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Tens of thousands of residents were without power across Tuolumne County due to an explosion near a power station, according to the sheriff’s office. No injuries have been reported.Just after 5 p.m. Friday, the PG&E outage map showed nearly 30,000 without power across the county, including 1,957 households in Sonora and 27,773 households in unincorporated areas. By 6 p.m., power had been restored to about half the affected population, with 15,420 customers without power across the county.Leer en español. By 7 p.m., power was restored for most customers in the area.The Tuolumne County Fire Department initially said its crews responded to a reported lithium-ion battery explosion at Pacific Ultrapower near Chinese Camp around 4:15 p.m. However, the sheriff’s office later said crews determined the explosion was connected with a transformer at ENGIE, a facility neighboring Ultrapower.In a news release, ENGIE said its Sierra Battery Storage facility experienced an electrical issue around 4 p.m. and some electrical circuits and equipment tripped at the facility. The company said there was no fire on-site. Steve Gross, president of Jamestown Energy, told KCRA 3 that the incident was not at their facility, but at an adjacent facility where there is an energy storage project with lithium-ion batteries. Gross said that the incident knocked out the main line, affecting Jamestown Energy’s ability to send out power.Cal Fire crews also responded this evening. A battalion chief said they are always on high alert when they hear the word “explosion.””We were told that there was black smoke and an explosion. And after investigating, we noticed that it was a transformer that had exploded. And from there we just mitigated the cause of it,” Jeffrey Cox, Cal Fire TCU battalion chief, said.Although there was no fire when they arrived, Cox said, the crews assisted in evacuating the facility to ensure everyone’s safety.The fire department said localized evacuations of the plant were conducted and all employees are accounted for. Those evacuation orders have since been lifted. The extent of the damage is unclear. The Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office said there were no road closures or additional evacuations associated with the incident, but urged the public to avoid the area. The outage map shows the power loss was reported just before 4:30 p.m. Friday. ENGIE said its facility has been disconnected from the grid while technical experts are investigating the cause of the incident. KCRA 3 has reached out to PG&E for more information. Track PG&E power outages here. See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
TUOLUMNE, Calif. —
Tens of thousands of residents were without power across Tuolumne County due to an explosion near a power station, according to the sheriff’s office. No injuries have been reported.
Just after 5 p.m. Friday, the PG&E outage map showed nearly 30,000 without power across the county, including 1,957 households in Sonora and 27,773 households in unincorporated areas. By 6 p.m., power had been restored to about half the affected population, with 15,420 customers without power across the county.
By 7 p.m., power was restored for most customers in the area.
The Tuolumne County Fire Department initially said its crews responded to a reported lithium-ion battery explosion at Pacific Ultrapower near Chinese Camp around 4:15 p.m. However, the sheriff’s office later said crews determined the explosion was connected with a transformer at ENGIE, a facility neighboring Ultrapower.
In a news release, ENGIE said its Sierra Battery Storage facility experienced an electrical issue around 4 p.m. and some electrical circuits and equipment tripped at the facility. The company said there was no fire on-site.
Steve Gross, president of Jamestown Energy, told KCRA 3 that the incident was not at their facility, but at an adjacent facility where there is an energy storage project with lithium-ion batteries. Gross said that the incident knocked out the main line, affecting Jamestown Energy’s ability to send out power.
Cal Fire crews also responded this evening. A battalion chief said they are always on high alert when they hear the word “explosion.”
“We were told that there was black smoke and an explosion. And after investigating, we noticed that it was a transformer that had exploded. And from there we just mitigated the cause of it,” Jeffrey Cox, Cal Fire TCU battalion chief, said.
Although there was no fire when they arrived, Cox said, the crews assisted in evacuating the facility to ensure everyone’s safety.
The fire department said localized evacuations of the plant were conducted and all employees are accounted for. Those evacuation orders have since been lifted.
The extent of the damage is unclear.
The Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office said there were no road closures or additional evacuations associated with the incident, but urged the public to avoid the area.
The outage map shows the power loss was reported just before 4:30 p.m. Friday.
ENGIE said its facility has been disconnected from the grid while technical experts are investigating the cause of the incident.
KCRA 3 has reached out to PG&E for more information.
When’s the last time you poured a perfect glass of Pinot Noir in your own home? If you’re like me from three weeks ago, probably never. Red wines should be served somewhere between 58 and 68 degrees (opinions vary). That’s a bit cooler than room temperature, but unless you want to dedicate money and space to a special refrigerator, you don’t have many good options. Our colleagues at Bon Appétit have, in fact, advocated giving up on life and just keeping your red wine in the fridge and then pulling the bottle out about a half hour before you plan to drink.
Enter the Rocco, which will hold your Gamay at a perfect 58 degrees on a lower shelf while holding your Stella Artois at a perfect 38 degrees a few shelves below. (I used a wireless thermometer to check the temperatures on various shelves; they were dead-on.)
Did I mention it’s gorgeous? In a world of wine fridges that look like Holiday Inn minibars and mini gridges that look like they came out of a dorm, the design-forward Rocco has a distinctive look that’s also neutral enough to fit into rooms with midcentury and modern furniture.
The “smart fridge” branding is perhaps a bit of bluster. Other than the design, which is incredibly thoughtful and flexible (there’s room for both cans and 750 millilitre bottles), it has an app-based lock, and can allow you to prioritise chilling over volume for when it’s being opened constantly (Party mode) or be quiet in your home theater (Quiet mode). There are other things the app is supposed to do, but I’ve had no luck getting the fridge connected so far—a commonproblemitseems. There is no Android version of the app, and it also doesn’t work with older Macs, but my iPhone 15 Pro Max and M1 laptop also failed to connect after more than an hour of trying. I’ll report back if I get it working.
What you do get with the Rocco is a very good-looking spot to store drinks behind a triple-thick layer of reeded glass, a choice of several eye-catching colors, and the ability to hold several types of drinks at perfect serving temperature. Oh, and a little branded serving tray and a deck of round playing cards.
Approximately $3.6 billion in delayed funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, was released Friday to states and tribes, according to the National Energy Assistance Directors Association.The federal funding for LIHEAP, which helps millions of low-income households pay to heat and cool their homes, has been held up during the beginning of the cold-weather season because of the federal government shutdown, which ended Nov. 12.“This release of LIHEAP funding is essential and long overdue,” Mark Wolfe, executive director of NEADA, said in a statement. “Families can finally begin receiving the support they need to keep the heat on as winter begins.”States typically receive their allocations at the beginning of November.The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the assistance program, has not yet issued a formal public announcement about the resumption of the funding. After the federal shutdown ended, HHS said one of its agencies would “work swiftly to administer annual awards,” blaming the delay on congressional Democrats.Wolfe said state agencies told his organization they’ve received award letters from HHS, enabling them to begin distributing assistance to households.A message was left seeking comment with HHS.On Monday, a bipartisan group of U.S. House members sent a letter to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. urging him to release the LIHEAP funds by Nov. 30. Given the heating season has already started in many parts of the U.S., they said “there is no time to waste,” especially for households that use home heating oil or propane. Those fuels typically aren’t affected by state moratoriums on utility shutoffs during the winter months.Roughly 68% of LIHEAP households also receive SNAP food benefits. Wolfe said delays in both programs during the shutdown “put many households in an even more precarious situation than usual.” While Friday’s funding release is welcome news, he said the need for assistance “remains enormous,” especially given rising energy prices. He noted that arrearages remain near record highs.
HARTFORD, Conn. —
Approximately $3.6 billion in delayed funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, was released Friday to states and tribes, according to the National Energy Assistance Directors Association.
The federal funding for LIHEAP, which helps millions of low-income households pay to heat and cool their homes, has been held up during the beginning of the cold-weather season because of the federal government shutdown, which ended Nov. 12.
