick-cut pork chops over high-heat coals, then moving them to the unheated end of the grill, adding a wood chunk over the coals, and smoking them for 15 to 20 minutes until done.

The results were spectacular, everything youā€™d want from a hybrid smoker-grill: professional quality cooking dynamics, achieved with great ease and efficiency, and a level of portability never before seen in a product like this.

When youā€™re done cooking, simply fold up the Nomad, snap the latches shut, close the vents, and your coals will be extinguished in no time. Cleaning up after any grill is never funā€“no other word than filthy to describe ashes, grease, and char. The Nomad acquits itself well here too, though it is a bit unwieldy to turn over and dump. Nomadā€™s suggestion of using a shop vac to clean out the ashes is a good one. The rest cleans up well with a high-powered spray nozzle and maybe a little scrubbing if you want it to shine.

The only real downside of the Nomad is its price, listed on the website as $695. However, fans of both design and quality gear will recognize quality when they see it. And the Nomad is so brilliantly conceived, simple to use, and well-constructed, that it should not only function well for decades but also never go out of style.

The post Nomad Grill and Smoker Review: This Portable Grill Actually Brings the Heat appeared first on ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų Online.

The internet is . Most of the time I do a pretty good job of ignoring it, but when I stumbled upon a string of bizarre camp cooking tips, I became fascinated. Why are people eating leaves? Why are they filling empty beer cans with popcorn kernels? These hacks couldnā€™t possibly workā€”could they? After watching a number of viral videos, I decided to try a few of the more popular camp cooking hacks for myself.

I started the day with a bag of groceries, a , and an inordinate amount of hope. I ended it with two burned fingers, one burned tongue, and a lump of charcoal that had once been a pie crust. Hereā€™s what workedā€”and what absolutely didnā€™t.

Cook an Egg on the Bottom of a Beer Can

Rating: 2/10Ģż

On the internet, this trick looked pretty sleek: Cut a door into the side of an empty can, turn it upside down, build a fire inside with sticks and leaves, and cook an egg in the divot on the bottom. In real life, it didnā€™t work so well. For one thing, the tiny basin in the bottom of a beer can is not, in fact, big enough to hold an average egg. Despite using the utmost care in applying my egg to the back of the can, about half of it dribbled off the side and into my fire, putting it out. Restarting the fire was not easy. A beer canā€”even one with a window cut into the sideā€”does not permit sufficient oxygen flow to keep a fire going on its own. To preserve the flames, I had to spend a lot of time poking at it with a stick. Eight times out of ten, this poking caused my top-heavy cook system to topple over. And two times out of ten, I burned myself trying to set it upright again.

But burning the prints off your fingers isnā€™t the only risk youā€™ll endure while attempting this hack. Many beer cans are lined with an and then covered with artificial inks and dyes. Setting these on fireā€”and then eating an egg youā€™ve thoroughly smoked in the toxinsā€”probably isnā€™t the best for your health.

Cook Bacon on a Rock

Rating: 5/10

The internet seems fond of doing things in the worst way possible. For this trick, you first need to find a perfectly flat, smooth, clean rock on which to cook your breakfast. Thatā€™s pretty difficult to achieve in practice, especially once you learn that river rocks are off-limits (water trapped in the fissures can expand when heated, causing the rock to explode). After a half-hour of searching, I found a suitable rock, brushed it off the best I could, set it over my coals, and laid three strips of bacon over top. The bacon did indeed cook to a reasonable consistency, though I spent the rest of the morning picking bits of dirt and sand out of my teeth. In theory, itā€™s a cool bit of bushcraft; in practice, whatever time you gain by lightening your pack, youā€™ll lose that and more to searching for rocks. My recommendation: If youā€™re going to carry bacon, you might as well carry a pan too.

Batter a Leaf, Cook It on a Rock, and Eat It

Rating: 3/10

I donā€™t know why anyone would want to cover a leaf in Bisquick and eat it, but . So, I tried it. Because trees have no leaves in Colorado in early Marchā€”and I personally am loath to eat pine needles for breakfastā€”I used a piece of chard. I liberally covered the leaf in batter, then cooked each side on a hot rock for about three minutes. The result was a sort of crisp, beige chip, which looked nasty but actually tasted quite good. Still, I will not be doing this again any time soon; the next time I find myself with nothing but Bisquick and a hot rock, Iā€™m just making pancakes.

Cook Scrambled Eggs in a Bell Pepper

Rating: 9/10

Finally: The walls and top of the bell pepper provided enough insulation to keep my eggs from burning or drying out. The result was a fluffy, two-egg scrambleā€”no kitchenware required.

I started by whisking two eggs inside a hollowed-out pepper before replacing the pepperā€™s top to serve as a lid. I then placed the bundle in a nest of hot coals and set a large coal atop the lid to ensure even heating. By the end, the pepper itself was carbonized, having selflessly given its life to my pursuit of a mediocre camp quiche. But the eggs were perfectly adequate.

If you were determined to eat your pepper, you could theoretically wrap it in aluminum foil to protect it from charring. However, that makes it tough to peek under the lid to periodically check for doneness.

Bake an Apple Pie in a Tin Can

Rating: 5/10

This was . If I were to do this againā€”which I most certainly wonā€™tā€”I would start with a larger can. Second, Iā€™d warm up my pie crust before shaping it. My great-grandmother may roll over in her grave at that suggestion (traditionally, you want your crust as cold as possible before baking), but warming the dough is really the only way to get it malleable enough to squish into a can without tearing to bits. I used a store-bought crust and a premade apple pie filling, because I am a heathen. If you are the more enterprising sort, you are welcome to make your own.

I let my pie cook for about 15 minutes buried in coals. Judging by the unrecognizable black mass I ended up with, Iā€™d say this was too many minutes. Ten would probably be better, depending on the temperature of your coals. However, despite my best efforts, I still ended up with a pie that had a mostly edible interior, and the crust was clearly cooked all the way through.

Overall, I would say this sort of worked. If youā€™re desperate for campfire pie, though, youā€™re better off keeping it simple: Make an apple turnover, wrap it in tinfoil, and bake it in coals like a normal person.

