• Mark Cuban told Business Insider that he thinks AI creates job opportunities for young job seekers.
• He shared three prompts to feed into Claude to sharpen skills.
• Cuban's advice comes as companies build AI models to automate tasks — but agent costs are growing.

AI is changing white-collar work fast.

Tasks are automated, workflows are shifting, and companies are pouring money into figuring out what AI actually does for them.

Mark Cuban — the billionaire, minority owner of the Dallas Mavericks, former "Shark Tank" investor, and cofounder of Cost Plus Drugs — told Business Insider that the confusion around AI is an opportunity.

In an email, he said workers who learn to build practical AI tools for businesses can get ahead.

"Be an expert in making agents for business," he wrote.

Cuban pointed to Anthropic's chatbot Claude as a starting point. He shared three prompts to get started:

• "Tell me how to be an expert at creating agents for small businesses."
• "Create study guides that ask me questions."
• "Correct me and adapt to my knowledge level."

So we tried Cuban's prompts in Claude

Claude responded with a list of business problems to target and tools to build them. The response prioritizes cost savings and automation.

First, it zeroes in on unglamorous tasks that businesses already struggle to keep up with, like answering routine customer questions, scheduling appointments, and chasing down invoices.

It then outlines a basic technical stack to work with. That includes orchestration tools like LangGraph, CrewAI, and AutoGen for managing multi-step tasks, as well as different AI models depending on the job. More advanced models are suggested for complex reasoning, while cheaper, faster models are recommended for high-volume tasks.

Finally, it suggests a learning path: build several agents, study documentation from major AI providers, and focus on a small number of industries.

Claude specifically pointed to restaurants, real estate, and e-commerce businesses as potential areas for AI improvement.

Where Cuban sees the opportunity

Cuban has been hammering his optimism about opportunities in a world with AI.

In an August TBPN interview that's now making the rounds on X, he said companies are still figuring out how to use AI effectively — and that's created an opening for young job seekers, especially in smaller businesses.

"There are going to be integrators, particularly young kids," he said in the interview. "Learn all you can about AI, but learn more on how to implement them in companies. Because, to your point, companies don't understand how to implement all that right now to get a competitive advantage."

That optimism is colliding with some practical constraints. Right now, companies are grappling with how to pay for their AI usage.

And experimentation is getting expensive.

On LinkedIn, Swan AI's CEO reported a six-figure monthly bill for AI spending. Meanwhile, larger companies are rushing ahead — Visa told Business Insider it's burned through 1.9 trillion tokens a month as of March.

Skepticism about the reliability of AI systems persists. Nicolas Darveau-Garneau, a former Google executive, said agents are still struggling with frequent hallucinations.

The impact of AI spending is seeping into employees' daily responsibilities.

Software engineers recently told Business Insider their day-to-day work shifted when agents like Claude Code and OpenAI's Codex rolled out. Tasks that once took days are now compressed into minutes.

Cuban has acknowledged the pace of change. In the TBPN interview, he said AI's impact "blows them all away" compared to past tech shifts.

Even so, his view is grounded in adaptation and not replacement. He told Business Insider he remains hopeful for young workers who stay entrepreneurial.

"Start there," he said about his three Claude prompts. "You will figure it out."

• Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Gov. Kathy Hochul proposed a tax on empty second homes worth over $5 million.
• NYC's proposed tax targets wealthy absentee owners, aiming to raise $500 million annually.
• Other cities with vacancy taxes have used them to free up housing supply, but NYC wants cash.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani is gearing up to tax the rich — if they live elsewhere but own multimillion-dollar properties in New York City.

Mamdani and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a proposal last week to tax pieds-à-terre — homes owned by people with primary residence outside the city — worth over $5 million. Hochul estimates it could raise $500 million in revenue annually, helping to close the city's budget gap and funding new affordability measures. The proposal has already invoked immediate backlash from business leaders and right-leaning politicians.

Significantly, the proposal would, indeed, tax the rich — a signature policy position of Mamdani's that Hochul has previously resisted in broader forms.

While New York has flirted with such measures before, other cities ranging from Vancouver to Berkeley, California, have enacted similar taxes. Those policies were often designed to bring empty housing back on the market and raise revenue in the process.

New York City's situation is different.

Its vacancy rate is near a 50-year low at 1.4%, and the new tax would only apply to around 13,000 affected units. This makes it unlikely to add a meaningful amount of housing supply the way it has elsewhere.

New York's tax seems to be primarily focused on raising revenue from ultrawealthy out-of-city homeowners instead, said Rita Jefferson, a local analyst at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy who focuses on equity and fairness.

"It's possible that there's some new units that come on the market as a result of this, but I'd be willing to bet this is meant to be a tax generator," Jefferson said. "There's such high demand that people who can afford more are willing to pay however much they need to to live where they want."

The projected revenue would only cover a fraction of the city's budget gap.

"$500 million is a good start," said Emily Eisner, the acting executive director and chief economist of the Fiscal Policy Institute. "It's only 10% of the budget gap that we're looking at in the city, but it's a good start for raising some additional revenue to try to meet the city's needs."

What happened when other cities enacted vacancy taxes

New York would join a handful of US cities that target empty homes. A flat vacancy tax of $3,000 in Berkeley brings in about $3.9 to $5.9 million annually, according to the city attorney's analysis.

And in 2011, Washington, DC introduced a tax on vacant and blighted properties, levying $5 per $100 of assessed value on vacant properties. That tax has run into its own implementation issues, including incomplete data reports and too many exemptions; those administrative challenges may have cost the city nearly $1 million in potential revenue from buildings surveyed by the Office of the District of Columbia Auditor.

In San Diego, residents will vote in June on a vacancy tax that would ultimately reach $10,000 per unit per year. San Diego's Office of the Independent Budget Analyst estimates the measure could raise between $12.1 million and $23.8 million in its first year.

Other countries have their own versions of a vacancy tax, providing a benchmark for the longer-term impacts of the proposal.

France has had a vacancy tax on second homes since 1999. According to a 2020 study published in the Journal of Public Economics, its tax, which can reach 34% of a property's rental value, led to a 13% drop in the vacancy rate from 1997 to 2001, and most of the empty housing became primary residences.

In Vancouver, a 2017 tax targeted homes that were empty for more than six months a year. The number of vacant homes in Vancouver fell from around 8,000 homes in 2017 to around 5,000 in 2023, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, although that reduction is not necessarily a direct result of the measure.

The tax did coincide with a fall in the vacancy rate from around 7% in 2016, before it was implemented, to around 5.5% in 2021 — what amounts to a "significant reduction" in empty homes, according to the Canadian think tank C.D. Howe Institute. The tax, now 3% of the empty home's value, has raised $202 million in Canadian dollars, amounting to around 1% of the city's total tax revenue, according to ITEP.

C.D. Howe found that the new tax didn't limit new construction, and also that it didn't bring down average rent. It incurred pushback from wealthy homeowners in Vancouver, with some resorting to renting out their mansions on the cheap in order to dodge taxes by leasing them out as rental units.

In New York City, the policy analysts who spoke with Business Insider said this tax likely won't bring affordable rental units to the market, but it could cause some homeowners to think about how they actually want to use their housing, or whether they want to buy in the city. If owners do decide to sell, that could be another tax boon, since the city would collect a real estate transfer tax.

"This is a small step on the path of increasing taxes on the wealthy, but it's significant," Eisner said.

