Ian Burke

Credit: Photo: Joe Lingeman; Food Styling: Jesse Szewczyk; Prop Styling: JoJo Li Credit: Photo: Joe Lingeman; Food Styling: Jesse Szewczyk; Prop Styling: JoJo Li

In terms of spices and seasonings we keep on hand, salt is often an afterthought — a lot of us think of it as just something that comes in a big tub or cardboard container from the grocery store but let me be the first to tell you that not all salt is created equal. In fact, a lot of salt can be, well, saltier than other salt tablespoon for tablespoon, which, if you’re following a certain recipe (especially when baking) can totally throw off your end result.

Credit: Erin Derby Credit: Erin Derby It's not my proudest admission, but I've been known to use the same cutting boards

If you’ve read anything I’ve written for The Kitchn, you’ll already know that I’m a huge coffee fan. I’ve worked pulling espresso and making coffee in a cafe, and in my time here at The Kitchn, I’ve also tested just about every kind of coffee machine out there, from pour-overs and drippers to French presses, infusers, and more.

Whether you’re living alone, or with roommates who don’t drink coffee, or with a whole house of coffee-lovers, everyone should have at least one single-serve coffee maker in their culinary arsenal. For those of us who are the sole coffee drinkers in the house, that’s self explanatory — but even if everyone you live with is on the java hard, it still behooves you to keep a one-cup coffee machine of some sort in arm’s reach.

Welcome to The Test Kitchn, where we put some of our — and your! — favorite products to the test, so you can make more informed (and delicious) grocery shopping decisions. We know life can get pretty hectic, which is why we’re trying out different products on your behalf. (Kind of like our sister site Apartment Therapy’s Personal Shopper!) Looking for more great deals, food news, and product reviews?

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from years of cooking, it’s that you never really know how badly you need to change up your nonstick pans until you try to make an omelet. And, you never know just how much hassle-free cooking you were missing out on by not shelling out a few extra bucks for a set of high-quality nonstick skillets.

Smoked salmon has always been a treat for me, ever since I was a little kid. My grandmother was from Finland, so we ate a ton of smoked fish whenever

Frozen treats, here we come.

Credit: Photo: Alex Lepe; Food Styling: Rachel Perlmutter Credit: Photo: Alex Lepe; Food Styling: Rachel Perlmutter