If you iron more than two loads a week, you already know a basic steam iron barely keeps up. After months of testing in our home laundry room, our team landed on a short list of the best ironing systems for home use in – from compact all-in-one steamers to professional steam generator stations that … Read more
Around 60 million Americans deal with allergies every year, and a lot of them don’t realize their vacuum is making things worse. The wrong machine can stir up dust mite debris, pet dander, and pollen, then blow fine particles right back out the exhaust. After three months of testing in a household with two shedding … Read more
If you have hair past your shoulders, you already know the daily battle: strands wrap around the brushroll, suction drops, and suddenly you’re cutting hair off the roller with scissors every week. I tested eight vacuums in a long-hair household (two people with waist-length hair, plus a shedding dog) for 90 days, and the differences … Read more
Mornings in our house used to start with a small mountain of halved oranges and a pile of sticky, half-squeezed peels on the cutting board. With four kids running circles around the kitchen and a husband who wants at least one tall glass before anyone else, my old hand juicer just could not keep up. … Read more
I still remember the first time I cranked fresh flour from hard red wheat berries. The smell that filled my kitchen was nutty, warm, and completely different from the dusty bag of all-purpose flour sitting in my pantry. That moment turned me into a hand grain mill convert. Hand-cranked grain mills give you something electric … Read more
I have been on a hunt for real movie theater popcorn at home for the better part of two years. After cycling through air poppers, stovetop Whirley-Pop pans, and a sad microwave bowl, I finally caved and bought a commercial popcorn machine for my basement media room. That single purchase changed Friday movie night forever. … Read more
Planning a birthday party, school carnival, or backyard bash in ? Nothing draws a crowd like the smell of warm sugar spinning into clouds of cotton candy. I have spent the last three months testing cotton candy machines for parties with my own family and a few brave neighborhood kids, and I can tell you … Read more
Summer in our house officially starts the day I pull the snow cone machine out of the pantry. After three summers of testing different models with my two kids, a neighborhood full of friends, and one very enthusiastic birthday party of 30 kids, I have learned exactly what makes a snow cone machine work for … Read more
Few party foods spark conversation quite like a bubbling pot of fondue. I have hosted fondue nights for everything from 12-person New Year’s Eve gatherings to cozy 4-person date nights, and the difference between a memorable evening and a stressful one almost always comes down to the pot you choose. After comparing eight of the … Read more
Planning a dinner party that goes beyond the usual sit-down meal? The best raclette grills for dinner parties turn any evening into an interactive, social cooking experience where everyone melts their own cheese over a sizzling tabletop grill. I have hosted raclette nights for two years now, and the right grill makes the difference between … Read more