Prime Day 2024 is upon us, which means now is the time to take the plunge on any kitchen tools and gadgets you’ve been eyeing. Whether we’re testing recipes, entertaining loved ones, or whipping up a weeknight clean-out-the-fridge meal, we here at SAVEUR are always on the lookout for products that will make our—and your!—time in the kitchen more efficient and enjoyable. To that end, we’ve rounded up some of the best kitchen deals Amazon has to offer right now, from high-speed blenders and state-of-the-art ice makers to investment-worthy grills and fancy espresso machines. And while you’re stocking up, don’t forget to swing by our SAVEUR Selects Amazon store and check out the special offers on our own cookware and bakeware. Read on for our editors’ top Prime Day picks in the kitchen category.

GE Profile Opal Ice Maker

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Typically, I need more stuff taking up space on my teensy Manhattan kitchen countertops like I need a hole in the head—but for this compact wonder, I’ll make an exception. Team SAVEUR has been shooting lots of new drinks recipes in my apartment recently, and the limitations of my freezer’s built-in ice maker are wearing thin. I’m springing for a nugget ice maker now so we can enjoy more perfectly frosty tiki cocktail recipes all summer long. Painkillers, anyone? —Kat Craddock, Editor-in-Chief/CEO

Joyce Chen Original Unlimited Kitchen Scissors All Purpose Dishwasher Safe Kitchen Shears

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By far the gold standard in kitchen snips, these iconic cherry-red shears are the perfect combination of sturdy construction and persistently sharp edge. Their slender blades and delicate tips—so perfect for deftly trimming herbs and baby greens—make them a mainstay in food stylists’ toolkits. I’ve wanted a pair of my own for years, so this Prime Day, I’ll be banning my dull, stationery-aisle scissors from the kitchen for good. —K.C.

SAVEUR Selects Enameled Cast Iron 4-1/2-Quart Braiser with Stainless Steel Lid

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As a cast iron fanatic, I definitely have more cast iron pans than I need, especially considering the size of my kitchen, but the one in heaviest rotation is this SAVEUR Selects braiser. I love its wide base and thick construction, which allow for excellent heat retention and a wide variety of uses. Perfect for stirring up a risotto, tossing pasta, braising meat, and even deep frying, this versatile pan is sure to become one of your go-to cooking vessels. —Ryan McCarthy, Editorial Assistant

Pyrex Deep 5.2-Qt (9″x13″) 2-in-1 Glass Baking Dish with Glass Lid

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What’s not to love about a classic Pyrex dish? This one is large enough to fit almost any one-pot meal and will have you covered from dinner to dessert—it’s just as suitable for lasagna as it is for a batch of brownies. Did I mention it comes with a lid that doubles as a separate cooking vessel? The best part is that it’s oven, microwave, and dishwasher safe, which means not only can you cook, store, transport, and reheat your food all in the same container, but you’ll also have way less cleanup time. —R.M.

KitchenAid KSM150FEAQ Value Bundle Artisan 5 Quart Stand Mixer

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As someone with limited counter space, I’ve been Team Hand Mixer for as long as I can remember, but lately my baking ambitions have outgrown what my trusty little appliance can accomplish. It’s finally time to graduate to Team Stand Mixer, kitchen storage be damned. KitchenAid continues to be the standard-bearer in quality, and I can’t wait to take advantage of the features I’ve only used on machines borrowed from friends, from the convenient tilt-head design to the 10 different (but all hands-free!) speeds. This five-quart model can apparently mix up to nine dozen cookies, so everyone in my life is about to get a post-Prime Day sweet treat. —Frances Kim, Digital Director

SAVEUR Selects 10-Inch Angel Food Cake Pan

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My brother-in-law recently became obsessed with perfecting pandan chiffon cake, a popular dessert in his native Singapore that’s difficult to find in the U.S. As a competitive sister-in-law, I’m now obsessed with making one even better than his version, and I feel confident that this SAVEUR Selects angel food cake pan is the right tool for the job. It’s turned out flawless cake after cake during recipe testing and photo shoots, so even if you don’t need it for a personal mission like me, I highly recommend snapping one up on Prime Day so you can treat yourself to everything from a classic angel food cake to a decadent honey-chocolate cake to a luscious caramel flan. —F.K. 

Weber SmokeFire EX4 Wood Fired Pellet Grill

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It’s not too late to splurge on a high-quality grill! There’s still plenty of summer left between now and Labor Day to host cookouts for your friends and family and whip up all kinds of impressive flame-kissed meals. With a temperature range of 200 to 600 degrees and a whopping 672 square inches of grilling space, this pellet grill works equally well for searing and smoking. Bonus: The porcelain-enamel finish is as handsome as it is durable. Pull the trigger on this Weber model, and you’ll be well poised to show off your grilling skills from now until the snow arrives. —Thomas Payne, Visuals Director

PHILIPS 3000 Series Air Fryer Essential Compact with Rapid Air Technology

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My kitchen is overdue for a new air fryer, so I’m looking forward to adding this Philips model to my cart on Prime Day. Not only does it crisp food quickly and evenly, it grills, roasts, bakes, and reheats with the push of a button on the easy-to-use, super-responsive touchscreen. This air fryer also has a keep warm setting, which makes timing your fried foods with the rest of your dinner menu a breeze. Best of all, the price is reasonable even when it’s not on sale, so this one’s really a steal. —T.P.