“This release of LIHEAP funding is essential and long overdue,” Mark Wolfe, executive director of NEADA, said in a statement. “Families can finally begin receiving the support they need to keep the heat on as winter begins.”
States typically receive their allocations at the beginning of November.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the assistance program, has not yet issued a formal public announcement about the resumption of the funding. After the federal shutdown ended, HHS said one of its agencies would “work swiftly to administer annual awards,” blaming the delay on congressional Democrats.
Wolfe said state agencies told his organization they’ve received award letters from HHS, enabling them to begin distributing assistance to households.
A message was left seeking comment with HHS.
On Monday, a bipartisan group of U.S. House members sent a letter to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. urging him to release the LIHEAP funds by Nov. 30. Given the heating season has already started in many parts of the U.S., they said “there is no time to waste,” especially for households that use home heating oil or propane. Those fuels typically aren’t affected by state moratoriums on utility shutoffs during the winter months.
Roughly 68% of LIHEAP households also receive SNAP food benefits. Wolfe said delays in both programs during the shutdown “put many households in an even more precarious situation than usual.” While Friday’s funding release is welcome news, he said the need for assistance “remains enormous,” especially given rising energy prices. He noted that arrearages remain near record highs.
If you want a warm blanket but you don’t want traditional down, consider a down alternative, or a comforter made with eucalyptus or bamboo.
Buffy Breeze Comforter
Courtesy of Buffy
Buffy Breeze Comforter: The Buffy Breeze Comforter has been on my bed for years. It’s made with a eucalyptus fiber fill and has a eucalyptus fiber cover, which lends it a silky feeling and excellent temperature regulation. It keeps me warm in the winter, but in the summer it doesn’t get too hot or feel too stifling. There are cute duvet covers available that I don’t entirely love—the comforter shifts around inside quite a bit—but if you want a duvet cover, this one is decent and made out of similar materials so it won’t detract from the comforter’s cooling features. The best part is that the Buffy Breeze is pretty affordable, and it goes on sale during basically every shopping holiday.
The Company Store Legends Luxury Luxe Royal Down Medium Warmth Comforter: For the price, I admit I was expecting this to be about as high-end a down comforter experience as one could get. And indeed, the RDS-certified Legends Luxury Luxe Royal looks nice, with a silky embossed basketweave design on the cover, but it didn’t have the same loft or fluffy feel as the brand’s Legends Hotel line. Which is strange, as it has a higher fill power than my favorite Legends Hotel comforter, the Premium Alberta (700-750 to Alberta’s 600-650). And it’s not just me—during testing, I lent the Legends Luxury Luxe Royal to my teen son, who had previously been trying the Alberta, and he only made it three days before asking for the Alberta back. —Kat Merck
Photograph: Kat Merck
LaCrosse Premium Down Medium Warmth Comforter: From the Company Store’s flagship LaCrosse collection, this RDS-certified comforter hits all the brand’s high points: loops for comforters that have ties; 600-650 fill power; combed cotton sateen cover. However, it is around the same price as the Legends Hotel Premium Alberta, above, which is considerably fluffier. —Kat Merck
Courtesy of Brooklinen
Brooklinen Airweave Cotton Quilt: This fluffy quilt is made of a waffled, textured fabric that feels lightweight, airy, and fluffy but still manages to keep heat in. It’s a wonderful blanket for summer months or afternoon naps, and I love the punchy colors. (I tested it in Marigold, a vibrant orange that brings me joy every time I see it.) My tester blanket did have a couple of loose threads, but careful snipping took care of them.
Utopia Bedding Down Alternative Comforter: If you’re on a tight budget, this affordable down alternative comforter offers great value for the price. It’s quilted and lightweight, but it’ll still keep you warm despite not being particularly heavy. I wasn’t a huge fan of the outer fabric—it’s microfiber that I found to be a bit scratchy and rough. But the comforter is available in a wide array of colors (there are 11 to choose from), and it has corner loops so it’ll work with a duvet cover. It’s also well-constructed—I didn’t find a single loose thread or stitch, unlike some other affordable comforters I’ve used in the past.
Eden & Om Bamboo Comforter
Photograph: Louryn Strampe
Eden & Om Bamboo Comforter: This blanket is silky-soft and quite thin. It’d be a great option for a summer blanket since it’s naturally cooling, though conversely, you might want to have a warmer comforter around for cooler nights. Even in the Extra weight, it doesn’t completely block the chill from my box fan, let alone keep me warm enough in the brutal winter months. But on nights when it isn’t dreadfully chilly outside, this blanket reminds me of the Buffy Breeze comforter (above)—it helps regulate my body temperature without making me too warm or too cold. It’s also pretty breathable so on the off chance I do sweat, I don’t wake up feeling trapped and overheated.
Ikea Fjällbräcka: I used this Ikea comforter for several years. It’s not even 100 percent down (they cut it with duck feathers), it tends to get a little lumpy, and it’s not especially lofty, but it does have a 252-thread-count shell that prevents feather leakage. The biggest downside is that the added duck feathers give this comforter a little more of a “poultry smell” than white goose down feathers would. However, this comforter is also machine washable and sturdier than a lot of quilts I’ve used at this price point. —Martin Cizmar
Comforters We Don’t Recommend
Courtesy of Wayfair
White Noise Goose Down and Feather All Season Comforter: This all-season medium-weight comforter is breathable, balanced, and suitable for all seasons, with between 2 and 3 inches of 600-fill power thickness. The outside material is soft but feels sort of weird to the touch because it’s made of polyester and nylon—although this helps with noise reduction and is quieter than the others I’ve tested. It’s machine washable and struck a great balance between being thin and light enough for warmer weather while having enough thickness to still feel cozy. However, the comforter came with a really weird, pungent odor that smelled like grass and sweat. I washed and dried it two times to make the stench bearable to sleep with, but every once in a while during testing I could still smell the odor faintly. This is a solid all-season down comforter that strikes a good balance and has a great price point. I just wish it hadn’t smelled so gross. —Molly Higgins
Down is the layer of fluffy feathers between a bird’s outer feathers and its skin. It’s a great insulating material—just think of all those birds that manage to stay warm and dry all year long. Down is efficient, it’s more eco-friendly than some alternative materials, and it’s breathable despite keeping things so warm. Down holds up well over time with proper care, so your initial investment will last for years. A down comforter is especially worthwhile if you live in a cold climate. Blankets made with down alternatives or other types of materials can be good, too, but if you’re looking for a warm blanket that’ll last decades, down is probably what you want. We have an article dedicated to helping you decide.
How Do You Choose a Down Comforter?
Look for a cover thread count between 230 and 500. Fabrics with these thread counts are “down-proof” and minimize the chances of feathers poking through.
Fill power vs. fill weight: Fill power is a measurement of how much space, in cubic inches, an ounce of down takes up—for instance, a fill power of 600 means one ounce of down will take up 600 cubic inches. A higher fill power means fluffier, more efficient down. Fill power doesn’t necessarily translate to warmth, but it’s an indication of the quality of the down and how much the down compresses. Fill weight, on the other hand, is the amount of down inside the product. If something has high fill power but low fill weight, it won’t necessarily be warmer than if something has low fill power and high fill weight. It’s a little confusing. The most important factor is how the down is distributed. Look for baffle-box or sewn-through construction in your comforters for an indication that down will be distributed evenly and keep you warm throughout the night. Baffle boxes keep down lofty but need to be shaken sometimes to reallocate the down inside, whereas sewn-through keeps things in place but often results in a slightly less fluffy comforter.
Goose vs. duck down: Goose down has a higher fill power than duck down, so it’s fluffier and loftier. It’s also less smelly and generally more hypoallergenic. On the other hand, duck down is usually more affordable. We think goose down is best unless you’re on a very tight budget. Two common types of goose down are Hungarian and Hutterite. Both are considered to be top-notch based on the large down clusters typical of birds that come from the cold regions of Hungary and Canada. Hutterite tends to be more affordable. You likely wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between the two. Hungarian down can be a bit loftier, and Hutterite down can be a bit softer, but ultimately neither of these factors should make or break your decision to purchase a comforter. When it comes to the types of birds the down comes from, however, you should look for all goose down or at least a blend of goose and duck. That will cut back on odors and allergens and offer a fluffier, more high-quality blanket.
