We often think of summer as the high season for homemade ice cream, but really, would anyone ever turn down a scoop (or two)? Frozen desserts have been around for centuries, and once old-school hand-cranked churns gave way to more compact countertop versions, which skip the potential inconveniences of ice and rock salt, it’s been pretty simple to make ice cream—and frozen yogurt, gelato, and sorbets—in small batches right at home. 

If you think you’re not brave enough to try making your own ice cream, listen to the wisdom of author and ice cream expert Max Falkowitz. “The truth is that making ice cream is really easy,” he says. While he admits that figuring out which machine to buy can be a big psychological hurdle, once you add yours to your countertop, it’ll be just like a microwave or toaster oven. In other words, you’ll use it. A lot. 

Can a home ice cream maker achieve the same quality and flavor you find at exclusive scoop shops? Without a doubt. And making your own ice cream is also fun, says Jessie Scarola, owner of Vanilla Jill’s ice cream and Elegant Elephant Fine Foods in Eugene, Oregon. “Home ice cream making is just so much more forgiving than commercial production,” she adds. “It’s easy to make at home, and you know, homemade is always best.”

Falkowitz agrees: “Most home ice cream recipes are pretty foolproof,” he says since you get to control what goes in and what doesn’t. Once you’ve made a few batches, you’ll get a feel for it, and then you can start messing around with flavors and add-ins. If you make a few mistakes as you perfect your technique, no matter, he adds: “Even bad ice cream is better than most other things.”

• Best Overall and Best Value: Cuisinart Frozen Yogurt and Ice Cream Maker
• Best for a KitchenAid Mixer: KitchenAid Stand Mixer Ice Cream Attachment
• Best Splurge: Breville Smart Scoop Ice Cream Maker
• Best for Soft Serve: Cuisinart Soft Serve Ice Cream and Slushy Maker
• Best Non-Electric: Chef’n Sweet Spot Ice Cream Maker

A Few Things to Keep in Mind

Size

Though single-serve and quasi–industrial size electric ice cream makers can be found on the market, most home ice cream makers are in the 1- to 2-quart range.

Design and Look

All of the ice cream machines we discuss here are designed to look good on the countertop. You’ll find classic white models and stainless finishes, plus fun, bold colors to match your kitchen décor.

Freezing Mechanism

Ice cream needs to be frozen somehow, and thus all countertop ice cream makers rely on either old-fashioned added ice, a freezer bowl, or a self-contained freezer. Self-contained ice cream makers with their own compressors are certainly an option, but they come with a hefty price tag, so they may not be a beginner’s first option.

Kid-Friendly Options

If novelty and fun are important—or you’re looking for a device to use with kids—a soft-serve ice cream maker might be just what you’re looking for, emulating the commercial experience right down to the mix-ins. 

Our Top Picks

Best Overall & Best Value: Cuisinart Frozen Yogurt and Ice Cream Maker

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This takes the top slot in both categories, thanks to Cuisinart’s quality and thoughtful design. Almost everyone who uses it loves it, and the price is reasonable. This machine, which relies on a freezer bowl, is a Falkowitz favorite for many reasons, including its simplicity. “There’s like, one moving part,” he says, “and very little that can break.” Plus, the design offers easy access at the top of the bowl, which is crucial once the churn has done its work. “You’re in a race against time when the ice cream is finished turning,” says Falkowitz, “because it’s going to start melting really fast while you’re trying to get it into the container.” Get past the minimal inconvenience of having to freeze the bowl in advance by keeping the bowl frozen all the time, or at least being sure to pop it in the freezer the night before you plan on making a batch. With that little bit of planning and about 20 minutes on the counter, you’ll be rewarded with a homemade quart of ice cream to share. Gift-wrap this Cuisinart with a good ice cream recipe book and it’s a best-bet present for the novice—practically foolproof. 

Best for a KitchenAid Mixer: KitchenAid Stand Mixer Ice Cream Attachment

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If you already own a KitchenAid mixer and want to start experimenting with homemade ice cream without adding to your countertop appliance array, this special freezer bowl is a great acquisition. This is the machine that Scarola started on at home before she took on commercial batches at Vanilla Jill’s. Freeze the bowl overnight, attach it to the mixer, start at a slow churn, add your ice cream base, and in less than half an hour, you’ll have two quarts of homemade ice cream. Assembly can be tricky for some: As with many KitchenAid accessories and the strength of the mixer’s motor, you have to be certain everything is put together correctly before turning it on. You’ll also want to plan how to add your ice cream base as the bowl is moving, pouring around the mixer head, but if you’re attuned to the way your KitchenAid works that will come naturally.

Best Splurge: Breville Smart Scoop Ice Cream Maker

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If you want something that’s self-contained—no freezer bowl required—and are willing to spring for the extra expense of a countertop ice cream freezer, this Breville choice offers the best features, including controlled temperature that allows the user to decide how hard the finished ice cream will be. It’s not the thriftiest option, and it does have a larger countertop footprint, but this maker allows for more impromptu desserts. Just be certain to use a reliable ice cream recipe and follow Breville’s instructions.

Best for Soft Serve: Cuisinart Mix It Soft Serve Ice Cream Maker

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Cuisinart’s novel soft-serve ice cream maker requires a bit less planning, as the ice cream you’re making in its freezer bowl is meant to be eaten fresh out of the machine. In other words, it’s not cured before serving, so you’re not battling with the one element Falkowitz notes is so often overlooked in ice cream making: speed from churn to pint. As a bonus, it also allows you to add mix-ins as you serve. Fun.

Best Non-Electric: Chef’n Sweet Spot Ice Cream Maker

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This ice cream maker operates on the same principle as rolled ice cream, which has its roots in Asian and Middle Eastern cultures—no electric churning required. It makes just a few servings, but it does so almost instantly. Spread your ice cream base out over the pre-frozen surface, scrape it up in rolls, and voila! Just remember that you still have to work from a recipe with the right proportions of fat, sugar, and flavor, because that’s what makes ice cream so creamy and soft.

Ask the Experts

How long does it take to make ice cream in an ice cream maker?

Whether you opt for a self-contained machine with its own compressor or one that relies on a freezer bowl, an irresistible batch of homemade ice cream can be churned up in about 20 to 30 minutes. A soft-serve machine is quicker on the counter, but that’s for instant eating. In almost all cases, you’ll want to be sure you start with a good recipe that uses the right proportions and have your base mixed, melded, chilled, and ready to go before you start. Do you have to chill it overnight? That’s up for debate, says Falkowitz, who adds that while overnight chilling “is not strictly necessary, it just does something to the flavor.” 

Prep is important when making homemade ice cream, but don’t let that scare you off. It’s no more trouble than chilling a pie crust before rolling it out. Scarola likens freezing the work bowl to the process of making whipped cream: “You want it to whip up quicker, right, so you chill the bowl and mixers first.” Same with the ice cream maker bowl: Just freeze it in advance.

The bottom line is that homemade ice cream is well worth the effort, and certainly not the Olympic undertaking you might think. “Really,” says Falkowitz, “if you can make box brownie mix, you can make ice cream.” Grab your spoon and your sprinkles — it’s time to get started.

The post The Best Ice Cream Maker Is Also the Simplest appeared first on Saveur.

Peanut butter is one of those foods that has the power to evoke memories: peanut butter sandwiches at lunch, ants on a log for fun, dolloped on wedges of fresh apple as a snack, those classic cross-hatched peanut butter cookies for dessert, and of course, straight from the jar. It’s comfort food for many—which perhaps explains the increase in sales of peanut butter and peanut butter products during the pandemic.

So, when we began our search to find the best peanut butter, we started by recognizing that like it or not, most Americans had their taste buds trained early by options like Skippy, Jif, and Peter Pan. However, all of these market leaders contain some combination of not just peanuts, sugar, and salt, but also hydrogenated vegetable oil, an additive that’s been at the center of much dietary controversy for some time. So, we stepped up to the challenge of testing by finding peanut butters with the simplest ingredient profile possible.  

Along the way we also found that defining “peanut butter” is trickier than it may seem. By legal definition, a product must be at least 90 percent peanuts to be labeled “peanut butter.” If that standard is not met, the product must be labeled “peanut butter spread.” Keep this in mind as we discuss what is—and isn’t—in our best peanut butters. The calculation offers some surprises. 

Of course, peanut butters also come with or without added salt or sweeteners, or even with flavors and spices, but to get the purest test of peanut-y taste, we opted to look at only those peanut butters and spreads that contain no added sweeteners at all. Salt, yes, but no sweeteners. And, we tested creamy against creamy, no chunky styles, so that each spoonful was 100 percent nut butter. 

To find our winners, we tested first for taste (on a plain cracker and by the spoonful), bake-ability (in flourless peanut butter cookies), in cooking (in peanut sauce), for ease of use (sometimes stirring is a must, but some blends are easier than others), and for spreadability. All of our winners are widely available across the country.

Our Top Picks 

• Best Overall: Santa Cruz Dark Roasted Creamy Peanut Butter
• Best Value: 365 Organic Creamy Peanut Butter Spread
• Best Unsalted No-Stir: Justin’s Classic Peanut Butter Spread
• Best with No Added Ingredients (tie): Adams Natural Creamy Peanut Butter and Smucker’s Natural Creamy Peanut Butter

Best Overall: Santa Cruz Dark Roasted Creamy Peanut Butter

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Style: Creamy | Sugar: None added | Salt: Yes, 55mg | Organic: Yes | Added ingredients: None | Size: 16 oz.