Breville Barista Touch Espresso Machine

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If, like me, you’ve been considering upgrading your kitchen with an espresso machine, Prime Day might be the best time to strike. I have my eye on this Breville, partly because of word of mouth and partly because I know the Australian maker—and Australia in general—takes its coffee seriously. The perfect starter machine, this model takes the guesswork out of every step of the coffee-making process, from automatically timing the espresso pull to calibrating the milk settings for ultra-precise frothing (it adjusts the steam pressure and temperature based on your drink selection and milk type). —Toni-Ann Gardiner, Brand Partnerships Lead

Weston Burger Press

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Now that summer is in full swing, I’m thinking about the important stuff, like when to host my next backyard barbecue and how to get burgers from the grill to the table as quickly as possible. One trick is to prep the patties before your guests arrive using this handy burger press. All you have to do is add ground beef or turkey to the center of the gadget and press down, then out pops a perfectly shaped patty that’s guaranteed to cook evenly on the grill. Press, grill, and serve, then rinse and repeat all summer. —T.G.

Vitamix White A2300 Ascent Series Smart Blender

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A good blender goes a long way, and if it’s a Vitamix, I can attest that it will last you for years and years. Whenever I come across a Vitamix sale, I’m tempted to upgrade my existing model, but even after five-plus years of recipe testing and cooking professionally, I don’t need to. Do I want to? Now that’s a different story. Whether you need a Vitamix or, like me, are simply coveting the latest model, it’s a deal worth holding out for, and your time is now. —Fatima Khawaja, Contributing Editor

All-Clad D3 3-Ply Stainless Steel Cookware Set 7 Piece

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I always tell friends and family to invest in high-quality kitchen tools so that they don’t have to worry about replacing them. Working with solid, reliable equipment truly makes cooking so much easier and more enjoyable, and you can’t go wrong with restaurant-favorite brand All-Clad. Their cookware can be pricey, so Prime Day is an excellent time to splurge on a full set. —F.K.

COSORI Electric Gooseneck Kettle

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Most mornings these days, I find myself bleary-eyed and fighting with my electric kettle that’s on the fritz after 10 solid years of service. So this Prime Day, my goal is to eliminate that stress by upgrading to the COSORI Electric Gooseneck Kettle. This small appliance has exactly what I’ve come to love about quality electric kettles—one-touch temperature controls for press-to-start heating and a durable all-stainless-steel interior—plus “smart” mobile app functions that will enable me to schedule heating ahead of time. I’m looking forward to finally indulging in the mindfulness practice of the slow pour-over coffee as opposed to dealing with the chaotic sloshing from my current kettle’s wide-mouth spout. —Stephanie Pancratz, Managing Director, Editorial Operations

OXO Brew Conical Burr Coffee Grinder with Scale

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If my conversations with coffee pros like James Freeman (Blue Bottle Coffee’s founder) and Emily Rosenberg (director of education at Stumptown Coffee Roasters) have taught me one thing, it’s that how you grind your coffee is just as—if not more—important than what you use to brew it. It turns out, the sharp blades of standard electric grinders produce an uneven texture, resulting in unpredictable and inferior flavor. Enter this workhorse machine from OXO, which uses conical burrs to evenly break down beans into coarse or fine powder. I love that it has a built-in scale, which means there’s no need to splurge on (or store!) a second appliance. —Benjamin Kemper, Senior Editor, Travel

Vasconia 4-Cup Granite Molcajete Mortar and Pestle

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After laboring over a nice meal, hand-washing the food processor—the blade with its schmutz-catching underbelly, the feed tube with all those unreachable nooks and crannies—lowkey makes me want to defenestrate myself. That’s one reason my molcajete has so many miles on it: With a couple swipes of the sponge, it’s squeaky clean. Not only does this Mexican-style mortar and pestle tackle many of the same tasks as a Cuisinart, it has the edge when it comes to preparations like pesto (all that pounding coaxes out herbs’ essential oils like no blade can) and spice blends (do you know how stress-relieving it is, with the presidential election approaching, to smash stuff with a rock?). —B.K.

Ninja Fit Compact Personal Blender

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I used to have something like this ages ago, and I must have donated it or given it to a friend when I acquired a Vitamix—there simply wasn’t room for two blenders in my life, and this little bullet-shaped cup couldn’t possibly compare to the sheer horsepower of my new appliance. But lately, I find myself missing it. It’s ideal for single-serve smoothies, sure, but perhaps more importantly, it makes quick work of salad dressings in moments when I don’t feel like chopping garlic, shallots, and herbs (which is often). The petite blender cup means even for a small amount of dressing, everything ends up smooth and perfectly emulsified. Perhaps there’s some room in the back of the cupboard for this little guy after all. —Alex Testere, Senior Editor, Features

Rubbermaid Food Storage Containers Set

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I’m always envious of my friends who have meticulously arranged kitchen cupboards. Neatly stacked containers filled with flour, dried beans, coffee, oats, sugar—slap a label on there, and I’m in organizational heaven. That said, I’ve only ever experienced that rush of joy vicariously; I’ve never had my act together enough to get my own pantry in order like that. But with this (almost ridiculously) abundant storage container set, now might finally be my time to shine. —A.T.

The post The Best Prime Day Kitchen Deals, Hand-Picked by SAVEUR Editors appeared first on Saveur.

Spirits professional Jesse Ditson of the forthcoming bar Sugar Water prepared this bright and herbal refresher for SAVEUR’s print relaunch and anniversary party at the magazine shop Hi Desert Times in Twentynine Palms, California. Named for the flower in the daisy family, the Caléndula is a riff on the daisy cocktail, which is said to be a precursor to the margarita. 

For the best results, Ditson recommends recreating it with a high-quality, additive-free agave spirit like Tequila Ocho, which he describes as “the tip of the spear in single-estate, terroir-forward tequila.” Look for the brand’s unoaked Plata expression, which balances slow-roasted agave notes with a grassy, mineral, citrus-forward nose. “I hope that other brands will be inspired to blend less and taste more because of the examples in Ocho’s spirits.”