Down comforter care tips: If you’re investing in a comforter, you might want to consider getting a duvet cover, which can help protect the comforter and also usually improves the look (unless you’re into plain white). When it comes to washing the comforter itself, you want to follow the instructions on the care tag, and wash it as infrequently as you can. You can do it at home if your washer is big enough; otherwise, head to local laundromat to use their bigger machines. Use a delicate wash cycle with high spin speed to get as much moisture out as possible, and avoid using fabric softener, which can degrade the down’s fluffy texture. You should also use a small amount of detergent—err on the side of less, not more—and consider an extra rinse cycle to ensure that all the soap is rinsed out. Make sure that your comforter is fully dry using a low-heat setting. It might take a few cycles. Fluff the comforter between rounds to ensure efficient drying and maximum loft. I like using wool dryer balls to help make drying more efficient.
How Does WIRED Test Down Comforters?
For each comforter we tested, our testers slept with our respective picks for at least seven nights in locations around the US—our testers included folks living in Portland, Oregon; northern Illinois; New York City; and Kansas City, Missouri. Every comforter in this list has at least been tested during autumn, though most have been tested during every season. We looked for comforters that struck a balance between price, efficiency, and quality, and sought out different fill weights, fill powers, and materials to ensure our recommendations met a variety of reader needs. We assessed how we felt as we fell asleep, slept, and woke up. We paid careful attention to details such as whether a comforter was noisy while settling in for the night, or whether any feathers poked through. We’re always testing new down comforters, especially during the colder months. We are also testing more down alternative options which will be featured in a separate story.
Keen to enjoy homemade bread but put off by all the kneading by hand, flouring, and yeast-starting that comes with it? Then using one of our tested bread makers that does the hard graft for you—like the KBS Pro ($150) or Zojirushi Home Bakery Virtuoso Plus ($400)—may just be your ticket to carb heaven. A great way to liven up a club sandwich or add heart to a hot soup, homemade, unprocessed bread not only tastes great but can be easily made in one of the latest bread makers in just a few simple steps.
With a good bread maker, you can produce a generously sized 1-pound basic tin loaf in around four hours from start to finish, which is ideal for slicing up and popping in one of our recommended toasters. Bread makers come with various settings for bread styles beyond your standard loaf too—with French, gluten-free, whole wheat, and sweet options such as banana and date loaf all just a “set and forget it until it’s ready” step away. Some bread machines also have settings for making pizza and pasta dough or fruit jam, which is great if you’re feeling even more adventurous in the kitchen.
“Time and temperature are essential in bread baking, and consistency is one of the biggest variances we face as bakers,” Peter Edris, head baker at New York’s artisan Frenchette Bakery, told WIRED when we asked him how he creates the perfect loaf. “If you want to make good bread, then you need to have the right equipment for the job—invest in a good scale, a good thermometer, and time everything.” Without a team of professional bakery staff on hand, we embraced the shortcut solution to domestic bliss and called in a range of the latest bread makers to test. Here we’ve highlighted our favorite designs, included tips on what to consider before you buy, and shared expert advice on how to get the best from your home bakes.
New West Knifeworks Joy Bauer 6-Inch Chef Knife for $225: Like my New West Knifeworks pick above, this luxe knife is absolutely gorgeous, with a bold red-and-white handle and an accompanying embossed leather sheath. Created in collaboration with nutritionist and TV personality Joy Bauer, this 6-inch knife is a Japanese Santoku-style knife with a downward blade and a sturdy top slope, made from American-made 440C stainless steel. I found that food stuck to the sides of this blade, and it dragged more with starchier foods, but it is absolutely gorgeous and better for smaller tasks.
Henckels Classic Precision 7-Inch Santoku Knife for $80: I’ve found this Santoku-style knife’s flat blade and straight edge are most effective for slicing and tap-chopping, with the low point and flat blade being effective for easy sliding and transport of chopped vegetables. This Spanish-made knife’s blade is made of German stainless steel with a satin finish, which also has divots to reduce food sticking to the sides. The Mannkitchen Santoku model below is a bit sturdier, but this is a more affordable, lighter Santoku option of those I’ve tested.
Henckels Classic 8-Inch Chef’s Knife for $70: This 8-inch, Spanish-made Henckels knife has a classic German-style blade made from German stainless steel. It just feels like a heavy-duty workhorse knife. The finely honed blade transitions to an ergonomic triple-rivet handle. Although only 0.28 pounds, this knife feels heavier than the comparable Zwilling, in part because of this handle, which is less comfortable with more severe, squared edges than some others I tested. The blade was super sharp and I quickly cut most produce with ease, although it wasn’t as clean a cut on denser foods like potatoes. Plus, the starchier produce seemed to stick a little more to this knife than others.
Photograph: Molly Higgins
Männkitchen 7-inch Santoku MK71S for $130: This Santoku Japanese-style knife feels a bit heavier than the majority on this list, although the triple-beveled handle is ergonomically designed and easy to hold, despite its large size. The hefty handle seamlessly blends into the stainless steel knife, and despite being heavy, I felt in control while cutting. This heavy-duty knife has a lower point, which makes it easier to dice and chop quickly without too much arm/shoulder movement or exertion. The blade is also wide and thick, making it feel a bit sturdier and easier to transfer veggies from the cutting board. This isn’t going to be my go-to for everything I cut on the reg, but I especially loved it for quicker, rougher dicing and chopping of things like herbs and garlic cloves.
Hast Selection Series Japanese Carbon Steel 8-inch Chef Knife for $79: This sleek Hast knife is made of Japanese carbon steel (see above for more about carbon materials) from renowned steel maker Koike. It overall feels lightweight and svelte, and the ergonomic handle was very easy to grip, although it got a bit slippery (and potentially dangerous) when wet. Overall it doesn’t feel as heavy-duty as others tested, and flip-flopped a bit while cutting more dense foods like potatoes. It was able to make super smooth cuts on softer foods, and I felt able to control it easily while mincing garlic. This is a remarkably affordable option for a Japanese carbon steel chef’s knife that excels in making more precise cuts.
Photograph: Molly Higgins
Material the 8-Inch Knife for $105: This hefty, beautiful knife from Material has quickly become my go-to large knife for bigger cutting tasks. I noticed vegetables don’t stick to the side as much as other models, and it was surprisingly able to make ultra-thin cuts with control despite its large size. It’s a little longer, at 13.5 inches total, making it bigger and sturdier to use than the smaller styles I tend to go for. Each knife is hand-polished, heat-treated at 300 degrees Fahrenheit, and cryogenically tempered at -250 degrees to make the steel harder and more durable. The blade is made of sturdy Japanese high-carbon and stainless steel, with an oval-shaped, grippy, and matte composite handle, and the blade extends into the handle so weight is distributed more evenly. Plus, you can personalize this knife for a fun upgrade.
Misen 8-Inch Chef’s Knife 2.0 for $94: This chef’s knife is made from Japanese high-carbon stainless steel with a high chromium content to resist rust, and features a long blade over 8 inches. The handle has an ergonomic rounded spine, which is sturdy, but wasn’t the grippiest or easiest to hold from those I’ve tested. This knife works excellently if you need longer, more precise cuts (I would imagine it’d be good for making scoring cuts or filleting a soft fish), but things tended to stick on the sides, and the sheer length of the blade made things less fast as I dealt with drag.