• Workers with multiple job offers in this market face tough choices on salary, benefits, and work-life balance.
• Business Insider is looking for people who are choosing or have chosen between multiple job offers for a new series.
• Experts will analyze job offer trade-offs to help you make an informed career decision.

In a job market marked by layoffs in some industries and talent shortages in others, some workers are still finding themselves in an enviable and complicated position: choosing between multiple job offers.

Picking the right role isn't always straightforward. A higher salary might come with longer hours or a tougher commute. A remote job could offer flexibility but fewer opportunities for advancement. Some roles come with equity or bonuses, while others stand out for stability, benefits, or work-life balance.

For a new Business Insider series, we want to hear from people who have received two or more job offers and are deciding between them — or who have recently faced this choice.

We'll review the details of each offer, including compensation, benefits, stock options, remote work policies, and growth potential. Then, we'll consult career coaches and workplace experts to break down the trade-offs and what they could mean for your finances and long-term career path.

If you've already accepted a role, we'll help you understand how your decision compares to the options you didn't choose. If you're still deciding, we'll provide expert-backed insights to help you choose the option that aligns with your priorities.

Fill out the form below to share your experience. You can also contact editor Lauryn Haas directly at lhaas@businessinsider.com.

• Yann LeCun posted on X that we should listen to economists over Dario Amodei — and name-checked Daron Acemoglu.
• Acemoglu is an MIT professor and 2024 Nobel Prize in Economics winner. We asked him about the future of jobs.
• "If Dario is right, why is Anthropic so keen on making even more of this automation its main priority?" Acemoglu said.

The biggest names in AI are fighting over how the future of work will shake out.

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has long warned of a white-collar wipeout, predicting around 50% of entry level office jobs will be eliminated.

After an old clip recirculated, Meta's former chief AI scientist Yann LeCun recently wrote on X: "Dario is wrong."

Instead of trusting figures in the business of AI like Amodei, Sam Altman, or even himself, LeCun wrote that the public should listen to the economists instead. He listed a few notable names, including Daron Acemoglu, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor and 2024 Nobel Prize in Economics winner.

Taking LeCun's advice, we rang up Acemoglu to hear his view.

Acemoglu has long voiced worries about the direction of AI. "What we're concerned about is that the skills of large numbers of workers will be much less valuable," he told Business Insider in 2023. "So their incomes will not keep up."

Unlike Amodei, he's not so willing to predict a complete bloodbath. He's skeptical of Amodei's argument, too, calling it an example of "motivated reasoning."

LeCun and Amodei did not respond to requests for comment. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What did you think about Yann LeCun's post?

Daron Acemoglu: It's very nice of him, and he's obviously right that economists have a lot to say about this.

People at the front lines of developing these models have superior knowledge. On the other hand, they also have what economists or social psychologists would call "motivated reasoning." They tend to think and want to think that their models are very capable. They also have incentives for raising money to emphasize the coming attractions.

I'm convinced that Dario actually believes what he says. But, does he believe that because that's also good for the race that he's locked into with OpenAI or raising capital for his company? That's what motivated reasoning gets you.

How the labor market responds to these advances is also an economic problem. It depends on not just the model capabilities, but what happens to wages and how other aspects of jobs improve or don't improve. There will be new job creation as well as job displacement. People like myself and David Autor have been studying this for more than two decades.

Dario often talks about an impending "white-collar bloodbath." What do you think of his argument?

Acemoglu: I think he's very bullish on these model capabilities. Whether the models really improve that quickly, that's the question. He may also underestimate how messy some of those jobs are.

That being said, Claude Code is a major improvement over the previous model. So, if there are improvements like that, the world will be a very different place than it was last year.

What's confusing about our time is that you're getting two completely contradictory arguments from technologists. One is that the future of work will be great, because these models are going to make everyone more productive. Then the second is, they're going to destroy a lot of jobs. Both of those things, in principle, can be correct in two parallel universes. They cannot be correct at the same time.

The first one — which is not Dario's argument — is that these models are going to make people more productive, and you're going to be so much better at your job. That doesn't necessarily follow because, if you make customer service representatives 20 times as productive, you may have completely commodified the job. As a result, you will need many fewer representatives, and you will need to pay them much less. It's an economic problem that's not as easy as: "Oh, we're going to get you AI support agents."

The second is: You might displace workers from some jobs, but you might create new jobs, which I think is what Yann LeCun has in mind. That's what Dario is ignoring. But, that's very difficult to know, because creating jobs is not an automatic process. It may happen, it may not happen. It will depend on what technologies and organizations do.

That's why we need both technologists and economists to weigh in on these questions.

If I'm the average white-collar worker who's keeping an eye on AI, what should I think of it?

Acemoglu: There are several things you should be worried about. If you are actually doing a job that is very routine and can be done by AI models today, you're probably already in trouble. Coding and some aspects of customer service and translation are already within the frontiers.

Even those jobs will not completely disappear, because the occupation of a customer service representative has many, many dimensions, and not all of them can be done with AI models. Translators do many things, including simultaneous translation and interpretation, that AI models cannot do at the current moment.

There are complications there, but I would hasten to add that there is so much more we don't know relative to what we do know.

How do we deal with the unknown, then? Do we just sit and wait it out?

Acemoglu: No, no. Even though there is uncertainty, which complicates any kind of forecast, we do need to plan for a range of outcomes. We also need to take actions that anticipate what is suboptimal about the current path of AI. Both of those are very important, and they're not part of the conversation.

For the first one: If we do get within a few years the kind of job displacement that Dario is predicting, we need to be prepared for it. I don't think it's likely, but can I imagine a world in which he turns out to be right? Sure. If we lose 20% of jobs in the United States, democracy won't survive. There are a lot of big things riding on it.

We should also ask whether this is the best direction for AI to go. If Dario is right, why is Anthropic so keen on making even more of this automation its main priority, which then will create a lot of inequality, joblessness, social disease, and political backlash? There are other things you can do with AI, like trying to help workers or improve training.

There are decisions we need to make within the next few years about how to develop AI and what it is that we want from AI.

Have you spoken to Dario or any of the other AI CEOs?

Acemoglu: Yes, I have. In some of the conversations, they are very sympathetic to this point of view. But, on the other hand, they are also very locked into this race. The AGI rhetoric and the AGI framing have a big effect on them, and that's what they pursue.

• For Love & Money is a column from Business Insider answering your relationship and money questions.
• This week, a reader wonders if she needs to listen to her disengaged husband's opinions.
• Our columnist suggests having a constructive conversation to break the cycle they've fallen into.

Dear For Love and Money,

While both my husband and I work, he is not interested in doing anything with our money, like paying bills or purchasing gifts, unless it comes to a larger purchase. I ask for his help because I would love assistance figuring things out from time to time, but he remains disengaged. Because of this, I find it completely acceptable to pay myself for my services by buying whatever I want.

He seems OK with this right up until I move to change something in the house, and then he suddenly has an opinion. I do not ask for his opinions, nor do I want his opinions on home planning. He does none of the cooking and cleaning unless I beg, so I don't think that he gets to design my "office."

If you're not interested, don't be interested, and let me do me. Is this wrong?

Sincerely,

Don't Need His Unsolicited Opinions

Dear Don't Need,

Your letter reminds me of the fable of the little red hen, who harvests the wheat, takes it to the mill, makes it into a loaf of bread, and asks her farmyard friends for help every step of the way.

