Latest news with #CarolineMullen
New York Times
16-05-2025
- General
- New York Times
Your Grilled Veggies Deserve Better. You Just Need the Right Tools.
The basket's large perforations allow veggies to get sufficient contact with grill grates, so they're charred to perfection. Kitchen editor Marilyn Ong and writer Lesley Stockton, the author of our guide to the best grill tools and accessories, recently conducted a side-by-side test comparing a grill basket and a sheet pan. And the results were notably in favor of the basket. They discovered that the broccoli in the grill basket browned beautifully, while the florets on the sheet pan remained vibrantly green. 'Food steams on a sheet pan, whereas it cooks much faster on a grill basket due to the perforations and better contact with the heat,' Lesley explained. So even though it's a bit clunky, the Grillaholics Grill Basket is best for grilling chopped veggies that could easily fall through the grates, such as rounds of zucchini or squash. Our testing confirmed that broccoli cooked in a grill basket browns far better than broccoli cooked atop a sheet pan. Marilyn Ong/ NYT Wirecutter The basket's perforations are big enough that steam can escape while the veggies cook on the hot metal — creating that nice browning we saw in our tests — but they're not so large that food will fall through the holes. This stainless steel grill basket can also withstand the rigors of high-heat grilling, and it's dishwasher-safe (ideal for easy post-grilling cleanup). If burnt-on grease does build up on your stainless steel veggie basket, cleaning writer Caroline Mullen recommends treating it as you would any other stainless steel piece of cookware. 'Give it a sprinkle of Bar Keeper's Friend, and scrub it with a wet sponge in circular motions until all the grime is gone,' she said. If you have trouble getting into small crevices and holes with a sponge, Caroline suggests using a little scrub brush, with a simple mixture of Bar Keeper's Friend and water. Then wipe the whole thing down with dish soap and water, and let it dry before you start grilling. Cast iron's superior heat retention is ideal for searing and caramelizing veggies, including asparagus, onions, and more. Maki Yazawa/NYT Wirecutter This affordable pan is lighter than a traditional cast iron skillet as well as a little shallower. It's an ideal shape for searing, roasting, sautéing, and even grilling veggies. If you don't have a grill basket, a cast iron skillet can produce similar browning results, thanks to its superior ability to retain heat. It can also help contain loose veggies so they don't slip into your grill's grates. However, you may encounter steaming issues due to the restricted airflow (like you would if you used a sheet pan). You should also be wary of thermal shock when you're grilling with cast iron. This easy-to-find, multipurpose material doubles as a disposable alternative for a grill basket. Writer Abigail Bailey, a native Texan raised on barbecue who wrote our guide to the best barbecue sauces, said she grew up using heavy-duty aluminum foil instead of a grill basket. 'I swear by some good butter, preferably Kerrygold, and I slather it onto cauliflower florets, along with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, before wrapping it all up in foil to put in a smoker or grill,' she explained. The result is beautifully smoky, buttery cauliflower. You won't achieve good charring with this method, since the foil keeps the vegetables from directly coming in contact with the hot grates and flame. But the veggies will be infused with flavor because this method traps both moisture and aromatic smoke. Although a sheet pan might not be ideal for cooking on the grill, it's great for transferring prepped veggies (or grilling tools) to and from your outdoor cooking station. We like the multipurpose Nordic Ware Naturals Baker's Half Sheet because it has plenty of room to hold chopped veggies, and its 1-inch rim is tall enough to keep veggies safely contained as you toss them in cooking oil and seasonings before heading to the grill. If space is a concern, these sheet pans come in smaller quarter- and eighth-sheet sizes, which can fit better on top of a smaller side table or shelf. Transporting prepped asparagus spears from the kitchen to the outdoor grill using a sheet pan. Maki Yazawa/ NYT Wirecutter Foods that are less prone to sogginess, such as sliced onions or diced sweet potatoes, can be grilled atop a sheet pan (instead of in a grill basket or a cast-iron skillet). But you'll need to toss them occasionally to ensure they cook evenly. A sheet pan can also double as a serving tray after all of the cooking is done. Sturdy skewers help achieve even browning as you can rotate them 360 degrees to ensure heat reaches the food on all sides. This is especially important for vegetables to ensure even heat exposure and develop a smoky and slightly bitter charred flavor. While we haven't tested this specific model, we recommend stainless