I tested the only way I knew how: fumbling, cutting, slicing, and dicing in the kitchen, with a knife of the week, a cutting board (I used both wooden and plastic boards), and a variety of foods. I used each of these knives for a week while I made all of my meals, using them to do big tasks like cut through thick root vegetables, thinly slice cucumbers, roughly chop herbs, mash garlic, and even open plastic packaging. It’s also important to know how to do a few essential knife skills in the kitchen to make best use of your knives.
I’m vegan, so I had some of my carnivorous friends and colleagues use these knives to also carve beef and cut up a whole chicken, to make sure the blades could withstand all types of textures. As stated earlier, the best knife is a sharp one, and each of these came out of the package deadly sharp. I cut myself more than once in the process, all for the greater good to find which chef knife belongs in your kitchen. (But a lesson was learned: Be extra careful when using a new, super sharp chef’s knife for the first time.)
Let’s get this out of the way: The best knife is one that’s sharp. After duking it out in the kitchen for hours on end, I’ve found that what makes a knife truly great is a seriously sharp edge. A dull knife is dangerous—you’ll need to apply more pressure as you’re cutting, which means that when your knife slips, you cut yourself more deeply. Plus, a dull knife isn’t as precise or quick with cuts.
Especially with a pricier knife, you’ll want to make that investment last as long as possible. That means regular sharpening to keep it in tip-top slicing shape. Unfortunately, there isn’t One Sharpener to Rule Them All. Different blade materials and shapes require different sharpening techniques. For example, many stainless steel blades are too hard to effectively be sharpened by traditional water stones. Former chef and current WIRED reviewer Scott Gilbertson recommends water stones for carbon steel and loves these Shapton stones.
The majority of chef’s knives can be (relatively) easily sharpened when needed, which is typically done with a whetstone at around a 15 to 20 degree angle, followed by honing rod or leather for the smoothing knife’s edge. I’ve always used popular (and easy-to-use) pull-through sharpeners, which are more precise than steel and sharpen quicker than whetstones. But they are generally not recommended, especially for Serious Chefs™, because they shed quite a bit of metal in the process, weakening the durability over time.
Most home chefs will only need to sharpen their knives around twice a year and use a honing steel to keep the blades in shape at other times. Although a few years old, we keep going back to this article from Epicurious on how to sharpen a knife the right way in order to keep your knives in the best shape for as long as you can.
Should You Buy a Knife Set?
In a word: no. Despite what the door-to-door salesman or your MLM-loving cousin says, knife sets are usually not a good investment. You just need a few good knives. An 8-inch chef’s knife will work best for most tasks in the kitchen. I have a smaller hand, so I also like a small paring knife for some tasks, and a serrated knife for bread, in addition to the chef knife. Knife sets often cost double or triple as much as buying just one good chef knife. Not to mention, the wooden storage blocks also take up useful counter space, especially if you live in a tiny New York apartment like me. We recommend you save your money by skipping a set and investing in a solid chef’s knife instead. (Plus, one or two others if you want a bit of variety.)
What Makes a Knife a Chef’s Knife?
As said earlier, it’s multipurpose tool used used to cut meat, dice vegetables, chop nuts or smash garlic. A chef’s knife, generally, is made of many layers of forged steel and has a sharp end point and a prominent edge with a sloping curve, which helps with the fast rocking motion that allows chefs to cut food quickly.
A chef’s knife is among the most versatile knives in the kitchen and can be used for anything from chopping to cutting. Common uses for a chef’s knife include cutting meat, dicing vegetables, slicing herbs, and chopping nuts. The flat side of the knife can even be used to crush garlic. The versatility of this multipurpose knife makes it a must-have in any kitchen. It’s important to avoid any hard surfaces that would render the blade dull. In addition, learning how to hold a knife is an important first step to ensure the best results when using it.
Most Popular Knife Styles
Chef’s knives generally fall in two camps, Japanese Santoku and German. Both have their merits and you just may need both in your kitchen, depending on what you’re usually cooking. Japanese blades are extra thin and best for precision, while German chef’s knives are thicker and more utilitarian.
German knives: A curved blade means you’ll do the rocking back-and-forth motion to chop quickly. German chef’s knives can be used for everything from chopping fresh herbs to de-boning a whole chicken.
Japanese Santoku knives: With a straighter edge used for precision, you’ll cut straight down, using the whole blade at once. These are generally used for precision and specific purposes. They are usually made with harder steel, which can make them more brittle.
There’s also the material the blade is made out of to consider—these days, most blades are made from carbon or stainless steel.
Stainless steel: This material is resistant to moisture, can hold a razor-sharp edge for longer, and is more flexible than carbon, making it more effective at absorbing impact. However, stainless steel takes longer to re-sharpen, which makes it more difficult to maintain without a professional sharpening system.
Carbon steel: This material has a high carbon content, which makes it a very hard steel, and edges out stainless when it comes to general sharpness. Most often, they also hold an edge for longer and are easier to re-sharpen. Carbon steel is more sensitive to elements like humidity or water, so they require more timely and thorough cleaning and maintenance.
All of the knives on our list are measured in the Rockwell rating/measurement, referred to as HRC of the steel. HRC measures how much of a mark a diamond point can make in the metal with the amount of weight; so, the smaller the mark is, the harder the steel, and visa versa.
The holiday is still almost a week away, and I’m sick of Thanksgiving. I’ve already made four rounds of mashed potatoes, three of mac and cheese, and three turkeys (with more still waiting in my fridge) as part of testing smart probes to help smoke turkeys outside and preparing seven-course holiday meal kits for friends and family.
I was eager to finally outsource some of the cooking by testing two very different robo-chef devices, the Thermomix TM7 and the Posha kitchen robot. Both promise to plan my meals and also do most of the cooking, which sounds pretty good to me.
The Thermomix descends from a German device launched in 1968—a time when the best-known robot chef was cartoon Rosie on The Jetsons—that was essentially a blender with a heater. It’s since caught on big in countries from Italy to Portugal to Australia, and over the years it’s added multi-tier steaming, baking, proofing, a touchscreen, an encyclopedic recipe app, and a whole lot of smart features. WIRED reviewer Joe Ray called 2020’s last-generation Thermomix TM6 (9/10, WIRED Recommends) the “smartest of the smart kitchen.” The newest version, the seventh-generation TM7, was released in August and looks like a giant trophy with a computer screen. It retails for $1,699 and its goal is to replace almost every appliance in your kitchen. It’ll even happily order groceries for you on InstaCart.
The newest robo-chef entrant is Posha, a Silicon Valley-via-Bangalore startup device that aims at truly autonomous one-pot cooking, once you’ve chopped up the proper ingredients into little bins. The Posha kitchen robot was released in January at a price of $1,750 and promptly sold out, as has each successive batch. The device comes complete with a robot stirring arm, and a camera to monitor moisture and browning. Press a button, and Posha will add ingredients at the appropriate moment, spice and stir your food, add water and oil, and cook it down, all without your participation.
I used both the Posha and Thermomix to make a spread of Thanksgiving sides: candied yams, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, brussels sprouts, and a more complex wild card entry chosen because I thought my Aunt Katherine might like it—and assessed cooking experience overall. Consider it a robo-chef face-off.
Here is my experience with each of the Thermomix and the Posha—and how each fared on five Thanksgiving side recipes.
Choice of 100,000 recipes, often quite well tested
Beautifully powerful and fast blending
TIRED
You’re still doing all the prep
Many recipes still call for an oven
Cleaning the multiple parts is a chore if you don’t run the dishwasher
The Thermomix has almost 60 years of history. This is a good thing. It began as, essentially, a blender that can cook. It is still a very powerful blender that can cook. Lord, it makes pesto or mashed potatoes as quickly and easily as anything. I stood by in actual awe of its raw cooking-blending power.
But it’s also evolved into a whole lot more, an all-in-one device that purports to replace just about every appliance in your kitchen. Today’s Thermomix has become a beast of multifarious functionality.
