​How we tested bread knives. We spoke with our Test Kitchen editors to find out which blades they’ve relied on throughout their careers. Then we tested more than two dozen bread knives on crusty sourdough and winter vine tomatoes—ideal examples of that tricky firm-outside, soft-inside texture that serrated knives handle so well. We also conduct long-term testing on our top picks to evaluate how they hold up with daily use, noting whether the blades retain their sharpness and if the handles show any signs of cracking.. What makes the best bread knife. We focused on evaluating the following factors when it came to making our selections:. How effectively it cuts. The ideal knife practically does the work for you, creating clean cuts with minimal downward pressure. In our testing, we found that thin knives usually got the job done best.. Weight. Your knife should have enough heft to cut through foods that have a firm exterior and a delicate interior. A too-heavy knife, however, will be cumbersome to wield.. Shape of teeth. A serrated knife is defined by its toothlike edge, but there are a few variations on the design. A serrated knife can have rounded, scalloped teeth; pointy teeth; and even double serrations that feature a combination of the two. While scalloped teeth might seem like the least effective option, our testing proved that this is not always the case. In fact, knives with teeth that were too pointy risked snagging and tearing on bread interiors or tomato flesh.. How it feels to hold. We considered the knife as a whole—from the tip of its blade to the end of the handle. We looked for knives that had ergonomic handles that fit the natural contours of our hands and paid attention to the balance of weight between the handle and the blade. We wanted a knife that felt hefty enough to give us proper leverage when slicing hardier loaves, but not so heavy as to become unwieldy.. The ones we picked above were the most stable and comfortable to hold, the easiest to work with, and they made the cleanest cuts.. Other bread knives we like. Dexter Russell Basics 10″ Scalloped Bread Knife. Dexter-Russell Basics 10″ Scalloped Bread Knife. $20 $19 (5% off). Amazon. This knife from Dexter-Russell was a top contender for the best budget spot thanks to its super sharp scalloped blade, which made easy work of slicing through tough sourdough crusts and delicate tomato skin. In the end, the Mercer edged out the competition because of its grippy, more comfortable handle, slightly sturdier construction, and (just barely) lower price tag. That said, this would be a good option if the Mercer is ever out of stock.. Winco Sof-Tek 9″ Offset Bread Knife. Winco. Sof-Tek 9″ Offset Bread Knife. $12. Amazon. Light, grippy, and easy to control, the Sof-Tek feels like a workhorse knife. The soft handle is notably secure even with damp hands, and the knife’s low weight makes it easy to maneuver without feeling cheap. Although it required a bit more effort to get through  

​Cooking burgers on the stove is one of the fastest ways to get a deeply browned, juicy burger any time of year—and without firing up a grill. Most stovetop burgers take 5 to 10 minutes total, depending on thickness and how you like your meat cooked.. A standard 5-oz. beef patty usually needs about 5 minutes on the first side over medium-high heat. For a rare patty, simply flip the burger to seal the second side, then remove it from the heat. Otherwise, let the second side cook for 1 to 5 minutes, depending on how you like it.. Based on a 5-oz. patty cooked over medium-high heat:. Doneness (Internal Temp). Approximate Time. Rare (120°F)5 minutes on side one + briefly sear side two = ~5 minutes total. Medium-rare (130°F)5 minutes on side one + ~1 minute on side two = ~6 minutes total. Medium (140°F)5 minutes on side one + ~2 minutes on side two = ~7 minutes total. Medium-well (150°F)5 minutes on side one + ~4 minutes on side two = ~9 minutes total. Well-done (160°F)5 minutes on side one + ~5 minutes on side two = ~10 minutes total. The key is simply to use a hot pan, leave the burger undisturbed long enough to form a deep brown crust, and invest in an instant-read meat thermometer.. This basic burger recipe from former Bon Appétit editor Claire Saffitz is an evergreen favorite, full of smart techniques for molding a stellar homemade burger—juicy, flavorful beef that’s never dry or mealy. The cooking process is simple, and the results are magnificent. It comes down to that age-old harmony of timing, seasoning, and picking the right ingredients.. Looking for grilled burgers? Head this way →. Choose your beef. Use 80/20 ground beef for the best balance of flavor and juiciness. For the best burger—one with real beefy flavor—fat is essential. Look