We Tested Hundreds of Kitchen Products in September, and We’re Utterly In Love With These 13

This post is part of our ‘Monthly Obsessions’ series, where we ask our writers and editors what products they’ve added to their kitchen that they now can’t imagine living without.

We try out hundreds of kitchen products a month, from cookware and appliances to food products and even books — it’s literally our job. Naturally, some products quickly become Food & Wine shopping editor favorites, and we absolutely fall in love with them and cannot stop talking about them. This September, there were 13 things we couldn’t get enough of. 

Here, we’ll take you through the things we’re really into right now, like Ghia’s bubbly, new N/A beverage, a futuristic blender from Vitamix, tins of delicious smoked trout, the peppery olive oil we’re drizzling on everything, and two vibrant cookbooks we can’t put down. 

September Editor Obsessions

• Yeti 20 Carryall Tote Bag, $130
• Ghia Le Fizz, $40
• Zahav Home: Cooking for Friends & Family, $32, originally $40
• Kitchen-Star Rubber Gloves, $16, originally $19
• Primis Imports Early Harvest Extra Virgin Olive Oil, $20
• Our Place Always Pan 2.0, $150
• Big Vegan Flavor: Techniques and 150 Recipes to Master Vegan Cooking, $32, originally $45
• Fishwife Smoked Rainbow Trout, 3-Pack, $33
• Vitamix Ascent X4 Blender, $700
• Seed Ranch Truffle Hound Hot Sauce, $16, originally $17
• Siesta Co. Sea Salt Flakes, $21
• Rabbit 3-in-1 Corkscrew, $100
• Great Jones Dutch Baby, $140

Yeti 20 Carryall Tote Bag

“A sturdy tote bag is one of the most useful items to have on hand when grocery shopping, heading to the beach, or traveling. I use the 35-liter size for anything and everything, but I think the 20-liter option would be even better for day-to-day tasks that don't require a lot of space.” — Liv Dansky, Food Writer

Ghia Le Fizz

“Le Fizz is Ghia's newest large-format non-alcoholic bubbly, and it's tart, tangy, and ends with a nice dry finish similar to the brand's other bitter-but-not-overly-sweet spritzes. The frothy bubbles and juicy strawberry notes remind me of sipping Lambrusco, which, in my opinion, is the best type of wine to drink on those first still-warm nights of fall. I'll be sipping this all season.” — Danielle St. Pierre, Senior Editor

Zahav Home: Cooking for Friends & Family

“I’m a huge fan of all Michael Solonomov’s books — Zahav and Israeli Soul are in frequent rotation in my kitchen. His new one, alongside Steven Cook, looks to be their most approachable yet, which should be exciting for home cooks who love Solomonov’s comforting, powerfully flavored food. I can’t wait to make French onion labneh, tehina Caesar salad, butternut squash baba ganoush, and potato kugel.”  — Adam Rothbarth, Writer

Kitchen-Star Rubber Gloves

“As someone who has dry skin literally all the time, I like to wear gloves when doing the dishes, but most pairs often wear out in just a few weeks! No matter how gingerly I wash dishes, holes inevitably appear and I have to run out to get a new pair. That is until I found the Kitchen-Star gloves. I haven't had to replace them in months, and they're still just as strong as the day I got them. The interior cotton lining is comfortable and provides a stable grip on whatever I'm washing. For only $16 a pair, I've saved so much money on replacements, and my hands are happy!” — An Uong, Writer

Primis Imports Early Harvest Extra Virgin Olive Oil

“I love this extra virgin olive oil for its fresh, bright, grassy flavor. It’s perfect as a finishing oil or for adding a touch of flavor to salad dressings. The peppery-spiced finish is a surprising delight on the palate. Plus, the bottle features a foldable pour spout that pops up when you remove the lid, helping to avoid spills and drips.” — Joe Morales, Senior Editor