For the party, Ditson pre-batched his version with a from-scratch, centrifuge-clarified fresh lime soda, but for home bartenders he suggests using a mixture of fresh lime juice, rich Demerara syrup, and seltzer. To make the rich Demerara syrup, double the amount of white sugar called for in classic simple syrup and replace it with Demerara sugar.

The post Caléndula Cocktail appeared first on Saveur.

At Lysverket, Christopher Haatuft’s hip fine-dining restaurant in Bergen, Norway, the chef leans into his home country’s exceptional seafood, pairing the local fish and shellfish with global flavors for eclectic and elevated dishes like Øygarden scallops with umeboshi and Hardanger char with pastis and plum vinaigrette. In this summery recipe, Haatuft takes a “home-cook friendly” approach, dousing quick-grilled salmon skewers with a deeply flavorful sweet-and-savory sauce. “The key to grilling fish without it sticking,” he explains, “is for the fish to be seasoned and dried well before cooking on a very hot grill or sautée pan.” Be sure to oil the grill grates well before adding the salmon; if using bamboo skewers, soak them in water for at least 30 minutes or overnight to prevent burning.

The post Salmon Skewers with Spicy Pineapple Sauce appeared first on Saveur.

It’s fair to say we here at SAVEUR have an obsession with French butter. Whether laminated between sheets of pastry dough, enveloping a piquant French breakfast radish, or whisked into a sauce atop a pan-seared fish—nothing quite compares to its rich and luxurious flavor.

Quality counts, so we often opt for European butter from France, with its high relative fat content and a distinct depth of flavor enhanced by the culturing process. Butter, at its most basic, is an emulsion of water in fat; most of the domestically produced stuff cuts out at 80 percent fat. French butter, by comparison, contains a minimum of 82 percent, and can go up to 85. This change may seem subtle, but the difference in richness is noticeable. Combine that with the slightly tangy umami flavor that comes from culturing—a process in which the cream is fermented beforehand—and it’s no wonder the French are known to slice it atop their bread like cheese (an approach we fully endorse, by the way).

The French have also long put butter to work in the kitchen, not just as a spread, but also as a foundational ingredient  in many classic recipes. Béchamel—the iconic French mother sauce—starts with butter, as does hollandaise and velouté. But there are a few even simpler ways we love to cook with French butter. Read on for three chef-recommended techniques to bring this essential ingredient into your culinary toolkit. 

Quickly thicken your sauces and stews with beurre manié.

Beurre manié, literally “butter by hand” or “kneaded butter,” is a simple, last-minute helper for thickening sauces, soups, and stews. Similar to a roux, it’s a mixture of butter and flour, but rather than being melted and cooked directly over the heat, the two are kneaded together in equal portions to form a paste, which can then be whisked into simmering liquid to add a velvety texture and richness, without altering the overall flavor. (As usual for cooking, opt for unsalted French butter to ensure you don’t accidentally oversalt your dish.) Beurre manié is particularly handy for fixing sauces or soups that look a bit thin towards the end of cooking, or for turning pan juices into a silky smooth sauce.

Learn how to make beurre manié >

According to Dr. Rollie Wesen, executive director of the Jacques Pépin Foundation and culinary professor at Johnson & Wales University, “the cool thing about beurre manié is how flexible it is.” He adds: “At home, I’ll make half a pound of butter into beurre manié, and then shape it into little nuggets and put them in a bag in the freezer. Whenever I want just a tiny bit, maybe to thicken a pan sauce for chicken breast or a piece of fish, I don’t have to go through the whole process again. It can just go directly from the freezer into the pan.”

Elevate and brighten fish and vegetables with beurre blanc.

Beurre blanc, or “white butter,” is a classic French sauce known for its balance of richness and acidity; emulsified with white wine, shallots, and, sometimes, depending on the chef, vinegar, this buttery sauce pairs excellently with fish and vegetables.

Butter, Wesen points out, is an emulsification of water in oil. French-style butter is 82 to 85 percent fat, (with about 2 to 5 percent milk solids), and the rest is water, carefully suspended in a smooth, spreadable emulsion. For beurre blanc, Wesen says, “you reverse that. It’s an emulsification of oil in water.” When adding butter a pat at a time to a reduction of wine and aromatics, you’re looking for a very thick reduction, with very little moisture. “Your butter is bringing 10 to 15 percent water with it,” he says, “so starting with the tiniest amount of water possible in the pot will give your beurre blanc a thick and luxurious viscosity.”

At the Post House in Charleston, South Carolina, chef Robin Hollis replaces the white wine in her beurre blanc with champagne for a luxe upgrade: “We swap out the vinegar for lemon juice, too, for a mellower acidity,” she says, “and serve it over an egg yolk raviolo topped off with a big dollop of caviar.”

Learn how to make beurre blanc >

Lend a toasty note to sauces and sweets with beurre noisette.

Perhaps the most recognizable of the three, beurre noisette (brown butter, or literally “hazelnut butter,” likely named for the nutty aroma and color) is a technique that features and enhances the milk solids present in the butter, which are caramelized to a deep brown for an alluring toasty flavor that shines in sauces and baked goods.

Melted butter is cooked gently until its water content has entirely evaporated, leaving only fat and the residual milk proteins behind; the latter start to caramelize quickly. “You can’t brown anything until all the water is gone,” says Wesen. “As long as there’s water in there,” he adds, “the maximum temperature you can get to is 212 degrees Fahrenheit. Browning reactions don’t start until 280 degrees Fahrenheit.” As long as the butter is sizzling, water is still evaporating. “But as soon as the water is gone,” says Wesen, “the temperature of the fat goes up exponentially.” This is why it can be easy to accidentally burn beurre noisette if you’re not paying attention. Lower the heat and start stirring frequently with a wooden spoon as soon as the butter stops sizzling, then quickly transfer the beurre noisette to a heatproof bowl to stop the cooking as soon as it reaches the desired color. 

