The Flavor Matrix, by James Briscione with Brooke Parkhurst, is like no other cooking reference you’ve ever seen: a gorgeously designed introduction to using molecular similarities to pair ingredients you might never have thought to try together. Briscione first lit on the concept when he collaborated with a team from IBM to train an offshoot of its Watson supercomputer to …
Flatware caddy
A caddy is not only an elegant way to make flatware easy for your guests to grab, you may even find it’s useful to have in your kitchen year-round. Caddies come in all styles to fit your taste. Here’s the link to the one featured above, made of renewable bamboo, but there are plenty of others that are affordable and …
Colorful serving options
Party-supply stores can be great sources for fun, inexpensive reusable serving trays and bowls in a wide array of colors and styles. The colorful ones are usually bright like this, best suited to a spring or summer gathering or to make a holiday table a little more festive. The metallics work well for year-end holidays or Oscar Night. Black trays …
All about avos
If you’re making our Simply Perfect Guacamole or our Carnitas Sliders, you have to have great avocados. Period. If they’re underripe or — worse — overripe, your guac just won’t cut it. Here’s how to find the best avos and open them up like a pro. Selection The first thing you need to know is when you’re going to need …
Don’t wash the dishes
Renting dishware, glassware, and/or flatware can be an inexpensive way to make cleanup easier and give your party that little extra something
No more leftovers! (Well, at least not as much)
You come off as the host who’s got it all thought out when you provide this easy way for guests to take home extra food
No match? No problem
Mismatched napkins can elevate your party while still keeping it informal
Cupcake carrier
A must-have if you like to bring cupcakes or small sheet cakes to parties
Slate cheese board
This sleek, stylish cheese board would be great to take to a party. You can also use chalk to identify the cheeses you put on the board.
The half-sheet pan
Perhaps second only to a great set of knives, this versatile workhorse will be the most valuable tool in your kitchen if you don’t already have one (or four)