Our Place Always Pan 2.0

“I've been curious about the Always Pan for a while, and it's proved to be a great fit for my apartment kitchen's limited space. It's large enough that I can whip up a big batch of my go-to "egg roll in a bowl" recipe, but it's also small enough to make just an egg or two for breakfast. It comes with a steamer basket/colander attachment, but you can also buy several attachments like an egg poacher, fry deck, and tagine, ultimately saving you money and space since you won't need to buy additional cookware. Plus, the lavender color selected is so pretty that I tend to leave my pan out on the stove.” — Phoebe Sklansky, Senior Editor

Big Vegan Flavor: Techniques and 150 Recipes to Master Vegan Cooking

“There are no words to describe how excited I am for this cookbook! It's filled with all of Nisha Vora's incredible knowledge of vegan cooking, from the building blocks of your pantry to the essential flavor-building steps you should always be taking. It's partially a book for knowledge and partially a recipe book filled with truly flavorful dishes like her close-to-the-heart Dal Tadka to epic skillet lasagnas (yum!), all made vegan. But, as the book states, nothing, and I mean nothing ever lacks in flavor.” — Kristin Montemarano, Food Writer

Fishwife Smoked Rainbow Trout, 3-Pack

“I love all kinds of tinned seafood, but Fishwife's new smoked trout is the best I've tried. It has a flaky texture and tastes fresh and mild, not fishy, with the perfect amount of salt and garlic. I enjoy eating it right out of the tin, but it would be great as a dip with crackers or in a sandwich with crusty bread and greens. I also appreciate that it's sustainably sourced and comes in BPA-free packaging.” — Mary Claire Lagroue, Editor

Vitamix Ascent X4 Blender

“Vitamix gave me the sincere pleasure of letting me test out the new Ascent X4, and it’s been a pretty incredible ride. I had an older Vitamix model, but this super intuitive upgrade blows earlier models away with its self-cleaning mode, multiple programs, all the expected manual blending capabilities, and a pretty compact footprint despite its considerable power. The digital screen is also just stunning. I can’t wait to get to know this appliance better, but so far, it’s state-of-the-art, and I highly recommend it.” — Adam Rothbarth

Seed Ranch Truffle Hound Hot Sauce

“I put hot sauce on just about everything. I received a sample of this truffle hot sauce from the brand about a year and a half ago, and when it finally ran out, I immediately purchased another bottle. The subtle truffle flavor complements eggs and avocado really nicely, and it has just the right amount of heat for me (medium-hot). It's a thicker sauce, so one bottle will go a long way.” — Phoebe Sklansky

Siesta Co. Sea Salt Flakes

“I am a big salt fan, and I've been loving this Siesta Co. sea salt. It's flaked Mediterranean sea salt harvested off the coast of Spain. It's just the right level of tang, and the crystals are so incredibly mesmerizing to look at. As a dessert lover, I mostly use this salt on top of fresh bakes and other sweets (most recently, my own birthday cake). I love that because they're different-sized flakes, they add such an incredible look and textural element to whatever you put them on, too. You can't go wrong!” — Kristin Montemarano

Rabbit 3-in-1 Corkscrew

“I grew up watching my parents open wine bottles with the classic Rabbit wine opener, so naturally, I had to follow in their footsteps (with a next-gen twist). This electric opener is plain fun to use: I love that it has a window and lights so you can peek in at the corkscrew as it swiftly removes the cork. Plus, the foil cutter fits neatly into the nook above the button, while the two included reusable stoppers tuck away into the two holes on the back of the charging stand. When you're ready to store your partly finished bottle, pop one of the stoppers in, then flip your opener over and press it down on the stopper to reseal. The vacuuming process begins automatically once the gadget detects the stopper, so you don't even need to press a button.” — Phoebe Sklansky

Great Jones Dutch Baby

“I've written about this before, but truthfully, I'll never pass up an opportunity to call out the Great Jones Dutch Baby, especially as we approach fall, where I appreciate this nifty pot the most. It's my most-used Dutch oven, and it performs just as wonderfully as my beloved Le Creuset models. The 3-quart size is useful for just about everything, like batches of sauce or homemade jam. I love the gray enamel coating because it ensures nothing sticks too much, and it's easy to monitor the cooking process. After at least a year of constant use (like nearly multiple times a week) it still looks as good as new, too.” — Kristin Montemarano