Why we chose it: Simply the best peanut flavor and remarkable versatility in the kitchen.

Maybe it’s those “dark roasted” peanuts, but Santa Cruz is just the tastiest peanut butter out there that doesn’t contain any flavor boosters (and taste-bud trickers), such as salt, sugar, honey, etc. It just tastes and smells like peanuts, and something about the Santa Cruz blending process results in a peanut butter that remains better emulsified and less separated than most other natural styles. 

That said, with all unadulterated peanut butters, there will be oil separation. Reduce the annoyance by keeping an Old-Fashioned Peanut Butter Mixer handy. The scant amount of space it takes up in the drawer is more than offset by the utility of this single-purpose gadget. 

Santa Cruz even passed our kitchen tests. We chose a flourless peanut butter cookie to help ensure that most of the taste came from the peanut butter, and Santa Cruz peanut butter was fantastic. It makes a slightly puffier peanut butter cookie than you would get when using Jif or Skippy, and it even offered better flavor according to the cookie lovers we corralled into testing. Overall, the standout peanut taste is worth the marginally non-traditional cookie shape. 

It was less oily than other natural brands in cooking, too. As a bonus, it’s consistently among the lower-priced organic options. Organic, almost nothing but peanuts, and reasonably priced. The slam-dunk of peanut butters.

Best Value: 365 Organic Creamy Peanut Butter Spread

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Style: Creamy | Sugar: No | Salt: Yes, 100 mg | Organic: Yes | Added ingredients: Palm oil | Size: 16 oz.

Why we chose it: The flavor and consistency are like the peanut butters we remember from childhood, but it has all organic ingredients and is consistently lower priced than other organics.

If a bit of palm oil is not among your concerns, and salt isn’t an issue, then this 365 Organic Creamy Peanut Butter Spread ticks enough boxes to be considered among the best of the bunch in taste and in spreadability. It has a clean peanut flavor, spreads well, and needs no stirring. And it bakes identically to the hydrogenated peanut butters in those peanut butter cookies.

Best Unsalted No-Stir: Justin’s Classic Peanut Butter Spread

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Style: Creamy | Sugar: No | Salt: None added, 25 mg naturally occurring in the peanuts | Organic: No | Added ingredients: Palm oil | Size: 16 oz.

Why we chose it: Spreads like a dream and tastes much like the peanut butters of kid-dom, despite the lack of added sugar or salt.

Justin’s broke into the peanut butter market when Justin Gold ground up peanuts in his Colorado kitchen. He realized he’d hit upon something when he made peanut butter super-portable by putting it in squeeze packs. From there, he expanded into flavors, other nut butters, and snacks. 

Though there are sweetened versions of Justin’s peanut butter, this plain, creamy style is great as-is and needs no stirring. It has a nice, simple, natural, peanut-by flavor and It baked a cookie very similar to what you’d get using one of the leading brands, and is only the least bit oily in cooking, something you can offset by dialing back any other oils in the recipe by just a tad.

The company is now owned by Hormel Foods, which is also parent to other brands that avid snackers may recognize, such as Planters, SPAM, Applegate—and Skippy. But Justin’s is made on different manufacturing lines and is deemed a “spread” because it contains less than 90 percent peanuts.

Best with Added Salt (tie): Adams Natural Creamy Peanut Butter and Smucker’s Natural Creamy Peanut Butter

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Style: Creamy | Sugar: No | Salt: Yes, moderate (95 mg and 110 mg sodium, respectively) | Organic: No | Added ingredients: None | Size: 16 oz.

Why we chose it: Both with just a bit of salt, these two natural peanut butters come through on taste without adding much of anything.

These are a tie for two reasons. First, they are both made by Smucker’s, with the Adams brand having been acquired in 1998, and the two peanut butters are almost indistinguishable in taste testing. (Smucker’s also makes Jif, so they’re an old hand in the peanut butter game.) Second, they’re both pretty good, though not as flavorful as our Best Overall. Neither is organic, and the Smucker’s, in particular, has enough added salt to tip it at 110mg of sodium per serving—still less than the leading brands, which have 140mg (Jif) and 150mg (Skippy). They do require stirring, but both jars accept the paddle mixer and stay fairly well mixed if you do the jar-flip trick (below). 

Runners-Up / Others We Tested

Jif Creamy Peanut Butter

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Style: Creamy | Sugar: Yes, 2g added | Salt: Yes, 140 mg sodium | Organic: No | Added ingredients: Molasses, fully hydrogenated vegetable oil (rapeseed and soybean), mono- and diglycerides | Size: 16 oz.

SKIPPY Creamy Peanut Butter

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Style: Creamy | Sugar: Yes, 3g added | Salt: Yes, 150 mg sodium | Organic: No | Added ingredients: Hydrogenated vegetable oil (cottonseed, soybean, and rapeseed) | Size: 16 oz.

Why we chose them: These two served as our controls, based on the expectations that have been built around peanut butters over the decades. 

While the taste is undeniably familiar as “peanut butter,” each packs a lot of extra salt and added sugar. Side-by side you can taste the difference between them, probably as a result of that extra molasses in the Jif. They lose out because alongside the other nut butters, they just don’t taste as peanut-y. Their taste is strong, but it’s a trick played on the taste buds by the salt and sugar, and perhaps by memory as well.

What really kills these two is that hydrogenated vegetable oil. Granted, by definition it is less than 10 percent of the product (exact percentages of ingredients are not listed on nutrition labels, only their ascendancy), but for all the damage that hydrogenated oils can do in the diet, you might want to avoid them.

O Organics Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Spread

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Style: Creamy | Sugar: No | Salt: Yes, 105 mg | Organic: Yes | Added ingredients: None | Size: 16 oz.

Why we chose it: O Organics is a brand of peanut butter that is widely available in many grocery stores and it promises organic quality.

O Organics is a private label of the Albertsons Companies, which are many, so it shows up in supermarkets all around the country, including Safeway, Shaw’s, etc. It’s the only peanut butter we tested that was a product of Canada, but that’s not what tips it out of favor. Its taste isn’t peanut-y enough, really, and it’s incredibly oily, which is made worse by the fact that it’s in a plastic jar that will not accept a peanut butter mixer. It wasn’t as tasty as our Best Overall, and it was nearly 50 percent more expensive than our Best Budget choice, which was organic to boot. 

MaraNatha Organic Creamy Peanut Butter

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Style: Creamy | Sugar: No | Salt: No, 10 mg naturally occurring in the peanuts | Organic: Yes | Added ingredients: Palm oil | Size: 16 oz.

Why we chose it: Great brand, but taste falls far short of other organics while still commanding premium pricing.

MaraNatha is another peanut butter with homemade origins, this time from Robert and Chris Plotnik in Ashland, Oregon. It’s now a brand of Hain Celestial Foods, a reliable and ubiquitous brand for many product types in the world of natural foods. But for all its pedigree, it’s just not as flavorful as it should be, and while packaged nicely in glass, the jar has a smaller mouth, so it’s tougher to stir.

Peanut Butter & Co. Simply Smooth Peanut Butter Spread

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Style: Creamy | Sugar: No | Salt: Yes, 100 mg | Organic: No | Added ingredients: Palm oil | Size: 16 oz.

Why we chose it: Just not the best of the butters, and at a higher price point than similar blends.

Somehow, this mix of peanut butter and palm oil comes out more pasty than other butters, and it doesn’t have a really nice peanut taste. The flavor is somehow submerged. It’s a bit less expensive than Justin’s, which is a similar blend and one of our top choices, but Peanut Butter & Co. is just not as flavorful despite having four times as much salt.

How We Chose These Products

We looked for a selection of readily available brands, those you’re likely to find no matter where you are in the U.S. This was a bit dicey because current supply-chain issues in retail and agriculture are distorting product availability, but we cross-checked stock in Whole Foods and Safeway markets—both national retailers—and online. These are the best and most-readily available brands, though we did not include local or artisanal manufacturers.

We included two of the old-school brands, Jif and Skippy, specifically as a baseline, albeit a dubious one because so many of us would prefer to avoid some of the very ingredients that give those 20^th-century standard bearers of the peanut butter world their distinctive tastes, creaminess, spreadability, and shelf stability.

We checked everything in direct taste testing by the spoonful, on super-plain water crackers, and in recipes as well: Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies and, in the realm of peanut butter for dinner, Cold Sesame Noodles. We specifically chose two peanut-intensive recipes so that the comparison was based as much on the peanut butter as possible. The peanut butter was nearly on its own in the cookies, not interrupted by flour and any fluctuation of moisture content, and all the other ingredients and kitchen factors were exactly the same from test batch to test batch. In the noodles, we kept the other ingredients the same with each test as well. Here’s where we learned that if a peanut butter needs stirring in the jar, you absolutely must be sure it is well mixed before measuring and adding it to the peanut sauce. Then you have to be sure you’re not making the sauce too oily in its final form. We added the sesame oil to the peanut sauce last, and dialed it back as necessary.