It isn't until she asks for their help eating the bread, though, that they show any interest. At that point, she says something along the lines of "Sike! She who makes the bread eats the bread, suckers!" and gobbles down the entire loaf without sharing a single crumb.

In the version of this story I read growing up, the little red hen's friends were depicted as a trio made up of a pig, a cat, and a goose. Their devastation at the end of the book was so well rendered that while I knew the little red hen had the moral high ground, I never once took her side. Because who eats a steaming slice of buttered bread right in their friends' faces? But then again, who flatly refuses to help a friend who has asked them for help no less than three times?

You get where I am going with this, right? In a dynamic fraught with resentment and retaliation, who's right or wrong no longer matters, because no one is winning.

Having been on both sides of this argument at different times in my marriage, I have a theory about why your husband isn't helping. You said you don't want his opinion on household decisions. While I understand your perspective that you've earned this authority by doing the work and he hasn't, he's likely coming at it from the other side: Why take care of something that he has no say in?

There's a point where you have to break this cycle and build on a foundation stronger than a scoreboard. That foundation can be as simple as having a productive conversation.

You mentioned you "ask for his help", which indicates you've broached the topic before, but he remained disengaged. I suggest that, instead of addressing your needs as they arise, you get ahead by having a conversation with him about the dynamic as a whole.

A constructive sit-down will look different for everyone, but they will always share these features:

You approach the conversation as equals. This means you must both commit to not letting it devolve into a score-keeping session. You share finances, which means no matter who brings in the higher income, who has the better credit score, or who does the most around the house, you make your financial decisions together.

You are honest about your feelings and ask him to be as well. For emotionally charged conversations like "Who do you think you are, telling me we don't need new kitchen counters?" being honest and calm may feel like an impossible task, but remember that anger is a secondary emotion; under your anger lies something more vulnerable. Maybe it's fear that it will never happen, or maybe it's sadness that you've been waiting so long. Whatever it is, your first task is to uncover that feeling and be honest about it.

You also need to create space for him to be honest about his feelings as well. Get curious about why he doesn't help, rather than focusing exclusively on how frustrating it is. Be honest about your feelings and the inequities you feel led to those feelings, but don't treat either of those things as your husband's failure; instead, treat them like problems you can tackle together because that's what they are. Approach his feelings with the same regard.

You are solution-oriented. I'm a big believer that a productive conversation isn't possible unless it includes both feelings and solutions. Teamwork might look like a division of labor that you come up with together. Chore charts aren't just for kids — decide what seems fair, and adjust it together as needed going forward.

Often, we fall into cycles based on what our parents did, traditional gender roles, routines formed early in the marriage, or even our individual strengths and weaknesses. None of these are wrong on their own, but they rarely work out because they aren't chosen; they just happen. Living your best life with a partner means proactively choosing what your shared life looks like as a couple.

I won't pretend that one conversation will automatically fix your entire dynamic. Letting go of control when you've had to hold everything together by yourself for years can be very difficult. At the same time, your husband may find it challenging to do more around the house when he's used to treating it like your domain and leaving it to you.

There's a good chance you'll face some resistance at first, as both of you cling to a familiar and predictable status quo. Remember, you can't make him do anything, but you can make yourself stick to your new division of labor, even if it means the dishes aren't done immediately, or you acquire fees on payments he makes late. Remember, you'll both have a learning curve that will require patience.

But patience isn't martyrdom, and as long as you have a partner, you aren't in this alone. Make space for him to do his part, and then trust him to do it, even if it isn't exactly how you would do it. Don't settle for the life of the little red hen, who was so resentful of her lazy friends that she wouldn't share a meal with them. The conversation shouldn't start when the bread comes out of the oven; it starts when it's time to harvest the wheat.

Rooting for you both,

For Love & Money

An earlier version of this article was originally published in February 2022.

Looking for advice on how your savings, debt, or another financial challenge is affecting your relationships? Write to For Love & Money using this Google form.

• Elad Gil is urging AI startups to consider selling soon due to the potential for changing market dynamics.
• Gil is Silicon Valley's top solo VC, with billions at his disposal.
• He sees parallels between the AI boom and the 1995-2001 internet boom.

Elad Gil, Silicon Valley's top solo venture capitalist, has a stark message for AI founders: sell your company soon, while conditions are still favorable.

"Founders running successful AI companies should all take a cold, hard look at exiting in the next 12-18 months, which may be a value-maximizing moment for outcomes," Gil wrote in a blog post this week.

Gil's perspective carries weight. He's raised more than $2 billion for a personal war chest to invest in AI startups. Gil, a serial founder who sold a startup to Twitter (now X), has backed several notable players in the space, such as Harvey, Mistral, Pika, and Perplexity. He was also an early investor in Anduril, Airbnb, and Stripe.

Investors have raised the alarm of an AI bubble since last year. But Gil's warning reflects both optimism about AI's growth and caution about how quickly the tech landscape can change.

Gil's reasoning draws on history. During the internet boom of 1995 to 2001, roughly 2,000 companies went public, but only a dozen or two dozen survived long-term. He thinks a similar pattern could emerge with today's AI boom.

Right now, demand for AI is surging. Many startups are seeing rising revenue and appear durable. But Gil warned this momentum may not last. As competition intensifies and the market matures, weaker or less differentiated companies could struggle to maintain their position.

"In the AI era, most companies, including those that are ramping revenue today, will see the market, competition, and adoption, turn on them," Gil wrote.

For founders, that creates a narrow window. Selling or merging while valuations remain high could maximize returns before conditions shift.

"While the tide is rising, many companies will seem to be unstoppable and durable — whether they are or not in the long run remains to be seen," he warned.

That said, he does not believe all AI startups face the same fate. A small group, such as major model developers like OpenAI and Anthropic, are likely to become foundational players.

"A handful of companies should absolutely not exit (eg. OpenAI, Anthropic) but many should if they can while everything is on the upswing," Gil wrote.

Sign up for BI's Tech Memo newsletter here. Reach out to me via email at abarr@businessinsider.com.

A 34-year-old man complaining of sluggishness and a low sex drive went looking for testosterone replacement therapy. It didn't take long.

After a brief consultation with seven telehealth companies, six said they would set him up with TRT injections and various off-label medications. Just one asked about his cardiovascular health — a standard question when prescribing hormones. Most skipped any mention of possible side effects, like a reduced sperm count and a higher risk of stroke.

Lab results showed his levels hovering around 600 nanograms per deciliter, which put him squarely within the healthy range for his age. The clinics proposed doubling it, effectively boosting his T level to that of an adolescent boy.

What the clinics didn't know was that the patient wasn't actually a patient. Dr. Justin Dubin, a urologist, was conducting an experiment to assess how easily a healthy man could obtain testosterone. He had followed a script with the clinics while providing real lab results.

The answer: very easy.

Dubin's study was conducted in 2022, as researchers were noting a surge in TRT use. Since then, prescriptions have continued to climb, particularly among men between 25 and 44.

"Testosterone really used to be considered the old man's medication," Dubin tells me. "Now, every young guy is talking about it."

T-maxxing — once a trend among social media influencers — has gone mainstream, fueled by a booming telehealth industry that makes access easier than ever, and anxiety over a supposed virility crisis plaguing American men. Last December, an FDA advisory panel recommended loosening some warnings and restrictions around testosterone therapy. The agency has not yet said whether it will act, but the move stirred a debate over whether efforts to expand access to TRT are trumping safety.

