How We Test & Recommend Products

How we test the gear we recommend.

The 30-day rule

No tool gets recommended on this site until we have used it in our test kitchen — for its intended purpose — for at least 30 days. A knife has to chop. A pan has to sear, simmer, and clean. A container has to survive the dishwasher.

What we score

1. Performance. Does it do the job better than the next-cheapest alternative?
2. Durability. Will it survive a year of weeknight cooking?
3. Ergonomics. Does it feel right in the hand? Is the weight balanced?
4. Cleanability. Dishwasher? Hand-wash only? Does it stain?
5. Value. Is it worth what it costs against the field?

Editor score

Every gear post shows a five-dot editor score (not stars — stars imply aggregated user reviews we have not collected). The score is one editor’s considered opinion after testing.

What we don’t do

• We don’t publish review counts we haven’t collected.
• We don’t republish manufacturer copy.
• We don’t exclude flaws to keep a vendor happy.
• We don’t link to products we have not personally used.