How to Stock Your Home Bar Cart so You Can Sip in Style

Apartment Bartender is a column by Elliott Clark, Food52’s Resident Bartender and an avid at-home cocktail enthusiast. Elliott’s here to help us bring our favorite bar-worthy sips home—and with his spot-on guidance and expert tips, you’ll soon be stirr…

Apartment Bartender is a column by Elliott Clark, Food52's Resident Bartender and an avid at-home cocktail enthusiast. Elliott's here to help us bring our favorite bar-worthy sips home—and with his spot-on guidance and expert tips, you'll soon be stirring, shaking, and garnishing like a pro.


A bar cart is not just a place for booze storage—it's a statement piece.

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How to Store Butternut Squash So it Lasts & Lasts (& Lasts)

Even though butternut squash is most closely associated with crisp, cool weather and cozy dishes (like this hearty lamb stew, for starters), it’s actually available all year round.

“Despite what the name might suggest,” writes former Food52 editor Lin…

Even though butternut squash is most closely associated with crisp, cool weather and cozy dishes (like this hearty lamb stew, for starters), it's actually available all year round.

"Despite what the name might suggest," writes former Food52 editor Lindsay-Jean Hard, "winter squash doesn't grow in the winter. The name actually refers to the fact that most varieties can be stored and used throughout the winter." All to say, it lasts a very long time. How long, exactly? Well, that depends on where (and how) you keep it.

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Tips for Freezing Soup Now, so It’ll Actually Taste Good Later

Instead of making a giant pot of soup and eating it five days in a row like my roommate and I did in college, if you think strategically, a big batch of soup can be made exciting. Not only is soup supremely delicious and comforting, but it has an extra…

Instead of making a giant pot of soup and eating it five days in a row like my roommate and I did in college, if you think strategically, a big batch of soup can be made exciting. Not only is soup supremely delicious and comforting, but it has an extraordinary life span—if you play your cards right.

But there are a few questions that might go through your head. Here are the answers—on freezer zip-top bags versus containers, whether certain soups freeze better than others (i.e. vegetable versus chicken), and how to salvage freezer burned soup, to name a few— so you can get to stocking your fridge for the months to come.

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The Very Best Ways to Store Fresh Bread

Let’s start off with the bad news: If there’s a loaf of lean bread on your counter—meaning a loaf without added fat or sugar, such as a sourdough boule, ciabatta, or a baguette—it’s only at its best for a few days after baking. After 48 hou…

Let's start off with the bad news: If there's a loaf of lean bread on your counter—meaning a loaf without added fat or sugar, such as a sourdough boule, ciabatta, or a baguette—it's only at its best for a few days after baking. After 48 hours or so, the bread loses flavor and becomes harder and dryer.

This puts you in a predicament. Either you eat an entire loaf of bread in two days (not easy for even the hungriest of single people), or you watch something beautiful die. Or mold. Or stale. 

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13 Small-Space Storage Solutions to Help You Live Large

If there’s anything I’ve learned from the tiny house movement (oh, and living in New York City), it’s that storage space can be found in, or created out of, the most unexpected places. Every square inch of a tiny house has to be maximized for organized…

If there’s anything I’ve learned from the tiny house movement (oh, and living in New York City), it’s that storage space can be found in, or created out of, the most unexpected places. Every square inch of a tiny house has to be maximized for organized storage, but even the largest houses can benefit from their sleek, smart solutions.

The products and ideas below are collapsible, stashable, and take advantage of often overlooked storage opportunities, like the sides of the fridge, between the toilet and vanity (yeah, that space), and high, high up on the walls.

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How Long Do Dried Beans Last? (Not Forever, Sorry)

Dried beans: When the world ends, they will still be in your pantry, ready to become soup at a moment’s notice. Right?
Sadly, it is not so.
Just because you can keep dried beans forever does not necessarily mean it will be helpful. Old beans will take…

Dried beans: When the world ends, they will still be in your pantry, ready to become soup at a moment's notice. Right?

Sadly, it is not so. Just because you can keep dried beans forever does not necessarily mean it will be helpful. Old beans will take longer to cook, and the oldest beans will stay tough and chewy no matter how long (within reason), they simmer. If you find yourself cooking soaked beans for more than two hours, and they just will not soften, it may be your beans...not you.

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The Absolute Best Way to Store Coffee, According to an Expert

I’ve been drinking some form of coffee since I was 6 years old. Was I too young? Maybe; it’s unclear. Was it mostly milk, though? 100%. Flash forward to two decades later, and I still adore cof…

I’ve been drinking some form of coffee since I was 6 years old. Was I too young? Maybe; it's unclear. Was it mostly milk, though? 100%. Flash forward to two decades later, and I still adore coffee. Hot, iced, pourover, latte, drip—you name it, I’m a fan.

Every morning, I start my day with a hot mug fresh from my French press. In the afternoons, I’ve learned to make pourovers with our office’s Chemex for 3 p.m. pick-me-ups. I know everything there is to know about my perfect cup of joe, but when it comes to storing it, I don’t know beans. In my pantry? In a canister? In the freezer?

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The Collapsible Storage Shelf That Organized My Kitchen in a Snap

When you live in a tiny space, maximizing every square inch is the key to keeping clutter—and ensuing chaos—at bay.

That’s why my narrow galley kitchen is filled with all sorts of organizational tools—from lazy Susans and Ikea storage containers to sp…

When you live in a tiny space, maximizing every square inch is the key to keeping clutter—and ensuing chaos—at bay.

That's why my narrow galley kitchen is filled with all sorts of organizational tools—from lazy Susans and Ikea storage containers to spice racks and lots of glass canisters. They not only help keep everything tucked away and looking neat, but also ensure I can find exactly what I'm looking for (like when I've got veggies sautéing on the brink of burning and need red pepper flakes stat).

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A Highly Useful Guide to Storing Cheese

When it comes to cheese, sometimes our eyes are bigger than our stomachs. Ideally, you shouldn’t buy more cheese than you can consume in a few days. However, few of us have a strong enough will to resist the jewel-like beauties of the cheese aisle, des…

When it comes to cheese, sometimes our eyes are bigger than our stomachs. Ideally, you shouldn't buy more cheese than you can consume in a few days. However, few of us have a strong enough will to resist the jewel-like beauties of the cheese aisle, despite their often hefty price tag. One thing's for sure: If you're dropping a bundle on a bunch of cheeses, you better make sure to keep them as fresh as possible for as long as possible. 

The best method for storing cheese is exceptionally simple, but you'll want to keep a few tips in mind, depending on what type of cheese you're storing—from a pungent blue to a creamy Camembert. 

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Open Shelves Are the Storage Solution Your Bathroom Needs

Given that most bathrooms have a single vanity and maybe, if you’re lucky, a medicine cabinet to offer for storage, cramming in all the items you need becomes a bit of a challenge. What do you do, for instance, with the extra toothpaste, back-up hand t…

Given that most bathrooms have a single vanity and maybe, if you're lucky, a medicine cabinet to offer for storage, cramming in all the items you need becomes a bit of a challenge. What do you do, for instance, with the extra toothpaste, back-up hand towels, and your (constantly growing) collection of hand lotions?

Enter: open shelves.

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