As Dubin's experiment showed, reversing a testosterone deficit is, very often, no longer the point. Clinicians say many men — and some women — are turning to TRT to boost their natural levels, with targets ranging from 2 to 6 times the upper limit considered normal.

Testosterone has quietly shifted from a medical treatment to something else. And when enhancement is the goal, the risks start to multiply.

The promise of T-maxxing is that it will make you sexier, more energized, and better able to perform at work, in the gym, and in the bedroom. Older men can restore their youth. Younger men can optimize their bodies.

But increased interest in testosterone is also grounded in a public-health trend that's been worrying doctors and researchers.

For decades, average T levels have been declining among men of all ages, while hypogonadism, the clinical diagnosis of low T, now affects about 40% of men over 45. For some men, a drop in testosterone — a hormone that's vital for our bones, muscle mass, and sexual function — can cause low libido, erectile dysfunction, depression, and fatigue.

An increase in obesity and chronic illnesses like diabetes is partly to blame, doctors say. Fat tissue has an enzyme that breaks down testosterone, and higher body fat levels disrupt hormone regulation. Too much stress, too little sleep, diets high in high-processed foods, and sedentary lifestyles have exacerbated the problem, doctors say.

The good news is that testosterone therapy can be a safe way to restore normal hormone levels.

But a TRT regimen can feel like a hormonal roller coaster, intensifying issues like mood swings, depression, and erectile dysfunction instead of alleviating them. And up to one in four men on T don't have their levels tested when they start the hormone, and nearly half don't have follow-up testing to check that their T stays within normal therapeutic levels, according to the American Urological Association.

People who are older and overweight are especially susceptible to side effects. TRT causes blood cells to multiply, making the blood thicker, which can impair circulation, raise blood pressure, and strain the heart. In some men, high testosterone can decrease fertility by slowing sperm production.

"When the red blood cells get high, you can have a heart attack, stroke, sudden death. It happens fairly frequently," says Dr. Scott Isaacs, a board-certified endocrinologist who specializes in obesity and cardiometabolic disease. "Complications from high testosterone are not rare. Every endocrinologist has seen them."

Concerns that testosterone could be abused led to it being labeled a controlled substance in 1991. This means, in theory, that prescriptions are strictly regulated and monitored, including the amount of T that can be obtained with a single prescription.

The question now is whether those restrictions should be pulled back because they create barriers for people with low T to get treatment.

The issue of access was at the forefront of Landon Trost's mind when he recommended easing restrictions on TRT at the FDA panel meeting last year.

Trost, the director of the Male Fertility and Peyronie's Clinic in Orem, Utah, argues that outdated warnings and classifications have created unnecessary stigma and barriers to accessing what is a "normal physiological hormone." Treating someone who wants T "like a criminal" only creates stigma, he says.

The FDA panel that Trost participated in, which included researchers, clinicians, and the CEO of a pharmaceutical startup, overwhelmingly recommended loosening restrictions on testosterone and getting it to more men. Trost said he was the most conservative of the bunch and that other panelists were much more enthusiastic about getting T to more men.

"We don't talk about this stuff enough," FDA commissioner Marty Makary said during the panel discussion. "This is central to the health and well-being of many Americans."

The debate over the safety of TRT hinges, in part, on a 2023 study that challenged assumptions about the link between the therapy and heart attacks. The study, commissioned by the FDA, found no increased risk of heart attacks among men on testosterone, assuming there was strict medical supervision and that levels stayed below 800 ng/dL.

But Dr. Steven Nissen, the study's senior author, points out that consumers are being offered far higher doses of testosterone. That's a gamble for heart health, he says.

"I don't want our study to be used to facilitate abuse of the drug," he says.

Nissen says he's concerned that the hype around testosterone has gotten out of control. He said that research on the carefully-controlled, responsible use of TRT may be taken out of context to make misleading claims that testosterone is risk-free.

"The scary part here is that this is just not wacky people on TikTok advocating this," Nissen says. "This is actually people in authority that are implying that men have too low testosterone levels, which of course sets the stage for them to take supplements that they shouldn't take."

The Trump administration has both sounded the alarm about low T and explored ways to get TRT to more people.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the 72-year-old health secretary who's been known to show off his buff physique, touts TRT as part of his antiaging regimen and calls falling sperm counts among teenagers an "existential problem."

The revised Dietary Guidelines for Americans have a dozen new references to testosterone, including naming nutrients and supplements that can help boost T .

What alarms some doctors is that TRT use is actively encouraged and made more accessible, even as consumers lack sufficient information about the risks.

"We need good, careful studies to understand all of this, and we certainly shouldn't be telling men that they can enhance their testosterone level with dietary changes," Nissen says. "Testosterone does not belong in the dietary guidelines."

In fact, most of the habits recommended for normal testosterone coincide perfectly with the overall health advice we've heard for decades: eat mostly whole foods with enough protein and healthy fats, get plenty of physical activity, and manage your stress and sleep.

But as Bobby Najari, a urologist at NYU Langone, points out, "it's not like eating a steak is going to boost testosterone."

Far less controversial is the idea that some people who could benefit from TRT are reluctant to seek it out.

"People are suffering in silence with low testosterone, either because they're embarrassed to talk about it or scared of the potential side effects, and you have people very interested in taking it and one way or another, they're going to find someone to put them on testosterone," Dubin says. "We need to do better in both situations."

Still, consumers should be clear-eyed about what testosterone can do for them, Dubin and other clinicians say.

"There's this idea that treating low testosterone is going to solve all your problems, that if you want to feel like a man, lose weight, and gain all this muscle, just take testosterone," Dubin says. "It's not a magic pill."

• Lockheed Martin's F-35 program is estimated to cost more than $2 trillion over its lifetime.
• Most F-35 costs come from sustainment, with 75% of expenses due to maintenance and repairs.
• Lawmakers push for repair rights as Lockheed Martin controls key F-35 maintenance elements.

Lockheed Martin's F-35 stealth fighter is one of the most advanced aircraft ever built — and the most expensive, given how many the US military plans to buy.

By its scale and state-of-the-art technology, it showcases the soaring costs America bears to build weapons at a time its rivals can do so more cheaply, threatening the US's edge.

The fighter jet program is expected to cost $2.1 trillion over its lifetime through 2088, including the planned production of over 2,400 jets by 2049.

Designed as a fifth-generation aircraft that can replace multiple planes, carry out a wide range of missions, and avoid radar detection, the F-35 reflects a broader shift toward more complex, costly military technology.

Sustainment drives most of the F-35's $2 trillion price

A single F-35 is not the most expensive aircraft in the US arsenal — it's the program's massive scale and projected 94-year lifespan that drive its cost.

The F-15EX Eagle II, for example, costs about $99 million for Boeing to produce, compared with roughly $90 million for the F-35. Other aircraft cost much more. Each B-2 Spirit stealth bomber costs an average of $2 billion.

Building the aircraft is only part of the total price. The majority of the F-35 program's cost comes after production.

Sustainment — the cost of maintaining and repairing the aircraft over time — accounts for about 75% of the program's total estimated cost, according to a 2024 Government Accountability Office report.

Keeping combat jets flying is inherently expensive, and a major driver is the spare parts needed to keep aircraft mission-ready.

