Mackenzie Filson is a food & beverage writer and native Floridian. Her work has appeared in PUNCH, Eater, The Kitchn, and TASTE, among others. You can read more of her writing in her newsletter, Grocery Store Wine, where she often pairs books with wine (her one party trick.)
Mackenzie Filson
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My partner and I are busy people; we also like to cook and have a variety of food options in our home. Earlier this year we noticed we’d buy a bunch of groceries, only for them to sit in our fridge and spoil (but not because we didn’t want to eat them — we just literally forgot they were there).
You see, we’re both neurodivergent and tend to struggle with object permanence. Essentially, if something is out of sight, it’s out of mind. So we started printing out a physical menu and hanging it in our kitchen — as if we were dining at our very own private restaurant each week.
Our weekly food menu includes our basic dinner lineup, plus a list of snacks, drinks, and lunch ideas that we can easily reference without much thought. Brainstorming our dinners helps us remember what groceries we actually have, and encourages meal planning ahead of time — rather than in the moment when we’re hungry (or hangry!). It’s much less overwhelming when I see “ham sandwiches” on our menu. Instead of staring at random ingredients that seemingly don’t go together and trying to come up with an idea for dinner on the spot, we just grab what we need in the fridge and get cooking.
Implementing the weekly food menu has also helped us save money at the grocery store and reduce food waste. When we don’t print out the weekly menu, we sometimes end up throwing out entire packages of blueberries, deli meat, and salad kits — just because we completely forgot we had them. Or we end up ordering takeout because it’s easier than figuring out what we want to cook.
During the weeks we do print out the menu and hang it up, we cook more often, toss fewer ingredients, and save more than $50 between unused groceries and takeout.
Do you have a smart tip for saving money on groceries? Tell us about it in the comments below.
Brianna Schubert
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Grocery trends seem to shift faster than we can keep up with — and before we know it, 2026 will be here. (Yes, we’ve still got a few months, but let’s be real: It’ll fly by.) The good news? There’s a lot to look forward to in the world of groceries.
I recently spent a few delicious days in Austin, Texas, with members of the Whole Foods Market team to explore what new items we can expect to find on shelves next year. Yes, I ate a lot — but more importantly, I had thoughtful, engaging conversations about the way we shop, cook, and eat. (Like, have you noticed how good frozen food has gotten? Or that beef tallow is suddenly popping up in everything?)
Whole Foods turns to its official Trends Council, a team made up of dozens of local foragers, regional and global buyers, and culinary experts, to identify what’s resonating most with shoppers in 2026. “The list reflects how quickly ideas can move from emerging concepts to everyday favorites,” said Cathy Strange, ambassador of food culture at Whole Foods Market and member of the Trends Council. “It’s exciting to see how these trends will shape conversations in kitchens, communities, and the broader food culture.”
Here’s what the group of pros are predicting for the year ahead (and beyond!).
Ali Domrongchai
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Add a splash to your next pecan pie.
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Jarrett Melendez
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Save on kitchen tools and gadgets, too.
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Kristin Braswell
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These price tags are scary good.
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Megan Gray
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Reason #2 is a big one.
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Ali Domrongchai
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Plus four more insider tips.
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Sara Haas
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This deal is too good to pass up.
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It’s a must for any small kitchen!
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Morgan Pryor
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Welcome to The Test Kitchn, where we put some of our — and your! — favorite products to the test, so you can make more informed (and delicious) grocery shopping decisions. We know life can get pretty hectic, which is why we’re trying out different products on your behalf. (Kind of like our sister site Apartment Therapy’s Personal Shopper!) Looking for more great deals, food news, and product reviews? Be sure to sign up for our Cook/Shop newsletter for the latest sales and must-have kitchen finds.
What We Tested: In this installment of The Test Kitchn, we tested out the ramen noodles from Momofuku. With five different flavors available, these air-dried noodles are editor-favorite items (you’ve probably seen us write about them before) that we always keep on hand for easy weeknight meals, office lunches, and more. Momofuku was founded by chef David Chang in 2004, and after opening numerous highly acclaimed restaurants around the world, the brand opened an online store with chef-approved noodles, sauces, chili crisps, and more pantry staples.
This week, we have Ian Burke, senior commerce editor for The Kitchn (me); Morgan Pryor, commerce editorial assistant; Phil Vuong, CFO/COO of Apartment Therapy Media; Steven Marinos, director of brand innovation and strategy; and Samantha O’Brochta, social media manager. All of us are self-proclaimed noodle lovers (Phil and I are also big Momfuku fans), and jumped at the chance to test out all of the brand’s noodle offerings in the office. Of course, there’s no such thing as a free lunch — we all had to rank our favorites, give them a rating out of five stars, and write down what we liked and didn’t like about each flavor. (A small price to pay for great ramen.)