Features to Keep in Mind When Shopping for a Peanut Butter

Added Ingredients, Salt, Sweeteners, and Other

Salt and sugar—in moderation—are culinary friends, not foes. They act to uncover and intensify many flavors in cooking, and that’s true in peanut butter as well. A bit of salt and a bit of sugar in the right balance can bring out elements of the peanut flavor profile. But if you are watching your intake of either salt or sugar, read the labels, because some peanut butter brands pack a wallop of one or the other, especially those that don’t even aspire to be “natural”. Routine exposure to an excess of salts or sugars can train your tastebuds to expect those flavor peaks, too, and you might lose your taste for more subtle flavors. Plus, we have found that if you have a full-flavored peanut-y peanut butter, it doesn’t need the add-ins.

Oils are another matter, and we won’t delve deeply here into the relative risks and values of such additives to peanut butters or other foods; that’s a huge and fraught subject of its own. But in terms of added oil, know that the peanut butters you find on U.S. grocery shelves these days will come in one of three different configurations: with added hydrogenated oils, with added palm oil, or with no added oil at all. We sampled each type for eating, baking, and cooking, in the most peanut-butter-dependent recipes possible.

Here’s where we get into the relative “value” of additives. A peanut butter that is just peanuts will quickly separate when it sits, leaving an oil layer on top. The naturally occurring oils in the peanuts themselves just don’t stay mixed, so we have to stir. That can be a pain, and it’s an incredible mess if you’re unfortunate enough to slop peanut oil all over the place when mixing or opening the jar. (Been there, done that, right?) 

So, for even the best peanut butters to stay blended, manufacturers need to add something that supports and maintains emulsification, and that’s usually some sort of vegetable oil. Those old favorites, Jif and Skippy use hydrogenated vegetable oils. (Jif even adds mono- and diglycerides.) 

But as consumers have reacted with concern to hydrogenated oils in packaged foods, peanut butter manufacturers have had to find something else that helps the peanut butter stay mixed. For that, they have turned primarily to palm oil, which is, well, a whole other can of oil, so to speak.

There are health arguments both for and against palm oil, and much discussion of the environmental impact of its harvesting. These are important considerations, but for purposes of our comparisons here, what you need to know is that virtually all the no-stir brands that avoid hydrogenated oils will contain palm oil. 

Then there’s the labeling. It takes a greater percentage of palm oil to do what a lesser amount of hydrogenated oil can do in terms of emulsification, more than 10 percent of the total volume, in fact. So, that tips the “90 percent peanuts” rule in labeling, the end result being that most peanut butters using palm oil as an emulsifier have to be labeled “peanut butter spreads.” We found that the palm oil doesn’t make peanut butter any more (or less) flavorful or useful, but keep that added oil in mind when making your choice.

Organic

Organic peanut butters take up about half the shelf space at the grocery store, and organic comes at a premium; they are almost always more expensive than those made from non-organic peanuts. However, many manufacturers of peanut butter do go out of their way to offer products that are made from non-GMO peanuts. While that seems like a step in a better direction for some, 100 percent organic is even better still.  Peanut cultivation is fairly chemically intensive, and even though peanuts are legumes that form underground in the soil, that doesn’t protect them from exposure to agricultural chemicals.

Ask the Experts 

Q: Should dogs eat peanut butter?

In general, peanut butter is ok for dogs, according to the American Kennel Club. It’s always best to check with your vet about what your own dog can and should eat, but also use common sense. Even natural or homemade peanut butter is very high in fat, and certain commercial brands can be full of salt and sugars. Humans don’t need to overload on any of that, so apply the same healthful standards for your dog. But as an occasional treat (apply the 10 percent treats rule as suggested by the AKC), a little bit of peanut butter can make a dog a very happy camper. 

Q: Does peanut butter have an expiration date? 

All packaged foods will have an expiration date, and the food industry is working to make the various terminology—“best by” “best if used by” “use before” “sell by”—less confusing overall. But the thing to keep in mind is that most of these dates aren’t about spoilage; they are mostly about optimal quality, and even then there’s much wiggle room, especially for a food product that is fairly stable while still in sealed packaging, such as peanut butter. A week-old open container of yogurt or lumpy milk is another matter, as is a jar of peanut butter that’s been open for months and months and is past its “use” date. Once again, common sense goes a long way.

Q: Should I keep my peanut butter in the fridge? 

Follow the label recommendations. That said, with all unadulterated peanut butters, there will be oil separation. Grab the Old-Fashioned Peanut Butter Mixer. It can be used for tidily mixing any nut butter in a jar that accepts a standard 75mm lid. You can remix each time you use the peanut butter, or you can stay ahead of the game by paddling the butter at room temperature when you first open it, then sealing the lid tightly and inverting the jar for storage, which means you’ll be greeted by mostly peanut butter when you flip it over the next time the jar is opened. Refrigerate if the label says to, and any peanut butter can be kept in the fridge, but you’ll want to mix it at room temperature.

Q: Can I make my own peanut butter? 

We’ve sort of come full circle on the peanut butter track. Way back when, peanut butter was only what you might throw together at home: just peanuts ground into a paste. But, with the midcentury explosion in the market for packaged foods, manufacturers were exploring all sorts of additives to make peanut butters tastier and more attractive, including glycerin, and lots of stuff started making its way into peanut butter, primarily salt, sweeteners, and oil additives. Concerns about nutritional value of our foods and food additives came to the forefront again in the 1970s, and that’s when, once again, we started seeing peanut butters made from just peanuts. 

Making nut butters at home can be messy, but a food processor or powerful blender (such as a Vitamix) can make quick work of it, and you can even experiment with adding small amounts of oil or flavors to make your own special blends. The next best thing to homemade is peanut butter ground at the store, but our Best Overall, Santa Cruz Dark Roasted Creamy Peanut Butter, comes darn close to freshly-ground and is much more convenient.

Our Take

Depending on what you’re looking for a in a peanut butter—whether you prefer salty, low-sugar, organic, or a creamy, childhood favorite—everyone is looking for the same thing: a nutty, rich, peanut taste. We’ve chosen the best, widely-available peanut butters that will take you from a late night spoonful to a fluffy batch of peanut butter cookies. 

The post The Best Peanut Butters Are So Good You Can Eat Them By the Spoonful appeared first on Saveur.

The humble oat is an amazing grain of incredible utility in the kitchen, too often overlooked as more fashionable grains—hello, quinoa and millet—become the next big thing. But oats have special flexibility as the base for alternative milks. This is in part because of the generally neutral taste that oats impart, and how well that mild taste plays with so many other flavors, both sweet and savory.

Granted, people choose oat milks for lots of reasons, perhaps because they are avoiding traditional dairy products, or maybe just to add a diversity of tastes and nutritional options to their diets. For most of us, our palates have been trained by the taste of dairy milk. This is especially so if you’re drinking the milk straight, as a beverage. And most alternative milks—the best oat milks included—work to emulate those tastes and textures we remember. 

For use in the kitchen, cooks want to be able to rely on an oat milk that will behave like dairy milk in most recipes, without adding odd flavors or unpleasant textures. A best oat milk for the kitchen, then, needs to work in lots of dishes, such as in the classiest oatmeal ever, and in something as delicately complex as Mexican Tortilla Ball Soup. We tested the best oat milks with all of this in mind.

It’s important to note that not all oat milks are organic. In fact, only a few are, which is rather a surprise considering how many other organic oat products are on the market. That said, the cultivation of oats is comparatively low impact in terms of pesticide use, and even conventionally-grown oats are fairly clean of the worst environmental offenders. Overall, it can be assumed that a reputable food-production company is being careful in its selection of source grains, and the brands we tested all come from highly reputable manufacturers. Off-branded oat milks from less reliable sources might not be so.

In general, and as with most packaged foods, we read labels and watched for sugars, added thickeners (gums, etc.), vitamin content, sodium levels, etc. You should, too.

Our Top Picks 

• Best Overall: Chobani Plain Extra Creamy Oatmilk
• Best Value: Oatly Oat Drink
• Best for Nutty Sweetness: 365 Whole Foods Original Oatmilk
• Best for Organic: Planet Oat Extra Creamy original Oatmilk
• Best for an Authentic Oat-y Taste: Pacific Foods Plant-Based Beverage Organic Oat Original

Best Overall: Chobani Plain Extra Creamy Oatmilk

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Why we chose it: This is an alternative milk that comes remarkably close to dairy milk in taste, as well as in recipe utility.

Chobani makes several styles of oat milk, but this simple style checks all the right boxes for both Yes and No. It has no gluten, no GMO (genetically modified organisms) ingredients, no dairy (so no lactose), and no nut products. It touts itself as “vegan-friendly” and—hard to believe—it looks and tastes and behaves just like dairy milk, even in mashed potatoes. Though you could never expect any alternative milk to deliver the unique richness of full-fat dairy cream, Chobani works remarkably well in cooking.

Best of all, it tastes good and feels familiar to drinkers of dairy milk. It looks cleanly white, like dairy milk, and even has a similar viscosity in the glass. And its taste is neutral, just, well, milky. Though it’s not organic, the added ingredients are of little concern, including rapeseed (canola) oil, and a few additives to help boost the calcium. It has a nominal amount of gellan gum, a commercial thickening agent, but one of the few such additives that doesn’t raise health or digestive flags. Chobani is also one of the least expensive oat milks we tested.

Best Value: Oatly Oat Drink

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Why we chose it: A slightly better price makes Oatly a great choice for an all-purpose oat milk.