Make Popcorn in a Beer Can

Rating: 2/10

If youā€™ve decided to carry beer into the backcountry, manifesting an empty can is very easy. So is stuffing kernels through the tiny hole in your vacated drinking vessel. However, as I watched the canā€™s label melt and disfigure in the flames, I couldnā€™t help but wonder about my future cancer risk. And , I discovered an even more terrible problem: Popped corn is too big to fit through the exit. To access my hard-earned snack, I had to split the can open with my giant survival knife.

The good news is that I finally have a use case for carrying around a 14-ounce knife. The bad news is that I donā€™t often trust myself to use it to cut metal after consuming a beer on an empty stomach. And even when I did (somehow managing to keep all 10 fingers attached), I discovered my popcorn badly burned. .

The post ā€‹ā€‹We Tested 6 Viral Camp-Cooking Hacks. Only One of Them Worked. appeared first on ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų Online.

It used to be that there were three kinds of pizza: the frozen variety, those that arrived via delivery, or pies ordered and eaten at a restaurant. A small sliver of the pizza-loving population made their own, but that was an anomaly.Ģż

But, now, with the proliferation of affordable pizza ovens, the average home cook can eschew the frozen pie and easily fire up an artisanal one.

Piggybacking on the sourdough starter craze, homemade pizza has become downright trendy. And I have jumped on the bandwagon. My pizza journey began when I tried to parlay my sourdough skills into crave-worthy pies at home and found it easier said than done. This led to a nearly four-year exploration of making pizza, which included six different pizza classes across Italy.Ģż

If Iā€™ve learned one thing from my journey, itā€™s that amazing pies are most often born from pizza ovens. In order to achieve that crispy, cooked-to-perfection finish everyone dreams of, a pizza should be fired between 900Ā°F and 1,200Ā°F. This can only be achieved in a proper pizza oven, because home ovens max out between 500Ā°¹ó and 550Ā°¹ó. While you can certainly make serviceable pizza at homeā€”especially if you have some good specialty toolsā€”I donā€™t believe you can make exceptional ±č¾±³ś³ś²¹.Ģż

Thankfully, thereā€™s a wide range of home pizza ovens that come in electric, propane, natural gas, and wood-fired options. Some are small enough to tote around, while others are a solid addition to the backyard and patio. I tested some of the best to help guide you to your pizza ideal.Ģż

The Best Pizza Ovens of 2023

Best for Camping

, $499

Gozney was one of the first to make pizza ovens for the home cook, and they do it about as well as it can be done. The Roccbox is one of my longtime favorite ovens, with serious power in a compact and uber-portable package. It has the option to be dual fuel with a quick exchange of the twist-off gas burner with the wood burner. The silicone exterior stays cool to prevent burning, and an exterior temperature gauge is accurate and easy to read. The Roccbox is simple to unpack and set up, and for max portability, it has a great wide Velcro sling with a handle. The stone needs curing ā€“ the curing process for the Roccbox is really simple, it just involves following the heating time instructions on the box, and takes about 30 minutes to complete. Once the 30 minutes is up, the stone is fully cured and the unit is ready to cook your first pizza. Once cured, youā€™ll only need to heat the unit for about 15 minutes before cooking.Ģż

The Roccbox also has a limited-edition oven collaboration with chef and forager . The oven is a gorgeous sage green and has Leoneā€™s logo on it. Itā€™s the same price as the regular Roccbox, but I have to say, the color hits me where I live.Ģż

Best for a Crowd

, $599

The ooni brand was the first at-home pizza oven I heard of. When it comes to serving a crowd, we love the Koda 16. This unit uses propane or natural gas and can cook 16-inch pizzas, which is great when you have a lot of hungry mouths to feed. This was the easiest set-up of any unit I tested, as it’s out of the box and heating in under 10 minutes. While itā€™s a two-person setup (the legs do not lock and the size makes it a bit unwieldy to set up alone), once in place, you can start rocking pizzas super-fast since the stone needs no curing. The oven yields truly spectacular thin and thicker crust pizzas. Ooni also makes some of our favorite accessories, though none of them come with the oven. The peels and IR temp gun are worth purchasing separately, and Iā€™m obsessed with ooniā€™s pizza topping station (see ā€œThe Best Pizza Accessoriesā€ below).

Best on a BudgetĢż

, $349

You might be surprised to see the wood fire pit company offer a propane-only pizza oven, but it makes this list because of the easy-to-setup. Unlike other Pi ovens that are dual fuel, the Solo Stove Pi Prime is propane-only, so it’s less expensive. But this doesnā€™t mean the company skimped on function. This oven made pies equal to any of the more expensive ones I tried. I loved the wide opening for launching and turning, and though there are a couple hot spots in the back, theyā€™re pretty easy to avoid. The oven worked great for both Neapolitan and thicker crust pies, producing good leoparding with some welcome char and fabulous pepperoni cups. Itā€™s also crazy fastā€”one pie was done in barely a minute. Beyond its cooking capabilities, the oven is light and portable, making it a good choice for traveling. The company also has a available to expand versatility for other foods.Ģż

Best for a SplurgeĢż

, $1,999

If youā€™re serious about pizza and are willing to invest in a more permanent oven setup for your backyard or patio, the Gozney Dome is my splurge pick. And I do mean a splurge, because this gorgeous baby clocks in at nearly two grand. But if youā€™re more than just an occasional pizza hobbyist, the price is unequivocally worth it. The oven has dual fuel for propane or wood burning and accessories like a , a steam injector, and a space for artisanal breads. It comes with a digital display and two food probes, making it versatile for foods beyond pizza. This oven can accommodate 16-inch pies, and we highly recommend the stand it comes with for extra stability. All in all, the Gozney Dome consistently made the best pies of any unit I tested. This is due to the size, the ease of launching and turning your pizzas, and the accessories that allow you to specialize the unit for specific types of pizza. This is the one to write home about.