At Troubadour in Healdsburg, California, chef Sean McGaughey sometimes adds a little heavy cream to his brown butter sauces, amping up the amount of milk solids for even more of that golden-brown goodness.

Learn how to make beurre noisette >

Head to TasteEurope.com for more delicious recipes, tips, and tricks for using French butter.

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or FranceAgriMer. Neither the European Union nor FranceAgriMer can be held responsible for them.

The post 3 Timeless Butter Techniques to Elevate Your Home Cooking appeared first on Saveur.

For spirit-forward tequila cocktails, a premium, additive-free bottling is the gold standard. Tequila Ocho’s national brand ambassador, Canyon Shayer developed this refreshing, Spring/Summer drink in honor of SAVEUR’s 30th anniversary and return to print. The roasted agave notes in the brand’s silver expression pair nicely with refreshing cucumber and delicate aloe vera. If you’re unable to find Chareau, elderflower liqueur makes for an elegant alternative.

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Start with abundant land for grazing. Add European immigrants with ancestral cheesemaking knowledge. Season generously with science and innovation … And you have the recipe that launched Wisconsin as America’s Dairyland. In creameries ranging from small farmstead operations to large, state-of-the-art plants, Wisconsin cheesemakers are turning out more than 600 varieties of cheese, which together have won more awards than any other state or country in the world. Wisconsin is the only U.S. state that has a Master Cheesemaker certification program (essentially a Ph.D. in cheese). And, no surprise, it holds the Guinness World Record for the “world’s largest cheese board,” too.

For any cheese lover—from die-hard turophiles to those just beginning to explore the world of curd, the state is a dream destination. In the bucolic countryside south of Madison, you’ll find the oldest cheese shop in the state, a cult-favorite brewery, and a dairy-plant-turned boutique hotel, along with myriad outdoor and cultural activities. 

A Southern Sojourn

Getting to Madison is easy no matter where you live—Dane County Regional Airport receives direct flights from 16 U.S. cities. After a leisurely afternoon and dinner in freewheeling Schenk-Atwood or restaurant-rich Willy Street, pick up your rental car in the morning and set out on a cheese-inspired road trip through the heart of the State of Cheese.

Eat

Baumgartner’s Cheese Store & Tavern

1023 16th Ave., Monroe.
(608) 325-6157

Those who know Limburger either love or hate the odiferous cheese. Once made at dozens of Wisconsin plants, now it’s produced at just one, in Monroe, an hour south of Madison. Nothing beats tasting the cheese on its home turf, specifically at Baumgartner’s, a downtown stalwart famous for its no-frills Limburger sandwich: rye topped with a slab of the pliant, washed-rind cheese and raw red onion. Regulars also swear by the signature Limburger cheeseburger.

Sprouting Acres Pizza Farm

1746 WI-73, Cambridge.
(608) 469-2319

Time it right and you can join the families, couples, and friend groups on the lawn of this sprawling organic farm for Wisconsin cheese-topped, wood-fired pizza and live music by local bands. Held on the first and third Sundays of the month from May through October, these pizza nights are wildly popular; be sure to check the farm’s website for updates before you go.

Paoli Schoolhouse American Bistro

6857 Paoli Rd., Belleville.
(608) 848-6261

This little red 19th-century schoolhouse is now an elegant restaurant with a black-and-white, Belle Époque-meets-modern interior. On the menu, you’ll find classics like beef Wellington and a Gruyère-topped “bistro burger.” On warm weekends, book an idyllic brunch on the patio overlooking the Sugar River.

Fat Cat Coffee Works

606 Railroad St., New Glarus.
(608) 527-3346

Locally roasted coffee, an all-day breakfast and lunch menu, and a rotating array of baked goods make this New Glarus institution a must-stop for a pick-me-up between cheese tastings. Located in an old sawmill along the Sugar River State Trail, it often bustles with cyclists refueling after a morning ride.

Firefly Coffeehouse

114 N. Main St., Oregon.
(608) 835-6238

Firefly’s slogan is “Oregon’s Living Room” (that’s Oregon, Wisconsin), and years of Madison Magazine “Best Coffee Shop” wins back up the claim. Settle into a comfy armchair for a beverage and a snack, and ask co-owner Jeanne Carpenter, an American Cheese Society Certified Cheese Professional, to help you choose a selection or two from the artisan cheese case.

Glarner Stube

518 1st St., New Glarus.
(608) 527-2216

Behind the red door of this iconic New Glarus spot, “America’s Little Switzerland,” is a snug, wood-paneled restaurant that feels like it’s been beamed over from the Alps. Everything on the old-school menu gets high marks, but you’re there for the traditional fondue, served in an enameled cast iron pot.

Drink

New Glarus Brewery

2400 WI-69, New Glarus.
(608) 527-5850

The award-winning brewery founded by Deb and Daniel Carey in 1993 doesn’t sell its beers outside of Wisconsin—which is reason enough to make a special trip there. Before hitting the tasting room, take a self-guided tour of the hilltop brewery and its grounds, which are landscaped to resemble the ruins of a castle.

Hop Garden Tap Room

6889 Canal St., Belleville.
(608) 636-6229

The small-batch beers served here are made with hops grown on the owners’ nearby 20-acre farm. The farm also provides much of the produce for The Cook House, next door to the tap room, which offers a menu centered on smoked pork and brisket.