steel skewers, like this OXO 6-Piece Grilling Skewer Set. Unlike bamboo skewers, they don't require pre-soaking and are reusable. The flat design of the OXO skewers likely helps keep tender veggies, like zucchini and mushrooms, from rolling away or slipping off, and the pointed edge appears sharp enough to pierce through tougher ingredients, like potatoes and onions. Although staking veggies in a rainbow-like assortment on each skewer is visually enticing, Lesley recommends dedicating one skewer to each ingredient. For example, red onions, zucchini, and mushrooms each on their own ingredient-specific skewer. That way, she can easily pluck each skewer off the grill once the veggies are cooked to the appropriate doneness. Extra-long grilling spatulas can be stiff and clunky, and that can make maneuvering veggies around a grill difficult. Instead, we recommend the Mercer Hell's Handle Large Fish Spatula. This tool has a long, highly flexible, stainless steel blade with a tapered edge, and its wide, heat-resistant polypropylene handle can withstand temperatures up to 450 °F. And even though the blade is flexible, it's sturdy enough to dislodge delicate, charred eggplant slices from a grill's hot grates. The wide blade also comes in handy when you're handling veggie burgers, portobello mushroom caps, and other large, round ingredients on a grill. For these reasons, our team considers the Mercer spatula the best one for grilling, but it does have some limitations in everyday functionality. During long-term testing, our kitchen team discovered that this spatula's wide handle can be slightly uncomfortable for navigating everyday tasks, like flipping delicate fish fillets or heavy pancakes. And that's why it isn't the top-pick spatula in our guide to the best spatulas. For all-purpose cooking needs, consider the Victorinox Swiss Army Slotted Fish Turner instead. This silicone basting brush is heat-resistant up to 600 °F, so it's ideal for dabbing veggies with oil or barbecue sauce. Coating veggies with a thin, even layer of cooking oil helps promote even browning and keeps food from sticking to the grates. We recommend using the OXO Good Grips Large Silicone Basting Brush for getting into the nooks and crannies of irregularly shaped chopped vegetables. This brush's silicone bristles are heat-resistant up to 600 °F, and they won't shed, as most natural-fiber pastry brushes tend to do. It also has a two-bristle–type design (round outer bristles and a set of flat, perforated bristles in the core), which helps this brush transfer liquids better than other silicone ones we've tried. It's also dishwasher-safe, unlike boar bristle brushes that gunk up over time and can be tricky to clean. Once your grilled veggies are off the heat, you can use the basting brush to coat them with finishing sauces, such as barbecue sauce, homemade chimichurri, and miso butter. With these grilling tools in tow, your veggies won't be boring, after-thought side dishes. Instead, they'll be the main attraction of your next summertime cookout. This article was edited by Megan Beauchamp and Maxine Builder. We've fired up dizzying amounts of food on 18 grills over the years, and Weber still reigns. It makes the sturdiest gas grills with the most consistent cooking. The Weber Original Kettle Premium Charcoal Grill 22″ has been our pick since 2017. It's solidly constructed and easy to control, offering great value. After testing more than 90 tools from grill brushes to chimney starters, we have recommendations for everything you need to barbecue with ease. Everything you'll need to host a memorable barbecue this summer, from our favorite grilling gear to bug-battling essentials. What I Cover I'm a writer covering kitchen topics.
New York Times
03-04-2025
- Lifestyle
- New York Times
Hide Stuff Behind the Curtains—and More Storage Hacks from Our Experts
In this edition of Clean Everything, we talk about how to (creatively) hide bulky items around a small apartment. Plus: a portable kitchen island and a handsome caddy for your cleaning potions. Step into staff writer and organizing expert Caroline Mullen's 750-square-foot apartment, and you'd hardly suspect she's storing a workshop's worth of tools—including three power saws, a slew of DIY supplies, and gallons upon gallons of paint—around her abode. 'What's a city rat with a passion for DIY to do?' she writes. 'Well, I've had to get creative with how I store things.' Caroline swears by a few key storage solutions for stashing her bulky tools away so neatly. A few of her favorite tips? Using the furniture she already owns as hiding places, relying on cute baskets for her sewing supplies, and taking advantage of the treasure trove of space behind the couch. 'I may or may not get a secret thrill from knowing that guests don't realize there are gallons of paint and 7-foot boards hidden behind the living room curtains,' she writes.
New York Times
25-03-2025
- General
- New York Times
Scrubbing Grout Is Annoying. This Tiny $2 Brush Makes It Easy.
