Kitchen Knives
MAC MTH-80 Chef's Knife Review: A Hybrid of Japanese Precision and Western Comfort
The MAC MTH-80 has been named a best overall chef's knife, and its blend of sharpness, balance, and lightweight handling explains why.
Independent reviews
Product Reviews and Buying Guides – 34 / 944
From everyday tech and home products to lifestyle and specialist gear, each review focuses on practical use, strengths, limitations, and who the product suits.
Food & Kitchen
Make It or Buy It: Butter, Pesto and Hummus Compared
Three everyday staples put to the test against premium and mid-range store-bought alternatives to see which are worth making at home.
Kitchen Knives
Mazaki Kitchen Knives: Handmade Craftsmanship Worth Knowing About
A close look at the Mazaki Kochi series, Aogami Super, and Honyaki Aogami #1 knives, and why the maker's fully hand-finished bevels set them apart.
Kitchen Knives
Menelik Kakani Signature Series 21cm Gyuto Review: A Water-Quenched Gyuto With a Story
A handmade 26C3 water-quenched gyuto from a Cameroonian-born UK bladesmith, featuring a striking twin choil design and polished high-grit edge. Here is how it performs.
Cookbooks
Mi Cocina by Rick Martinez Review: Big Flavor, Big Time Commitment
We cooked five dishes from Rick Martinez's Mi Cocina, from tacos arabes to cochinita pibil. Here is what worked, what did not, and who this cookbook is really for.
Kitchen Knives
Misen 8-Inch Chef's Knife Review: Sharp, Balanced, and Well Under $100
After two years of regular use, a close look at the Misen 8-inch chef's knife, plus how it compares to the Made In and MAC MTH-80 chef's knives.
Cookware
Misen Non-Stick Cookware Set: First Look and Initial Performance
A hands-on look at Misen's newly redesigned non-stick cookware set, covering the lineup options, design changes, and how it performs with eggs and pancakes.
Kitchen Knives
Moritaka Aogami Super Kuruchi Series Review: Flat Profiles That Still Deliver
A hands-on look at the Moritaka Aogami Super Kuruchi knife series, covering its famously flat profiles, scandi grind, edge retention, and the maintenance it demands.
Kitchen Knives
Myojin Riki Seisakusho SG2 Gyuto and the New Black Parker Asahi Handle: A Closer Look
A laser-type SG2 gyuto with a stainless cladding from Myojin Riki Seisakusho, paired with the Parker Asahi synthetic rubber handle now available in black.
Kitchen Knives
New Arrivals and Restocks: Six Japanese Kitchen Knives Worth a Look
From a 105mm ajikiri to stainless-clad Aogami #2 workhorses and a Damascus kiritsuke gyuto, six Japanese knives that stand out in the current lineup.
Japanese Kitchen Knives
New Japanese Knife Arrivals: Kasumi, Damascus, and Single Bevel Standouts
A fresh wave of Japanese knives lands, from kasumi-finish Tetsujin blades to copper-clad Yodokobi gyutos and a rare sakimaru sujihiki from Nigara Hamono.
Kitchen Appliances
Glass Air Fryers Tested: Ninja Crispi, Crispi Pro, and the Best Alternatives
After cooking more than 100 meals across two glass air fryers and five basket-style rivals, here is how the Ninja Crispi and Crispi Pro stack up against the Typhur Dome 2, Instant Pot Vortex, and COSORI TurboBlaze.
Cookware
Our Place Always Pan Pro Review: A Promising Coating in a Familiar Wrapper
The Always Pan Pro introduces a titanium oxide NOCO coating that performs well, but design flaws, uneven finishing, and a $200 price hold it back.
Kitchen Knives
Patrick Block Honesuki 145mm Review: A Thick, Sharp Take on a Classic
A 145mm honesuki from Dutch maker Patrick Block that pairs deba-like heft with genuinely sharp honesuki geometry. Tested through three whole chickens.