That requires a constant flow of replacement components — and demand only grows as the jet accumulates wear and "lifecycle damage," Paul Saunier, a retired Lockheed Martin engineer who worked on the F-35, told Business Insider.

Because sustainment stretches over decades, the need for parts — and the logistics systems to deliver them — compounds over time, steadily pushing up the program's total cost.

For instance, sustainment estimates increased from about $1.1 trillion in 2018 to roughly $1.58 trillion in 2023, according to the GAO, which attributed part of the rise to the longer period of flying for each aircraft. With each aircraft still well above the original sustainment target — $4.1 million for each Air Force plane — the expected cost to keep the fleet flying grows as more F-35s enter the US military's flight lines.

A Lockheed Martin spokesperson told Business Insider over email that the company has worked to bring those costs down. While the cost to keep the entire fleet flying has increased, the annual sustainment costs per aircraft have actually fallen by roughly one-third over the past decade.

Structural cost pressures remain

Parts themselves are expensive, in part because they come from a limited pool of authorized suppliers.

Those manufacturers are often tied to the US defense industrial base, where production costs are structurally higher, as well as other advanced economies like the UK, Australia, and Canada.

American factories rely on higher-paid labor and face persistent worker shortages, which can push wages up further or slow production — both of which raise the price of parts. In the US alone, F-35 production supports an estimated 317,000 jobs.

Moreover, unlike consumer products like iPhones and steel, defense contractors can't easily shift production to the lowest-cost manufacturers overseas, since US law requires prioritizing US-made items; these decisions are also driven by national security concerns. Parts for the F-35, for example, are produced in the US and in the countries of close allies approved to buy them.

Scale also matters. The F-35 fleet is roughly 25 times larger than the F-15EX program and includes three different variants, helping drive its projected lifetime sustainment cost to over a trillion, compared with about $63 billion for the F-15EX.

The F-35 is also produced at a far higher rate than other Western fighter programs. Lockheed Martin delivers on average 150 jets annually, while competitors like Boeing's F-15EX, Dassault's Rafale, and the Eurofighter Typhoon produce a few dozen jets per year.

Lockheed Martin's role in repairs draws attention from lawmakers

A 2025 GAO report found that the US military may not have the data rights needed to perform maintenance activities without an authorized contractor.

Because Lockheed Martin owns key intellectual property for the F-35, the government must rely on the company for some maintenance work, including software diagnostics and engine repairs.

"The last thing our troops should be doing is waiting around for contractors who charge more for slower repairs," US Army veteran and Congressman Pat Ryan told Business Insider.

Lawmakers from both parties want to address the issue. In July 2025, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Tim Sheehy introduced the Warrior Right to Repair Act, which would give the military access to weapons systems data and intellectual property.

"It's giving control back to the military, ultimately back to the American people and taxpayers, that if we buy something, we should be able to fix it," said Ryan, who serves on the House Armed Services Committee, which oversees the country's annual defense budget.

The efficiency of IP-sharing may depend on the type of repair. Airmen would likely be able to perform more diagnostic tests, for example, but that's a far cry from rapidly fabricating an advanced component, like a jet engine. The US government lacks its own in-house capacity to manufacture advanced jet engines, relying instead on specialized defense contractors like Pratt & Whitney, the prime contractor of the F-35's powerful engine.

A Lockheed Martin spokesperson wrote that government customers already have access to the data needed to operate and maintain the F-35 globally, and that it is working with the Defense Department's Joint Program Office to expand access to analytics tools, including predictive modeling, to improve maintenance efficiency. The company added that it has invested more than $2 billion in recent spending to boost capabilities and readiness across the fleet.

How decades of policy shaped today's costs

The F-35's price reflects a longer shift in how the US builds weapons.

During World War II, the US relied on mass production, including the rapid conversion of factories to wartime products like tanks and parachutes. A B-17 bomber cost about $200,000 in 1944 — roughly $3.5 million today (a far cry from the $100 million price tag for an F-35).

Factories like Henry Ford's Willow Run plant produced aircraft at scale, sometimes as quickly as one bomber per hour. It takes around 18 months to produce an F-35 jet today.

That model drastically shifted after the war. As weapons became more complex during the Cold War, the focus shifted from quantity toward advanced capabilities, driving up production costs. And as US companies consolidated, many came to focus wholly or largely on government clients rather than on commercial ones.

As the Cold War ended, political pressure to cut military spending grew and the vast standing force began to shrink. By 1997, major contractors had been forced to consolidate from 51 to five: Lockheed Martin, Raytheon (now RTX), Boeing, General Dynamics, and Northrop Grumman.

Paradoxically, this drove higher costs for weapons. In this system, the top contractors gained near-monopolies over entire classes of weapons: Bombers, submarines, aircraft carriers, and intercontinental ballistic missiles. "You might imagine that this leaves the government in a position of little leverage," Shelby Oakley, director in the GOA's Contracting and National Security Acquisitions department, told Business Insider.

Modern weapons programs also face delays. Early projections expected the F-35's first delivery in 2008, but the aircraft was not delivered until 2011.

More recently, in 2023, F-35 deliveries were an average of 61 days late and grew to 238 days in 2024, largely due to a software holdup. Lockheed Martin resolved the issue the following year and, in 2025, delivered a record 191 planes, which included the previous backlog.

As defense spending continues to grow, the debate is not only about how much the US spends, but how that money translates into equipment, timelines, and long-term value for taxpayers and service members.

• Zoe Saldaña, 47, says getting older led her to simplify her beauty routine.
• The actor said she used to spend a lot of time mastering the "no-makeup makeup" look when she was younger.
• "And now it literally is no makeup, except mascara," she said.

Zoe Saldaña, 47, says she wears less makeup as she's gotten older.

"I don't wear makeup. I can't remember the last time," Saldaña told Harper's Bazaar in an interview published on Monday.

"When I was younger, the idea of walking out without makeup — I would always do the no-makeup makeup thing. I would spend so much time mastering that. And now it literally is no makeup, except mascara. I'll put on mascara because I do need that little volume," Saldaña said.

Earlier this year, Saldaña became the highest-grossing actor of all time, with her films grossing more than $15.47 billion worldwide.

She says lessons from her family still shape the way she takes care of herself.

"I think it was like my grandma, and my mom too. It's just hygiene, good hygiene. To have a clean mind, a clean heart, and a clean body are all imperative things to living a good life," Saldaña said.

In her family, beauty comes down to cleanliness, shaped in part by her Caribbean upbringing. "It's just, it's a lifestyle for us. Caribbean peoples, you know, it's so hot in the Caribbean, so you're constantly taking showers," she said.

Saldaña added that her "less is more" philosophy stems from her mother.

"My mom did not believe in overwhelming our bodies and our systems with too many products. So for her, it was as natural as possible," she said. "But also, there was that one thing that worked. Let's just stick to that one thing, and let's not overstimulate our senses."

She's also not the only celebrity who has embraced a more minimal approach to makeup.

Alicia Keys has long been open about going makeup-free. In 2016, Keys wrote an essay about her decision to go barefaced for the now-defunct Lenny Letter, a weekly newsletter and website created by Lena Dunham and Jennifer Konner.

"I hope to God it's a revolution. 'Cause I don't want to cover up anymore. Not my face, not my mind, not my soul, not my thoughts, not my dreams, not my struggles, not my emotional growth. Nothing," Keys wrote.