Turns out, I was right about the odd jobs, but this little brush also ended up being the perfect tool for keeping the white grout lines in my shower clean. Originally, I bought two of these mini cleaning brushes on a whim, simply because they were cute—and less than $2 each. Sure, I also thought they might come in handy for odd jobs around the house, like scrubbing around faucets and cleaning appliance crevices, but I'm a sucker for anything miniature (see: my beloved mini dustpan set ). But one of my best Muji purchases is also one of the most unassuming: a tiny little cleaning brush that I end up reaching for more times than I can count. Give me an hour, and I could fill it with all the ways I love Muji, a store that sells Japanese-designed basics. Over the years, I've stocked up on my favorite 0.5 mm gel pens, colorful cotton socks, and little spiral-bound notebooks. I like to give the tiles in my shower a periodic deep clean (usually once or twice a quarter) when I start to notice a buildup of soap scum and that hauntingly familiar pink bacteria, but especially if dark mold spots are beginning to form. Since I'm allergy-prone and asthmatic, keeping mold and mildew at bay in my home is a constant but worthwhile endeavor. It's annoying, though, to try to clean the once bright-white grout lines between my subway tiles with any sort of efficiency, and I've tried my fair share of relatively ineffective methods. The small brush head and angled handle of this mini cleaning brush make it easy—and even fun—to really get into grout lines. Caroline Mullen/NYTWirecutter In the past I've tried a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser (which turned out to be better suited to non-abrasive surfaces), a spinning brush attachment for my drill (which put more strain on my arm than simply scrubbing), and a host of wider, bigger cleaning brushes (which weren't precise enough to focus on the grout lines). To confirm that the mini Muji brush really was my new favorite tool, I also tested the OXO Good Grips Grout Brush, which Wirecutter recommends in our article on how to clean grout and tile. The OXO brush was certainly more effective than the Magic Eraser and a flatter, wider cleaning brush, and I liked the grippy handle. If your shower or floor has wide grout lines, I would definitely recommend the OXO brush for scrubbing more surface area. But my shower is covered with subway tile, and the grout lines are relatively thin, so a small brush head is ideal for my situation. Plus, instead of begrudging the tiny tool for not getting the job done as quickly as possible, I found that it worked more effectively than a larger brush because it allowed me to focus on cleaning each section of grout properly before moving on to the next. This way, I complete the task correctly the first time instead of needing to go back and touch up my work. I usually spray Clorox Clean-Up on the tile and grout, let it sit for about a minute to penetrate the grime, and then get to scrubbing. Caroline Mullen/NYTWirecutter The Muji brush is about the size of a toothbrush and angled, so it's quite comfortable to hold flush against the wall. The bristles are short and stiff, which is particularly helpful when I'm scrubbing the gritty, abrasive grout, which tends to do a number on cleaning brushes. The stiff bristles further set it apart from a toothbrush, as even the stiffest toothbrush isn't nearly as hardy as the Muji brush (and for good reason—the Muji brush would tear your gums apart). It also has a hole at the end of the handle, so you can hang it from a hook or loop a string through it. Left: My shower wall before a scrub-down with Clorox Cleanup Cleaner + Bleach and the little Muji brush. Right: The results. Caroline Mullen/NYT Wirecutter I like to use this brush in conjunction with our top disinfecting all-purpose spray, Clorox Clean-Up Cleaner + Bleach, to kill the mold and bacteria living in the damp shower environment and return the grout to its original white. I always wear gloves and turn the bathroom fan on, as bleach can affect my breathing, and I never use other cleaning products with bleach to prevent noxious fumes. This little brush isn't great just for grout, though. Since my original purchase, I've picked up several more and stashed them around the house—they're less than $2 apiece, after all. I keep a couple under the kitchen sink for scrubbing the rivets on stainless steel pans with Bar Keepers Friend, getting gunk off the electric stove coils, and squirming into the nooks and crannies of the faucet for a deep clean. I have one in the bathroom for the grout (of course), faucet, and drain, and another one specifically for scrubbing inside the rim of the toilet, which is prone to mineral buildup. Caroline Mullen/NYT Wirecutter Brushes that come in contact with particularly gross bacteria, such as those that I use inside the toilet bowl, get washed with soap and water and then disinfected with Clorox Clean-Up Cleaner + Bleach, the same cleaner I use on the grout. I let the Clorox cleaner remain visibly wet for at least 30 seconds, per the bottle's instructions, to kill bacteria. When I'm finished using any of the other brushes on a particular task, I pop it in the dishwasher for a cycle. However, I keep the brushes that come in contact with food surfaces separate from the others for sanitary reasons. I've fallen so in love with these little cleaning brushes that I even put them in my family's stockings last Christmas in the hopes that they'll find a little bit of joy when scrubbing their grout or getting their showerhead back to its glistening glory. Much like my affinity for my mini dustpan set, my fondness for this little brush is bound to last. I tend to think that a thoughtfully designed, adorable tool makes even the most loathsome cleaning task a bit less painful—and that's certainly worth $2. This article was edited by Megan Beauchamp and Maxine Builder.
New York Times
11-02-2025
- General
- New York Times
Wait—Should We Be Lint-Rolling Our Walls?
