‘Tis the season to buy people a bunch of junk they don’t need just so they have things to open on Christmas morning. The ironic part is that so, so many of these landfill-bound presents are made of plastic, meaning they’ll exist on planet earth literallyforever. Listen, I know the last thing you need is to worry about our environmental future when you’re just trying to make it to 2023 in one piece. So think of this list of highly useful and long-lasting kitchen gifts as an antidote to existential anxiety. You’re welcome!
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Ziplock baggies are super convenient, but unless you’re washing and reusing them, they’re just another single-use plastic that’ll end up clogging a sea turtle’s intestinal tract or whatever. I live a baggie-free existence thanks to reusable storage bags. These colorful, resealable silicone bags from Stasher are great for on-the-go snacks and leftovers, but you can cook in them too—they’re safe to use in the microwave, oven, and on the stovetop (you can sous vide veggies by tossing a Stasher into a pot of boiling water; who knew?). These are pricey at around ten bucks a bag, but they’ll last forever and you’ll never buy a box of single-use baggies again.
When I say these are life-changing, I swear I’m not being hyperbolic. Even if you’re a paper-towel addict who hates the idea of using and reusing the same stink-o rag to clean surfaces around the house, I promise you’ll love these. They’re extremely absorbent, heavy duty, easy to clean (I just rinse mine in hot water between uses and throw them into a pot of boiling water for a deep clean once in a while), and they don’t smell musty like towels and rags do. I still buy rolls of paper towels, but I buy a lot fewer of them since I started using these.
OXO makes some of my favorite kitchen tools. They’re ergonomic, handy, and they really last. These OXO dry storage containers, which have a mechanism on top that forces out air and seals the lid, are great for pasta, dry beans, flour, cereal—basically anything you might store for a while but want to keep fresh and free of whatever weird little pests might live in your pantry. They also look really nice on a kitchen counter once they’re filled with lentils, spaghetti, or whatever you might need to store.
When I bought a Lodge dutch oven in 2008 or so, I actually wanted a Le Creuset, but couldn’t justify spending that kind of money on a recent-college-graduate’s salary. I am now a very adult woman and could buy myself Le Creuset if I so desired, but I don’t have to because my Lodge is still in such excellent shape. I’ve purchased these as gifts for people in the past and it feels so good to give something I know they’ll use frequently and for years to come. And who doesn’t love finding a 15-pound box under the tree?
How is a toaster oven sustainable? Hear me out: I’ve had one of these in my kitchen for around a decade and it’s still kickin’, even though we use it multiple times a day, every day. It’s great for heating leftovers, toasting bread and bagels, and it’s even big enough to accommodate frozen pizzas, which keeps us from having to use our gas oven all the time. (If you don’t have central AC, you know the value of not heating up the whole house just to heat up a pizza.) This was actually a gift from my husband’s sister and brother-in-law, and I think of them whenever we use it. That’s a good gift!
Howdy! I’m Gwynedd, Sporked’s managing editor. I live in Los Angeles and have access to the best tacos the U.S. has to offer—but I’m a sucker for a crunchy Old El Paso taco night every now and then. I’ve been at Sporked since 2022 and I’m still searching frozen mozzarella sticks that can hold a candle to restaurant sticks.
Why you should trust me: I’ve been a journalist for 20 years (yikes), a consumer of food for 40-plus years, and I’m truly hard pressed to think of foods I don’t like (or that I can’t tolerate at the very least). Oh and one time I cooked my way through Guy Fieri’s cookbook and wrote about the journey through Flavortown.
What I buy every week: Trader Joe’s Original Savory Thins. Fat free plain yogurt (usually Fage or Nancy’s). Honeycrisp apples. Sweet cream coffee creamer for my at-home Americanos. A frozen cauliflower crust pizza and some jarred mushrooms to top it with. Old El Paso Stand ‘N Stuff taco shells and Gardein Ground Be’f, even though I think “be’f” is a nightmarish contraction.
Favorite ranking: Stouffer’s frozen dinners. I don’t own a microwave (I get my cancers the old fashioned way!), so I love taste testing things that I don’t really buy to eat at home.
Least favorite ranking: Soy sauce. Don’t get me wrong, I love soy sauce—but consuming that much sodium in one sitting is probably illegal in some countries. Our frozen enchilada taste test was a close second; the smell of microwaved corn tortillas still haunts me.
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!
Gwynedd Stuart
Jordan Myrick
Kota Lee
Jessica Block
Justine Sterling
Ariana Losch
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!