Our 11 Favorite Products We Tested in December

This post is part of our ‘Monthly Obsessions’ series, where we ask our writers and editors what products they’ve added to their kitchen that they now can’t imagine living without. 

Our writers and editors are constantly testing out new products. It’s what we do, and we love it. This month, in advance of the holidays, we checked out a ton of exciting cookware, appliances, kitchen tools, and even food items. There were 11 things that seriously stood out. 

Our favorite things this month range from useful kitchen gear like an impressive coffee maker from Aarke and a smart, new Vitamix blender to delicious treats like artisan vegan ice cream and burrata from a cheese club subscription. Scroll on for the best things we tried in December.

December Editor Obsessions

• Glasvin The Expression Wine Glasses, $84 at glasvin.com
• Murray’s Cheese Club Subscription, $65 at murrayscheese.com
• Short Night & Day Glasses, Set of 4, $40, originally $55 at fromourplace.com
• Vitamix Ascent Series X5, $650, originally $750 at vitamix.com
• Mannkitchen Pepper Cannon, $200 at amazon.com
• Basso Bowl, $60 at myrth.us
• Clementine’s Naughty & Nice Ice Cream, 4 Pints, $90 at goldbelly.com
• Cocktail Kingdom Copper-Plated Essential Cocktail Set, $150 at amazon.com
• Subminimal NanoFoamer Performance Milk Foamer, $57 at amazon.com
• Aarke Coffee System with Thermal Carafe, $480 at williams-sonoma.com
• Benchmade Station Knife, $340 at benchmade.com

Glasvin The Expression Wine Glasses

“If there’s one hill I will die on, it’s that chunky stemware is the worst. Something about the feeling of a stumpy wine glass in my hand takes me out of the magic of enjoying a nice drink. But the magic is all there with Glasvin’s The Expression red wine glasses; thin-stemmed and thin-lipped, these lightweight handblown glasses are a pleasure to hold and sip from, not to mention beautiful. And, shockingly, the delicate glasses are meant to be cleaned in the dishwasher. I’m a fan of the brand’s universal wine glasses, too.” — Phoebe Sklansky, Senior Editor

Murray’s Cheese Club Subscription

“I’ve raved about Murray’s Cheese enough to sound like a broken record at this point, but if you are currently finding yourself scrambling to find a super last-minute holiday gift, I highly recommend one of the brand’s cheese club subscriptions. Every month, a fresh delivery of cheese (and charcuterie and other accoutrements, depending on the subscription you select) will be delivered to your lucky recipient’s doorstep. For a one-time gift in the New Year, I’d also recommend one of their gift boxes — I recently enjoyed the La Dolce Vita box (highlights were the burrata and La Tur).” — Phoebe Sklansky

Short Night & Day Glasses

“I’ve been testing this set of glasses for over a month now and they’ve become my daily drivers for all drinks. They feel great in the hand and are very durable. I’m a clumsy dishwasher loader and they haven’t chipped once even though I often bang them against other cups and bowls in the machine. It’s also a joy to sip from them (so smooth!) and I absolutely love that they’re stackable, which saves space in my tiny cabinets. They’re on sale, too!” — An Uong, Writer

Vitamix Ascent X5

“I make a smoothie almost every morning, so I’m always eager to try the latest and greatest blender technology. Vitamix’s Ascent Series X5 certainly fits the bill. It has pre-programmed settings and blades that blend everything I’ve thrown at them, plus a gorgeous exterior. If you use a blender as often as I do, this is definitely worth buying (especially now that it’s $100 off).” — Liv Dansky, Writer

Mannkitchen Pepper Cannon

“I think everyone appreciates freshly ground pepper. This pepper mill can provide you fresh pepper in a matter of seconds. They say it’s 10 times faster and I have to agree — with a couple of twists, I have more pepper on my food than I would with regular pepper grinders. It’s perfect for seasoning steaks, pasta, and soups. I also love the all-metal construction because I know it will last quite a long time.” — Joe Morales, Senior Editor

Basso Bowl

“When we moved into our new apartment, I purchased a 32-piece Stone Lain dinnerware set and never looked back — until I received a few samples of the Myrth’s porcelain collection. I tested the bowl, appetizer plate, and the morsel plate and I love their handmade quality. They are thick, durable, and incredibly attractive. (And now, I need more.)” — Joe Morales

Clementine’s Naughty & Nice Ice Cream, 4 Pints

“I’m pretty convinced that Clementine’s in St. Louis makes the best ice cream I’ve ever had. The Vegan Tahini Chocolate Chip flavor is life-alteringly good (their ice cream isn’t all vegan, but this happens to be my favorite flavor). Whenever some Clementine’s finds its way to my freezer, it does not last long. I also love giving it as a gift — my brother-in-law gets a 4-pack every time he has a birthday, and would probably revolt if we ended that tradition.” — Adam Rothbarth, Writer

Cocktail Kingdom Copper-Plated Essential Cocktail Set

“This copper-plated set of essential bar tools from Cocktail Kingdom, the legendary producer of professional barware, makes me feel like a pro no matter what I’m making. Sure, I can make a pretty solid Negroni with a plastic sports bar cup, my eyes, and a finger, but sometimes you just want to feel like it’s a special occasion, which I always do when using this set. It would make an incredible gift for any cocktail lover in your life — or just a dazzling way to upgrade your own home bar.” — Adam Rothbarth

Subminimal NanoFoamer Performance Milk Foamer

“I like my coffees with extra-foamy milk. The distinct advantage of this milk frother is that its fine-meshed ‘NanoScreens’ are designed specifically for creating micro-bubbles from milk. The traditional, rotating-coil frother is extremely handy for a number of other tasks, but this frother gets my fat-free milk, creams, chocolate milk, and non-dairy milks as foamy as they can get within seconds.” — Dillon Evans, Writer

Aarke Coffee System with Thermal Carafe

“My partner and I have many coffee devices varying in difficulty of use, from the French press to our espresso machine. Yet, we always make a subconscious (but very evident at our coffee bar) decision on which machine we like most. Right now, and probably for many years to come, the Aarke system has us in its clutches. A 60-setting, adjustable coffee grinder that auto-senses the amount of grounds needed for your batch of coffee, a heating base that can detect carafe type (glass or very essential thermal jug), and an overall sexy, stainless steel design has me easily making two pots of coffee a day. It’s literally the statement piece of my apartment.” — Dillon Evans

Benchmade Station Knife

“I am in no way an outdoorsy person, and I never hunt, fish, or camp, but I’m becoming more and more convinced that nice camping knives like this one are also great for the kitchen. The shape of this knife, kind of a short but broad santoku, makes it an excellent all-purpose blade. It’s great for general slicing and chopping, and the pointy tip is also agile for boning and butchery.” — Jason Horn, Senior Writer