Best for Backyard

, $549

There are several reasons to recommend this unit from Halo, but what stands out most are the features that the other ovens on this list donā€™t have. A propane-only unit, the Halo Versa 16 is the only oven I tested that comes with adapters for both 20-pound and one-pound propane tanks. Itā€™s larger than the Roccbox, and a bit unwieldy to carry, making it a good permanent fixture for the backyard. The first unique feature of the Halo Versa is a rotating stone, which eliminates the need to hand-turn your pizzas. Also, the booster burner under the stone helps get some good bottom crust crisping. Itā€™s a good idea to have the deck spinning while you preheat the oven, or youā€™ll have a stone thatā€™s half hot and half cold. Once I got the turntable going, the stone evened out and the pizzas were grand. Stop the spin to launch your pizza, then restart once it is in there. My pizzas cooked fast and well, with good leoparding and just the right amount of char. And not having to turn them makes it great for families who have younger folks who want to help cook, because once launched properly onto the stone, it is a simple unit to use.

The reasons we prefer this for backyards are two-fold: Since itā€™s so big, you must use the Halo Versa on a stable surface with excellent lighting. Launching pizzas onto the stone needs to be precise or you risk dumping part of your pie into the ovenā€™s inner workings. Additionally, the top lid is hinged and pops open for easy cleanup so you can fire it up on the regular.Ģż

Note that this oven takes some finesse to assemble and was the most laborious unit we put together. It took nearly an hour from opening the box to heating, and requires two types of batteries (neither of which are included) and a screwdriver of undetermined gauge. However, once assembled, the oven fired up quickly and made great pies. There is a cover available, which is recommended for storage. But take care when putting the cover on, it is easy to accidentally hit the turntable button and set it spinning.

Best for a Woodburning Experience

, $549

While many of these ovens have an option to switch from wood or propane, the Bertello is the only one that uses both simultaneously. An easy-to-load box at the back of the unit works with the Bertello wood kindling splits. You preheat the oven with propane, then drop in some wood and let the magic begin. This produced pizzas on par with our favorite ovens, with a little woodsy flavor. The propane burner is underneath the ovenā€™s deck, so you technically can get a ripping hot stone without adding wood. But with it, you get a gorgeous rolling flame across the top, adding surface char and terrific flavor. Be forewarned, this unit gets really hot, so while you can do those 90-second Neapolians, thicker crust pizza requires lowered propane so you donā€™t get a crust thatā€™s burnt on the outside and raw in the middle. This is the unit we would pick if you most want to cook things in addition to pizza like steaks, chicken, or vegetables. If you crave wood-burning flavor, we cannot recommend the Berrtello Grande enough.Ģż

The Pizza Oven You Never Knew You Always Wanted

, $999

When you think of Denmark, your first thought probably isnā€™t pizza. But Witt is about to change all of that. The companyā€™s new pizza ovens are just hitting the U.S. market after winning four design awards in Europe. I was one of the first to test these gorgeous ovens stateside, and it was love at first pizza oven. The propane-only unit has two burners: a U-shaped one that runs around the interior perimeter for even heating and cooking and a booster burner underneath the deck to heat the stone. But itā€™s the turntable stone that makes all the difference in cooking exceptional pizzas. At the press of a button, the center of the deck turns slowly to perfectly cook pizzasā€”no additional help from you needed. And unlike the Halo, there is still a full stone, so thereā€™s no chance for accidental slippage. You donā€™t need to have the stone turn to cook your pizzas, and the booster burner has its own control, so if you prefer those floppy in the middle Neapolitans, you can leave it off. A 16-inch pizza cooks in 90 seconds for thin crust and 3 Ā½ minutes for thicker crust. You can also use a cast-iron pan to cook other things, which works well with the spinning deck. If you donā€™t feel like the turntable deck is a must-have, Witt has a traditional one for $749 that has all the other same benefits. Both are currently available on and will be available directly on the company website in the coming weeks.

How to Make a Homemade Pizza

While a pizza oven is a feat of incredible engineering, delicious pizza requires more than just a medium to bake it in. When you begin making homemade pizza, itā€™s nice to have some guidance. These are the top takeaways from my time learning the art of pizza-making in Italy.

1. Buy Pre-made Dough

First and foremost, you do not have to be a great crust maker to be a great pizza maker. Grocery stores sell perfectly good raw pizza dough, and many local pizzerias are happy to sell you their dough as well. Do not feel that you must go down the rabbit hole of doughmaking to have a wonderful homemade pizza. Having said that, if you do want to make your own, using actual , which is specially milled for pizza and pasta making, will make a major difference in flavor, texture, and elasticity of the dough. Companies like Caputo and Molino Grassi are widely available in grocery stores and online. If you cannot find Italian flour, King Arthur Bread flour is always dependable.

2. Encourage Stretchy Dough

Dough will stretch better if it has rested at room temperature for at least a couple of hoursā€” potentially longer if itā€™s a cold day. If you roll dough instead of stretching, you may want to use a to prevent pie bubbles.Ģż

3. Bigger is Not Always Better

Though your oven might accommodate a 16-inch pizza, smaller pies are much easier to maneuver. Err on the side of 10- to 12-inch pizzas until you get the hang of launching and turning your pies.

4. Use Flour for Better SlidingĢż

In pretty much all cases, straight old plain flour is the way to go for moving pizzas onto peels and into ovens. Donā€™t use semolina and cornmeal, as theyā€™ll burn and smoke instantly. Semolina and cornmeal are great for home ovens, or pies that bake in or on pans, but if your pizza is going to cook directly on the deck, flour is the move because it allows easier sliding. One thing to note, however, is that just because a peel came with your unit, doesnā€™t necessarily make it the best peel for you. Feel free to mix and match between brands to get the ideal setup. (See The Best Pizza Accessories below.)

5. Donā€™t Pile on Toppings

It might be hard to restrain yourself, but minimize toppings when you can. Overloaded pies are hard to launch and might slop over onto the stoneā€”which is difficult to clean. A thin coating of sauce and a mere scattering of toppings generally works best. Speaking of sauce, pre-cooked sauces do not do as well in pizza ovens compared to sauces that are made with canned tomatoes. Save the cooked or jarred sauces for pizza in your kitchen oven.Ģż

For pizza ovens, I recommend the sauce I made at the in a class with one of their most famous pizzaiolos, Davide Civitiello. (See Must-Have Recipes for Homemade Pizza below.)Ģż

6. Adjust Heat for Different Style of Pizzas

If youā€™re doing Neapolitan-style pizzas, which have a bubbly crust rim but a softer middle, crank the heat up as high as possible and move the pizzas a quarter turn every 12-15 seconds to cook evenly. For pizzas that have thicker bottom dough, or if you want a crisper crust that stays firm when you pick it up, heat the unit super-hot to get the deck ready, but then turn the flame down before you launch your pizza. This will minimize burning the rim and toppings while the bottom cooks through. In general, Neapolitan pizzas will cook in about 90 seconds to 2 minutes; thicker pies closer to 3 Ā½ or 4 minutes.