Flying Alarm Clock for $18: The idea behind this alarm is funny—when the alarm goes off, a propeller ejects from the top and the sleeper is forced to get up, find the propeller, and place it back on the top to get the alarm to stop beeping. However, during the week I used it, the alarm did not stop beeping when the propeller was placed back on the top, when the snooze button was pressed, or when the alarm button was switched off. The only way to get it to stop was to find a screwdriver and take out one of the five required AA batteries (not included). By the end of the week, I had my screwdriver handy in the mornings. At least it kept me up, but not for the right reasons.
Alarm Clock App (In-App Purchases): This is a puzzle-style alarm app similar to the Alarmy app, but it has fewer features and is buggier. The alarm lets you hit snooze three times before it forces you to actually complete a task, which wasn’t helpful for a chronic snoozer like me. The biggest issue, though, was that the alarm didn’t sound when my phone was in vibrate or silent mode. For this reason, I had to have a backup alarm throughout the majority of the week I tested. When I did remember to turn on the ringer, the app glitched almost every morning and either froze or shut down the app entirely.
EC Vision Lock N’ Load Gun Alarm Clock for $28: This is another gimmicky clock meant to be a fun, interactive alarm. You set it up across the room, the alarm sounds off, and a target springs up—the sleeper must then shoot the target with a toy gun to activate the snooze feature. However, shooting the alarm just controls the snooze; to turn off the alarm, the sleeper has to press an actual button on the alarm clock—making the whole shooting part ultimately unnecessary to the clock’s functionality. Even by placing the alarm on the other side of the room and using the aiming and shooting element, this clock didn’t really force me out of bed as effectively as some of the others on this list.
Which Extreme Alarm Is for You?
Well, that all depends on your problem with getting out of bed.
If you are a chronic snooze-pusher, opt for alarms that physically make you get out of bed. Many types incorporate movement to get your blood pumping and shake off some of that sleepy grogginess—like Clocky, the alarm on wheels, or an alarm clock that requires you to shoot a target to turn it off.
If you are hard of hearing, some of these alarms have adjustable pitch and volume, which are useful for hearing loss in certain ranges. Some of these alarms also have a vibration pad, which can be inserted between the mattress and box spring or under the top sheet, that wakes the sleeper via vibrational movement. There’s even a wrist clock that shocks the sleeper, which can be helpful for those sleeping with partners who don’t want to be disturbed by noises.
Right now the Barsys is making me an Oaxaca Old Fashioned, but it could have been any of literally 2,000 other drinks, if I only had the ingredients. Among “Oaxaca” drinks alone we potentially also have a “Flower,” a “Gold,” and a “Tail.” The Barsys promises nearly 50 takes on Old Fashioned, and more than 70 versions of the mule. (A third cocktail machine option, the Bev by Black + Decker, uses Bartesian’s capsules with a different device design. It is likely being discontinued according to reps, but is still available on Amazon.)
It’s all very ridiculous, my friends assure me, when I send them videos of the Barsys aggressively spitting ingredients into a glass whose magnetic bottom spins the liquid inside into an icy, frothy whirlpool.
“I am embarrassed to be watching this,” wrote my editor at WIRED.
“That is so dumb,” echoed a friend, before adding, “You should definitely bring it over.”
No one really needs a machine to make a decent cocktail, of course. But you might want one anyway. I have a theory, the kind of big idea you hear sometimes in small bars. The promise of an automatic cocktail machine is not ease, nor necessity, nor even usefulness. It is, instead, excitement. It is fun. It is whatever will make today different from yesterday. It’s that little bit of dumb gee-whiz that makes your neighbor happy to come over, gives people something to talk about at a holiday party, or keeps your partner mildly entertained after a Tuesday that just kind of sucked the life out of her.
As holiday party season arrives, here’s how to choose between two flawed but kinda fun cocktail machines. Machines that mirror the life they indulge.
Best for Parties: The Barsys 360
Photograph: Matthew Korfhage
Photograph: Matthew Korfhage
WIRED
Machine pours very precise measurements by weight
Phone app suggests any of 2,000 cocktails, depending on ingredients
It looks cool, doesn’t it?
TIRED
Cleaning, flushing, and changing ingredients is a lot of effort
The app can be a little buggy, and hard to navigate
It’s a sloshy thing. Cleaning, again
The Barsys 360 is a flashy machine, literally. Select your drink on the device’s phone app, and the machine will light up like a discotheque or a try-hard bowling alley. The Barsys pours in hard, aggressive squirts—impressively accurate to within three-hundredths of an ounce, by my measure.
As it pours your drink, the device’s lights will change from white to blue to green when your cocktail is ready. And if you’ve also bought Barsys’ mixer glass ($45) with a magnetic spinner, the cup will now very rapidly swirl your drink, ice and all, as it spins your tropical diamond daiquiri into a green-lit froth. Whoopee! Glowing, spinning drink!
We are firmly in party-trick territory here. And lord, it’s stupid. And fun. And stupid. If you keep it on your kitchen counter, the device may cause you to make too many drinks just because you can, and because you’ve filled the reservoirs anyway. This can be dangerous on a work night.
There’s an automated solution, though. For my latest parties, I brought the HP Sprocket Photo Booth Machine ($600), and it was a hit. It’s a 21-inch-tall, portable photo booth that both automatically prints 3 x 4-inch pictures and lets you download digital versions via a QR code. I love that you can create events on the device and set up customized filters—mine had the word “Soupsgiving” on the bottom, though it was in an incredibly small font compared to the regular filter designs—and you can also add settings like how many prints of one picture guests can print. We left the default setting of two on for the soup-themed Friendsgiving, but I think I’ll bump it up to at least three for future gatherings. Make sure to stock up on HP’s Zink paper packs ($40 for 50) for the photo booth to print with, especially if it’s a big gathering. It will need both Wi-Fi access and a power outlet.
HP
Sprocket Photo Booth Machine
Sprocket Zink Photo Paper
How to Automate Your Appetizers
Feeding a crowd is hard. Feeding a crowd that includes some serious allergies and dietary restrictions doesn’t make it any easier. In the spirit of automating everything I could, I turned to ChatGPT to come up with my appetizer for a group that featured two vegetarians and someone whose allergies include avocado, beans, shellfish, and eggs. (Getting those two sets of friends their protein needs at the same time has a singular overlap in the Venn diagram of what they can all eat: tofu.)
ChatGPT did a good job brainstorming some possible options, and when I asked for a holiday angle, it came up with new options that were nice and seasonal. I chose to go with the lowest-lift option—pomegranate and ricotta crostini—but the baked brie bites were a big contender too. I was able to have this digital conversation and get the recipes all on ChatGPT’s free tier, but you can hit the paywall when you ask too many questions or ask things that need more research from the artificial intelligence.
How to Automate Your Cooking
Fellow WIRED reviewer Matthew Korfhage is currently testing two different robots that will cook your dishes for you, but in the meantime, the closest I’ve found is the 10-in-1 Ninja Foodi PossibleCooker Pro ($119). You can choose from options ranging from sear and slow cook to sous vide and even bake. It turned my broccoli-cheddar soup experiment (I was on a quest to replicate my favorite Panera soup for Soupgiving) into a one-pot dish where I could sauté my onions, stir up my béchamel, and then mix in all my ingredients and let it simmer until done. It even comes with an integrated utensil.
It was really helpful to use in an already busy kitchen, and I imagine it would be indispensable for big, Thanksgiving-style dinners where the stove and oven are monopolized. While I still had to do the cooking, I was able to hang out in my own little spot and let the PossibleCooker help me. It has a timer in the front to help remind me how long I’ve been cooking on a setting, though I do wish there were a medium setting (your choices are low and high for the cooktop settings).
