As an avid home cook, I believe the type of cookware you use is as important as the food quality and ingredients used in your meals. Having the correct type of cookware ensures a dish is cooked to perfection and means a dish you can feel good about eating. I’ve even convinced my grandparents and parents to ditch their nonstick cookware recently — which is no easy task for an “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” type of crowd.
A recent study has suggested that even a tiny surface scratch in Teflon cooking pans can shed over 9,000 microparticles and nanoparticles of plastic into your food. If you ask me, this is reason enough to switch to stainless steel cookware free of PFAS (also known as forever chemicals) that build up in your body and cause adverse effects on your health and the environment. I recently tried an 11-inch pan by Hestan NanoBond cookware, which has made the switch to stainless steel pans a breeze. Here’s why I think this pan is perfect for any home cook.
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Even heat distribution
Emily Caldwell / The Manual
For those like my grandma, the most common argument against giving up traditional nonstick cookware is that stainless steel cookware doesn’t distribute heat the same way. Many argue that food doesn’t cook relatively as evenly in these types of pans, which can be a barrier to making the switch. Meanwhile, I haven’t had this issue with the Hestan NanoBond titanium stainless steel pan.
The NanoBond technology of this pan creates a patented, multilayer structure of titanium-based alloys that bond directly to stainless steel for an even cooking surface that is also resistant to scratching and staining. Unlike other pans I’ve tried, the handles don’t get hot while cooking either, helping to ensure your safety as you cook. Although there are dozens of brands to go with when shopping for stainless steel cookware, Hestan’s NanoBond offers something different by bonding titanium-based nanolayers into stainless steel. I’ve cooked everything from seared steaks to scrambled eggs in this perfect, everyday pan. The 11-inch size is a great “medium” size that isn’t too big or small for most basic meals.
The quality of this pan feels like something every avid home cook deserves. Its sturdy construction is made to last even with everyday use. I like the feel of these pans and their durability, which is a bit better than my HexClad Cookware pans. Handcrafted in Italy with exquisite detailing on the handle, you get what you pay for with these quality pans. If you’re not used to cooking with stainless steel cookware, there is a learning curve. You’ll want to figure out how to preheat the pan to avoid cooking incorrectly. The learning curve isn’t difficult (regardless of your skill level as a home cook) and is worth it in the long term.
Chemical-free cookware
Hestan Culinary
While I love how the Hestan NanoBond pan cooks my food, the health-conscious factor of these pans is most important to me. If you’re cooking quality food daily, it’s worthwhile to do so in a frying pan that is 100% nontoxic and free of PFAS. I also like that it is a dishwasher-safe and nickel-free (good for anyone with nickel allergies) pan. Simply put, my meals just feel “cleaner” coming from high-quality cookware like this.
Why this espresso machine is the ultimate gift for home baristas
Give the gift of espresso
Buying a home espresso maker seems like a fairly straightforward task until you dive into shopping and find an overwhelming number of choices on the market. From single-serve varieties to deciding between automatic or semi-automatic functionalities, many decisions need to be made when finding the right espresso maker for you (or your gift recipient).
If you want to craft coffeehouse-quality espresso drinks at home, you'll want to choose an espresso machine that does it all—from frothing your milk to grinding your coffee beans. Here's why I think the Kenmore Espresso Machine delivers all that (and more,) making it the ultimate home espresso maker gift for home Baristas of any skill level.
Everything you need is in the box
Nitro Cold Brew is my all-around favorite coffee — here’s why
No coffee is like the nitro cold brew
As a cold coffee lover, it's safe to say I've tried nearly every variety of cold coffee on the market -- from an iced americano to an iced coffee. But time and time again, I return to the nitro cold brew, a type of coffee that is completely unmatched to other cold coffees on the market. In every category, such as flavor, consistency, and enjoyment, the nitro cold brew earns 10/10, and it never disappoints. Here's why the nitro cold brew is my favorite coffee.
Smooth, not harsh
Ordering coffee on the go leaves a lot of room for error and variation, especially when visiting national coffee chains like Dunkin' or Starbucks'. Whenever I order an iced coffee or a standard cold brew, it seems to turn out differently every time. Yet the nature of the nitro cold brew (available on tap) means it's consistent every time. Similar to draught beer, nitro cold brew is infused with nitrogen gas, which gives it its uniquely creamy, frothy texture. When poured, a dense foam layer sits on the top, and every sip is velvety and delicious.
Why you can (and should) add bourbon right to your banana bread batter without cooking it first
Bourbon alcohol cooks out as banana bread bakes - genius!
Cooking with booze is one of the best ways to achieve a robust and delicious complexity of flavor. For any number of dishes, we braise, poach, deglaze, and sauce with everything in the liquor cabinet, from wine to tequila to rum, and our food is better for it. And while you may have incorporated beer into your cupcakes or poached pear in a simmering pool of red wine, you may not yet fully appreciate the flavor spirits can bring to baked goods. Banana bread is one of the most delicious, comforting, feels-like-home treats there is, and it's hard to imagine it getting any better than it already is in its mildly sweet, toasty perfection. Enter bourbon.
It turns out that splashing a bit of bourbon into banana bread batter can take Grandma's recipe and elevate it to something one might find in an upscale restaurant. Here's why.