Oatly comes a close second to our top pick, in part because it has an oat-y taste and is a light caramel color, both of which can be off-putting. But it’s still quite good, and the refrigerated version is a hair less expensive per ounce. It also seems to have greater availability nationwide. In kitchen use, the oat taste disappears entirely. For those who worry about additives, it’s also non-GMO, gluten-free, and has no added thickeners or gums at all. It is, however, a bit watery and less milk-like as a result compared with our top pick, but it’s still a good go-to for oat milk.

Best for Nutty Sweetness: 365 Whole Foods Original Oatmilk

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Why we chose it: This fully shelf-stable oat milk has added vitamins and a mild, nutty taste.

Oat Milk from Whole Foods, their 365 brand, offers everything you would expect from an oat milk, along with a noticeable, mildly sweet (but not sweetened) flavor. It’s a guess, but this flavor difference is probably because the added fat here is sunflower oil, which is itself a bit sweet and nutty. The 365 oat milk also adds specific vitamins and minerals, which other oat milks do not, so if you’re replacing dairy milk in a child’s diet, this might be a perk. It’s not organic, has the highest sodium content of all the oat milks we tested, and is oddly more expensive per ounce than you would expect from a house brand, but for a shelf-stable pantry keeper, it’s worth it.

Best for Truly Neutral Flavor: Planet Oat Extra Creamy Original Oatmilk

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Why we chose it: Planet Oat strikes a nice balance of neutral flavor and nutrition.

This is another oat milk with vitamins added, and combined with what it doesn’t have—no nuts, gluten, soy, or artificial ingredients—it makes a good choice, even though it has a less milk-like character. It is, in fact, a bit watery, and that’s the kind of thing that makes a difference in cooking when using a milk alternative as an ingredient in soups, or mashed potatoes as we made in our tests. Still, for all other uses—such as in cereal and smoothies, and for drinking—Planet Oat works nicely.

Best Organic: Pacific Foods Plant-Based Beverage Organic Oat Original

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Why we chose it: Pacific Foods oat milk is one of the few that is fully organic, and the best-tasting oat milk we found in that subcategory.

Oregon-based Pacific Foods offers a whole menu of alternative milk products, not just those using an oat base. Their Original Oat Milk has a mild taste with slightly nutty overtones. Unlike most oat milks, this one contains oat bran, which might be why its natural sugars are the highest of the milks we tested. That 17 grams per serving of sugar isn’t due to added sweeteners, but rather the naturally occurring sugars in the oat products themselves. It has a few added vitamins and no added fats, but does use gellan gum as a thickener. That combination is probably why it’s less “creamy” than some of the other milks, so not the best choice in cooking where you want a “cream” effect.

Not Recommended:

Califa Farms Extra Creamy Oat Milk

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Why we chose it:  It’s reliably available in most natural foods stores, but falls short in taste testing.

Though Califa tries to hit the mark with added calcium and skips the gums, their oat milk just isn’t as pleasant as it should be somehow. In fact, it has a sort of odd, not-oaty taste that can only come from ingredients and the balance between them. It’s watery, too, and higher in salt than other brands. It’s also in plastic packaging, which might concern some environmentally sensitive shoppers. It just fails a little bit in too many ways for us to recommend it.

What We Don’t Recommend

Oatsome Organic Oat Drink

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Despite ingredients that are similar to most other brands, Oatsome just falls flat. They seem to have done everything right: The oats are organic, they’re using a neutral sunflower oil for some added body, and skipping any gums or thickeners, plus they’ve added vitamins. But Oatsome just comes out too watery and has an odd, slightly bitter aftertaste. It’s also the priciest of the milks we tested at 15 cents per ounce, more than twice the price of our top pick.

How We Chose These Products 

There are many oat milks on the market in dozens of different configurations, some with flavorings, sweeteners, and with and without various additives, as well as newer blends of oat milk specially crafted for use as creamers for coffee or tea. Go to the alternative milks aisle at any grocery store and proceed to get dizzy with options. 

We wanted to make the choice simpler for you, to compare “apples to apples”—or in this case, of course, oat milk to oat milk—so we chose to test the plainest version of each brand’s offerings. No sweeteners or flavorings added. Because, let’s face it, while we know that adding a little of Brooklyn-born U-Bet chocolate syrup improves almost anything, comparing a flavored oat milk to a plain version wouldn’t be fair. If a company is getting the basics of oat milk right, it will be revealed in the taste.

Our tests were conducted with oat milks that were fridge-cold, and we took care to shake the packages well before pouring. The tests included a straight-up tasting, and in cooking, with a deliberately altered version of Crème Fraîche Mashed Potatoes, which we made by simply substituting oat milk for the crème fraîche. Just for good measure, we also tested each oat milk in a dairy-free white Russian cocktail. (Hey, even taste-testers need to kick back.) To no one’s surprise, an oat milk white Russian was darn good, no matter which brand we used.

There are more brands of oat milk available than we tested here, quite a few. In fact, there are a few smaller artisanal companies making oat milks and oat-milk blends, but these have only limited or regionally availability. If you have a local favorite, go for it. But here, we wanted to recommend products that will be available no matter where you live and shop, so we looked at brands that have availability in markets nationwide and/or online. Another factor in testing for the best oat milk is the fact that, like so many beverages, oat milks come in both refrigerated and shelf-stable aseptic packaging. We specifically tested one brand that offers oat milk in both types of packaging, Oatly. The two versions of the oat milk were, as expected, identical. It’s just a matter of packaging, and it makes sense for you to pick what works best in your fridge or pantry.

Features to Keep in Mind When Shopping for an Oat Milk 

Emulsifiers

Additives such as oils and gums (guar and gellan, in most cases) work together to thicken and keep a product mixed, i.e., emulsified. Some such additives are nutritionally problematic, but the oat milks we tested make the better choices. Most use one or the other, and sometimes both, to achieve the desired taste and mouthfeel.

Organic, GMO, & Non-GMO

Organic certification is complicated, and non-GMO (made from ingredients that are not genetically modified) is a factor unto itself. In oat milks, non-GMO is more common than organic.

Added Vitamins Calcium & Vitamin D

Dairy milk, and cow’s milk in particular, has a natural vitamin and mineral profile that is generally accepted as helpful in children’s and certain other diets. Many of the oat milks approximate that profile by adding vitamins and minerals, most often with calcium and calcium companions.

Flavors

Oat milk is itself a neutral base and can work with an almost endless variety of flavor additives, starting with everyone’s favorite: chocolate. Vanilla is also common, and there are special “barista” blends as well. However, most of these have not only added flavor, but added sweeteners, so read the labels, especially if you’re watching sugars or planning to use the oat milk in a savory recipe.

Ask the Experts

Q: Why is oat milk good?

Oat milks offer a “milk” experience without animal fats, often (but not always) without gluten, and save those who are lactose intolerant from digestive upset. If you find an oat milk that is visually appealing (for those picky eaters at your table), and has at least a neutral taste, then yes, most people would think that’s a good thing. Our top pick, the Chobani Plain Extra Creamy Oatmilk is nearly perfect in this regard: It’s just good. 

Q: Is oat milk healthy?

Plain, unsweetened oat milk can be a healthful addition to the diet, especially if you’re watching fats and it’s replacing full-fat dairy milk. It also adds fiber where dairy milk has none. But watch out when you enjoy sweetened or flavored oat milks, because these can be packed with sugars, and some even have added fats. When you consider what’s most healthy for the planet, too, there’s a strong argument for all alternative milks, oat milks included. 

Q: How much oat milk should I drink per day? 

If your preference is for oat milk, you could pretty much drink as much as you’d like, within reason. Unsweetened, unflavored oat milk comes in at around 120 calories per cup and provides a nice little protein punch of 2 grams or more (depending on brand and blend), with usually very little sodium or fat, and only complex (“good”) carbs. Drinking sweetened or flavored oat milks is another matter entirely. Read the labels, because with additives, the sugar and sodium numbers can soar.

Q: Do all oat milks contain sugar?

No—and yes. It’s a more complicated question than it might seem. 

All oat milks contain natural carbohydrates, which are counted as “sugar” in their labeling, but this isn’t sugar as a sweetener—unless the oat milk has been flavored in some way. Here we tested plain, unsweetened oat milks specifically to take the sugar factor out of the equation, to get a sense of each product’s unadulterated taste. And most of the plain oat milks we tested have, in fact, less sugar than cow’s milk, but more carbs overall, a result of the additional fiber that occurs naturally in oats.

Flavored and other specialty oat milks are another matter, and most of these have sweeteners added along with whatever flavoring—chocolate, vanilla, even strawberry. Here, as with so many packaged foods, is where you need to pay attention to labeling, not only because accidentally using a sweetened oat milk in mashed potatoes would be downright unappetizing, but because sugars can sneak into flavored products of all kinds.

Our Take

Oat milks are a great choice for anyone wishing to avoid dairy milks or expand their nutritional options. Even if you’ve been a milk drinker all your life, enjoying milk on its own and not as an ingredient, there are oat milks that come very close to the taste of dairy milk. Our top pick, the Chobani Plain Extra Creamy Oatmilk is almost indistinguishable from cow’s milk.

One last thought: With supply-chain issues persisting across the economy, you might find your favorite version of oat milk (or any product, for that matter) is just completely AWOL from store shelves, sometimes for weeks or months on end. That means it’s helpful to know what you like and know that you also have a best oat milk runner-up—just in case.

The post The Best Oat Milks Are Creamy and Versatile appeared first on Saveur.