Whether your unit has an external temp gauge or not, you will want an infrared thermometer gun. The deck temperature is as, if not more, important than the ambient heat. Be sure to check the temp of your stone in a few places so that you can anticipate hot spots.

7. Be Patient When PreheatingĢż

You will almost always want to let the oven preheat longer than the manufacturer states. Thirty minutes seems to be the sweet spot for all propane units. The exception to this is if youā€™re working with premade pizzas, which generally take 15-20 minutes to bake. You can cook pre-made pizzas or pizzas made with store-bought cooked crusts in all of these ovens very successfully. Thaw frozen pizzas overnight in the fridge, as cooking from frozen risks thermal shock to the stones and they can crack. Heat your unit on the low setting and for less time than for truly raw pizzas and keep them turning to prevent burning. In all of these cases the crust is cooked or par-cooked and you are mostly warming it through and crisping and cooking the toppings, so if you see the edges start to burn, use the peel or turner to lift it up off the deck to finish the toppings.

Must-Have Recipes for Homemade Pizza

Pizza Sauce

Sometimes the best pizza sauce is also the simplest. My recommendation is this: For every four pizzas you want to make, take one 15-ounce can of whole peeled canned San Marzano tomatoes, crush by hand, and season with salt and pepper. Thatā€™s it. Thatā€™s the whole recipe. And yes, splurge on the fancy San Marzano DOP tomatoes. Their natural sweetness and the wonderful texture make a major difference, as they are less watery and have fewer seeds than other tomatoes. It should just taste like a bright, fresh tomato enhanced with seasoning. When you first start, resist the urge to zhuzh, youā€™ll be amazed how well this works. But obviously, if you want to add things like red pepper flakes for heat, or some dried herbs for depth, follow your intuition.

Pizza DoughĢż

As I mentioned, there is perfectly good quality pre-made pizza dough available pretty much everywhere these days, and even some good frozen options. Having said that, there are some simple doughs that anyone can make without difficulty. My favorite is a two-ingredient recipe. I combine equal parts by volume of whole milk Greek yogurt and self-rising flour. The natural acidity of the yogurt activates the leavenings in the flour and you get an easy-to-work-with dough that is great for any pizza or flatbread, with some tang that imitates sourdough. You will have to roll this dough (not stretch) and it doesnā€™t rise. For every 10-12 inch pizza, youā€™ll need Ā½ cup yogurt and Ā½ cup self-rising flour. (You may want to also add a pinch of salt.) Multiply up as needed.

Pizza Dough for Camping

If you want to make a batch of dough while out on the trail, you can make this dough in a bag. Youā€™ll need 2 Ā½ cups of flour (all-purpose will work, but seek out Italian 00 flour if you canā€”Caputo and Molino Grassi are both brands that are available stateside), 1 Ā½ teaspoons of fine sea salt, Ā¼ teaspoon of sugar, and a packet of yeast. Put all your dry ingredients in a gallon Ziploc bag. Give it a shake, then pour in 1 Ā¼ cups lukewarm water. Close the bag and mush around until you have a cohesive dough. Set aside for 30 minutes to 2 hours, then remove from the bag, give a quick knead on a lightly floured surface, and mold into two to three balls for your pizzas. This dough works best when rolled versus stretched.

The Best Pizza Accessories

Here are my favorite tools and accessories for killer pizza at home.Ģż

Peels: a tool that allows you to slide a pizza into an oven without burning yourself.

I really love the perforated peel for most of my pies because it slides well and comes with both short and long handles. For another solid peel, makes one of pressed wood that is dishwasher safe.

Turner: a tool that can pick up the pizza and rotate it while it cooks.

Again, has my pick for the best turner. Itā€™s pretty much identical to the ones I learned with in Italy, and comes in two lengths, so you can pick the one that best fits your needs.

IR Thermometer: an easy measure of heat that uses a lens system so you donā€™t have to stick your hand into the oven with a thermometer.

I like the IR gun because itā€™s accurate, fast, and small enough to fit in my apron pocket.

Prepping Tools: any tool made to prepare pizza dough or toppings.Ģż

dough containers make prepping and storing those perfect dough balls super simple. As silicone molds with lids, they keep your dough round, and the balls are easy to pop out.ĢżĢż

is another one of my favorite tools. It has two large and four small containers for your sauce, cheese, and toppings, and has seal-tight lids for storing in the fridge. The tilted holder keeps everything at the perfect angle for fast pie prep.Ģż

Baking Steels and Stones: flat sheets or plates that improve your ovenā€™s evenness of heat.

If you donā€™t have a pizza oven, you can use the on your grill, kamado, or in your kitchen oven. And, to go along with that, makes my favorite baking stone.

Cutters: a tool to precisely and finely cut your ±č¾±³ś³ś²¹.Ģż

There are three ways I like to cut my pies, depending on the style. For large pies that cry out for wedges, I lean on the . It can handle the big boys easily and quickly. When I want to cut into thinner slices or squares, I really love this Pizza Roller, which is also a useful tool for general pastry work. And for thicker pizzas, focaccias, and flatbreads, I love the Ciselier shears, which make fast work of slicing any size of piece, and come apart for easy cleanup.Ģż

Skillet: a type of frying pan with a deep base, used for cooking your pizza toppings.Ģż

Cooking in your pizza oven requires cast-iron accessories. I love this with double loop handles, which can take on a spatchcocked chicken, a pile of fingerlings, or a perfect paella. Safe for temps up to 1,000Ā°F, itā€™s a versatile skillet for your kitchen or your pizza oven.

