Sick to death of cooking? You’re not alone.
The Washington Post posits that a lot of us are feeling less-than-inspired after spending endless time at home, in the kitchen, for the last couple of years. A cowboy caviar or ai- fried hack may not be enough to reignite that fire.
So, we’ve got your cure: you don’t have to cook. Carrie Bradshaw used her oven for shoe storage, and so can you if it’s a better use of your space and your life. If cooking feels like a chore, skip it! Go with frozen meals, takeout, or get absolutely everything from the deli counter and call it a day.
Too many cooking shows make it seem like everyone must be a chefsin the kitchen. But we don’t — we just need to be fed, and there are so many ways to do that without putting on an apron.
But if you’re feeling ready to reapproach the cutting board, perhaps your workspace needs a fresh lift. When you get gleaming new tools, you’re primed to create again, whether it applies to knitting, building a table, or cooking.
So get those creative juices (and maybe fruit juices) flowing with our editors’ favorite kitchenware, designed to brighten up your space so you can cook your food precisely the way you like.
This back-to-school season, reinvent yourself with one of these:
Caraway Home
Image from Caraway
If you ever fantasized when you were a kid about cooking grown-up meals, these are your new essentials. Muted, modern colors like Cream and Marigold are perfectly versatile for any space. Sure, we love the bestselling Cookware Set, but choice starters like the Sauce Pan and the Loaf Pan are a good place to begin. Caraway’s mineral-based coatings will lift your food right out — no post-meal intensive scrubbing! And chemicals won’t leach into your food — bye-bye PTFEs, PFOAs, and heavy metals.
Great Jones
Image from Great Jones
The bright, vintage-inspired baking tools from Great Jones are what dreams are made of. A favorite of wedding registries, these dishwasher-friendly bakeware and cookware sets are affordable luxuries. The 6.75-quart enameled cast-iron Dutch Oven is built to last a lifetime and costs a mere $160. Go Barbiecore with Taffy Pink or Cottagecore with Broccoli.
Our Place
Image from our Place
The essential of the decade. This tiny brand overwhelmed our Instragrams and stood up to the most grueling of kitchen tests. The Always Pan replaces 8 pieces of traditional kitchenware. So if space is an issue, you can saute, boil, fry, steam, braise, sear, strain, and more, with only this brilliant piece. In alluring Aura or soft Sage, it’s a stunner, and just fine to leave out on the stovetop all night long.