(Image credit: Maria Siriano)

So you’re in the market for a new knife. Or maybe you’re thinking ahead to the holidays when something shiny and sharp will be at the top of your wish list. Whatever the case, whether you’re buying a blade for yourself or hoping someone will gift you one, research is key. Knives don’t come cheap and you want to make your dollars work for you. It’s also true that a good knife should last you a lifetime (and then some), so this is a decision that may well be with you forever. Isn’t it worth making sure you pick the right one?

But what defines a great knife for you? The answer, as with so many things, is it depends. You might say it’s not cut and dried. “There’s no one right knife,” explains Taylor Erkinnen, founder and chief creative officer of Brooklyn Kitchen. “I have far too many knives that don’t all fit on the knife bar.”

Still, that doesn’t mean you should just pick any old knife. Here are six questions to ask yourself before you take the plunge.

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If you’re a Gilmore Girls fan, you know how much Lorelai Gilmore loves Pop-Tarts. I’d like to think that if she came across this recipe for a cake made to look like a giant Pop-Tart — it even has strawberry jam in the middle! — she’d ask Sookie to make it for her immediately.

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From Apartment Therapy → Adding Color to Your Rental: 5 Real Renters Share Their Solutions

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Make-ahead breakfast sandwiches are the ultimate morning miracle — the gift that keeps on giving. The magic behind these sandwiches is big-batch cooking. With upfront planning and prep, they reward you with a hot, satisfying breakfast for days to come.

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(Image credit: Christine Han)

Exactly what does a recipe mean when it calls for an ingredient to be diced? Here’s what that common cut looks like, it’s standard size, and why it’s used in certain recipes.

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How To Make Freezer-Friendly Breakfast Sandwiches

(Image credit: Kimberley Hasselbrink)

I would be highly surprised to find someone who doesn’t like a breakfast sandwich of some kind. They are typically very easy to make and they don’t take a lot of time to put together. They keep you full until lunch and they’re a good choice for a breakfast on the go.

But that’s also why it’s very easy to get stuck in a breakfast sandwich rut. You’ve already built time in your morning routine to make it and you have the same ingredients on hand, so it comes out the same day in and day out. This stops now. Break out of your breakfast sandwich box with these four simple tips.

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Southwest Skillet Ragu

(Image credit: Emma Christensen)

Thirty minutes seems to be the magic number when it comes to a dinner we can pull together and still feel good about. It leaves room for prep, cooking, and some cleanup if you approach the whole effort with some smart multitasking.

These recipes fall under the umbrella of things that can be made in 30 minutes (and indeed some of them you can make in even less time). Even more, they are made exclusively on the stovetop — a boon when the weather is too hot for the oven, or for those nights when you’d rather stick to the stove. This batch of recipes relies on methods that specifically lend themselves to this kind of cooking, so you’ll find a handful of wok recipes — like a quick beef and asparagus — and a number of sides specifically designed for stovetop success.

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(Image credit: Submitted by Victoria Harrison)

Meal planning takes practice and patiences to master and, like most worthwhile endeavors, requires some studying. Whether you’re new to meal planning or a veteran meal planner, learning these five essential lessons will help you plan breakfasts, lunches, and dinners for a brighter week.

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My 8-year-old nephew is all knees and elbows and protruding ribs. This is partly due to the fact that he’s 8 and growing an inch every day, it seems, but also because he’s a finicky eater. This is not to say he doesn’t like to eat, but rather that he’s extremely picky.

He gives nuts of any kind a hard pass and he prefers his burger to be cheese-free, but loves fried calamari and pickled onions. Go figure. He also tries to sneak sips of my sister’s morning coffee and brother-in-law’s beer whenever he can.

His repertoire is constantly expanding — shrimp and clams fra diavolo is a current favorite and he’s recently discovered cappuccino ice cream — but there’s one food that will always be number one. And that is chocolate.

That’s why I recruited him to try out Godiva’s new line of single-origin chocolate bars, G by Godiva.

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