Food & Drink
Plant-Based Meat Alternatives Taste Test: Four Products Worth Knowing About
We put four plant-based products through a proper kitchen test, from Tiba Tempeh to Omni fish-style fillets, with honest notes on flavour, texture, and who each one suits.
Kitchen Knives
Pomelo Knife Showdown: Takamura Kyoto 240mm vs Takeda 87mm Petty vs Shindo Funayuki 165mm
Three Japanese kitchen knives, one giant citrus fruit. We compare a long slicer, a small petty, and a mid-size funayuki on a real-world pomelo prep test.
Food & Drink
Premium Ready Meals vs Takeaway: Five Supermarket Dishes Put to the Test
We compared five high-end supermarket ready meals against their takeaway equivalents on taste, price and satisfaction, from sourdough pizza to Thai red curry.
Food & Drink
Pretentious or Not? Three Unusual Ingredients Worth Talking About
Black water, blue lobster rillette, and croissant butter go head to head in a taste test that asks whether unusual ingredients are worth your money.
Food & Drink
18 Pretentious Ingredients Reviewed: Which Luxury Foods Are Actually Worth It
From baguette liqueur and dinosaur egg salt to elephant-processed coffee, we break down 18 extravagant ingredients and whether each one earns its price tag.
Specialty Food
Four Rare Ingredients Worth the Hype: Coffee Paste, Pine Bud Syrup, British Tea and the Rarest Pasta
Four unusual specialty ingredients tested side by side: what they taste like, what they cost, and whether they earn a place in your kitchen.
Kitchen Gadgets
Pro Kitchen Gadgets Tested: Pasta Machine, Pastry Syringe and Automatic Cake Icer
Three kitchen gadgets designed for professional kitchens, put through real cooking: an electric pasta machine, a pressure pastry syringe, and an automatic cake cream spreader.
Kitchen Knives
Pungchando SLD 240mm Gyoto Kyoto Review: A Korean Laser Worth a Look
A first look at a Korean-made 240mm Gyoto in semi-stainless SLD steel: thin laser-style grind, light nimble feel, and performance that punches well above its modest looks.
Kitchen Knives
Rusin Hamono Blazen 210mm Kiritsuke Review: A Hybrid Blade With Serious Edge Performance
A double-beveled kiritsuke built around R2 stainless steel, a curvy profile, and a Canadian walnut handle. Here is what makes it stand out.
Kitchen Knives
Ryusen Kitchen Knives Compared: Soruden, Fukakuryu, and Guren/Hidu Put to the Test
Three Ryusen knife series tested on tomatoes, onions, carrots, bell peppers, and more. Here is how they differ and which one suits your kitchen.
Cookbooks
Salsa Daddy by Rick Martinez: First Look at a Salsa-Forward Cookbook
A first hands-on look at Salsa Daddy, the salsa-focused follow-up to Mi Cocina, including two recipes cooked at home and honest early impressions.
Cookware
Saucepan vs Saucier: Three Cookware Picks Worth Considering
Saucepans and sauciers overlap more than most people realize, but each shape has clear strengths. Here is how to choose, plus our top picks for both.
Kitchen Knives
Shigeki Tanaka 165mm Santoku VG10 Damascus Review: A Low-Stress Kitchen Workhorse
A stainless santoku with a beautiful damascus finish, thin behind the edge, easy to maintain, and built for quick weeknight cooking.
Knife Sharpening
Shin Nagura Whetstones: A Three-Grit Set Built for Kasumi Finishes
A trio of splash-and-go synthetic stones blended with natural Nagura powder, made to bring out the best in clad Japanese knives.
Kitchen Knives
Shiro Kamo Aogami Super Kuruchi Gyuto Review: A Forged Carbon Steel Favorite
A kuruchi-finished Aogami Super gyuto with stainless cladding and a walnut handle that impresses on sharpness, edge retention, and balance.
Kitchen
Stainless Steel Cookware Buying Mistakes to Avoid: 5 Brands Compared
From ply counts to handle shapes and rim styles, here is what actually matters when buying stainless steel cookware, plus five brands worth comparing.