Bailey’s Run Vineyard and Whiskey Run Distilling Co.

N8523 Klitzke Rd., New Glarus.
608-496-1966

Bailey’s Run boasts a tasting room lineup of 30 wines, pizza, cheese and meat boards, stunning views of the surrounding countryside, and live music. Its newly opened sister distillery offers craft cocktails and a pub-style menu in a warehouse-like space warmed by leather couches you can sink into.

Minhas Craft Brewery and Minhas Micro Distillery

1208 14th Ave., Monroe.
(800) 233-7205

The second-oldest brewery in the U.S., Minhas occupies three city blocks in downtown Monroe. Don’t miss the impressive Herb and Helen Haydock World of Beer Memorabilia Museum, then head across the street to sample the signature Punjabi Club Rye Whisky—named in honor of the current owners’ family origins.

Shop

Alp and Dell Cheese Store

657 2nd St., Monroe.
(608) 328-3355

Home to Roth Cheese, this chalet-style shop is the place to pick up Roth-label cheeses as well as other standout examples from throughout the state, including Joe Widmer’s Brick and Andy Hatch’s Pleasant Ridge Reserve. If you get there early enough, you can even watch the cheesemaking process from Alp and Dell’s viewing hall.

Decatur Dairy Cheese Store

W1668 County Highway F, Brodhead.
(608) 897-8661

This shop has perfected the grilled cheese sandwich—with plenty of melty pull for that ’gram-worthy photo. Go for the top-pick 3 Mouseketeer (havarti, cheddar, and Monterey Jack) or one of seven other sandwiches, and pick up some award-winning cheese curds for the road.

Roelli Cheese Haus

15982 WI-11, Shullsburg.
(608) 965-3779

Chris Roelli is the brains behind some of the state’s most distinctive cheeses, including Red Rock, an American-style cheddar with blue veining, and Dunbarton Blue, an English-style cheddar also shot through with blue.

Paoli Road Mercantile

6904 Paoli Rd., Belleville.
(608) 845-2311

The longtime home of Paoli Cheese Cottage has been reborn as an eclectic shop selling artisan goods, including jewelry, pottery, art, jam, and chocolate by more than 70 local makers. In a nod to its history, it still stocks bags of fresh curds.

Landmark Creamery Provisions

6895 Paoli Rd., Belleville.
(608) 848-1162

Cheesemaker Anna Thomas Bates runs this Paoli shop, where you can order the sandwich that made her a repeat Wisconsin Grilled Cheese Championship winner, plus pantry items and home goods.

See

National Historic Cheesemaking Center Museum

2108 6th Ave., Monroe.
(608) 325-4636

For a glimpse into how cheese was made more than a century ago, visit this museum, where once a season local cheesemakers dust off the old copper vats to produce a 90-pound wheel of Swiss.

Music at The Mill

6890 Paoli Rd., Belleville.
(608) 235-2771

Home to boutiques, a seasonal farmers market, and a romantic B&B, the historic mill in the heart of Paoli hosts live outdoor music from April through October. Grab a beer at the Hop Garden and settle in on the lawn next to the Sugar River.

Sugar River State Trail

The mostly flat trail follows an abandoned railway bed through the woods for 24 miles, with parking and easy access to refreshments at Brodhead, Albany, Monticello, and New Glarus. Bike rentals and $5 trail passes (required for cyclists over 15) are available at the New Glarus trailhead. Walking is free.

New Glarus Cow Parade

Imported from Switzerland and painted with fanciful designs by local artists, the life-size “herd” of cow sculptures adds even more whimsy to New Glarus’ charming downtown. Can you find all 15 without checking the map?

Courthouse Square

With its six-story clock tower and grand turrets, the Green County Courthouse is a prime example of Romanesque Revival architecture and the centerpiece of historical Monroe. Take a self-guided tour to visit the judge’s bench; a robe and gavel invite a photo op.

Stay

Seven Acre Dairy

6858 Paoli Rd., Belleville.
(608) 416-4023

A former dairy plant that’s been smartly converted into an eight-room hotel, Seven Acre Dairy was an instant hit when it opened in 2023. Some of the modern, airy rooms and suites offer Sugar River views, and dinner at the onsite restaurant features house-churned butter and dry-aged dairy beef—what aficionados call “butter beef” due to its terrific marbling.

Wegmueller Farm

W4358 Montgomery Rd., Monroe

Up to 12 guests can share this comfortably appointed farmhouse to experience life on a family-owned dairy farm that’s still in operation. You’ll get the chance to interact with the animals—including hand-milking a cow—and both kids and adults can go for horseback rides.

Morning Dew Dairy Farm Country Stay

N. 3808 Duncan Hill Rd., Argyle.
(608) 206-6704

You can take in the sounds, scents, and sights of rural Wisconsin from your snug abode on an organic dairy farm at Morning Dew. If you’re so inclined, you can help with farm chores like collecting eggs from the chicken coop (or just watch if you’re feeling lazy); if you crave a bit more activity, Monroe is just 10 miles away.

Chalet Landhaus

801 WI-69, New Glarus.
(608) 527-5234

Beamed ceilings and other woodsy touches give the rooms at this New Glarus landmark a distinctly Alpine feel. Enjoy the indoor pool before tucking into a dinner of traditional Swiss specialties like Wiener schnitzel and cheese fondue, followed by a nightcap at Älpli Bar.

The Western Ramble

The route from Madison to Wisconsin’s hilly Driftless Area affords scenic vistas in any season. To make it a day trip, get an early start and head west on Route 14—also called the Frank Lloyd Wright Highway—and across the Wisconsin River to the village of Spring Green, the famous architect’s hometown.