Pamela Anderson has also spoken about how she stopped wearing makeup after the death of her longtime makeup artist, Alexis Vogel.

"She was the best. And since then, I just felt, without Alexis, it's just better for me not to wear makeup," Anderson told Elle in 2023.

• SpaceX is willing to pay $60 billion for AI coding startup Cursor.
• Meet Cursor's founders, investors, and customers, which include Nvidia and Stripe.
• Cursor's valuation has climbed even as competition in the AI coding space heats up.

A 4-year-old startup just got Elon Musk to agree to fork out up to $60 billion.

On Tuesday, Musk's SpaceX announced that it struck a deal with Cursor, giving it the right to acquire the AI coding startup for $60 billion or pay $10 billion for Cursor's work if it's not acquired.

The deal lets the space and AI company put its own horse in the AI coding race. SpaceX, which owns AI assistant Grok, competes with Anthropic's Claude Code, OpenAI's Codex, and, now, vibe-coding startups such as Lovable, Emergent, and Bolt.

"The combination of Cursor's leading product and distribution to expert software engineers with SpaceX's million H100 equivalent Colossus training supercomputer will allow us to build the world's most useful models," SpaceX said.

For Cursor, the deal gives it access to SpaceX's massive computing resources, including Colossus, a supercomputer powered by 200,000 Nvidia GPUs.

"Excited to partner with the SpaceX team to scale up Composer. A meaningful step on our path to build the best place to code with AI," said Cursor's cofounder and CEO, Michael Truell.

Take a look inside the San-Francisco-based startup, which quickly became a household name in the software development and AI communities.

Born out of a frustration with Copilot

Cursor, the AI coding editor built by parent company Anysphere, was founded by four MIT classmates — Truell, Sualeh Asif, Arvid Lunnemark, and Aman Sanger.

The 20-somethings set out to make coding feel less like manual editing and more like a collaboration with AI.

On a 2024 Lex Fridman podcast, the founders described Cursor as a code editor that puts AI inside the software development process. They said they did not want a product like Microsoft's VS Code or Copilot — a chat window bolted on an existing editing tool.

"When we started Cursor, you really felt this frustration that models, you could see models getting better, but the Copilot experience had not changed," Asif said. "It was like, 'Man, the ceiling is getting higher, why are they not making new things?' They should be making new things."

Top-tier investors

The fledgling company raised a pre-seed round in 2022 and an $8 million seed round led by OpenAI's Startups Fund in 2023. In 2024, the startup closed its first major funding round: a $60 million Series A at a $400 million valuation with marquee investors including Andreessen Horowitz, Thrive Capital, and founders from Stripe and OpenAI.

In November 2025, Cursor announced a $2.3 billion Series D with existing backers Accel, Thrive, and A16z, joined by Coatue, Nvidia, and Google. The round — its last disclosed valuation — valued the startup at $29.3 billion.

Cursor has offices in San Francisco and New York and about 400 employees.

Execs have said that they pulled off "crazy recruiting stunts" to nab the best talent, especially the first 10 employees.

On a November podcast, Truell said that quirky hiring practices included "flying across the world to the person after they say no" — and even making up a dinner with researchers to lure them back into conversation.

"They end up being one of the best people on the team," he added.

Customer list

Cursor's customer list is another key marker of its rapid growth.

Its public client list is a who's who of tech: Stripe, Coinbase, Discord, Salesforce, Neuralink, and Nvidia.

Nvidia's Jensen Huang has been an especially strong advocate for Cursor.

In an October talk, Huang said that 100% of Nvidia's software engineers and chip designers use Cursor.

"We now have AIs for all of our engineers," he said. "Productivity gains, the work that we do is so much better."

At a conference last month, the Nvidia CEO gave Cursor prime advertising real estate by wearing a leather jacket adorned with a giant Cursor logo on the back.

In June 2025, Business Insider reported that Amazon was in talks with Cursor to adopt the AI coding tool internally after employees demanded it.

Comparisons with Claude Code

But it hasn't been all smooth sailing for the company.

After Anthropic released its latest model, Opus 4.6, in February, founders and developers said on X that they were ditching Cursor for Anthropic's Claude Code.

In early March, Chamath Palihapitiya, a venture capitalist and the founder of software incubator 8090, said that Cursor was one of his company's biggest AI costs.

"We need to migrate off of Cursor," he wrote on X. "It's just too expensive vs Claude Code. The latter is equivalent, and if you use the Pro plan, you eliminate huge Cursor bills for token consumption."

On a podcast released in late February, Insight Partners cofounder Jerry Murdock, who left the firm in 2011, said that Cursor is behind its peers.

"Most of the companies I mentioned, their view is that Cursor is obsolete today," he said. "I think those guys are going to have to quickly embrace autonomous agents."

Anthropic's last model releases were widely seen as a wake-up call to the company and have spurred its push to expand beyond code completion.

Earlier this month, Cursor announced the launch of Cursor 3, a product that allows users to create AI coding agents to complete tasks on their behalf.

SpaceX partnership

Before Tuesday's announcement, the two companies had already started showing signs of a partnership.

Last week, Business Insider reported that SpaceX-owned xAI was planning to provide Cursor with computing power.

Cursor plans to train its latest AI coding model, Composer 2.5, on xAI infrastructure, people familiar with the matter said. Cursor will use tens of thousands of xAI's graphic processing units, the chips used to train AI models, they said.

Earlier this month, Business Insider reported that xAI hired two former Cursor product engineering leads, Andrew Milich and Jason Ginsburg, to oversee the product team. They report to Musk and xAI president Michael Nicolls.

The Cursor partnership is the latest bang in a year of big announcements for the space company. In February, it acquired xAI, Musk's AI startup and the maker of Grok. In early April, SpaceX confidentially filed for an IPO, setting the stage for a potential public market debut later this year.

• Demi Moore, 63, says her wellness routine is shaped by how she ends her day.
• Having an evening routine helps her "transition from the chaos of the day into a state of rest," she said.
• She added that getting older has made her less hard on herself and more focused on her overall well-being.

Demi Moore, 63, says a big part of her wellness routine is about how she winds down at night.

Speaking to Elle in an interview published Tuesday, "The Substance" star said she relies on a few daily habits to help her feel her best.

"I start my days with meditation and being present. I love journaling as well. Then I like to get my body moving and get the blood flowing. I also prioritize hydration and sleep," Moore said, adding that what she puts in her body and on her skin really matters to her.

She's also learned that how she winds down at the end of the day can make a noticeable difference.

"I've become very intentional about my evening routine. Taking the time to truly transition from the chaos of the day into a state of rest has been life-changing, and part of that is doing my skin care," Moore said.

After all, small, consistent acts of self-care can go a long way, she said.

With age, Moore said she's become less hard on herself and more focused on her own well-being.

"When I was younger, I was really trying to figure out who I was, and that can lead you in many directions. But now, learning to focus on longevity and health, there's no room for judgment because you're working toward a goal of strength and vitality," Moore said.

It's helped her grow more comfortable with who she is. "And there's no one better to be than you," she added.

Moore said she's come to see new beginnings a little differently at this stage in her life.

"I've really come to love the word 'reset.' I appreciate the journey that I've been on, but sometimes you do feel like you want to reset, in a way," Moore said. "I really believe in the power of choice, so it's not about starting over; it's about choosing a new path, a new direction for yourself and your future, at any stage of your life."