I see a lot of trends on #cleantok—a hashtag with a whopping 5.2 million tagged videos on TikTok—and a good majority of them are junk. Lots of people recommend combining vinegar with baking soda to create a scouring paste, for example, but adding an acid to a base just neutralizes the solution, so it negates the benefits of both. Wirecutter also tested the ultra-viral cleaning paste The Pink Stuff and found that it wasn't the miracle worker that everyone on social media claimed it to be. Something that caught my eye recently was the recommendation to dust walls and ceilings with a large, extendable lint roller (as seen in this bathroom-cleaning video). My knee jerk was to lump this idea into the 'overconsumption' bucket and write it off as unnecessary, but then I got to thinking: Should I be lint-rolling my walls? Usually if I notice dust on my walls, I'll do a few passes with a damp microfiber cloth. In my experience, this has worked just fine, but I'll be the first to admit I'm not often getting up on a stepladder to dust the upper half of my walls or ceilings. I reserve that special task for right before I want to repaint the walls. However, I am in a near-constant battle with the dust and lint in my apartment, due to an always-shedding dog, equally shed-prone linen sheets, and whatever particulate horrors make their way in through the open windows. I also can't deny how deeply satisfying it would be to simply roll the dust off surfaces in my home and just toss the used sheet in the trash. So I decided to give lint-rolling a try—and I was sorely disappointed. Lint-rolling the walls in my bedroom felt decidedly silly, and it was difficult to get the roller flush against the wall. Caroline Mullen/NYT Wirecutter Instead of impulse-buying an extend-o lint roller, I started with our pick (which I conveniently already own): the Scotch-Brite Lint Roller. Although it makes quick work of removing stubborn, short dog fur from my sweaters, it did next to nothing to pick up dust on my walls. Before (left): If you really squint, you can see that there was some dust buildup on the bathroom wall. After (right): The lint roller removed only a teeny bit of it. Caroline Mullen/NYT Wirecutter I tried this 'trick' in the two dustiest rooms in my home: the bathroom and the bedroom. The bathroom, which doubles as a laundry room, is prone to a thin layer of dust on the walls thanks to flyaway lint from the dryer, toilet paper debris, and, of course, plenty of skin cells and hair. It's easy to see when dust piles up, too, because the walls are painted with a satin finish that reflects light from the considerably bright vanity. A few rolls back and forth over the wall with a clean lint-roller sheet showed no real difference in dust levels, and there was hardly anything to see on the sticky paper. Next, I tried lint-rolling several walls in the bedroom with another fresh sheet. The bedroom remains constantly dusty due to the bedding lint, dog fur, and dander that get trapped in the fibers of the wall-to-wall carpeting. Even though I regularly vacuum and dust, the bedroom accumulates dust quicker than other rooms. Again, no results to speak of when I lint-rolled the walls. I also tried rolling it on the shower walls like in the TikTok video, but I'd much rather wipe the walls down with a cleaning solution. Caroline Mullen/NYT Wirecutter I also found it difficult to maneuver the lint roller across the wall, as both the walls and the roller are not completely smooth, so the paper had a tendency to stick in certain places but miss spots in others. Perhaps this function would be improved with the aforementioned extend-o roller, but I'm skeptical that it would make much of a difference (and I don't want to spend the money to find out), as it's much the same tool with a different handle. For comparison, I wiped all the tested sections of the walls with my usual method, a damp microfiber cloth. Although I didn't come away with more dust than was already visible, this method was certainly more effective at picking up and trapping dust than lint-rolling. Not to mention, the lint roller's sheets are made from single-use plastic, and my microfiber cloths can be washed and reused for years. If you're unable to reach tall portions of the wall and don't want to get up on a ladder, you can instead use any cleaning tool you have on hand with a telescopic pole, such as a microfiber duster or even a Swiffer sweeper. Dampening the fibers of the pad or cloth with a bit of water is always my go-to hack because it helps clump up dust and prevents it from falling off my chosen cleaning tool or redistributing back onto surfaces. Lint-rolling the walls in the living room didn't yield much of a result, either. Caroline Mullen/NYT Wirecutter Plus, if you're like me and looking to cut down on dust in your home as a whole, you're much better off doing some preventive maintenance, such as frequently vacuuming floors, running an air purifier, periodically cleaning or changing air filters, regularly bathing and brushing pets, and laundering linens weekly. Unimpressive results from lint-rolling the dustiest walls in my home. Caroline Mullen/NYT Wirecutter I'll admit that the morbidly curious part of me was hoping that I'd be horrified by how much dust was on my walls, picked up with ease by the lint roller with obvious results right there on the paper. But alas, my initial hunch was correct: We really do not need to be lint-rolling our walls. Even the dustiest rooms in my home don't collect that much dust on the walls, and if they do, I'll continue reaching for a trusty microfiber cloth for a quick wipe-down. This article was edited by Megan Beauchamp and Maxine Builder. Most microfiber cloths are essentially the same, but after weeks of testing, our cleaning writer liked Fixsmith Microfiber Cleaning Cloths best. Clumped-up dog hair, layers of matcha powder, and drywall dust don't stand a chance. These are 90(ish) of our favorite Wirecutter picks to help you tackle a deep clean of your home.