Eat

Taliesin

5481 County Rd. C, Spring Green.
(608) 588-7900

Also known as Taliesin East, this 800-acre hillside complex preserves the legacy of architect and designer Frank Lloyd Wright. A visit to Wright’s home, studio, school, and surrounding landscape, which Wright viewed as his laboratory, offers a perspective into his theories and processes. Taliesin is also the home to River View Terrace, the only restaurant Wright ever designed. 

Reunion

134 W. Jefferson St, Spring Green.
(608) 588-0500

Housed in an historic bank building, one of Spring Green’s newest restaurants mixes artful cuisine with retro-cool decor and a friendly, cheerful vibe. The seasonal menu spotlights locally sourced cheeses, produce, and proteins. 

Shop

Wander Provisions 

128 Albany St., Spring Green.
(608) 588-7532

“Go outside. Take a snack.” is the tagline for this one-stop picnic supply shop, where the sandwiches are served with a side of sass. Treat yourself to an artisan cone from Frozen Local, the ice cream shop that shares the Wander space. 

See

The House on the Rock

5754 WI-23, Spring Green.
(608) 935-3639

The world’s largest carousel, a 200-foot-long sea creature, a room full of music machines, and hundreds of dollhouses—each uniquely decorated—are just a few of the collectibles you’ll find at Alex Jordan’s madcap “house,” which he opened as a tourist attraction in 1960.

American Players Theatre

5950 Golf Course Rd, Spring Green.
(608) 588-2361

One of the country’s most respected theater companies for classic productions, APT presents nine plays during its June to November season. For the full experience, arrive early enough for a picnic on the lovely grounds.

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Madeline Kuhn yanks open a metal door six times her size. A pungent, acidic, yeasty scent comes trailing outward, but her nose is used to it. “I spend a lot of time down here,” she says, as she takes stock of the shelves weighed down with hunks of cheese. Pale yellow wheels on spruce boards line the walls from floor to ceiling—Roth’s Grand Cru Surchoix, the 2016 World Cheese Champion.

“When I was new, I asked if my desk could be in the cellars. I insisted I was totally fine just hanging out here.” She chuckles, then gives a half sigh. “Yeah, that didn’t materialize.”

Still, Kuhn spends much of her day in these rooms. A 29-year-old research and development technician for Emmi Roth, one of Wisconsin’s most decorated cheesemakers for brands like Roth Cheese and others, Kuhn is a licensed cheesemaker herself. America’s Dairyland, fittingly, is the only state in the U.S. that requires a license to make and sell cheese. Though she grew up on a farm with dairy cows, she never tried cheesemaking prior to stepping through Roth’s doors: “I learned—and fast.” 

Nearly seven years later, Kuhn’s touch can be found all across the cellars, conveyor belts, copper vats, and steel shelves of Roth’s Monroe, Wisconsin facility. The company, with roots dating back to the 1860s, processes 400,000 pounds of milk every day—that’s 40,000 pounds of cheese, divvied up across a dozen-plus varieties. Though no two days in Kuhn’s life are quite the same, here’s how Wisconsin’s young cheesemaking superstar spends an average day—honing her craft, dreaming up new cheeses, and continuing Roth’s legacy.

She pipes at dawn.

It’s 3:30 a.m., and Kuhn’s already hard at work. That’s when the pipes are running the type of milk she needs for her latest experiment. All of Roth’s milk comes from nearby, mostly from small, family-owned farms, and all of it gets turned into cheese within 72 hours. If there’s a specific milk Kuhn wants, she’s got to act fast.

Kuhn spends the wee hours of the morning circling a small metal vat roughly the size of a baby’s crib. Whenever she’s cooking up a new recipe, she works in miniature. Miniature to her, that is—enormous to the rest of us. The trial pilot equipment she’s setting up holds 500 pounds of milk, and the vat will eventually birth two 19-pound wheels. (In contrast, the standard-sized vats around her hold 30,000 pounds, pre-cheese.) 

It’s a laborious process that takes hours just to prep: She cleans, sanitizes, hooks up pipes, prepares ingredients, gathers and weighs cultures and enzymes, monitors the milk’s temperature and pH, and keeps an eye on the cheese as it forms. It’s equal parts nurturing and scientific, both deeply mathematical and deeply creative. 

Once the cheese takes shape, things get a little bit easier to manage, she says, and that’s when she can step away to attend to things like meetings, paperwork, and checking on her other trials and experiments. The fruits of her labor are littered across the facility—cheeses in wheels and blocks with hot-magenta trial tags. To the untrained eye, the tags are enigmatic: ECW v 5. pH target 5.25. Brine in trial. “It’s…rather secretive. Most people don’t know what we’re working on,” she says. 

This cheese she’s dreaming up now will need to age for up to a year. She won’t go into too much detail, partly because she can’t. The cheese doesn’t have a name or story yet. 

“It’s what you might call a hybrid cheese,” she discloses. “We’re pulling out flavors and aromas across well-known cheeses and combining them into a different format. It’s one of my favorite realms to play in.” 

A world of pure imagination (and delayed gratification). 

Clad in a white jacket, goggles, hairnet, hardhat, and boots, Kuhn also runs facility-wide technical support, monitoring production at every stage. Beyond the cellars, there are pasteurization tanks and copper vats (which Roth pioneered in the U.S.), the brine room (“it’s sort of like a cheese spa!”), and aging and storage rooms, where tag after tag hang in the final lurches of judgment. Most of the cheeses never get tasted outside the facility.

“The nature of R&D is that less than 10 percent of what you work on goes anywhere,” she explains, rattling off a plethora of reasons—flavor, color, cost, timing, and stakeholder interest. To succeed in the job, she continues, a cheesemaker has to understand that everything is a learning experience, and that nothing is a failure. 