for ground beef marked “80/20” (that’s 80% lean, 20% fat). If the meat is frozen, thaw it in the fridge for roughly 1 day per pound.. Shape the patties. Form 5-oz. patties slightly wider than your buns (the patties will shrink as they cook). Handle gently—overworking makes tough burgers.. Optionally, make a dimple. Unless you’re making thin smashburgers, create a depression (with your finger or spoon) at the center of each patty. The meat contracts as it heats up, causing it to puff up in the middle; when you see juices pooling in the depression, that’s your cue to flip.. Preheat your pan. Place a cast-iron or heavy stainless-steel skillet over medium-high heat until hot. (A bead of water dropped into the pan should hiss and dance a bit before evaporating.). Season burgers just before cooking. Season both sides of the burger patty generously with kosher salt and black pepper right before sliding them into the pan. Salting too far in advance (or worse, mixing salt into the patties) will draw moisture to the surface, rendering the meat bouncy rather than unctuous.. Oil the pan. Use a neutral oil (such as vegetable, canola, or grapeseed oil) to prevent sticking and encourage browning  

​Large knife sets that come with a storage block are handy—it’s literally a one-stop shop. And if you’re a fan of serving grilled ribeyes whole to your guests, you’re going to need some sharp steak knives. Global’s knives are strong performers in our tests, and their unibody construction makes them easy to clean and maintain. We also like their unique steel, which retains sharpness without being as brittle as other alloys.. While they can be polarizing, many people find their dimpled steel handles comfortable to hold, and their knives come sharp out of the box. A big reason we like this large set over other options is that larger knife sets are usually extremely expensive, or they’re made up of a knifemaker’s budget line. Here you see strong value for great knives, and the inclusion of a petty knife, a chef’s knife, and a kiritsuke-style slicing knife means there’s nothing you won’t be able to cut with swiftness and precision.. Given its size, it’s a well-balanced set, and the inclusion of the serrated utility knife is a nice touch for slicing tomatoes or peeling squash. It may feel like a hefty sticker price, but you’d be hard-pressed to find this many high-quality knives at this price point from other brands.. Olivia Tarantino. How we picked the best knife sets. We’ve been testing knives for years now, and we have found that the same brands tend to come out on top across each knife category. Luckily for you, aspiring knife set purchasers, that means we’ve had no trouble finding three-piece sets from brands we know and love that feature product-test-winning, quality knives our team of experts can vouch for. Each set listed above is made up of individual knives we’ve tested against a long list of competitors and wholeheartedly approve of.. Head over to our individual reviews of the best chef’s knives, best bread knives, and best paring knives for even more information.. FAQs. How many knives do you need in a knife set?. We firmly believe that three knives are all you really need: a chef’s knife, a paring knife, and a bread knife. Together, they cover just about every essential kitchen task, from chopping vegetables to slicing crusty loaves.. That said, if you’re looking to upgrade or expand your collection, three additional knives are excellent additions: a nakiri knife, a petty knife, and a cleaver. While not essential, they’re nice to have: the nakiri offers extra precision for vegetable prep, the petty knife is ideal for those in-between tasks that a paring or chef’s knife might not handle quite as neatly, and a cleaver can help tackle larger chopping tasks (or precion cuts with a Chinese cleaver).. Which is the best brand for knives?. Mac has come out on top of our knife testing across the three core knives—chef’s, serrated, and paring—but the question itself is sort of like asking “who is the best guitar player.” Different people will find different knife shapes, weights, and handle styles better  

