Lee Musho – FoodWatcher

7 Shop Essentials for Any Cheese Lover’s Kitchen

This article is a part of Cheese Week—seven days of recipes and stories, all cheese—presented by our friends at Proudly Wisconsin Cheese.

If you believe cheese is perfect just the way it is and will happily eat it anytime, anywhere, straight out of …

This article is a part of Cheese Week—seven days of recipes and stories, all cheese—presented by our friends at Proudly Wisconsin Cheese.

If you believe cheese is perfect just the way it is and will happily eat it anytime, anywhere, straight out of the package, I salute you. We are cut from the same cheesecloth. But, while teaching wine and cheese classes at Murray’s Cheese, I’ve learned a thing or two: Although cheese doesn’t need anything to shine on its own, there are products that will help you appreciate it in a new way. Whether you're serving it like a pro or making it yourself, read on for everything you need to take your relationship with cheese to the next level.

These Shatterproof Glasses Make Entertaining Stress-Free

Being a wine expert, people are often surprised to hear that I don’t care much about what you serve wine in. That doesn’t mean I’ll drink wine out of just anything (there are a few things a wine glass really does add to the wine-tasting experience), but people are too precious about the glassware. Have you ever been invited to someone’s house and are handed a glass so wafer-thin and delicate that you’re nervous about touching it, let alone holding it? Fancy and pricey, nice wine glasses are beautiful, but for me, the stress that comes with them isn’t worth it. Hosting isn’t fun if you’re constantly worrying about them—side-eyeing your guests who are talking with their hands, or spending the end of the night tenderly hand-washing each glass.

A glass breaking feels almost inevitable, regardless if someone has had one glass or three, and I’ve seen it happen in a number of different ways: the slip out of the hand, the teeter off the edge, the slow-motion knock over. Once it breaks, the party stops. Everyone freezes, I have to call for someone to hold my poor kitten, Pinot, until the floor’s safe again, and I’m on broom-and-vacuum duty until all shards are gone.

6 Expert-Approved Wines for Winter Hosting & Beyond

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You’ve invited a few people over, it’s snowing outside, and your apart…

This post contains products independently chosen (and loved) by our editors and writers. Food52 earns an affiliate commission on qualifying purchases of the products we link to.

You’ve invited a few people over, it’s snowing outside, and your apartment is prepped for a cozy winter dinner party, complete with lit candles, an empty coat rack, and the heater blasting. But what wine do you serve your guests—and what food do you serve with it?

Your Home Bar Should Have a Sake Section—Here’s Everything You Need

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Sake, or “nihonshu,” is a traditional Japanese alcoholic beverage made…

This post contains products independently chosen (and loved) by our editors and writers. Food52 earns an affiliate commission on qualifying purchases of the products we link to.

Sake, or “nihonshu,” is a traditional Japanese alcoholic beverage made from fermented rice that has been made for thousands of years. Its unique, delicate flavor is thanks to a few things: the variety of “sakamai” rice and how much its polished, the local water used, the yeast, and the koji. Different sakes use distinct blends of ingredients and methods to achieve different flavors. But whether it’s a first-rate Junmai Daiginjo or table-grade Futsushu, if you’re a sake lover, you’ll know firsthand that it should be sipped, savored, and ultimately served with respect— not, let’s say, squeezed into your mouth from a warm plastic bottle in a hibachi restaurant.