Serving Tools: any tool used to serve your ±č¾±³ś³ś²¹.Ģż

When it comes to serving your pies for a crowd, I love a gorgeous presentation. The Stella Falone is visually stunning and you get a great to put underneath. I like that it can show off a large pizza or flatbread and still have room to wrangle little bowls of parmesan, olive oil, oregano, or red pepper flake shakers. If you want a round server to highlight your pie, try the natural wood server from Crate & Barrel, it comes in four colors and can hold up to a 16-inch pizza. And, finally, if youā€™re serving individual 10 or 12-inch pizzas, that classic from Homer Laughlin has a 12-inch plate in a variety of their fun colors.

The post We Tried All the Pizza Ovensā€”Here Are the Ones We Liked appeared first on ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų Online.

What could be better than a camping trip? A camping trip with all your favorite meals. Whether youā€™re following a beloved family recipe or experimenting with new flavors, you need the right tools to turn the campsite into a functional kitchen space. Thatā€™s why OXO created its line of ā€”so you can bring the taste of home on every adventure. To get the full story on this wishlist-worthy collection, we tapped Mack Mor, principal engineer at OXO and one of the great minds behind the outdoor products.

ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų: Why did OXO create a line of outdoor cooking and cleaning tools?

Mack Mor: The OXO team noticed a gap in the market between tools created for lightweight backpackers and tools made exclusively for home use. We identified distinct groupsā€”overlanders, van lifers, RVers, and car campersā€”who ventured into the outdoors with more room for gear than backpackers. This demographic sought tools that transcended the functionality of typical backpacking gear while retaining the portable, compact, and robust characteristics necessary for outdoor adventures. Campers told us they wanted to make at-home-caliber meals but needed better tools to do it.Ģż

The OXO tools are designed to take the comforts of home outdoors. Wherever adventure takes you, elevates your outdoor experience, from packing to cooking and cleaning.Ģż

How did OXO develop its line of outdoor products?

To find out what outdoor experts need most when cooking outside, we went into the field (a.k.a. campgrounds). Take the new camp-minded for example. OXO cutting boards for in-home use work great, but we noticed campsites rarely have enough clean, flat surfaces for food prep. The solution? We added a thick, sturdy tray that nests around the cutting board, barely increasing the packing footprint while doubling the prep space. You can use the tray to gather and organize ingredients or as a second cutting board if two people need to get dinner ready fast while the light is fading.Ģż

Whatā€™s special about OXOā€™s collection of outdoor cooking and cleanup gear?Ģż

OXO’s hallmark is the rigorous testing it performs on each product to ensure its longevity. With the Outdoor line, we elevated this scrutiny to withstand the elements and tested each tool using:

• High levels of UV exposure to ensure products wonā€™t degrade in the sun.
• Salt spray corrosion to make sure tools wonā€™t rust over time.
• Drop and abuse testing to simulate getting rattled around in a car.
• Field testing to see how products fare with campers in the great outdoors.

What are your favorite products in the OXO Outdoor collection?

The is currently my favorite piece. During our research, we noticed that most people brought old kitchen knives on camping trips for cooking. We saw a lot of jury-rigged sheaths with minimal attention to safety (blades wrapped in paper towels, taped-up cardboard, and aluminum foil).Ģż

Most knives with sheaths are secured by a friction fit. OXO set out to make a reliable retention mechanism so you can safely pack the knife in a backpack. We shortened the blade for better packability and easier maneuvering on small cutting boards. Finally, we selected corrosion-resistant stainless steel with a polished finish for the best chance at fighting rust, which is especially important since we observed outdoor knives are often packed up wet.Ģż

The , which helps to clean off any lingering bits of food and grime from dishes or utensils, is another handy favorite. I also use the tool to remove burnt-on bits from grill grates and pans with the little notch at the top of the scraper. Itā€™s satisfying to use and adds a bit of delight when cleaning outdoors.Ģż

Why will outdoor enthusiasts love OXO Outdoor?Ģż

While camping, some people expect to give up at-home luxuries surrounding food prep, meal quality, and cleaning, but we think itā€™s time to improve their experience with thoughtfully designed outdoor gear. OXO Outdoor is a complete collection to take you from food prep to cleanup, all with outdoor performance, durability, and packability in mind.Ģż

Whereā€™s the best place to purchase products in the OXO Outdoor collection?

The best place to purchase OXO Outdoor products is directly from .

makes products that span several home and outdoor categories: cooking, baking, cleaning, storage and organization, coffee, baby. OXO consistently challenges convention, solving problems and anticipating needs with thoughtful design solutions. OXO is a proud member of 1% for the Planet, committing 1 percent of annual sales to support food-based nonprofits.

The post Itā€™s Time to Upgrade Your Outdoor Kitchen Tools appeared first on ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų Online.

is back again, this year on July 11-12. Sometimes itā€™s hard to know whether or not a product is a good deal or a worthy purchase when you get so caught up in the excitement of the biggest sale of the year. Thatā€™s why we put together a list of cooking gear youā€™ll want to snag for all your camping and outdoor adventure needs.

Primus Firestick Backpacking Stove

Originally: $119.95, Prime Day Deal: $76.55

If size and weight is the most important factor when selecting your backpacking stove, the small Primus Firestick might be for you. With pot supports that compactly fold up and a lightweight titanium pot, this set weighs a total of 3.1 oz.

LifeStraw Personal Water FilterĢż

Originally: $19.95, Prime Day Deal: $17.49

If you donā€™t already own one, you need one. The LifeStraw is a microfiltration system that removes parasites, bacteria, and microplastics from water. This little life saving device ensures you have access to clean water while camping, especially in an emergency situation.Ģż

Zulay Marshmallow Roasting SticksĢż

Originally: $14.99, Prime Day Deal: $11.99

Have you ever been in a situation where you had all your sā€™mores and hot dog ingredients ready, but canā€™t find a decent roasting stick on the ground? Sometimes you donā€™t want to risk losing your marshmallows on a skinny, dirty stick, which is why you want these Zulay Roasting Sticks. Theyā€™re made with non-toxic, heat-treated stainless steel and can extend up to 32 inches.Ģż

Bonsenkitchen Food Sealer

Originally: $36, Prime Day Deal: $31

This might not be a kitchen product youā€™d ever think to buy, but once you have it, you wonā€™t go back. You can vacuum seal or package almost anything from asparagus to steak to potato chips ā€“ yes, potato chips! This comes in handy when packing for a long thru-hike or camping trip, as Bosenkitchen sealing extends food freshness for up to a week.Ģż