“R&D can get a little weird,” she adds with a laugh. She recalls a cheese so soft it crawled off the boards; the black-garlic experiment that turned out delicious, but gray. “It feels a bit like Willy Wonka sometimes.”

Like the candymaker, Kuhn works in intricate halls, where cave- and river-like systems flow, often quite literally, with cheese. She, too, is a scientist and a chemist—just one who works not in marshmallow rooms but in cellars of fontina. And instead of “invention being 2% butterscotch ripple,” it’s 2% buttermilk gorgonzola. 

Unlike Willy Wonka, though, Kuhn has no magic buttons and levers she can press or pull, and no instant gratification for her meticulous work. Roth Aged Gouda, which is Kuhn’s recipe, is just one example: That project took her three years. 

It’s a bit of a rollercoaster, she admits, and it’s easy to get attached to long-term projects. “But I don’t look at that as a bad thing,” she notes. “I prefer to have that kind of stake in my work—I should be the biggest advocate for everything I create.”

The biggest, perhaps, but certainly not the only. Roth’s cheeses have millions of fans, and if Kuhn keeps at it, she may find her creations cheered on by millions more.

The post A Day in the Life: Meet Wisconsin’s Newest Superstar Cheesemaker appeared first on Saveur.

At a Wisconsin-themed winter fondue party, our editor-in-chief Kat Craddock melted down two types of cheddar—an earthy, farmhouse-style version and a classic sharp—for a zippy, beer-spiked riff on the classic dish. 

Featured in “Lessons From a Fondue Fête with Two Wisconsin Cheesemakers.”

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Paula Heimerl and Orphee Paillotin’s Mount Raclette is a smear-ripened cheese, which means it’s been hand-washed in their cellar for several months to give it a uniquely deep flavor. To tease out the ultra-savory notes in the cheese and add an extra oomph to Alpine-style fondue, Paula recommends rubbing the inside of your pot with garlic before adding the rest of the ingredients. 

Featured in “Lessons From a Fondue Fête with Two Wisconsin Cheesemakers.”

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Wisconsin’s Crave Brothers Mascarpone lends this silky spiced chocolate fondue from Fatima Khawaja its rich and milky flavor and a luxurious texture that holds together well over a low warmer. Khawaja served this fondue with a bounty of sweet dippers; do the same, or keep it simple with just one or two sweet treats.

Featured in “Lessons From a Fondue Fête with Two Wisconsin Cheesemakers.”

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Don’t fear the dinner party! Hosting is so much more fun when guests are welcomed into the kitchen. This is Dinner at Kat’s—our series wherein SAVEUR’s editor-in-chief Kat Craddock invites buzzy chefs, cookbook authors, and wine and spirits pros into her home for a day of cooking and connection. There’s no mystery behind throwing a successful dinner party. Find the menus, recipes, drinks, shopping tips, and tricks to make it happen right here.

The Guests:

It’s no secret that I will travel for cheese. I’m an editor, art director, and stylist, and my first media job was with Culture, a magazine all about cheese and the people who make it. Since then, I’ve styled bite-sized skewers for a futuristic cheeseboard in Boston, served as a judge at a Cheesemonger Invitational in San Francisco, and trekked out to The State of Cheese to interview Wisconsin cheesemakers. And this season, it was cheese that brought me to New York, where I wheeled a suitcase full of platters and fondue forks through the East Village—to SAVEUR editor-in-chief Kat Craddock’s Alphabet City apartment.

This is also where Orphee Paillotin and Paula Heimerl—two young Wisconsin-based cheesemakers—come in. For one of the two co-founders of Alpinage Cheese, a career in dairy was a somewhat unexpected pivot. Paula comes from six generations of cheesemakers. Her parents were the original founders of Saxon Creamery in Malone, and she spent much of her childhood helping her family on the farm, at the creamery, and in the aging cave. But up until recently, Orphee, who was born and raised in France, had been working in Milwaukee as an IT manager for a manufacturer of off-road hydraulics motors. A chance dive bar meet-cute brought the two together, and the rest, as they say, is history. 

Orphee’s homesick cravings inspired the couple to start their own cheese business in 2020, and these days, in their new Oak Creek facility, they together churn out 11-pound wheels of Mount Raclette, a nutty, Alpine-style raw milk cheese. “Now that we have our own company,” Paula says, “what makes me happiest is knowing I’m carrying on my family’s legacy and the tradition of Wisconsin cheesemaking.”

When enjoying their flagship cheese, the pair gravitates toward classic, European-inspired preparations like fondue and raclette (the latter of which is both the word for the cheese itself and for the dish—molten raclette cheese, “raked” over potatoes, onions, and cornichons). “Watching raclette melt is like a theater performance,” says Paula. “It’s just a beautiful way to gather around the dinner table and share the love of good food with your friends and family.” Coincidentally, Alpine dishes like these are inherently cozy (hello, après-ski) and they’re ideal for cold-weather entertaining. And because an abundance of cheese is as good a reason as any for a winter dinner party, Kat decided to throw one.

The Menu:

• Dirty Martinis with Copper Crow Whey Vodka & Blue Cheese-Stuffed Castelvetranos 
• Alpinage Raclette with Roasted Market Vegetables and Sausages
• Mixed Chicory Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette
• Alpine-Style Fondue
• Cave Aged Cheddar-Beer Fondue
• Chocolate-Mascarpone Fondue
• Creamy Espresso Martinis with Copper Crow Whey Vodka

The Big Night:

I wheeled my suitcase up to Kat’s place in the morning to start setting up for the party with chef and SAVEUR contributing editor Fatima Khawaja. Fatima threw on an apron and unloaded the bounty of local bread she’d picked up from a local bakery, while I started pulling plates, cheese boards, and linens from Kat’s collection. Meanwhile, Kat, Paula, and Orphee met up at the Union Square Greenmarket to run some last-minute errands. You can never have too many fondue dippers, so they grabbed assorted root vegetables, mushrooms, and brussels sprouts from Norwich Meadows Farm, Ramble Creek Farm, and Halal Pastures. A dairy-heavy meal is best balanced with a leafy green salad, so they also stopped by Campo Rosso Farm for a few winter chicories and edible flowers. 