Photograph: Nena Farrell
Ninja
Foodi PossibleCooker Pro
Automate Your Food Disposal
There are a lot of food scraps when you’re cooking for events like Thanksgiving and holiday dinner parties. I really loved grabbing the canister from the FoodCycler and bringing it next to where we were cooking soups so everyone could throw their food scraps in as we went. When it’s full, just set it in the machine and it will grind-and-dry the scraps (or leftovers!) into a sort of nutrient-rich meal that can be mixed in with potting soil or sprinkled on your lawn. I have the new FoodCycler Eco 5, and WIRED reviewer Kat Merck recommends the FoodCycler Eco 3 as one of her favorite home food recyclers.
FoodCycler
Eco 3 Compact Kitchen Food Recycler
What Else I’m Testing This Holiday Season
The holiday season is only just starting, and I’ll be testing more gadgets and gear all season long. Here’s some of what I’m testing next:
The Bartesian Cocktail Maker ($349): This cocktail maker promises to be the Keurig of cocktail machines, with capsules for cocktail mixes instead of coffee. You’ll need to bring your own liquor, but once you fill up the included containers with the liquid, the machine should be able to take it from there. I’ll be testing some of the fun holiday cocktails too.
Ostensibly, plant lovers should be the easiest to shop for. Just get them a plant, right?
Wrong. (Well, most of the time.) I review indoor hydroponic gardens for WIRED and have been a proud plant parent for almost 30 years, so I can say that even if you have a running mental catalog of all your recipient’s houseplants and know which ones they don’t yet have, you may not know what they have space for, or what kind of substrate or pot they’d like to be using.
In general, the best gifts remind them of the plants they do have, or that will help them care for them. However, suppose you know beyond a shadow of a doubt your recipient would indeed like a plant. In that case, we’ve included a couple of mail-order options from companies we’ve tried and recommend, including a lucky jade plant and a fruit tree that bears edible fruit.
Updated November 2025: We’ve added new gifts from LeafyPod, Growstar, and Goha, updated our listing for Via Citrus, and ensured accuracy of links and prices.
Winter bedding is different from summer bedding—thicker, loftier, softer, cozier—and now’s the perfect time to upgrade thanks to Brooklinen’s Flash Sale. We test a lot of bedding at WIRED for our numerous sleep-related buying guides, and Brooklinen is mentioned in nearly all of them. Its bedding is high-quality, aesthetically pleasing, and functions like it should. The brand hosts relatively frequent sales, but it’s rare that so many of our top picks are discounted at the same time. Many of our favorite bedding items we’ve hand-tested on our own beds are on sale through November 10. If you’re in the market for new sheets, quilts, or even a down comforter, we’ve highlighted our recommendations below.
Good bedding starts with good sheets. You can get 20 percent off the Luxe Sateen Core Sheet set in 21 colors across six sizes; they’re some of our favorite sateen sheets thanks to their silky, cooling texture and thick, quick-to-warm weave. They’re slick and slinky, and they warm up faster than traditional cotton sheets. If you don’t love sateen or you don’t need the warmth it provides, there’s also a deal on crispy, crinkly percale sheets that WIRED bedding expert Nena Farrell recommends.
Brooklinen
Luxe Sateen Core Sheet Set
We like these silky, warm sateen sheets more than many others we’ve tried. They’re a better pick if it gets cold outside.
Brooklinen
Percale Core Sheet Set
These super-crisp sheets are cooling, so better suited to climates that don’t get as cold—and are available in an organic version for a bit more money.
Once you’ve upgraded your sheets, top them with a down comforter or quilt. For folks in colder climates, the Brooklinen All-Season Down Comforter ($60 off) is a worthy choice. I tested it during the coldest months of the year in northern Illinois, and it kept me plenty warm while offering that classic, crinkly, hotel-like experience. The baffle box construction keeps the down evenly dispersed, and it’s lofty without feeling too lightweight. You could also go with the pricier ultra-warm option, but that was almost too warm for me. It’d be nice if you need a heavy comforter or you run very cold. For additional blanket options, Brooklinen’s AirWeave line has a few contenders on sale, all of which I’ve liked.
Courtesy of Brooklinen
Photograph: Louryn Strampe
Brooklinen
All-Season Down Comforter
This classic, hotel-like down comforter is soft, warm, and breathable.
Brooklinen
Airweave Cotton Quilt
This soft, fluffy quilt has a pleasing waffled exterior and adds extra warmth to your sleep setup.
Brooklinen
Airweave Crinkle Cotton Bed Blanket
This lightweight blanket is great to have around for extra-cold nights where you just need a bit more weight. It’s breathable but still warm.
I have personally owned LG-brand refrigerators for the past 15 years. When I bought my first refrigerator from LG (an acronym for “Life’s Good”), in 2011, the French door model was highly rated, and the combination of price and features was unmatched by other brands. In fact, I loved it so much I bought a second, identical one when I moved seven years later. Which is why I was dismayed when it suddenly stopped freezing earlier this year. “We get this call all the time,” the mechanic explained as he swapped out the apparently faulty compressor.
Sadly, he was not wrong. Even a cursory internet search brings up reams of damning evidence of LG’s history of faulty linear compressors. A class action lawsuit was settled in 2020 over the LG compressors in refrigerators manufactured between 2014 and 2017 (my second fridge was, unfortunately, within this range, and I was unaware of the lawsuit), but more were filed in subsequent years for fridges manufactured in 2018 and beyond, for both compressor issues and malfunctioning craft ice makers. It’s not a good look.
That said, LG sells hundreds of thousands of refrigerators a year—LG sales make up one-third of the appliance market, behind only Samsung, according to data platform OpenBrand—and other brands are on the hook for class action lawsuits as well. (In fact, Consumer Reports says that of all new refrigerators purchased since 2014, regardless of brand, 50 percent have experienced a problem.)
I decided to give LG another shot by testing one of its new Studio refrigerators, from the brand’s premium, designed-focused line that came out around 2015. Newer LG fridges have smart capabilities through LG’s ThinQ system, and, according to LG, a different linear compressor than my old model. The Studio Smart 3-Door French Door Refrigerator has been installed in my home kitchen for the past five months, where my family has been using it like any other fridge. There’s no denying it looks good both in person and on paper, but will it last?
Color Me Interested
Photograph: Kat Merck
I specifically settled on testing a Studio in LG’s proprietary Essence White, as I’ve noticed stainless steel is appearing less in high-end home builds and remodels. (If you’ve had any kind of stainless steel appliance, you know it’s a magnet for fingerprints and stains.) Cabinet-fronted SubZeros have always been de rigeur in custom luxury homes, but until recently, there haven’t been a whole lot of non-stainless options for what appliance manufacturers call the “mass premium” market, aside from retro-inspired designs by brands like Smeg and Big Chill. And in fact, the trend toward lighter woods and colored cabinetry paves the way for a more contemporary version of white, softer than the institutional tone of the ’80s and ’90s.
“Essence White is not a traditional stark white,” explained Dean Brindle, LG’s head of product management. “It’s not a blue-white that you traditionally see in white appliances. It’s a warmer white, so a little bit of yellow.”
Indeed, I can see it—the Essence White Studio is matte, almost glowy, with sharp edges and squared, bronze hardware. It wouldn’t look out of place among luxury European appliances like La Cornue or Bertazzoni. I’m into it. I have read complaints that the hardware looks gold in online promotional photos but is actually rose gold-ish, and this is true—the color is not how it appears in photos. It definitely wouldn’t be a direct match with gold hardware elsewhere in the kitchen. Brindle said the unusual hardware tone was deliberately matched to the fridge’s hue.
Tired of pet hair and dust in the hard-to-reach spots of your home? Our favorite pick for cordless stick vacuums, the Bissell PowerClean FurFinder, is marked down to just $180 at Amazon. That matches the best price yet for this lightweight and capable stick vacuum, the same discount as Prime Day earlier this year. It even stands up on its own when not in use, truly blurring the line between stick and upright vacuums.