Coffee Gator Pour OverĢż

Originally: $40, Prime Day Deal: $20.31

For those who want to replace instant campfire coffee with a more ā€˜luxuriousā€™ pour over brew, this coffee maker is great for beginners. What makes this stand out among others is the stainless steel filter, which keeps in flavor, is reusable, and cost effective. Plus, thereā€™s no need to pack all those extra paper filters.Ģż

YETI Rambler Mug

Originally: $36.05, Prime Day Deal: $24

What can we say – weā€™ll never say no to a good YETI deal. These 14 oz. mugs are made of insulated stainless steel and a MagSlider lid thatā€™ll keep liquids in and pesky bugs out. No more lukewarm coffee, cold chili, or lackluster oatmeal.Ģż

Coleman Classic 2-in-1 Camping Grill and Stove

Originally: 149.99, Prime Day Deal: $94.99

The Coleman Classic is multifunctional and built to withstand weather with WindBlock protection to shield flames from high winds. Itā€™s multifunctional with a grill and stove, allowing for more controlled, easy cooking. Easy to clean, portable, matchless, and a good price.

The post 2023 Amazon Prime Day: The Best Outdoor Cooking and Kitchen Tools appeared first on ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų Online.

This article was originally published on .

Grilling is something of an art. Everyoneā€™s got their own favorite grilling tips, tricks and techniques. Yet some approaches are better than others ā€“ and it can take time to understand just how versatile your barbecue can be. Whether you already know how to master healthy grilling or need pointers on how to work with foods beyond meat alone, we can all benefit from fresh grilling tips.

And some of us are making more mistakes than we might realize. Here are seven common grilling mistakes youā€™ll want to avoid for better dishes and easier cooking.

1. Oiling Your Grill Grates Instead of Your Food

In order to prevent food from sticking to your grill grates, itā€™s imperative to add grease ā€“ and plenty of grill enthusiasts oil up those grates before they add any food. While this technique technically works, itā€™s a pretty big grilling mistake in the eyes of experts.

Oil is important, but you donā€™t want to waste it on the grill grates. When you apply oil to your hot grates, it actually starts toĢżĢżalmost immediately. This can infuse your food with a weird, unpleasant taste. And sometimes, if your grates have a carbon outer layer, adding oil can actually make foodĢżmoreĢżlikely to stick.

Instead, you should put oil on your food. Cover meats and veggies with a light coating of oil. You can brush it on or toss it in an oil-based marinade; either will do the trick.

2. Over-Marinating Meat

Marinades infuse all kinds of meat with delicious flavors, and they also do the double-duty task of tenderizing tough meats. While marinades can range anywhere from just 30 minutes to a full day of soaking up juices, herbs and spices, hereā€™s something most people donā€™t realize: you can over-marinade.

If you leave your food in a marinade for too long, you can actually achieve the opposite effect that you intended. AsĢżĢżexplains, letting food soak longer can over-tenderize meat and make it mushy. Extra-long marinades will break down the protein bonds closest to the surface of your food. In addition to mushiness, this can dry out meat.

Double-check your recipe before marinating to make sure you arenā€™t overdoing it. Make sure you arenā€™t leaving any kind of meat in its marinade for longer than one full day ā€“ even for the toughest cuts of red meat, 24 hours is usually the max recommended time.

3. Failing to Properly Preheat the Grill

You always preheat your oven before baking or roasting, and you always let your pans come up to temperature on the stove. But do you always take the time to preheat your grill?

If youā€™ve been turning up the flames and immediately putting food on the grill, youā€™re going to want to slow down and start preheating. Itā€™s important to let the grillā€™s grates warm up before you start cooking. Cold grates can cause food to stick more stubbornly, which is both frustrating and messy.

Preheat your grill like youā€™d preheat your oven and wait about 20 minutes before tossing anything on its cooking surface. The hotter the grates are, the better those seared grill marks will be ā€“ and the more perfectly your food will cook.

4. Frequently Opening Your Grillā€™s Lid

Have you heard that opening your oven or lifting the lid on your slow cooker increases your cooking time by as much as half an hour? Well, the same goes for your grill.

Itā€™s incredibly tempting to lift up the lid of your grill and check on whatā€™s cooking. But every time you fuss with that lid youā€™re exposing your hot grill to cooler temperatures. That, in turn, drops the temperature inside and slows down the cooking process. The more heat escapes, the more challenging itā€™ll be to achieve evenly, quickly grilled food.

Regardless of what youā€™re grilling, keep the lid shut as much as possible. If itā€™s too tempting to poke your head in, set a timer and walk away. To ensure you arenā€™t overcooking your food, check in at around 10 to 15 minutes for leaner meats and 20 to 30 minutes for thicker cuts. Veggies can take anywhere from 8 to 30 minutes, so you can pop in on these earlier.

5. ā€œGuesstimatingā€ When Meat is Cooked

There are countless tips out there that are meant to help you determine when your food is fully cooked: touch tests, tenderness tests, and visual cues have all been touted as easy methods. But you really canā€™t tell when meat is completely cooked unless you get inside it.

If you rely on how meat looks or feels, youā€™re running the risk of serving yourself ā€“ and anyone else whoā€™s dining with you ā€“ under- or overcooked meat. There are only two ways to get an accurate ā€œdonenessā€ assessment: by cutting into the meat or using a thermometer.

Avoid this grave grilling mistake by making sure you have a meat thermometer in your arsenal of tools. You can easily stick one into anything youā€™re cooking and get a quick temperature read. Many even offer guides or alerts to let you know ASAP when your proteins are cooked and ready. And youā€™ll know every time that your meat is at a safe-to-consume temperature.

6. Putting Fish Directly on the Grill Grates

There are plenty of sins you can commit when grilling, but one of the biggest is placing fish right on the grates.

Fish is incredibly delicate. With flaky meat and thin skin, any kind of fish can immediately adhere to your grillā€™s grates and leave you with a sticky mess. Even worse, making this grave mistake can lead fish to fall apart (and through your grates).