Picture this: You’ve snagged a bargain on organic chicken breasts at the local butcher, or maybe you made way too much of mama’s really good red sauce. You wrap everything well, packing it into zippy bags or food containers, then you open the freezer compartment of your refrigerator to find absolutely no space in there whatsoever. Zip. There’s that homemade ice cream from last week, plus ice cubes for chilling martinis, scrap bread saved for that new French toast recipe (or for croutons or stuffing), some leftover veggies waiting to become stock, even a few squishy reusable freezer packs for bumps and bruises, but no room for much else. 

If you’ve ever been frustrated by lack of freezer space, you’re in good company. Most of us have recently been cooking and baking at home more than before, so we have prepped food, staples, plus leftovers, plus, plus, plus. Where to keep it all if not in the freezer? 

Hannah Kirshner is a writer, artist and food stylist, and author of Water, Woods & Wild Things, and she knows the value of having extra freezer space. “I grew up on a small farm outside Seattle,” she remembers, “and so we had a standing chest freezer. You know, it looks like a refrigerator. It was always full of meat and vegetables from our farm—and popsicles.” 

Valery Lomas, lawyer-turned-baker and author of Life is What You Bake It has a great take on the extra freezer, too, though she has no room for one in her own kitchen right now. “My mom has an extra refrigerator and freezer… it makes a lot of sense,” she says. “If you’ve got the space, [you can] buy in bulk for the family. People hunt and fish, take advantage of shrimp season and all that kind of stuff.” Lomas’ own idea of a best use for a chest freezer? “That’s for my dream house, a chest freezer. And I’ll just put butter in it.” 

According to Caleb Schwin, a product specialist at Kelly’s Home Center, “Freezers are probably the simplest appliance in the industry. They have not changed, hardly at all in the last 35 years.” Kelly’s Home Center is a family business that’s been an institution in Oregon since 1974, long before Amazon and even before the likes of Home Depot. During that time, the basics have remained the same: There’s an insulated box with a lid or a door, and an electric condenser that keeps the air cold. “It holds temperature,” he says. That’s pretty much it. 

There are two basic styles of chest freezer on the market: the chest version, with a lid that lifts up on the top; and the standing or upright style Kirshner refers to, which as she says looks rather like a refrigerator, but with a single door and a single purpose. Which style is best for you, “is more of an aesthetic factor than anything,” Schwin adds, and depends how you want the contents to be organized, and the size of the space in which the freezer will live.

Schwin adds that most freezers, no matter the brand name on the front, are really made by only a few manufacturers. Behind every brand you see—well-known, budget, or otherwise—is a freezer motor manufactured by one of very few companies. So don’t be swayed by brand name alone; look instead for the style, construction, and features that suit your needs. 

Because of the size and commitment, this may be one purchase you’ll want to make at a local appliance dealer. For a coast-to-coast comparison, we checked Kelly’s prices and those at Gringer & Sons Appliances in New York, another family-owned institution, against what’s available online. The local stores’ prices are comparable to what you see online, because, let’s face it, they are all competing in the same market. Plus, most local stores also offer delivery.

Whether buying online or checking out chest freezers in a brick-and-mortar store, there are certain basic features you should consider, including the thickness of the box wall (thicker is usually better); the flexibility, durability, and adhesion of the gasket sealing the door or lid; how well and easily the door or lid shuts and stays shut; and whether the exterior finish suits your style.

After that, look at the extras, such as whether the door or lid holds itself open for convenience, or if there’s a kick-plate to open the door with no hands, something that’s only available on the pricier models. Then consider all the interior organization options, baskets, etc. 

For an appliance that’s mostly a big insulated box with one job—keeping things cold—that’s about it. These are the best chest freezers we’ve found online.

• Best Overall: Midea 7 Cu. Ft. Chest Freezer
• Best Value: Avanti Freestanding 10 Cu. Ft. Chest Freezer
• Best Chest Style (Smaller): Plastic Development Group Garage or Basement 5 Cu. Ft. Chest Freezer
• Best Chest Style (Mid-size): Danby Garage-Ready 7.2 Cu. Ft. Chest Freezer
• Best Standing Style: Danby Designer Upright Freezer
• Best Really Small Freezer: Small Upright 1.1 Cu. Ft. Freezer
• Best Accessory: 2 Pack Refrigerator Thermometer

Features to Keep in Mind

Storage Space: The real-world, practical capacity of a freezer is determined both by what you’ll be stashing inside and how well you’ll be able to organize and keep track of it all. Standing styles will often have sliding drawers and shelves on the door, like a refrigerator, and chest styles will often have fitted baskets as accessories. Plus, you can add organizing gear to either chest or standing styles in order to help make things more accessible and easier to see.

Drawers and Dividers: Chest-style freezers will often come with one or more fitted basket inserts made of solid plastic or coated wire, and you can sometimes order extras from the dealer. You can also adapt other storage and organizing options to the freezer: canvas shopping bags that can be lifted out, bins that stack, even tied up grocery bags or cardboard boxes will work in a pinch. It’s all about keeping “like with like” and making sure that everything is visible and easy to handle.

Temperature: A freezer—whether integrated with a fridge or standalone—should be kept at 0 degrees Fahrenheit, never above. Many appliances will have built-in temperature read-outs, but those sensors can quietly fail, so it’s worth investing in a simple, manual fridge/freezer thermometer that will allow you to double-check internal temperatures. Checking the temp occasionally is always a good idea, because a fridge or freezer that isn’t holding its temp is always the first sign that either the door isn’t sealing properly, someone is forgetting to close the door, or the appliance needs servicing. Better safe than sorry—those homemade frozen dumplings are worth their weight in gold. 

Energy Efficiency: The chest style will be marginally more efficient than the standing style. It’s a matter of simple science: Cold air drops naturally, so opening a freezer from the top doesn’t let as much cold escape, because the coldest air is at the bottom of the freezer box. But opening a freezer door that swings from the front will allow cold air to escape more easily. The kWh/yr (kilowatt hours per year) used by a chest freezer will range from about 150 to as much as 450, but that will depend a lot on its size and how often the door is opened. Once you decide on a model, there’s a great resource at energystar.gov that can help you decide whether the brand and style you want fits comfortably into your energy footprint.

Manual vs. Auto Defrosting: 

First, we need to understand how and why frosting happens in a freezer. When a freezer door is opened, warm air flows in from the room, and cold air flows out of the freezer. That imbalance allows frost to occur in the freezer box. So, frost inside a freezer can happen in the moments when the door is standing open, or when the gasket doesn’t seal properly around the door. An auto defrost feature will compensate for the imbalanced temperature with extra-cooled air, but honestly, as long as you don’t stand around with the freezer door hanging open (one of those things your mother warned you not to do anyway), chances are frost won’t be a routine problem. All freezers have the capacity to defrost when they are—of course—turned off, and chest freezers will have a drain at the bottom of the freezer box. Once a year, or once a season, depending on how much you’re storing, plan to empty the freezer and allow it to defrost entirely before cleaning the interior, re-freezing and restocking.

Our Top Picks

Best Overall: Midea 7 Cu. Ft. Chest Freezer

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With a footprint under a yard wide, and great capacity, this is an ideal starter freezer because it doesn’t take up a ton of room. It has a stay-open lid, so you aren’t stuck holding it while selecting, and comes with two top-level baskets. It also offers a temperature control, which some people find useful when the freezer lives in a cooler or warmer part of the house.

Best Value for Extra Space: Avanti Freestanding 10 Cu. Ft. Chest Freezer

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If you have the floor space, this freezer offers great interior storage, but doesn’t have an assisted lid or extra baskets. Consider this larger size if you’re storing bulk amounts of meat or staples that won’t require frequent access.

Best Chest Style (Smaller): Plastic Development Group Garage or Basement 5 Cu. Ft. Chest Freezer

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This smaller chest freezer is just the basics with one fitted basket and decent interior space, good enough for those extra loaves of bread or extra tubs of ice cream.

Best Chest Style (Mid-size): Danby Garage-Ready 7.2 Cu. Ft. Chest Freezer

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This chest freezer touts itself as being “garage-ready.” This is an issue worth considering, because some manufacturers will consider it a violation of the warranty to keep a freezer “outdoors.” In practical use, however, it’s perfectly safe and reasonable to keep a freezer in a basement or garage where it’s generally cooler, as long as temperatures there aren’t truly extreme. Residential refrigerators and freezers aren’t built to work reliably against extremes of temperature.

Best Standing Style: Danby Designer Upright Freezer

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This substantial standing (upright) freezer is simple and not over-the-top expensive, but still has features that allow it to be easily organized, including shelves on the door and racks in the freezer compartment. While an upright can be marginally less efficient than a chest freezer, its smaller footprint can be helpful in small spaces.

Best Really Small Freezer: Small Upright 1.1 Cu. Ft. Freezer

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This is a great freezer that serves specific purposes in a small space, like keeping frozen meals in a dorm room or office, or for someone who needs to keep medication at low temperatures. If you have extra countertop space, it’s perfect, and its glass door even doubles as a message board when using dry erase markers. But if it’s destined to sit on the floor, a small standing freezer would have the same footprint, more interior storage, and be only a bit more expensive. 

Best Accessory: 2 Pack Refrigerator Thermometer

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Digital readouts and automatic sensors are great, but nothing beats a plain old thermometer. Simply place one (they hang) near the center of both your fridge and your freezer to confirm at a glance that food is kept at a safe temperature.

