Home Cooking

Never Dull When someone gets fired from a French kitchen, the chef de cuisine says simply, “Take your knives.” To a chef, the knife is like an extra appendage. Here are four essential knife typologies. (Plus, look no further for our seven highest-ranked knives.)

Square Meal Sam Grawe's ode to the humble yet efficient waffle iron, from ancient Greece to 18th-century Holland to 20th century machinery. (And read on for even more handy kitchen gadgets.)

Iron Chef A meditation by Susan Guerrero on the classic, unbeatable cast-iron frying pan. (In the market for Dwell-approved pots and pans? Right this way.)

Coffee Talk While some resign themselves to the coffee shop, the resourceful caffeine lover knows better. A cup of coffee sipped at home from your favorite mug is a much better way to launch into your day than a barrage of goateed baristas, surcharges for “hot,” and a tragic display case of objectionable croissants. (Drip, machine, espresso, or even in the form of a table, we all love coffee. Read here for more great products.)

Fond of You Writer Deborah Baldwin disseminates the practicality (very little) versus nostalgia (a lot) of the fondue pot. (Can't stand the heat? Get out of the kitchen!)