To keep your fish from sticking, put it on anything but the grates themselves. There are a few options you can try: cedar planks, foil packets or griddles. You can also cook fish in a cast iron skillet or grill pan.

7. Using Lighter Fluid

Have you been using lighter fluid to get tall flames roaring from your grill? While lighter fluid certainly gets a fire going and your grill hot, itā€™s a mistake that can leave your food smelling (and potentially tasting) like gas. Instead of a smoky, classic grill flavor, youā€™ll find that lighter fluid makes your food pretty unappealing.

If you need some help getting a fire started on your grill, there are other ways to do so without imparting a fuel- or gas-like scent and flavor. You can try a chimney starter, which lights a fire with old newspaper to get charcoal glowing with heat. That way, youā€™ll get the heat you need and keep your flavors in check.

Once youā€™ve made sure you arenā€™t making these critical grilling mistakes, take your expertise to the next level. Discover even more grilling tips and recipes:

Grilling Hacks: How Not to Overcook Shrimp

Brad Leoneā€™s Summer Grilling Advice

Grilling Rules, According to Barbecue Legend Rodney Scott

The post 7 Common Grilling Mistakes That Could Be Ruining Your Barbecue appeared first on ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų Online.

Ahhh grilling season. Cooking over an open fire is the best way to prepare foodā€”unless youā€™re the hurried host, running back and forth between the grilling station and the kitchen for the kebabs and burgers, the cutlery, the drinks, and the condiments. Enter an outdoor kitchen set-up.

While that may sound overwhelming, to shine at cooking outdoors, all you need are a few simple pieces of equipment and some organizational know-how. Your outdoor cook space need not be fancy, and keeping it simple and clean will allow you to focus on the essential elements of taste and heat.

ā€œTaking the time to create an organized station near your grill will minimize the need to keep running iCndoors and help you stay focused on the most important taskā€”cooking a delicious meal,ā€ says Dan Zuccarello, executive food editor of Cookbooks at Americaā€™s Test Kitchen. The magazine and publishing house just released The Outdoor Cook ($29.99) this summer and, in addition to more than 150 sure-fire recipes, it diagrams the ultimate grilling setup.

Since grilling begins with the grill, make sure to place it in a safe spot away from the house, overhangs, and enclosed spaces. Take heat and smoke into consideration and remove anything thatā€™s flammable (also keep a fire extinguisher within reach). Keep in mind that you donā€™t want it too far away in case you do need to dash back into the house for extra ketchup, skewers, ice, or buns.

Favorite skewers: , $49.95

Absolutely essential is a table that provides extra room to prep your food, store grill accessories, and present serving items like trays, dishes, condiments, drinks, and more. ā€œA sturdy, portable table gives you a dedicated place to prepare food thatā€™s separate from where youā€™ll be eating. Make sure itā€™s big enough to allow you prep space as well as storage space,ā€ Zuccarello says. ā€œMy setup changes based on what I am grilling but I always include a small cutting board for any last-minute ingredient prep, a container to hold my cooking utensils, and a sheet pan to hold the recipe components.ā€

Favorite cutting board:

After setting up the table, make life easy on yourself and carry dishes, grilling tools, drinks, etc. on sheet pans or in baskets. That tactic has dual functions, as it keeps you from running back and forth for supplies while also keeping things organized in the moment. In addition, to avoid cross contamination, make sure you have a clean pan, platter, or cutting board for items coming off the grill. If you live in an area with a lot of bugs, don’t forget to cover sheet pans and platters with .

Keep raw meat and other foods cool with a conveniently stashed cooler. If itā€™s big enough, it can also hold cold drinks for the cooking crew. Place the cooler to the side of the table or underneath if thereā€™s enough room to open the lid.

Favorite cooler: , $450

Likewise, a trash can (and a portable compost bin, if thatā€™s your jam) tucked under the table will go a long way in making cleanup easy. Zuccarello recommends ā€œa wide-mouthed trash barrel makes an easy target for discards; a tight-fitting lid discourages flying pests and other critters.ā€

If youā€™re really agro, you can get a jump on cleanup by placing a small dish tub filled with soapy water at the end of the station (or on a separate side table). ā€œ[This] is a great place to stash grilling utensils when youā€™re done with them. Soaking the used tools gives you a head start on cleanup,ā€ Zuccarello says.

Now, all your summer barbecue needs is a solid collection of and a hungry crowd.

The post How to Set Up Your Outdoor Kitchen appeared first on ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų Online.

Every year when mid-June rolls around, I see a surplus of Fatherā€™s Day gift guides that boast the latest and greatest grilling tools, lawnmowers, drill bits, and corny mugs reading, ā€œGo ask Mom.ā€ While those are great for a certain type of man, thatā€™s simply not my dad.Ģż

My dad likes to cook out occasionally, but he doesnā€™t captain his grill with the same fervor as a grill master. And while he enjoys summer burgers and hot dogs, his culinary skills donā€™t begin and end behind ā€˜Ole Reliable, our beat up grill. His role isnā€™t simply to monitor the meat at a cookout and make dad jokes while passing out cold beers, but to provide nourishment, adventure, and love.Ģż

Even though he’s not the most skilled chef (sorry, dad) with tons of cooking knowledge, he’s has taught me more about food than anyone else. He’s shown me the rare and beautiful balance of enjoying delicious meals while focusing on the healing, nutritious aspects of food. Not only that, but he practices lifelong learning by constantly improving upon what he knows about nutrition and introducing new foods with such genuine enthusiasm. Best of all, my dad makes cooking the most simplest of meals an experience. To him, taking the time to slowly and carefully chop a bell pepper into near perfect slices is not only a key part of the process, but I can tell he enjoys it. When he’s cooking, he’s cooking. He’s not rushed to get everything onto our plates, almost like he doesn’t want the experience to be over. I think that’s something I’ve learned from him and applied to life in general.

*Sniffle.* Is someone cutting onions? Goodness.