Momofuku Noodle Variety Pack: These air-dried instant noodles come à la carte or in a variety pack. The variety pack comes with a box of each flavor — Spicy Soy, Tingly Chili, Sweet & Spicy, Spicy Chili — and two boxes of their most popular flavor, Soy & Scallion. The size and shape of the noodles vary depending on flavor, and the Momofuku website has recommendations of what to pair with each one. Additionally, there are a ton of great recipes on the site to make with the noodles, including Taiwanese beef noodle soup, weeknight ragu, and more.
How We Tested: On the day of the test, I put on my old prep cook hat and got to work cooking five bowls of ramen in our office kitchen. Since the ramen only takes four minutes to cook in boiling water, it was a quick and hassle-free process. Then, I popped the corresponding liquid flavor packs into the bowls of drained noodles (with a little extra cooking liquid to help prevent sticking and ensure proper sauce coverage) and called in the testers. We sampled them all with gusto, and while they were all delicious, I urged everyone to really be discerning in their ratings and rankings, and we reached a clear consensus on the favorite.
The Spicy Soy noodles, while tasty, were at the bottom of our list, just because they were a little plain on their own. “It also wasn’t as spicy as I was expecting,” Morgan explained. (Pro Tip: These are great as a base noodle to build your own bowl on top of — I eat these with chopped scallions and a six-minute egg all the time.)
The Tingly Chili noodles lean on Sichuan peppercorns to give your mouth that numbing, or “tingly,” effect that so many people crave. Our only issue? We didn’t get enough tingle. However, Steven noted that these had a lot more depth than the Spicy Soy noodles, and I’m personally a big fan. “These have a good amount of spice for a non-spicy lover,” Sam said.
Now, if you’re a fan of heat, you’re going to love Spicy Chili. While not overwhelming, there were definitely some polarized opinions on these. Steven thought they were “Too hot!” while Phil said they were excellent if you’re a spice-lover. “I was a little worried about this one at first since I’m not a pro at handling spice, but I was pleasantly surprised,” Morgan said. “The heat, though significantly strong, didn’t overwhelm the taste. Definitely have water on hand, though. I finished the whole bowl after the taste test!”
In second place, we have Soy & Scallion — Momofuku’s most popular flavor. “These are very easy to eat,” Phil said. “I can crush this.” Everyone seemed to enjoy these, especially with the addition of dehydrated scallions that soak up all of the excellent soy flavor. “I was surprised at how flavorful it was!” Steven said while Sam explained that it had a “really great non-spicy flavor.”
And the winner is… Sweet & Spicy! This relatively new flavor reminded many of us of Korean barbeque, and Phil thought they had a “great flavor” and were “well balanced.” Morgan was a super fan, as well. “As someone who leans more towards mildly spicy foods,” she said, “I thought the spice level and sweetness were balanced just right. Plus, like the other four options, it had a much more complex flavor than most other instant ramen.”
It helps to add a little (or a lot!) of water from the cooking liquid to ensure the noodles don’t stick together — or you can take it up a notch and add butter or oil. Also, though these are delicious on their own, they serve as a blank canvas for you to make them your own with different toppings and recipes.
So, if you’re looking to upgrade your lunches or weeknight meals with some of the best instant ramen on the market, snag some of Momofuku’s noodles ASAP — especially while they’re still on sale!
Ian Burke
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Sarah writes about all things shopping for Apartment Therapy, The Kitchn, and Cubby helping you find the best deals and the best products for you and your home. A Brooklyn-born Jersey Girl, she loves a good playlist, a good bagel, and her family (but not necessarily in that order).
Sarah M. Vazquez
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It’ll free up an entire drawer.
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Morgan Pryor
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Whether you’re living alone, or with roommates who don’t drink coffee, or with a whole house of coffee-lovers, everyone should have at least one single-serve coffee maker in their culinary arsenal. For those of us who are the sole coffee drinkers in the house, that’s self explanatory — but even if everyone you live with is on the java hard, it still behooves you to keep a one-cup coffee machine of some sort in arm’s reach. Maybe you woke up late one day and everyone else killed the pot, or you need an afternoon pick-me-up and nobody else is home, or maybe you’ve gone full coffee nerd (nice) and don’t want anyone else sucking down cups of your freshly roasted Ethiopian Yirgacheffe. (You get my point.) That’s why we put together this short list of some of the best single-serve coffee makers for every budget, starting at just under 20 bucks.