On their way back to the apartment, Kat brought the cheesemakers into the Bedford Cheese Shop so that Orphee and Paula could spread the word about Mount Raclette. Bedfords’ mongers shared a few house favorites, and Kat grabbed some olives, pickles, and a wedge of Deer Creek Rattlesnake for pre-dinner snacking. 

By the time they arrived at Kat’s apartment, Fatima and I were in full-on party prep mode. Paula and Orphee got right to work in the kitchen, grating up a mix of their Mount Raclette and Roth’s Grand Cru Reserve for an Alpine-style fondue, while Kat melted down her own British-inspired version with zippy Carr Valley Cave Aged Cheddar, Worcestershire sauce, and a can of Sixpoint lager. 

While the rest of the gang put their finishing touches on dinner, I arranged a buffet station along Kat’s cookbook library using an assortment of new Boska and vintage Dansk fondue pots, teak and cabbageware platters, and my own vintage fondue fork collection. Orphee set up an impressive electric raclette iron on the breakfast bar, popped a quarter wheel of Mount Raclette under the melter, and portioned out bowls of boiled potatoes, gherkins, and pearl onions for serving. “You can’t go wrong with melted cheese!” Orphee laughed.

With the savory components well underway, it was time to focus on dessert: “I’m South Asian and I have a certification in Latin American food, so I wanted to spice up traditional chocolate fondue with a little bit of heat,” Fatima—who previously worked at Cosme as chef Daniella Soto-Innes’ sous chef—explained. She melted down a mix of milk and dark chocolate with velvety Crave Brothers mascarpone, ground chiles, and cinnamon while I piled the dessert station with toasted brioche, strawberries, cookies, dried fruit, and the creamiest, sweetest dates I’ve ever tasted from Rancho Meladuco.

At The Bar:

One of Kat’s friends had tipped her off about Copper Crow, a Bayfield, Wisconsin-based, Indigenous-owned distillery that’s making vodka and gin from whey, a byproduct of the cheesemaking process that’s extra-abundant in The State of Cheese. I’d heard of whey-based beverages before, but never whey-based distillates, so I was eager to learn more. Copper Crow co-owners Curt and Linda Basina couldn’t make it to our soirée because they were in peak production mode after a last-minute trip to Milwaukee where they’d won Business of the Year at the 2023 Indigenous Business Con (Copper Crow is the first Native American-owned distillery in the United States). So instead, I hopped on a call with Curt to get a few tips for mixing the bottles he’d kindly sent ahead for the party.

The Basinas started making vodka using whey from Burnett Dairy in Grantsburg, Wisconsin after a friend and local distiller encouraged Curt to pursue the old-school, environmentally friendly avenue. “Anytime that you can take what is essentially a waste product and turn it into something value-added, the whole sustainability aspect of it just falls right into place” says Curt. With a hint of lactic sweetness and a buttery mouthfeel, whey vodka makes an excellent base for all manner of food-friendly cocktails. Kat loves a dirty martini, so she mixed up a party-sized batch while I stuffed jumbo Castelvetrano olives with blue cheese for garnish.

As we put the finishing touches on dinner prep, we also iced down a case of natural wine from Kat’s favorite local shop, and some dry pet-nat cider from New York’s Breezy Hill Orchard. When it was time for dessert, we took Curt’s advice and shook up espresso martinis—the whey vodka made this already smooth cocktail even more luxurious.

Shopping All-Stars:

Alpinage Mount Raclette
Roth Cheese Grand Cru Reserve
Carr Valley Cave-Aged Cheddar
Crave Brothers Mascarpone
Hook’s Ewe Calf to be Kidding Blue Cheese
Castelvetrano Olives
Rancho Meladuco Medjool Dates
Bordallo Pinheiro Cabbage Oval Platter
Crow Canyon Home Catalina Small Rectangle Tray
Dusen Dusen Pattern Napkins

Pro Tips:

• Batching out cocktails in advance ensures that you’ll spend less time fiddling at the bar and more time mingling with guests. Ahead of happy hour, measure out family-sized martinis into large mason jars, adding all ingredients except for the ice and garnishes. Whenever someone is ready for a drink, simply pour a single serving into a cocktail shaker, add ice, shake or stir, and serve.
• Before you even think about hosting a fromage-filled party, make sure you have the right gear. Vintage fondue sets abound on eBay and Etsy, while Boska’s website is a one-stop shop for new fondue pots and raclette serving solutions. 
• Fondue pots and raclette irons bring with them an inherent risk of fire, which is increased whenever booze is added to the equation. Ahead of any party in which open flame is to be used, be sure to check the expiration date and location of your fire extinguishers.
• “You can’t have a great fondue without a top-notch baguette,” says Orphee. For added texture, he says to cut the baguette into bite-sized pieces, spread them onto a baking sheet, and pop them in the oven for a few minutes to crisp up right before you’re ready to serve. Crispy, bite-sized pieces of bread + melted cheese = fondue heaven.

The Fondue Fête Playlist

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Alpine-Style Fondue

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Cheddar Beer Fondue

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Chocolate-Mascarpone Fondue

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