​There’s little in New York City that stops me in my tracks. But seeing the price of a rotisserie chicken on a newly posted menu in my Brooklyn neighborhood made me backstep, my mouth dropping open.. I texted the group chat: “How much do you think a rotisserie chicken costs at the cool new spot in my neighborhood?”. No one guessed anywhere close to $77, the listed price of a whole rotisserie chicken at Gigi’s, which is served with “roasted potatoes and a trio of sauces.”. The internet is already aflutter. When influencer Mike Chau posted that Gigi’s half chicken goes for $40, keyboard warriors raged. Even New York City Council Member Chi Osse (who represents a neighboring district), posted a rainbow-gradient, all-caps meme, “$40 Half Chicken at a Wine Bar? Really?” to over 8,000 likes.. Rotisserie chicken is the people’s protein, available both at grocery stores nationwide and some of the hardest-to-score tables in New York City. So what does a $77 rotisserie chicken say about the increasing wealth gap, the disparity between the leisure and working classes, and the overall affordability crisis that certainly irked those who balked at the price?. 6 Winning Meals Our Editors Make With Rotisserie Chicken. Like speedy lunch tacos, a halal cart dinner salad, and Vietnamese-inspired wraps.. Gigi’s chickens come from a small farm in upstate New York, which sells them for around $13 or $14 each. The bird is then brined, chilled for about 24 hours, and rotated in a specialty rotisserie oven. Before it cools, chef Thomas Knodell makes jus from the drippings. Organic Norwich Farm potatoes are served alongside the chicken.. Hugo Hivernat, the French restaurateur who owns Gigi’s, shares that all his employees are paid a fair wage, have paid time off and health insurance, and as an owner, he’s just an “everyday person, not driving a Porsche around the Hamptons.” Still, he thinks he may rebrand the $77 dish as a “chicken set.”. Despite the pricing controversy, Gigi’s booked up every April reservation immediately after it opened. This past weekend, walk-ins lingered on the sidewalk, eagerly waiting for standing room-only space at the window counters. Inside, the lucky ones feasted on chicken, $10 rice with drippings, and $19 glasses of orange wine.. “Maybe we gave the wrong perception, but this is a small sit-down restaurant, not a bodega,” says Hivernat. “Is it bad that we ended up having a half chicken at $40? Probably, yes, but this is how the inflation and the affordability crisis is coming through. It’s not our fault we have to do these prices.”. The price of rotisserie and roast chicken has long fascinated New Yorkers. A Reddit thread from last summer asks New Yorkers where to find the most expensive half chicken in the city. Answers include the $78 poulet rôti with foie gras jus, pommes Fifi, and salade verte at Chez Fifi, a ritzy brasserie in an Upper East Side townhouse. There’s also the $85 “half a gold  

​In a place as hot as Phoenix, you just need good drinks. The city’s top brewers, mixologists, and baristas have been quietly turning heads for a decade, the best channeling the unique energy and creative spirits of the desert. Recently, a new crop of maestros has emerged.. The best spots can be elusive. Phoenix spreads over a whopping 517 square miles, and that’s not even including adjacent towns like Scottsdale and Tempe. To taste the drink landscape to its last wonky drop, you need to plot a course beyond downtown hubs.. Brewheads know that the Valley of the Sun’s beer scene has been a powerhouse for a decade. Two of the biggest stalwarts—Arizona Wilderness Brewing Company and Wren House Brewing Company—have opened new outposts expanding their visions.. Meanwhile, the coffee scene is becoming more fun. Consider the island vibes and shakerato riffs of Wonderift Coffee in Ahwatukee, while on Grand Avenue, Malegría Cafe blends Salvadorian horchata lattes, reflecting how local coffee culture is embracing Latin influences.. Cocktails have been the beverage ecosystem’s keystone for the past decade, and a new crop of maestros is pushing into new directions. With thoughtful emerging bars like the produce-forward, high-tech Legends Never Die and the Indian-inflected cocktails of Indibar, the Valley’s cocktail scene continues to expand into a bold, multi-sensory frontier.. Whatever your preference, here are eight top new places to drink in Metro Phoenix.. Photograph by Ivory Rose. Malegría Cafe. 1031 Grand Avenue, Phoenix. instagram.com/malegria.cafe/. On Grand Avenue, a dusty thoroughfare of art galleries and gritty, excellent eateries, uncompromising storefronts burst with life: artisan piñatas, retro neon signs. Newcomer Malegía Cafe fits right in, with a mural depicting the national birds of Mexico, El Salvador, and Guatemala, broadcasting its roots and style. The birds represent owner Melina Ruano Serrano’s heritage as well as the coffee cultures she braids together.. Don’t Miss: Serrano makes café de olla, fragrant with cloves, cinnamon, and star anise, while her Salvadorian lattes, particularly the horchata version, are real gems. She blends a Salvi horchata using toasted rice, cinnamon, peanuts, and a mix of seeds, which gives a sweet, spellbinding foundation for power to a latte made with beans from small-batch roaster Condor Coffee.. Photograph by Lauren Topor