Ask the Experts

Q:  Does a chest freezer use a lot of electricity?

Chest freezers are actually fairly efficient, in part because they only use energy to do one thing, and also because we tend not to be opening and closing them as much as we would a refrigerator. 

Q: Can I plug my chest freezer into a regular outlet?

Yes, most home chest freezers are designed to be plugged into a standard AC household outlet. Commercial freezers are another matter, but home chest freezers are plug-and-play. That said, there are chest freezers that are designed specifically to run on the DC current (12 or 24 volts) from a car’s cigarette lighter. This can be useful if you’re in a remote location, off the grid, or need something that can run easily on solar power (or even golf-cart batteries!)

Q: How should I maintain my chest freezer?

The two biggest things to watch for in chest freezers (or in refrigerators, for that matter) are food spills and leaks, or doors that are left standing open or ajar. Avoid such small crises in advance by making sure everything that goes into the freezer is properly sealed or lidded. As for doors left ajar, some newer, fancier appliances have a warning that sounds if a door is open. If the door gasket on a chest freezer isn’t sealed, or if something like a bread bag or other errant bit of packaging impedes the seal, the air leakage will cause frost, and therefore, the need to completely defrost the freezer. 

Our Take

Once you have a chest freezer, you’ll find it easily filled, whether you keep it stocked with butter or seasonal produce. And once you decide you need one, you’ll want to pick the best chest freezer for your needs. They’re incredibly efficient in what they do, aren’t terribly expensive, and whether chest-style or standing, can have a footprint smaller than a standard refrigerator. The chest style-freezer can even double as a counter or work space when it’s closed, or be covered entirely with something either practical (a large cutting board, perhaps) or decorative (fabric that matches the room). You’ll love knowing that it’s so easy to find the frozen peas now that they aren’t buried behind those extra bags of coffee beans you got on sale. 

The post The Best Chest Freezers Are Worth the Space appeared first on Saveur.

It looked so easy, the way Julia Child would just toss things with absolute abandon into the pan or mixing bowl as she went blissfully about making magic in her TV kitchen. And using your instincts in the kitchen is a wonderful thing; it’s the natural companion to enthusiasm for food and cooking. But even the best cooks and bakers will tell you that precision is important. 

And Julia knew that, too. Remember all the ready-to-go ingredients in the little glass bowls in her prep area? They were all premeasured. Other culinary icons of every generation, whether formally schooled or self-taught, would surely agree that consistency matters, especially—especially—with baking. 

Valery Lomas, lawyer-turned-baker and author of “Life is What You Bake It” agrees wholeheartedly, “I am a strong believer in making things as consistent as possible.” Precision and consistency lead us to the fact that different types of ingredients are best measured in different ways. Like many baking experts, Lomas is a fan of using a kitchen scale, especially for loose or dry ingredients. 

You won’t find much argument from anyone against using a scale in baking, which relies more heavily on precision than savory cooking. Caroline Schiff, the firebrand of the New York food scene and Executive Pastry Chef at Gage & Tollner in Brooklyn shared some of her thoughts on measuring in the kitchen. “I always think the scale is the best choice,” she says. On those rare occasions when Schiff’s adding something like a tablespoon or less, she might skip weighing. But even with something as simple as a cup of water: “I’ll scale it out,” Schiff says. 

Lomas and Schiff keep and routinely use measuring cups as well, and both have their favorites. Your kitchen essentials should include measuring cups and spoons, too, and while you can survive with one style, it’s worth investing in the best measuring cups for liquid and, separately, for dry ingredients. Here are our expert picks.

• Best Overall: KitchenMade Measuring Cups
• Best Value: Winco Measuring Cups 
• Best Glass (for liquid measure): Pyrex Glass Measuring Cup Set
• Best Unbreakable (for liquid measure): Winco 5-Piece Measuring Cup Set
• Best With Grip: Norco Grip-Ez Measuring Cup Set
• Best Multitasking Space Saver: KitchenArt Pro 2 Cup Adjust-A-Cup

Features to Keep in Mind

Types of Measuring Cups

Measuring cups come in all manner of designs and shapes, from utilitarian to fancy. Which type will work best for you depends on what you’ll be measuring.

• Dry: Lomas prefers stainless steel for dry ingredients because, she says, “I want to go all the way to the top and do the scoop-and-level method, get a really clean line at the top.” Making sure ingredients are absolutely level to the top of the cup is paramount to precision; upright sides and clean rims make that possible in ways that a softer, rounded edge can’t.
• Liquid: When it’s time to measure liquid, Schiff reaches for glass. “I want a measuring cup that I can see through.” Thinking of eighth-grade science class, she says that with a see-through cup, you see exactly where the liquid is settled, reading the bottom of the suspension, or the meniscus line, and not the top. The difference between the top of that line and the bottom may seem small, but it can be incredibly important, and it’s the kind of measuring detail that, Schiff says, can make a huge impact in a recipe.
• Scoops: Schiff likes flat tops and sturdy handles on her measuring cups for dry ingredients. “I want something that I can scoop and then gently shimmy and level off the top,” and she does that even if it’s being scooped onto a scale to be weighed. 

Design and Measurement Marks

Measurement marks on cups will either be inscribed on the surface or marked in permanent paint, sometimes a combination. For the cook, it’s all about which is the easiest to read relative to what’s being measured. 

Sizes

In the U.S., dry measuring cups range in size from as small as ¼ cup to 3 cups, while liquid measuring cups offer cups, ounces, and milliliters. Larger than that, and it’s really more of a mixing bowl than a cup, though many bowls do have measurement marks for rough estimates.

Material

Measuring cups are generally made of glass, stainless steel, plastic, and recently, bamboo. You’ll also find versions in copper, aluminum, ceramic, and other materials, but most of these are less practical. “The little things that make them charming don’t necessarily make them the easiest to use in the kitchen, right?” Lomas says, “I actually have a gorgeous copper set, but you can’t put them in the dishwasher. Sometimes, as with other crimes [of convenience], we must make use of the dishwasher.” Materials like stainless steel, glass, and heat-safe plastics make it easy to throw them in the dishwasher for a thorough cleaning.

Our Top Picks

Best Overall: KitchenMade Measuring Cups

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The best measuring cups need to do one thing well: measure. But they have to do it precisely, and a lot of that depends on the cook. Schiff remembers having to interpret old family recipes and wishes they had better measurement instructions. “They’ll say, ‘add enough oil,’” she laughs, “What is ‘enough’ oil? Like, what did grandma mean by that?” These KitchenMade cups cover all the bases for dry measurement because they can scoop, be tapped without breaking, and can be easily leveled flat. In a pinch, they can also measure wet ingredients with relative confidence. 

Best Glass (for liquid measure): Pyrex Glass Measuring Cup Set

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Lomas votes for this style for liquids, and we agree. “I just think back to the kitchen I grew up in, and my mother had the glass Pyrex measuring cups.” Period. These classics have been around forever, and for good reason: they work, handle well, and can be heated in the microwave. Despite being glass, they’re remarkably sturdy and perfect for liquid measure. “That Pyrex measuring cup with the red lines that everybody has?” says Schiff, “That’s great for oil and water and vinegar, and all of those things.”

Best Unbreakable (for liquid measure): Winco 5-Piece Measuring Cup Set

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A favorite in professional kitchens, this set of measuring cups is perfect for liquid measure, especially if you’d rather not have glass knocking around. They’re transparent, practically indestructible, and are made of totally food-safe polycarbonate.

Best Value: Winco Measuring Cups

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Another winner from Winco, these measuring cups are stainless steel, with flat bottoms and upright sides for precision measuring, and a long, stable handle that allows you to confidently use the cup as a scoop. They’re best for dry, but can be used for wet ingredients when precision weighing is less of an issue.

Best With Grip: Norco Grip-Ez Measuring Cup Set

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For those who find it easier to use kitchen gear with grippy handles, this is the best set of measuring cups out there. They’re made of food-safe harder plastic with just enough softer plastic on the handle to make them less slippery in hand. The bowls are rounded a bit, but the tops are flat enough to manage the nearly precise scooping and leveling off dry ingredients.

Best Multitasking Space Saver: KitchenArt Pro 2 Cup Adjust-A-Cup

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If your space is very limited, or if the idea of a real multi-tasker appeals to you, this is a handy all-in-one measuring cup to have around. It’s food-safe plastic with markings for multiple standard measurements; simply adjust to the correct marking for your desired measurement. Use it for dry or wet ingredients, tapping it clean when switching ingredients. Pro tip: Measure out all your dry ingredients first, as switching back to dry ingredients can be messy.

Ask the Experts

Q: Is 1 cup of flour the same as 1 cup of water?

No. A cup measures volume, and as with all measurements in cooking, volume and weight are not the same. An ingredient like water is not variable in its weight, so one cup of water will reliably weigh 8 ounces or 227 grams. However, the density and weight of other ingredients can vary greatly by volume. 

Q: How much should 1 cup of flour weigh?

That depends on the flour, because flours and other dry ingredients will each have different densities, and thus different weights. For instance, 1 cup of all-purpose flour usually weighs 4 ¼ ounces or 120 grams. But a cup of lighter, fluffier pastry flour will weigh just 3 ¾ ounces, or 106 grams. The scoop-and-level method will get you close, but if you need precision, use a scale.

Q: How many cups are 8 ounces of flour?