Ian Burke
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If you’ve read anything I’ve written for The Kitchn, you’ll already know that I’m a huge coffee fan. I’ve worked pulling espresso and making coffee in a cafe, and in my time here at The Kitchn, I’ve also tested just about every kind of coffee machine out there, from pour-overs and drippers to French presses, infusers, and more. And, while I think the splurgy coffee machines (like my personal favorite machine from OXO) are absolutely worth it, most people are just looking for a dependable way to get a high-quality cup of coffee each morning — that won’t break the bank.
That’s why we put together this short list of the best coffee makers under $100 — there’s something for every budget and coffee drinker here, so take a look at the picks below and get ready to start your journey to a better (and much more affordable) morning coffee routine.
Ian Burke
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Haley is your ultimate shopping authority, dedicated to bringing you the latest deals and the best product choices for Apartment Therapy and The Kitchn. With prior experience as a full-time commerce writer for POPSUGAR, she’s passionate about helping you discover the best places to shop for top-notch products without breaking the bank. Born in Vermont and based in Boston, she has a deep-rooted love for New England and enjoys her weekends exploring the charm of the region, hopping from one (very small) state to another.
Haley Lyndes
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Haley is your ultimate shopping authority, dedicated to bringing you the latest deals and the best product choices for Apartment Therapy and The Kitchn. With prior experience as a full-time commerce writer for POPSUGAR, she’s passionate about helping you discover the best places to shop for top-notch products without breaking the bank. Born in Vermont and based in Boston, she has a deep-rooted love for New England and enjoys her weekends exploring the charm of the region, hopping from one (very small) state to another.
Haley Lyndes
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It’s February, people, and that means Valentine’s Day is only a few short weeks away! The romantic holiday can be stressful for a lot of people, but it doesn’t have to be. If you’re just now looking for reservations at your favorite restaurant, and your heart is sinking since it’s fully booked, don’t panic: There are still plenty of ways to make Valentine’s Day extra special. Our recommendation? Having a cozy evening at home with your special someone and whipping up a delicious dinner for two. (And maybe cracking open a bottle of wine, of course.)
Now, menu planning for the big night can be tricky, which is why I think you should snag Momofuku’s Dinner for Two bundle — especially while it’s still on sale. You can’t beat a warming bowl of ramen on a cold winter night, and the versatility of the noodles will let you and your Valentine customize your bowls with whichever add-ons you’d like and share a fun cooking experience. I recently got to try the bundle early, and can vouch that it’ll be a surefire hit on the 14th.
From the team behind Momofuku Noodle Bar and many more incredible restaurants, Momofuku’s website is full of high-quality pantry staples that we here at The Kitchn can’t get enough of. This bundle contains five packs of Soy & Scallion Noodles and Sweet & Spicy Noodles for 10 total servings of noodles. It also comes with Restaurant-Grade Soy Sauce, Chili Crunch, Chili Crunch Hot Honey, and two pairs of Momofuku Chopsticks — basically, everything you need to bring the noodle bar into your home for Valentine’s Day. Oh, and they have dessert covered with three bars from Raaka Chocolate — a New York-based chocolate maker known for transparently traded, single-origin unroasted dark chocolate — that are infused with the classic Momofuku flavors.
I’ve already been a big fan of Momofuku’s high-quality products, so I was sure this bundle was going to be a hit — and I was right. It comes with everything you need to set up a delicious Valentine’s Day dinner, and while the noodles are great on their own, they can also serve as a blank canvas for whichever add-ons you’d like. You can go as simple as sesame seeds and furikake or as involved as a soy-brined 6-minute egg, sliced pork or chicken, bamboo, scallions, fried onions, and peppers — this list is endless. We filled our bowls with scallions, chicken, peppers, mushrooms, and some more delicious, pretty simple toppings. (And, of course, the Momofuku Chili Crunch.) The chocolate was a huge hit with my GF, too, her favorite being the Miso Potato Chip flavor.
As a final touch, they throw in a couple of sets of chopsticks, which really add some elegance to your meal — and are a lot more fancy than the takeout chopsticks you collect in your junk drawer. Plus, your pantry is now stocked with tons of delicious food, which is really the best Valentine’s Day gift of all! (And, if you order this bundle by Feb. 5, you’ll receive it by Valentine’s Day.) So, if you’re unsure of what you want to do for V-Day this year — or if you’re just looking to stock your shelves with delicious pantry staples — pick up the Momofuku Dinner for Two Bundle ASAP, while it’s still on sale.
Ian Burke
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Haley Lyndes
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