Photograph: Nena Farrell
Photograph: Nena Farrell
Courtesy of Bissell
Bissell
PowerClean FurFinder
Just because it’s a small cordless vacuum, doesn’t mean it lacks power. The 200W motor inside does an excellent job of catching dirt, dust, and of course pet hair. If the last one in particular is a problem for you, you’re in luck, as the namesake FurFinder tool is designed specifically to pull pet hair from upholstery and fabric. Our reviewer Nena Farrell used it to remove hair from her cat tree, a notoriously tough task, and said it “left the upholstery looking new.” The HEPA filter should also help keep the spread of any pet bits in the air to a minimum.
As a stick vacuum, the FurFinder will often be tasked with getting into tight spaces and under cabinets and furniture. Thankfully, it’s equipped with a generously sized headlight that will let you spot dust bunnies even in the darkest corners of your living room. It’s still up to bigger tasks though, with a claimed 40 minutes of run-time on low, and a total of three power levels for those tougher jobs. This bundle includes a charging dock, too, so you don’t have to hunt around for a special cable, or remember to charge individual batteries, plus a crevice tool for getting in between your couch cushions, and a brush tool for bigger messes.
If you’re curious about the rest of our favorite vacuums, or you don’t have a furry loved one in your life, make sure to swing by our buying guide. This is a great option for pet owners, in particular if you’re like me and let your dog onto any piece of furniture in the house, and for the price, it could act as a second vacuum just for that purpose.
Here are some of the other smart string lights we’ve tested for this story that are still available this year.
Photograph: Nanoleaf
Nanoleaf Essentials Smart Holiday String Lights for $150: These lights work with Google Assistant, Alexa, and HomeKit, and they’re similar in look, style, and price to our top pick. The only major difference is that the cord splits in two—the idea is you start from the middle of the tree, not the bottom, and wrap one cord to the top and the other down to the bottom. It’s a little disorienting, and the cords might be more of an eyesore depending on your tree placement.
Ollny Christmas Cluster Lights for $50: If you want something a bit simpler, Ollny’s warm and welcoming Christmas lights are affordable. We tested this 49-foot light string, which has 1,000 LEDs in a lovely warm white color. They are IP44 rated and come with a handy wee remote control that makes them ideal for outside your home. You can choose from eight effects, four brightness levels, and set timers to switch them on or off automatically after several hours.
How to Use a Smart Plug With Regular Lights
TP-Link
Tapo Smart Wi-Fi Plug Mini (TP15)
Cync
Outdoor Smart Plug
This outdoor smart plug is great for controlling your outdoor lights, and has two outlets built into it with weather covers.
If you don’t want a whole new set of Christmas lights but still want to add some smarts to your holiday decor, a smart plug can be the perfect solution. These plug into your outlet and turn the outlet smart, giving you Wi-Fi based control over it.
With smart plugs, you’ll get a simple level of control: on or off. It’s great for lights in particular, because you can leave the light technically on and the smart plug will remember what time you want it on or off. You’re able to sync it with a smart speaker too, to voice command the controls. You won’t get custom colors like you would with the true smart Christmas lights we recommend above, but if you mainly want a remote control to turn your lights on and off, these smart plugs will do the trick.
FAQs
What Makes Christmas Lights “Smart”?
Smart devices, whether they’re smart Christmas lights or smart bulbs or smart speakers, all have the ability to connect to Wi-Fi and can be controlled with an app. For smart Christmas lights, that means you can use the app to create light designs, set timers for when the lights should turn on and off, and take advantage of other features like scenes or presets, depending on the app’s features. This opens up many more lighting options with your single string of lights than a “dumb” light string that can only be set colors and offers no custom controls.
Are Smart Christmas Lights Worth It?
They’re worth it for anyone with the time to take advantage of the features, or anyone who gets frustrated trying to remember to turn their holiday lights on and off each morning and night. It will take a little more setup time than a regular set of string lights, but smart Christmas lights are a great device to make your holiday decor exactly what you want. Plus, then you can easily control the lights while you’re lying on your couch.
Are Permanent Outdoor Lights Smart Too?
The permanent outdoor lights we’ve tested have all had smart capabilities so far. Features can vary based on what brand you choose, but the concept is that you can install them once and customize your colors to use year-round from there. They are much more elaborate to install due to the permanent nature, and aren’t a fit for every kind of home. You can also get them professionally installed for you.
It can be hard to build an Adulting Arsenal. And expensive! Mattresses, couches, vacuums, cookware … all of these necessary things around us that require a hefty initial investment, lest you be met with back problems, sagging cushions, subpar suction, or flaking nonstick pans that leave a little bit of mystery plastic behind with every bite.
No more! It’s time to upgrade. Pick up this All-Clad 5-Piece Nonstick Frying Pan Set for $180 (a $30 discount) and throw your dingy, dented, second- or possibly thirdhand nonstick pans away. A better world is possible, and it starts with good tools.
And All-Clad is good tools. We’ve long heralded it as the gold standard, as have chefs around the world in kitchens big and small. It lasts for years. It’s backed by a limited lifetime warranty. It’s solid, it’s durable, it’s reliable, and it does what it’s supposed to do without causing more fuss than it’s worth.
This deal gets you three nonstick, hard-anodized frying pans in 8-inch, 10-inch, and 12-inch sizes, plus two lids for the bigger pans.
Courtesy of All-Clad
All-Clad
HA1 Hard Anodized Nonstick Fry Pan Set
These are hard-anodized, meaning the aluminum they’re constructed with is treated to be extra durable. And they’re coated in a PTFE nonstick (aka Teflon). There are many nonstick pans that don’t use PTFE anymore—we’re working on a roundup of our favorites—but generally, PTFE-coated cookware is considered safe so long as you take good care of it and don’t overheat it. Make sure to use nonstick-safe utensils, use a lower degree of heat rather than higher when you can, don’t preheat an empty pan, and hand-wash them when you’re done, and they’ll serve you just fine.
Note that these All-Clad pans are marketed to be safe to 500 degrees Fahrenheit (though the lids are limited to 350 degrees). That’s the upper limit of “safe” when it comes to cooking on PTFE. We recommend sticking with this for your basic eggs, pancakes, and grilled cheeses, and maybe reaching for something different if you need to finish or bake a dish in the oven. Do what you’re comfortable with!
These pans are compatible with gas, electric, and induction cooking methods, and have a warp-resistant base. The stainless steel handles may have a different design than you’re used to, but I personally really like them—I can flip my eggs without a spatula thanks to the upward-jutting angle of the handles. And they’re technically dishwasher safe, though we recommend hand-washing gently to preserve that slick outer coating. The walls of the pan are nice and high, which gives you good leverage when flipping with a spatula. They’re also really stable and have a nice weight to them—they don’t feel cheap or flimsy, unlike some of the random nonstick pans I’ve used over the years.
If you need to upgrade your nonstick, it’s hard to beat this set, especially at this price. Make sure to check our separate stories on the All-Clad Factory Seconds Sale as well as this killer All-Clad Pizza Oven deal.
Here are a few other toys that aren’t as great as the picks above but are still worth a try.
Courtesy of Lelo
Lelo Tor 3 for $116: If you love cock rings but would love them even more if they were app-enabled, then meet the Lelo Tor 3. While at first the Tor 3 looks very snug, this ring is extremely flexible, making it a perfect fit for all penises or strap-ons, if that’s how you prefer to use this device, as it’s designed to stimulate the clitoris when paired with a partner who has a vulva. Although you can score a whopping two hours of playtime with Tor 3, it’s paramount that you don’t exceed 30 minutes of restricted blood flow to the penis. And if at any time things start to hurt—not in a good way—remove the ring immediately. The Tor 3 doesn’t have the pinchable arms that the Dame Hug has, so it’s up to the users to be cognizant of time limits and potential side effects.