See above. Once again, we’re talking weight versus volume. Eight ounces of flour will have the volume of about 1 cup, but different flours and other ingredients vary in density, so 8 ounces of a light ingredient might overflow the cup, and 8 ounces of a denser one might seem short. When in doubt or when precision counts, use a scale.

Q: How do I clean my measuring cups?

First, Lomas sensibly cleans as she goes. “I definitely like to rinse stuff out as I go along,” she says. Go with dishwasher-safe measuring cups whenever possible; an occasional run through the dishwasher will make sure to clean out any bits of flour or other ingredients hiding in the crevices.

Our Take

Accurate measuring is crucial because it allows cooks to keep track, cook, and bake with reliable results, and make adjustments as necessary. Lomas is puzzled by those who don’t seem to see the value. “Some people don’t have any measuring things in their kitchens, which confuses me,” she laughs. “What? Maybe they just moved? I don’t know…”

Yes, measuring can seem like extra steps, but Schiff offers a tried-and-true kitchen suggestion to ease that pain: “Measure all of your dry stuff first,” and dedicate measuring cups to dry ingredients. Then use a different measuring set for wet, or do wet last. Otherwise, the measuring cups will need to be washed and dried in between, Schiff says, “or you’re going to have dry ingredients sticking to the wet surface.”

Measuring cups are still only as good as the recipe’s reliability and instructions: We asked Schiff about that note you see so frequently in recipes, instructing the baker to add “brown sugar, packed.” “Oh, don’t even get me started on that,” Schiff laughs. “What is packed, or lightly packed? What is this? This is this lawless insanity.” To mitigate the ambiguity of packed brown sugar, Schiff prefers a scale to weigh it out.

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Any discussion of colanders inevitably leads to a gentle argument about kitchen semantics—namely, the big question: What’s the difference between a sieve, a strainer, and a colander? That’s probably because a lot of us, home cooks and pros alike, have used the tools for overlapping purposes, even though we know a colander is used for draining and a sieve (also referred to as a sifter) is used for sifting. 

Construction may be the simplest way to differentiate between the two: Sieves are usually mesh while colanders are usually solid bowls with draining holes that are much larger. While a sieve can be used to drain things, the average colander isn’t terribly useful for sifting or rinsing anything small. Just try rinsing uncooked rice in a large colander: The minute you start swishing or spraying, you’ll watch that whole mess of rice go right through the holes and down the drain. So there are limits to multitasking.

Hannah Kirshner is a writer, artist, and food stylist, and author of Water, Woods & Wild Things, and she sees a lot of overlap in the sieve-vs.-colander debate. “If I can count a strainer as a colander, I have one that I like,” she says. “It’s probably the one I use the most, because you can use it to scoop something out of a pot and you can set it over a bowl. I like that versatility.”

Still, there are times when a colander needs to stand on its own. Food writer Lukas Volger, author of Start Simple, often finds himself using his colander as a sort of holding area. “I use it a lot, just getting things out of the way,” he said. “You wash lettuce in it and set it aside.” 

Taking the lead from those experts, we looked at the whole spectrum of colanders, selecting those that do more than one thing well. Consider how you sift or strain most of the time—and how much space you have in the kitchen—and you’ll find that one (or more) of our best colanders is the perfect fit for your kitchen. Here are the best of the best:

• Best Overall: U.S. Kitchen Supply Stainless Steel Strainers
• Best Value: Priority Chef Colander
• Best for Lotsa Pasta: Williams Sonoma Melamine Colander
• Best for Rinsing and Drying Fruits and Veggies: Bamboo Bonzaru Strainer
• Best Set: Rorence Powder Coated Steel Colander
• Best for Rinsing and Spinning: Kitchen Tools Salad Spinner Fruit and Vegetable Washer
• Best for Rinsing and Counter Work: Makerstep Over the Sink Colander Strainer Basket

Features to Keep in Mind

Types of Colanders 

Colanders come two ways—freestanding or long-handled—and either of these types can also be collapsible. 

Shape, Size, and Material

Almost without exception, a colander is round, though oval styles do exist. Colanders vary greatly in size, but if you think in terms of pasta, they range from single-serve (2 cups) to the whole box of linguine (5 quarts). Any good colander will be made of a kitchen-tested material, but the longest-lasting, most versatile, and hardest-working colanders are made of stainless steel or melamine. There are colanders made of silicone, of course, and we’ve looked at them in the past. They’re often collapsible, and while they can be space savers, they have drawbacks. Volger has strong opinions about silicone colanders, noting that they can sometimes collapse at the worst of times. “I’m not a big fan of them,” he says. “I just generally don’t like silicone that much. Besides, it’s sticky.” He’s right, of course, because while silicone can be a wonder material in the kitchen, it does tend to stubbornly attract oils, meaning it can be tough to keep clean, and it can break down over time. Plastic? Kirschner won’t even consider it: “I definitely prefer the metal over plastic. They’re more durable. You can’t accidentally melt them. They’re not going to crack when they get old and dry out.”

Maintenance

If you’re lucky enough to have a dishwasher, the best colander for your kitchen is probably one that you can just pop right into the machine, because that hour or so of spraying and scrubbing will get it completely clean. The trick with any sieve, sifter, strainer or colander is do just that: Get it really, really, really clean. If you don’t get every nook and cranny clean and dry, food will build up, providing opportunity for mold growth. But you might want to skip the dishwasher if you choose to use your salad spinner as a colander (see Volger’s selection below); its soft plastic isn’t likely to fare well in the extreme heat of a dishwasher. Scrub that spinner basket well with a scrubby sponge, and be sure it’s completely dry before you put it away.

Our Top Picks

Best Overall: U.S. Kitchen Supply Stainless Steel Strainers

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This is our top pick because each piece in the set offers sifting, straining, and draining capabilities. It’s very important to note the style of the “ear” on these handled strainers. You can find similar products that have a single, smaller ear at the top. Skip them, because that little ear doesn’t provide enough stability when you’re setting the strainer over a pot or bowl. That single, small ear will wobble and could dump everything if it slips. This set has a wide, stable ear. 

Kirshner loves this sieve-style colander: “I think that the mesh strainer is actually more useful than a regular colander because you can wash rice in it, too.” She also advocates for a set like this if you’re setting up a first kitchen or crunched for space. These would also work well for one of Volger’s routine tasks: making seed or nut milks. “The fact that you can just kind of set it over a bowl or a pitcher makes it a little bit more functional that way,” he said. The smallest of these can easily be used to scoop blanched veggies out of a pot, too, and the largest will handle a meal’s worth of pasta.

Best Value: Priority Chef Colander

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If you have to stick with just one colander for rinsing and draining, this is the best colander for those purposes, and at a good price. The holes on this model are large enough for draining pasta easily, yet small enough that you can rinse rice or small beans without losing small bits down the drain. It has a nice, stable circular base, which is always going to be more stable than just little feet on the bottom. It stands sturdily on its own in the sink or on the countertop. Just about the only thing it won’t do well is sift flour. Dishwasher-safe stainless steel makes it easy to keep clean.

Best for Lotsa Pasta: Williams Sonoma Melamine Colander

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This is the style that Volger reaches for when it’s time to drain a meal’s worth of pasta or rinse lots of veggies. “It needs to be freestanding in the sink for draining pasta or for washing vegetables.” He also likes this style, lined with cheesecloth, for making homemade ricotta, a task that would be a lot more dicey if trying to balance a sieve-style strainer. Melamine is tough, nearly unbreakable, dishwasher safe, and very easy to clean.

Best for Rinsing and Drying Fruits and Veggies: Bamboo Bonzaru Strainer

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Kirshner brought this style—one she first discovered in Japan—to our attention, and it’s a find. “I’ve gotten to really like using it,” she said. “It’s like a flat woven basket, and it’s the perfect thing for washing vegetables then letting them just kind of air-dry.” So it’s more of a sifter/rinser of larger things (think beans), but not useful for flours or pots of pasta. It can even be used as a serving plate or a charger, so it meets our multitasking standard. Plus, it’s just a lovely thing to have around.

Best Set: Rorence Powder Coated Steel Colander

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This is a lovely, countertop-worthy set of two colanders in powder-coated steel, which will hold up to heavy use. The 3-quart size is great for rinsing (even serving!) fresh berries, and the 5-quart colander offers enough space to even handle lasagna noodles.

Best for Rinsing and Spinning: Kitchen Tools Salad Spinner Fruit and Vegetable Washer

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Space is at a premium in Volger’s kitchen, so he admits to making one tool serve many purposes. In this case, he uses the inner basket of his salad spinner to rinse almost anything—even to drain noodles. “I use my salad spinner like a wash basin,” he said. “Berries and all kinds of herbs and greens, small carrots, all my vegetables. It’s great because you can fully submerge things.” But he knows that this cheat has its limitations. “I have such a love-hate relationship with my salad spinner,” he says. “I use that insert inside as a colander, but I just find them really obnoxious to clean.” The crevices can collect bits, and they can develop mold. Volger got frustrated with a style that had so many moving parts it was impossible to keep clean, but this version is simple and about as low-maintenance as a spinner can get.

Best for Rinsing and Counter Work: Makerstep Over the Sink Colander Strainer Basket

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In researching best colanders, we were reminded of how handy it can be to be able to work with a colander that’s suspended over the sink. This version could—depending on how your kitchen is configured—work for just about anything except sifting flours. It’s great for rinsing veggies, as you can collapse the handles to dredge the whole thing in cool water, and then lift it out and rest it on the sides of the sink. And could be used to drain pasta or rice as well. The expandable sides and grippers on the arms make it nice and stable, but not all sinks are the same size, and not all have even ledges at the sides, so measure yours to be sure this fits.

