Sal Vaglica
This Old House
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Past articles by Sal:
New Products to Help Tackle Your Home To-Do List
Take care of the tasks around your home with these handy products. → Read More
All About Radiant Floor Heating
Whether it’s warming a large addition or a cozy bathroom, radiant heat underfoot invisibly ups the comfort level. Here’s the lowdown on some of today’s most popular systems. → Read More
The Best Stockpots
You can spend close to $400 on a stockpot, but does spending more get you a better pot? To find out, we rounded up 14 models, ranging from around $34 to nearly $383 (at the time of testing), and put them through handling and cooking tests to find the designs that work best. → Read More
The Cuccia Connection: How a Sicilian Dessert Spans Generations
Of all the Italian holidays we celebrated, the best by far was the Feast of Santa Lucia, which takes place on December 13. That's when my mother would make my favorite Sicilian dessert, cuccia—a porridge of boiled wheatberries, mixed with sweetened ricotta cheese and topped with a dusting of cinnamon and shaved chocolate. → Read More
The Best Pepper Mills
If our extensive pepper mill tests showed us one thing, it's that not all mills are created equal, and none excel in all areas. Still, after rounds upon rounds of testing, we've found our favorites, including the fastest mill, the best inexpensive mill, and the best electric one. → Read More
The Best Kitchen Tongs
Kitchen tongs are an essential piece of equipment, but not all models are created equal. After extensive testing, we've found the best. → Read More
The Best Measuring Spoons
The best measuring spoons are accurate, strongly built, and easy to use. We tested round and rectangular measuring spoons to find the best of each type, whether for scooping dry spices or measuring liquids. → Read More
The Best Dry Measuring Cups
We evaluated 11 sets of measuring cups designed to work with dry ingredients to find ones that are accurate, durable, easy to fill, and easy to level. → Read More
The Best Liquid Measuring Cups
We tested 24 measuring cups to find ones that are accurate, with durable gradations that are easy to read. → Read More
The Best Cast Iron Dutch Ovens
We tested 12 enameled cast iron Dutch ovens with capacities between five and six quarts (the size we find best suited to most homes), ranging from $45 to $330. Our goal: to find ones that perform well, are durable, and are comfortable to lift and carry. → Read More
The Best Blenders Under $200
We tested nine mid-priced models (between $100 and $275) to find ones that are capable across a range of common blender tasks: puréeing, emulsifying, and crushing ice. → Read More
The Best Toaster Ovens Under $250
We tested eight models, ranging from about $100 to $250, to find ones that performed well across a range of common cooking tasks. → Read More
The Best Wine Openers
We tested 19 wine bottle openers, in a range of styles and price points, to find out which models are the easiest to use. → Read More
The Best Leave-In Probe Thermometers
[Photographs: Vicky Wasik] It happens to everyone: You follow a recipe to the letter, and yet the dish still doesn’t turn out Instagram worthy. Well, the first step to recovery is acceptance; you have to come to terms with the fact that your kitchen is a den of lies. It's a place where measuring cups aren’t always what they say they are, the scale is suspect (unless you use one of the best), and… → Read More
The Best Automatic-Drip Coffee Makers
Our goal was to find well-designed, automatic-drip coffee makers that deliver great tasting coffee. We tested 15 models, ranging from about $20 to $310, and put them through rounds of tastings and other evaluations to find the ones that performed the best. → Read More
The Best Food Processors
We chopped, mixed, puréed, and ground our way through 11 food processors to find ones that work well, are easy to use, and are worth dragging out of storage. → Read More
The Best Ice Cream Scoops
We rounded up 17 ice cream scoops in a range of price points and put them through tests to find the shape and design that work best. → Read More
The Best Ice Cream Scoops
We rounded up 17 ice cream scoops in a range of price points and put them through tests to find the shape and design that work best. → Read More
The Best Automatic-Drip Coffee Makers
Our goal was to find well-designed, automatic-drip coffee makers that deliver great tasting coffee. We tested 15 models, ranging from about $20 to $310, and put them through rounds of tastings and other evaluations to find the ones that performed the best. → Read More
The Best Toaster Ovens Under $250
We tested eight models, ranging from about $100 to $250, to find ones that performed well across a range of common cooking tasks. → Read More