A Gadget for Espresso on the Go

This clever new gadget from the MoMA Design Store provides a well-made espresso at a moment’s notice. Hot water and coffee grounds are enclosed in separate compartments in its compact housing; they join forces through a hand-operated pressure pumping system to release an inky 2.7-ounce shot. A tiny cleaning brush and a measuring scoop fit…

A Denim Apron for Serious Grilling

No nonsense protection is what this sturdy pitmaster apron delivers. It was designed for BlueCut with input from Daniel Castillo, whose Heritage Barbecue in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., draws crowds for his Texas-style fare. It’s also extra wide, made from flame-resistant denim with thicker quilting in the belly area to insulate from heat, stitched with…

It’s Salad-for-Dinner Season

I can hardly believe it, but here we are in grill season, beach-picnic season, salad-for-dinner season — summer, my favorite time of year to cook. Some people prefer fall for its crispness; winter for its coziness; spring for its promise of something green. Not me. I am here for summer. Proof that this is one of…

A Tennessee Deli Nurtures Its Ties to Ukraine

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — When Russia invaded Ukraine, Laurence Faber and Emily Williams’s first reaction was to cook borscht. Ukrainian flags had yet to spread across the American lawn-scape, and Potchke, the couple’s Ukrainian-inspired deli, had yet to open in this eastern Tennessee city. They cooked the soup in response to the horror overtaking the peaceful…