Ask the Experts

Q: Can I use a colander as a steamer?

Yes, but before you start chopping and boiling, make sure you have a basket—either a strainer or a full-fledged colander—that fits reasonably well into the pot. What you really don’t want is some wobbly arrangement where hot water could splash or spill. The pot’s lid needs to fit reasonably tight, or you’ll steam the kitchen more than what’s in the pot. If you can’t get a satisfying ad-hoc fit from your colander and your chosen pot, it’s better to consider a purpose-designed, three-piece steamer pot.

Q: What is the best size for a colander? 

Whether you choose the sort that’s mesh or the one with holes, you’ll probably want to have one that’s smaller (for single-serve and scooping), plus a larger one where there will be room to rinse lots of lettuce and drain lots of pasta.

Q: What is the difference between a colander and a strainer?

Colanders are primarily for draining, and usually have a bowl shape with holes that are drilled or punched all over. The “bowl” of a strainer will be made of metal mesh, with holes that are typically smaller than any colander. But most styles can be used for a variety of purposes in the kitchen. 

Our Take

With colanders (and sifters, strainers, sieves, etc.), it’s not just about the utility of the item, but often about how much space you have in your kitchen for specialized tools. Maybe you have room for a graduated set of six gorgeous stainless-steel colanders, plus a set of fine-meshed sifters in four different sizes. If you have counter space, you might even add a colorful enameled, power-coated, or even antique colander just for the beauty of it. If you can swing it, by all means do. But if space or budget is limited, look for a colander that can do double duty without compromise. 

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During difficult times, it’s easy to find joy in eating bread. Immersing yourself in the aroma of fresh-baked bread while dreaming of melting really good butter into all the bubbles and cracks is gastronomic foreplay at its best. But baking bread is even more grounding and wholesome, inexplicably warm and satisfying. Simply combining flour, water, salt, and sometimes yeast can yield glorious variations, from chewy flatbreads to complex sourdoughs.

Baking bread can be surprisingly simple or staggeringly complex, but regardless of your preferred recipe, a few tools are necessities. A bread lame (pronounced “lahm”) is one of them. “The history goes back to the days of communal ovens,” says James Belisle, head baker at New York City’s Lafayette café and bakery. “Everybody in the village would make their own bread and they would bring it to the baker who would fire the oven and bake everybody’s bread. You needed your own design, so you knew which loaf was yours.” Nowadays, Belisle and other bakers often use the scored patterns to identify the type of loaf, but the same principle applies.

Perhaps most importantly, the best bread lames provide bakers with some control over how bread rises, says Dillon DeBauche, head baker at Camas Country Mill, an artisanal grain mill on the outskirts of Eugene, Oregon. Slashing an unbaked loaf provides a directed means of escape for the gluten and gasses under rising pressure—something that’s especially important with sourdough breads—preventing the gas from escaping out the side in an undesirable crack.  

Any sharp object can be used to score dough in a pinch, but a lame’s razor-sharp edge is ideal for creating a prized “ear,” or a lifted piece of dough that bakes up to a crunchy edge with the inner loaf peeking through underneath. The lame’s slice through the skin on the top of the loaf happens without resistance, and the dough will not push back. And really, it’s also safer to use a proper lame and handle combination, as opposed to keeping unbated razor blades loose in the kitchen. 

There are plenty of lames available today, so how can you pick the model that’s best for you? We reviewed countless models, from the most basic designs to the most elegant offerings, plus consulted with baking experts to see what works best and why. This is our shortlist of the best bread lames, and why each is worth considering.

• Best Overall: Baker’s Blade Handle
• Best Value: LAIWOO 2 Pieces Bread Lame Tool
• Best Splurge: Black Walnut Bread Lame
• Best for Adaptability and Safety: Baker of Seville Bread Lame
• Best for Blade Ease: Mure & Peyrot Bread Lame Combo
• Best Design: Bread Lame Dough Scoring Tool

Features to Keep in Mind

Types: The best bread lame is the one you find most comfortable. That could mean one with a smaller or larger handle, as long as it feels secure and nimble in your hand. Some lames come with a permanently fixed blade, which makes the whole tool disposable once the blade dulls. For longtime use, it’s best to stick with a lame with a changeable blade.

Shape and Size: A good bread lame will have a handle to hold the blade, and the whole tool is about the length and weight of a butter knife. Some bakers find that a lame that holds the blade in an arched position will give better lift and control when scoring, especially when aiming for that nice, rolled ear of crust. Other bakers like the simplicity of a straight razor edge, and with practice they’re able to make the straight lame do their bidding, whether for a lifted edge or a deep crosshatch. There’s an argument for trying each style, and basic lames aren’t terribly expensive, so it won’t break the bank to experiment or have more than one lame around. 

Material and Handling: Accept nothing less than a stainless steel blade to confidently (and sharply!) slash through dough. The handle of the lame may be stainless steel, plastic, or wood, and you should select what feels best in your hand. Think of it like a pen or a favorite old cooking spoon: Do you prefer to manage something light and slender, or do you like the feel of a heftier handle? Then choose a bread lame accordingly. It’s generally a good idea to hand-wash any bread lame, and always avoid putting the handle or blades in the dishwasher. Be exceptionally careful, too, when handling or disposing of used blades to avoid any cuts.

Our Top Picks

Best Overall: Baker’s Blade Handle

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This is the lame preferred by seasoned professionals, and it’s used in classes at San Francisco Baking Institute. This version without an added “holder” is actually just a stainless steel stick meant to securely hold the arched razor blade. SFBI offers another version of a Baker’s Blade with Handle that’s the same stainless steel blade holder, but with a slim, plastic handle on the end, which some feel gives better control. Both lames use simple, stainless steel razor blades on the business end.

Best Value: LAIWOO 2 Pieces Bread Lame Tool

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This set is great for when you want to start experimenting with designs when scoring loaves. It comes with two handles (plus blades, changing tool, and a safety blade cover for each) so you can learn for yourself whether the straight or curved blade is better to achieve a desired scoring effect. The wooden handle on each tool is sturdy and offers a solid grip. 

Best Splurge: Black Walnut Bread Lame

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Crafted with walnut and brass hardware, this elegant lame has been our top choice more than once for good reason. The smooth wooden handle fits perfectly in the hand, and is a pleasure to hold, and the thumbnuts hold the blade firmly while allowing easy blade replacement when it’s no longer sharp. This lame is pricier than most and offers only a single blade position, but it’s ideal for someone who bakes regularly, appreciates craftsmanship, and can keep track of the lame in the kitchen.​​ This is not a lame than anyone would consider disposable or want to lose. It’s eminently functional, durable, and far too beautiful to misplace.

Best for Adaptability and Safety: Baker of Seville Bread Lame

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This single tool allows you to position the blade in an arch or straight for nimble scoring. It comes with a storage case that will protect the blade and keep hands from harm when reaching for it in a drawer. Like the blade, the handle is stainless steel. It’s round and smooth, with a brushed finish and just-right size and balance.

Best for Blade Ease: Mure & Peyrot Bread Lame Combo

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This is an exceptionally simple handle and assembly that locks the blade in place in an arched position with one click. That means no fussing to position the blade at the proper arch, as you need to do with a simple-stick lame. The set comes with replacement blades and a protective cover.

Best Design: Bread Lame Dough Scoring Tool

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With a charming design of solid wood, this lame is easy to manipulate once you get used to the disk style. The central locking screw allows the blade to be placed either straight or flat at whatever angle a user prefers, and the feel of the wood and look of the design make you feel like you’re baking in an old-world European kitchen.

Ask the Experts

Q: Do I really need a bread lame?

Unless something has gone wrong, bread will rise. And when it does, the baker wants to control the points of expansion. The bread lame lets you do that by scoring the lines of escape. You could use a sharp knife, but even a very sharp one simply can’t do what a lame can. As Belisle points out, “With a knife, you’re just cutting straight down, but a razor blade is more flexible, and you can control the lift it gives the score in the loaf.” If you’re looking to up your bread game, a lame is essential.

Q: How do I dispose of dull blades?

All the best bread lames use a stainless steel razor blade, which can be easily changed when both sides are dull. To dispose of used blades properly, be sure to protect the edges before dumping. Belisle keeps a coffee can with a slit in the lid handy, rather like a kitchen sharps container, then disposes of the whole can. When DeBauche replaces a blade, he wraps it in masking tape, snaps the blade in half, then wraps it again, all to prevent the blade from slicing through a trash bag, or worse, into the hand of an unsuspecting bag handler. 

Our Take

Nothing else does what the razor’s edge of a bread lame can do. If you’re spending hours coaxing dough to life, using the best bread lame to score an individual design is like signing a signature on your handiwork. It will make a loaf truly your own.

If you want to learn more about baking bread, read Jeffrey Hamelman’s classic, Bread: A Baker’s Book of Techniques and Recipes. It’s a delightful exploration of all that bread can be, from flatbreads or a rustic baguette to the days-long nurturing of a sourdough levain. (It’s also one of a select few cookbooks we recommend gifting to the food lover in your life.) And if you really want to dig into bread, it’s worth checking out our tools for the bread obsessive, too.

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