It's not the first time Moore has opened up about her wellness habits, particularly her diet.

In an April 2025 interview with People, the actor said she eats eggs, avoids meat, and focuses on "nutrient-dense" foods. Still, she allows herself the occasional indulgence.

"I mean, I'm not perfect. I still do drink Red Bull. I do love it. But not many. One," Moore said.

She is also not the only celebrity who has opened up about her nighttime routine.

Hilary Swank told Business Insider in 2024 that she always makes time for skincare before going to bed because she "could never go to sleep with a dirty face."

Keke Palmer told Business Insider in May that she always falls asleep to a sitcom like "Girlfriends" or "Gilmore Girls," or another kind of comfort show.

Earlier this month, Jane Seymour, 75, told Business Insider that she avoids sleep anxiety by having a notepad within reach.

• The Unmanned Systems Forces said it scored a Shahed kill with an interceptor drone from a sea drone.
• The Ukrainian drone warfighting branch said the interception was a world first for drones.
• The unit said the tactic gives Ukraine an extra buffer layer to intercept Shaheds from the south.

Ukraine's drone warfare branch said on Sunday that its troops destroyed a Russian Shahed by launching an interceptor drone from an uncrewed surface vessel for the first time.

The Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) wrote in a post on X that the interception was carried out "for the first time in the world" against a Shahed loitering munition.

"This marks a new level of integration between naval and aerial unmanned capabilities," wrote the USF, publishing video clips of the apparent launch and interception.

The interception was executed by a naval unit of the 412th Nemesis Brigade, the USF said.

The clips appear to show the interceptor drone launching from a cubby on the remote-controlled vessel, with a hatch door opening to allow the interceptor to fly upward. The video later appears to show the interceptor's camera approaching a delta-wing drone from behind, before the footage cuts.

The USF said the launch could help to create an "additional layer of protection for Ukrainian cities." Hundreds of Russia's Shahed attacks on Ukraine's southern border are launched from Crimea, meaning their flight paths to the coastal cities of Odesa and Mykolaiv would often go over the Black Sea.

The Wild Hornets, a Ukrainian interceptor drone manufacturer, said its Sting drone was involved in the operation.

"Incredible innovations roll out every day from Wild Hornets and Ukrainian defenders," a representative for the manufacturer wrote on X.

The new tactic combines two cheap wartime innovations that have now become commonplace in Ukraine — aerial drones for destroying loitering munitions and sea-faring drones that replace many of the tasks carried out by traditional warships.

Both were born out of necessity, since Ukraine lacked a proper navy to face Russia's Black Sea Fleet and couldn't afford to use expensive air defense missiles to counter frequent Shahed attacks.

The interceptor-sea drone teaming also comes as the US and its allies in the Middle East have recently been pressed for cost-efficient ways of defending against Iran's drone attacks, especially in the Strait of Hormuz.

Traffic out of the vital oil shipping lane has plunged since the US and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury on February 28, with Iran placing mines and threatening passing vessels with drone attacks.

Though the strait has recently been said to be partially open, multiple blockades and intermittent naval attacks in the area have left shippers confused over its true status.

On Monday, Ukraine's defense ministry encouraged its allies to seek its expertise, saying it had years of experience countering Russian and Iranian-made drones and operating in contested waters.

• A new AI startup, Core Automation, has entered the chat.
• Started by an ex-OpenAI researcher, it has "nerdsniped" top talent from Anthropic and Google DeepMind.
• From day one, the startup has branded itself as "the world's most automated AI lab."

A new AI startup called Core Automation, founded by an ex-OpenAI researcher, is snatching top talent from Anthropic and Google DeepMind.

On Tuesday, Core Automation wrote in its first X post that it is "building the world's most automated AI lab."

"Our objective: systems that optimize and automate work, starting with research itself," the company wrote in the post. Jerry Tworek, a former vice president at OpenAI, lists himself as the CEO and cofounder of Core Automation on his X bio.

In an X post on Tuesday, Anthropic researcher Rohan Anil said he left the company after Tworek "nerdsniped" him.

"Ok I did leave anthropic, a few weeks ago, it was one of the best places to work for a researcher," Anil, who also worked in Google DeepMind, wrote. "Jerry Tworek nerdsniped me into starting this with him and others."

Anmol Gulati, a research scientist from Google DeepMind working on Gemini, said in a post that he was "starting something new with some exceptional people."

"I've increasingly felt that the current research paradigm — scaling models, data, and static deployment won't get us all the way," Gulati wrote. "We believe the next phase comes from something different: new learning algorithms, architectures beyond today's stack, and systems that automate the process of building itself."

Joanne Jang, whose LinkedIn says that she was a general manager at OpenAI from December 2021 to April 2026, has written in her X bio, "trying to automate myself @coreautoai."

Others who have shared that they've joined the team include former Google DeepMind staffers Ehsan Amid and Avery Lamp, OpenAI's ex-head of people, Julia Villagra, and Sai Surya Duvvuri, a former research intern at Google and Meta.

On its website, Core Automation wrote that its team consists of people who have "helped build frontier models" and "influential architectures."

Big Tech to AI startups

It's not the first time top AI researchers have left big labs for startups.

Yann LeCun, formerly Meta's chief AI scientist, left the company to start his AI startup Advanced Machine Intelligence Labs, also known as AMI Labs. The startup focuses on developing world models — AI systems that better understand and reflect the real world.

AMI Labs' approach departs from Meta's focus on commercially driven model development and scaling.

Last year, tech giants were battling over top AI talent, offering multibillion-dollar acquihires and massive pay packages.

Startups were also active players in the talent war, offering competitive salaries and equity packages, as well as the unique impact and ownership that come with working at a smaller company.

Shawn Thorne, managing director at executive search firm True Search, told Business Insider last year that base salaries at startups rose rapidly as they compete to attract AI talent.

Equity is "the big factor" helping offset the "opportunity cost" for top researchers or engineers who might otherwise choose to start their own ventures, he said.

To sweeten the deal, startups also offer additional incentives such as cofounder titles, access to compute, and time for independent research, Thorne added.

• After retiring at 53, Kelly Benthall and her husband began traveling around the world.
• What began as a search for freedom became an unexpected lesson in decision fatigue.
• Now, in year two, they've found a new way to structure their travel.

When I retired early, I assumed the hard part was over.

No more meetings. No more deadlines imposed by someone else. My husband and I began traveling in long arcs, staying at least a month in each place. We would unpack, settle in, and let daily life take over. Some weeks were quiet and local; other times we took short trips before returning to reset.

When we left our jobs in August 2024, our goal was freedom.

What I didn't anticipate was how tiring that would become — not because anything was wrong, but because freedom came with more decisions than I was used to making.

After about a year and a half of traveling across 14 countries, most of what I learned came in the last six months. Every day required dozens of small choices: routes, weather, how far was too far, when a short trip became too much.

Even rest became something I had to justify.

Nothing was actually wrong

My husband and I were healthy, financially secure, and in beautiful places. This was the life I'd imagined.

But by the end of the first year, something felt off.

What wore me down wasn't any single experience. It was the accumulation of constant, low-level decisions.

Looking back, part of the problem was overconfidence. Early on, we planned the big things — a cave hotel in Matera, a fast-paced route across England, dive recertification in Mauritius. Later, in places like New Zealand, we assumed we could wing it.