Unbound Bender for $69: The Unbound Bender isn’t marketed as a couples’ sex toy, but as far as I’m concerned, it absolutely is. The Bender is called that because it bends this way and that, making both external and internal stimulation fun. Similar to the Dame Pom, this isn’t a toy that’s connected to an app, but it allows for couples to experiment with different types of stimulation, from head to toe, either as foreplay or as the main course. With 10 vibration modes and two hours of run time, you and your partner can light some candles, put on your favorite album, and explore each other’s bodies. In addition to being used on all your favorite external erogenous zones, the Bender is also safe for both vaginal and anal play, and its versatility really allows you to get creative in how you choose to use it.
B-Vibe Rimming Plug 2 for $108:Ilana Wexler said, “It’s 2014. Anal is on the menu” in Broad City over a decade ago, so it would be profoundly wrong not to include the remote-controlled b-Vibe Rimming Plug 2. It falls into the couples’ sex toy category thanks to its easy-to-use remote, and whether you’re new to anal stimulation or a seasoned fan, this is a plug that gives you everything you’d want. It’s not too big, and folks with prostates will thoroughly enjoy the internal stimulation, not to mention the rotating beads at the base of the plug to stimulate the anus, adding a sensation that can be enjoyed by anyone who has a butt.
Function of Beauty Smooth With It Blowout Mist for $13: This Target-exclusive spray is fortified with argan oil and Tsubaki oil (from camellia fruit), a common ingredient in many K-beauty products. It is a spray, but I was surprised to find it comes out with an opaque, creamlike consistency rather than as a liquid, which means it goes on a bit heavy. That said, sometimes my frizzy hair needs something on the heavy side, and this definitely fit the bill—it did visibly reduce frizz after blow-drying, and my hair felt very soft.
Remilia Rice & Shine Leave-in Conditioner for $24: This is a hydrating, heat-protective leave-in spray with a cool, cork-topped bottle and an inoffensive scent. However, it did not do much for frizz in my tests.
Raw Sugar Multi Miracle Leave-in Conditioner for $10: I really liked the wood accent and spray nozzle on the bottle of this heat-protective leave-in conditioner, but it did not perform well on frizz in my tests.
Biolage Thermal Setting Spray for $24: I like the Biolage brand, and the fact that this can be used on either damp or dry hair (though it doesn’t give a temperature limit). However, whether I used it wet or dry, I found it left parts of my hair stiff. Some online reviewers, though, found they quite liked it for setting curls.
Courtesy of Emi Jay
Emi Jay Heavenly Hair Milk for $40: This is not exactly a spray, but it is lightweight enough that it could be, and it comes in a cool bottle with a pump that twists down to become a flush cap. It’s a combination heat protectant and detangler that happens to be an excellent anti-frizz product on its own (it supposedly cuts down on drying time too, but this feature wasn’t notable in my testing). This was at one time my first pick for best smelling, but someone online said it smelled like Play-Doh, and I was never able to un-smell it.
Moroccanoil Perfect Defense Heat Protectant for $15 (2 ounces): All of Moroccanoil’s products come infused with argan oil, and this spray that protects up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit is no exception. It can be used on wet or dry hair, and it’s extremely lightweight—I thought it felt and acted like a light hairspray, for better or for worse. I didn’t love the scent or the super-fine, alcohol-based mist—in fact, I was worried it would dry my hair out, but it didn’t.
Verb Frizz Defense Smoothing Spray for $22: I’d heard great things about this frizz-fighting spray, and indeed it’s lightweight, feels non-drying, and doesn’t leave any heavy residue. It’d be a great pick if you have straight or wavy hair, but there are more effective options to cut frizz for type 3 and 4 curls if you’re trying to achieve a blowout.
Reverie Milk Anti-Frizz Leave-in Nourishing Treatment for $44: I loved this cream’s spicy botanical scent, stylish glass bottle, and the fact that it protects up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit (according to Reverie; it does not say so on the bottle). It worked fine! There are just too many better options for half the price. (Ed. note: This is reviews editor Adrienne So’s current favorite heat protectant for thick, wavy 2a hair. She mainly likes the ease of application and frizz prevention, but admits that it’s stupid expensive.)
Others We Tried
Photograph: Kat Merck
Hairstory Primer Smoothing & Protecting Mist for $36: This leave-in mist protects up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and is designed to work with the whole Hairstory New Wash Method ($64), which involves a detergent-free “cleansing cream.” I tried it and it reminded me of the whole “no ’poo” movement of the early aughts, where practitioners eschewed modern shampoo for more natural options like baking soda. This method is not for everyone, but if you do try it, I don’t think the mist adds enough to justify the cost.
IGK Good Behavior Spirulina Protein Smoothing Spray for $38: This aerosol felt like it dried my hair out a bit, and it has the same unpleasant scent as the 4-in-1 (above). I didn’t care for it in a liquid spray, but it was overwhelming in aerosol cloud form.
Photograph: Kat Merck
R+Co Bleu Hypersonic Heat Styling Mist for $36: This high-tech-looking aerosol in a recycled aluminum bottle was a favorite during the early weeks of testing—I liked its protection up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and its frizz-fighting properties. However, it does use a polymer and resin complex to smooth hair, and over time I noticed it was leaving a sticky residue on my hands and heat tools.
Mane Cotton Candy Dry Texture and Volume Spray for $26: Protective up to 380 degrees Fahrenheit, this styler is supposed to add volume, and I had high hopes given my positive experience with this brand’s Temp Check heat protectant (above). However, it had the opposite effect on my mid-back-length hair.
Briogeo Farewell Frizz Blowdry Perfection & Heat Protectant Creme for $26: I have thick, unruly hair, and this cream protectant felt like it actually made my hair unmanageable and harder to style. It may speak to its effectiveness, but I felt like I had to take too many passes with a titanium flat iron turned up to max temperature.
Photograph: Kat Merck
Pureology Instant Levitation Mist for $32: Pureology is known for its formulas made specifically for color-treated hair, so I was hoping this would be a great-performing solution for those who don’t want to risk ruining their expensive highlights or balayage. However, it seemed to leave a dull residue, and neither I nor my short-haired tester found the volumizing feature to be very effective.
R+Co Chainmail Thermal Protection Styling Spray for $36: I appreciated this spray for its ability to add lots of visible shine, but the aerosol nozzle was not as targeted as I’d have liked, creating such a wide-ranging, fine-mist fog that it was nearly impossible not to breathe it in. I also found the cologne-like scent overwhelming.
Milk_Shake Lifestyling Thermo-Protector for $40: I usually love Milk_Shake products, but this aerosol spray felt like it dried out my hair and amplified my already hard-to-handle frizz after blow-drying. It also did not add a discernible amount of shine as promised.
FoxyBae Cool AF Heat Protectant + Biotin for $16: I like the cheery design of this pump spray bottle, as well as the fact it can be used on wet or dry hair. However, it didn’t seem as effective as other brands and was greasy when used on dry hair.
Chi 44 Iron Guard for $19: This drugstore stalwart works well to protect from heat while also tamping down frizz, and the new Botanical Bliss scent is an improvement over the original formula’s. However, it left a sticky residue on my hands and heat tools.
Ingredients vary, but most heat protectants work much the same way: by deploying ingredients like copolymers or silicone that coat the hair shaft to slow (though not totally stop) heat conduction. Many heat protectants also include moisturizers to help seal and smooth the cuticle to reduce frizz. Because heat protectants can only slow, not completely stop, heat damage, it’s still important to use the lowest heat settings you can for your hair for the least amount of time.
I wash my 3a curly hair twice a week, then blow-dry and follow up with a straightening iron. I touch up my hair with a straightening iron daily in between. I tested the heat protectants in this guide in the course of my normal day-to-day life over a period of four months. I used each product on either damp hair before blow-drying or on dry hair before the straightening iron—whichever was indicated by the instructions. If a product could be used on damp and dry hair, I tried it both ways.
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