Someone like that is pretty unique and deserves a gift heā€™ll actually use. Gone are the days of watching him fake excitement over a rubber handle grill brush, underwear with steaks on them, or an apron that says, ā€œShhh Itā€™s Grilling Szn.ā€Ģż

Matchaful Black Bamboo Whisk, $69

My dad is a big matcha guy. He drinks it not only for the caffeine, but for its high antioxidant count, and heart-healthy nutrients. Plus, he loves to take an extra five minutes out of his morning to enjoy the routine of whisking his tea. Matchaful hand-crafts its whisks from Japanese bamboo that is cut, dried for a full month, and shaved down until it has bristles. My dad is the kind of guy who would appreciate the sort of time and effort it took to make a kitchen essential he uses every morning.

Made In Non Stick Frying Pan, $129

In addition to his daily matcha, my dad makes eggs every morning (and whenever the time arises), but his pan is in bad shape. The bottom is scraped, burnt, gouged, and quite frankly, pathetic. He deserves a durable, non-stick frying pan with a stainless steel base, but itā€™s something he would never buy for himself.

HOLOS Overnight Muesli, $65.04 for a 12 packĢż

After eating a sample of this HOLOS Overnight Muesli ā€“ a blend of rolled oats, seeds, nuts, and dried berries soaked overnight ā€“ my dad was hooked. He was telling everyone and anyone about this muesli. (Which, by the way, is packed with 20 grams of plant-based protein, 13 different vitamins and minerals, and CFU probiotics!) This is a great Fatherā€™s Day gift, as the individual packets are on the pricier side. My dad never splurges on himself, so Iā€™ll do it for him.

Wonder Valley Olive Oil, $36

Rated by New York Magazine as one of the best finishing olive oils on the market, Wonder Valley Olive Oil would be perfect for my dadā€™s daily spinach, walnut, and blueberry salad. This is his staple meal, and he always eats it with a slice of whole wheat bread. For those who love olive oils, you know how fun it is to try different varieties. Wonder Valley has been described as buttery, peppery, and dynamic, which sounds like it would be perfect on Dadā€™s salad!

Happy Dad, $17.99 for a 12 pack

Believe it or not, my dad would often rather have a refreshing seltzer over a beer. In flavors like lemon lime, black cherry, pineapple, and watermelon, Happy Dads are tasty but arenā€™t overwhelmingly sweet like other seltzers can be. Heā€™d love sipping these on the patio while not grilling. Plus, heā€™d get a kick out of the name.Ģż

Nulaxy Dual Folding Cell Phone Stand, $8.99

Often when my dad is cooking, he tries to multitask by watching a movie, listening to a podcast, or FaceTiming. This often leads to him trying to set the phone up on a flimsy salt shaker or accidentally setting it in a dollop of sour cream, butter, or egg thatā€™s gotten on the counter. As simple of a gift as this cell phone stand is, heā€™d use it all the timeā€”and never would his phone be sticky or yolk-covered again.

Speed Steel Pizza Plate

My dad is the pizza guy. Open his fridge on any given day of the week and you’ll find a package of pizza dough, ICOE (In Case Of Emergency). It’s not just about the taste of the pizza, it’s about the ceremony for him. He’ll set the mood with some music, pull out all the fixings for pizza (Ć  la dad means mozzarella cheese, peppers, pepperoni, and black olives) and take his sweet old time placing each ingredient in its place. I swear, he organizes the olives. To meet this decorum, a Speed Steel plate (also called a pizza stone) absorbs heat and retains it the same way a brick oven would. This allows for a crispier crust and even bake.

Saffron Crocus Bulbs, $12.99 for 12 bulbs

My dad loves turmeric because of its benefits and uses it on everything. In the past he’s grown it himself, harvesting the roots and shaving it down into powder. He’d love to grow a different plant like saffron, which has been shown to improve mood (it’s often called the sunshine spice) and contains cancer-fighting properties. Part of the gift is that he gets to expand his cooking experience and not only reap saffron’s nutritional benefits, but enjoy the process of cultivating and watching it grow. Note: While saffron is best planted in the fall, you can also start to grow it in an indoor pot.

The post My Dad Loves Food; Here’s What I’m Getting Him for Father’s Day appeared first on ŗŚĮĻ³Ō¹ĻĶų Online.

Brad Leone might have come of age as ā€™s test kitchen manager, but YouTube is where the chef-outdoorsman has really made a name for himself (See: ). Known for his off-the-cuff, breezy approach to cooking and grilling (look Ma, no shoes!), Leone has garnered a fan base that is far less about the polish of the finished dish and more about the experience of cooking, grilling, foraging, fish, clamming, orā€¦ you get the picture.Ģż

Today, Leoneā€™s influence widens even further with the launch of his own and two more shows: Makin’ It! and Local Legends. To debut the projects simultaneously is oh, so Leoneā€”when he does something, he does it big. The unrelated shows will, respectively, tackle the science of cooking and the commingled adventure that is food, culture, and community. For anyone familiar with Leoneā€™s zany style, neither will feel like a conventional cooking or food show.

Given Leoneā€™s penchant for the outdoors, itā€™s no surprise that the shows are timed with the launch with the summer grilling and camping season. Leone spends a lot of time in front of a grill and over a cooking fire, and he surely has an arsenal of tools. These are his must-haves:

1. Long, simple all-metal tongs. They neednā€™t be expensive, but they should be heavy-duty enough to pick up whatever needs picking upā€”grilling grates, red-hot coals, heavy pot lidsā€”and, of course, dinner. A good pair of tongs will last you, but all the better if you have a variety of sizes to choose from. We recommend the .

2. All three sizes of the ā€”a tool for every type of food from whole fish or veggies to burgers. A sharp-edge tempered steel spatula is the tool of choice. Shameless plug aside ( to design a line of cooking tools), these flippers will quickly become indispensable.

3. Steel wool. To clean gunked-up grill grates, cast-iron skillets, really anything that needs a good scrub. To avoid bristles shedding, you need only apply slight pressure. Rinse (including the inside of the lid) and thoroughly dry.

4. Mini leaf blower. This helps if using fire (it helps get wood or charcoal get there). All we can say is know your surroundings (and your local fire restrictions) before blasting the bejeezus out of a flame.

5. “ܲ¹ā€™a³Ł²¹°ł. Not a tool in the conventional sense, but this Middle Eastern spice blend (usually some combo of dried oregano, wild thyme, marjoram, sesame, sumac, and salt) is ā€œAn absolute workhorse that complements summer ingredients magically.ā€

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