A Doughnut Six Years in the Making

It was 25 years ago that Mark Isreal first began frying doughnuts on the Lower East Side at his Doughnut Plant. And he has spent that last six of those years, in between opening new outlets, trying to perfect a sourdough doughnut. “It has been a real challenge,” he said, “but I wanted to do…

A Pan for Just About Anything

Shiza Shahid — a founder of the Malala Fund, which supports education for girls — is also a co-founder of Our Place, a direct-to-consumer online start-up. Our Place now sells the Always Pan, a deep (2.6 quart) sauté pan, designed to be used for any cuisine. It’s cast aluminum for conductivity, and has a ceramic…

Japanese Rice Fresh From the Source

Do you care how fresh your rice is? The Rice Factory does. The company, with outlets in Singapore, Taiwan and Hawaii, has opened a trim shop in Scarsdale, N.Y. Their rices, nine kinds from various Japanese prefectures, are imported fresh and unpolished, and are kept in temperature-controlled conditions. They are polished at the store and…

This Knife Cuts Vegetables and More

An 8-inch chef’s knife, a couple of paring knives and a bread knife have long been the basic wardrobe for everyday and special-occasion cooking. But several years ago I added a nakiri, the Japanese rectangular-blade knife designed for cutting vegetables. I have found many other uses for it. Nakiris have become widely available now, in…

How to Be a Balmain Girl

Balmain’s DNA is distinctive. At its core lies designer Olivier Rousteing’s mission to dress women who “revel in pushing forward (while also pushing every single button along the way).” In fashion translation, that means wardrobe staples that typify the Balmain look: sharp-shoulder blazers, mini dresses, standout denim, statement outerwear, and—to top it all off—a handbag…