Taking a peak into the Epi team’s online shopping carts is a bit of an adventure. You’re about as likely to learn about your new favorite hot sauce brand as stumble upon the classic combo of 250 plastic pint containers and a tiny knife. We’re weird like that, but that’s part of our charm. Below, check out some of our best purchases from the last month, like the only mayonnaise we’ll use to make tomato toast this summer and the nice kitchen broom we’re crossing our fingers arrives sometime soon.
Summertime Things
This is my first summer having backyard space in Brooklyn, so I’ve taken a break from buying kitchen tools, and started buying grilling tools. Among my first purchases—not including the grill itself—was a stainless steel grill basket that I specifically got for grilling fish. I love grilled fish, but it can be so delicate and I’m terrible at flipping! So far, I’ve only used it for salmon (it works wonders!), but I plan on using it to load up vegetables next.
— Tiffany Hopkins, Editorial Assistant
Penobon Stainless Steel Grilling Basket
$25.00, Amazon
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I bought a jar of Blue Plate because TOMATO SEASON. (And it won our mayo taste test.)
— Joe Sevier, Associate Editor
Blue Plate Mayonnaise, 30-Ounce Jar
$4.00, Amazon
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I bought a new bottle of Supergoop Unseen Sunscreen, which is essential for me when I am out in the garden. I love it because it is translucent and extremely emollient, meaning there’s no risk of having sunscreen ghost face
— Wilder Davies, Staff Writer
Supergoop Unseen Sunscreen SPF 40
$34.00, Dermstore
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My kid likes to keep a water bottle under her pillow on hot summer nights. I hate water bottles that leak or can’t go in the dishwasher. So I’ve invested in a new one from Yeti for her and I adore it so much that I bought myself a matching one (which she will surely commandeer).
— Maggie Hoffman, Senior Editor
YETI Rambler Jr. Water Bottle with Straw Cap
$30.00, Amazon
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It’s hot out there and I’m trying to not give myself any excuses to cut a run or bike short. These electrolyte tabs keep me chugging along; I like the berry flavor the most.
— Lauren Joseph, Associate Commerce Editor
Nuun Hydration Tri-Berry Electrolyte Supplement
$6.00, Walmart
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Like everyone else in the world this summer, I ordered a bunch of white linen tablecloths and tie-dyed them. It can be hard to get your hands on tie-dye stuff right now, but I’ve been doing a muted color palette of various blues and sending them out as gifts to people. It feels nice to give the friends I’d normally be having over for dinner parties gifts that indicate that we might one day entertain again (and it’s a fun project!).
— Emily Johnson, Commerce Editor
Solino Home Linen Table Runner, 14×72-Inch
$20.00, Amazon
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Tulip One-Color Tie-Dye Kit, Blue
$8.00, Amazon
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Cleaning and Kitchen Organization
The only thing I’ve tried buying online is a broom from Casabella—it’s allegedly shipped!
— Travis Rainey, Associate Photo Editor
Casabella Wayclean Wide-Angle Broom
$15.00, Amazon
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I am a sucker for a good organizational system and have been dreaming about implementing Emily’s kitchen towel basket technique since the second I read about this. Now was finally the time, so I ordered a set of wire baskets to fit under my prep table: one for clean and one for dirty kitchen towels, plus two extras that I put under the sink. I feel like a super efficient, no-paper-towel-waste machine.
— Kendra Vaculin, Staff Writer
Perfrom White Iron Storage Baskets, Set of 4
$26.00, Amazon
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I bought two pounds of baking soda to clean my rug—and obviously also make baked goods.
— Joe Sevier
Milliard Baking Soda, 2 Pounds
$12.00, Amazon
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Miscellaneous Edibles and Drinkables
A must buy: Shaquanda’s hot pepper sauce. I’ve been putting it on chicken skewers, on sandwiches, on vegetables, on everything. We are going through bottles of it at alarming speed.
— Maggie Hoffman
Shaquanda’s Hot Pepper Sauce
$10.00, Shaquanda Will Feed You
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I got some Yellowbird Serrano hot sauce because I could not find Green Cholula in the store at all, or online for a reasonable price. This is very close—and delicious in its own right.
— Joe Sevier
Yellowbird Serrano Hot Sauce
$9.00, Amazon
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I’m buying this black tea, and I’m buying a lot of it. It’s just a very lovely, everyday tea with leathery tannins balanced by a light sweetness. In cooler months I drink it hot out of a mug, but in summer I pour the hot tea into a tall glass packed with ice and a crazy amount of mint—at least twelve sprigs or it’s not right. The tea takes a few minutes to cool down, but in that time it takes on the essence of that mint. (I got hooked it at Jack’s Wife Freda, where it’s called Nana Tea.) While I’m at Snuk, I’ll put a jar of this Greek honey in my cart—it’s a solid everyday honey to go with my solid everyday tea.
— David Tamarkin, Digital Director
Organic Nepali Black Tea, 7 Ounces
$15.00, Snuk
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Attiki Pure Greek Wild Honey, 8 Ounces
$12.00, Snuk
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I’ve been stocking up on granola ingredients. Working on this stovetop granola story a few weeks set me up for many future batches. My partner took his job as taste tester very seriously…. and he keeps asking for more batches to “test.” I love the savory-sweet taste and chew of mulberries in my granola; Navitas Organics is my go-to source. The brand has been a pioneer in regenerative organic agriculture since 2003, so, while their hemp seeds and cacao nibs cost more than some alternatives, it very much feels worth it to me.
— Lauren Joseph
Nativas Organics Mulberry Berries, 8 Ounces
$9.00, Thrive Market
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Kendra influenced me to order Kasugai gummies. I’m living with my little brother right now, who’s four and very passionate about gummies, so I ordered all the flavors she recommended (plus a few different KitKat flavors) and we’ve had fun trying them all. I love ordering specialty candy and now I have the excuse of there being a child around; it’s definitely for him!
—Emily Johnson
Kasugai Strawberry Gummy Candy, 3-Pack
$10.00, Amazon
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Kit Kat Bar, Birthday Cake, 4-Pack
$11.00, Amazon
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In my house we’ll put Lao Gan Ma on just about anything, so we burn through the stuff rather quickly. It was time to go big, so we finally pulled the trigger on a “restaurant size” jar. Unfortunately now I’ve convinced myself it’ll never run out so I’m scooping with abandon—I know I’ll be adding another large boy to my cart very soon.
— Kendra Vaculin
Lao Gan Ma Spicy Chili Crisp, Restaurant Size, 24.69 Ounces
$13.00, Amazon
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Originally Appeared on Epicurious