That worked — until it didn't

In Lake Tekapo, we missed the hot pools and stargazing because we hadn't booked ahead. We drove around in the dark instead — technically there, but missing the experience we came for.

Moments like that pushed us to move faster, stacking "must-dos" closer together. Soon, the days started competing with each other.

I felt it most during what should have been a highlight: landing by helicopter on New Zealand's Earnslaw Burn Glacier. It was vast and cinematic, with waterfalls spilling from rock faces and ice carved over centuries.

I'd been looking forward to it for weeks. But standing there, I felt almost nothing.

It wasn't the helicopter. It was what came before and after: jet boating, Milford Sound, the TranzAlpine train. Each was unforgettable on its own, but together they blurred.

When everything competes for attention — logistics, decisions, once-in-a-lifetime moments — something gets diluted.

I started noticing how often I was deciding. Freedom had quietly turned into constant optimization.

My definition of luxury began to change

For most of my career, I worked in career in oil and gas, making decisions all day. Most of them small, many of them reversible. The structure of work — meetings, timelines, expectations — meant I wasn't deciding everything from scratch.

At work, when a decision felt urgent, I learned to wait. I'd step out of the room, delay the call, let the day pass. Almost always, something shifted, and the decision became clearer.

Without those guardrails, the decisions didn't disappear. They multiplied.

What I needed wasn't more freedom, but some structure. I didn't need to control everything, but I did want to reduce how much I had to think about.

The difference was immediate when we slowed down. We stayed longer, returned to the same café, let the weather set the pace, and said no to side trips that required too much planning.

The irony is that I'd chased early retirement to gain control over my time. What I learned instead is that control doesn't come from endless options. It comes from designing your life to require less from you.

The most luxurious thing travel gave me wasn't adventure, it was fewer decisions.

The path to partnership used to be the dream — especially at Bain, McKinsey, or BCG.

But in the AI boom, some consultants have traded slide decks for startups. As AI reshapes industries and lowers the barriers to building a company, advising from the sidelines no longer feels like enough.

Several of the former consultants we spoke to said they'd long had the itch to build. AI simply made the timing feel right.

Others said that after years in consulting, owning a business — rather than recommending strategies to others — felt like the natural next step.

The shift away from the Big Four — EY, Deloitte, PwC, and KPMG — has become more pronounced. James Ransome, a partner and strategy consulting lead at Patrick Morgan, a firm specializing in senior partner hiring and industry analysis, said last year that there was an "exodus" from traditional consulting powerhouses.

At the same time, traditional consulting hiring has slowed. Data from workforce intelligence firm Revelio Labs shows entry-level inflows into consulting firms fell 54% year-over-year in June 2025. Among more senior hires — what Revelio classifies as "manager" level — monthly inflows dropped 22%, the firm told Business Insider in a September report.

For those who moved, it wasn't easy to shed their consulting background.

"I went from being in a huge office with all kinds of perks to being in a coworking space with just two other people," Nathan Wangliao, who left McKinsey in his 20s for startup life, told Business Insider. "We had to figure everything out from scratch."

In his first month, he even considered going back. "This feels too scary," he recalled thinking.

Many of these former consultants said they had to unlearn consulting habits, such as overanalyzing, chasing perfect data, and avoiding risk. As one of them put it, being in a startup means needing to "move fast with scrappy pragmatism."

We spoke with four former consultants about why they left MBB firms to build AI startups, what consulting taught them, and what it took to break away.

Read more stories about these consultants who left to become AI founders

• Yiming Zhang, a top quant researcher, resigned from Jump Trading last week.
• Zhang is expected to get funding from hedge fund Millennium as an external manager, sources said.
• Jump quants typically must sit out a lengthy non-compete period as long as two years upon leaving.

A top quant researcher who resigned from systematic trading firm Jump Trading Group last week is getting backing from hedge fund giant Millennium Management, Business Insider has learned.

Yiming Zhang, one of Jump's most senior researchers and a 17-year veteran of the firm, is expected to start as an external manager for Millennium on an exclusive basis after his non-compete restrictions expire, people familiar with the matter said.

Jump, like many secretive quant trading firms, is well-known for enforcing lengthy non-compete provisions, which can last two years even for non-executive employees.

A Millennium spokesman declined to comment. Zhang did not respond to a request for comment.

A Jump representative did not respond to a request for comment. After the resignations last week of Zhang and fellow senior researcher Darko Kirovski, Jump cofounder Paul Gurinas told Business Insider in a statement: "Yiming and Darko were instrumental in Jump's growth over the last 17 years, and we'll be forever grateful for that. They will be friends of the firm forever."

Zhang and Kirovski were influential researchers at Jump Core Strategies, one of the trading firm's largest and most profitable units.

Kirovski's plans after leaving Jump could not be learned. He did not respond to a request for comment.

Millennium, which manages $84 billion, has hundreds of internal teams trading across the spectrum of hedge fund strategies. In recent years, however, it has also become one of the biggest backers of external hedge fund talent, seeding experienced investors with capital, often through separately managed accounts.

• OpenAI's first workspace, Greg Brockman's former residence, is on the market for $1.5 million.
• The unit at 2977 21st St. had its first open house and is attracting attention for its history.
• The residence features two floors, three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and two outdoor decks.

You could own the birthplace of OpenAI — if you have $1.5 million to spare.

When OpenAI first launched in 2015, its founders, including Sam Altman, did not have an office and primarily worked out of cofounder Greg Brockman's apartment in the Mission. That very loft apartment on the upper levels of 2977 21st St. in San Francisco has been listed for sale for $1,545,000 and had its first open house over the weekend.

Shane Ray, the listing agent with Compass, told Business Insider that while some visitors arrive knowing the history of the unit, which is in a Victorian house built in 1885, others are simply attracted to the floor plan and are pleasantly surprised when they discover the association with one of the world's most valuable companies.

"I think real estate is one part just logistics and a transaction, but there's a part of it for everybody that's a little bit emotional," said Ray.

"I don't know if this changes the price of the property, but even if it's not that OpenAI started in that living room, any history that you can know about a place always adds a little bit to your understanding of the place and how you view the place," Ray added.

The building

The upper unit spans two floors and occupies about two-thirds of the building's available space. It was fully renovated by the building's current owner in 2015. There's also a commercial unit and another apartment on the ground level, respectively occupied by an architecture firm and a longtime tenant.

According to Ray, the building's owner is a photographer who bought the building more than a decade ago with the intention of making the upper unit his studio, but later changed his mind. Brockman became his first tenant and eventually left during the pandemic.

The layout

The 1,816-square-foot apartment features three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and two outdoor decks.

The floor plan centers on a spacious open-concept main level, where a vaulted great room with exposed beams and wide-plank white oak flooring. The upper windows bring abundant natural light directly into the main floor.

Upstairs, the primary suite has direct access to a deck overlooking a shared garden for all building residents. Two additional bedrooms are located at the rear of the main level, along with a second full bathroom.

A look inside

Ray said the unit's interior is "a nice mix of old and new," with Victorian features like honeycomb windows, but a bright, open, modern interior with updated appliances.

The interior features an in-unit washer and dryer, an open kitchen with an island, wooden beams, a bathtub, and built-in closets in the primary bedroom on the second floor.

Pricing and availability

According to Ray, the owner has listed the entire building for a little under $2 million, with an option to purchase only the upper unit. There is no HOA for the building because all units are owned by a single individual, but if only the upper unit sells, there will be a plan to co-own the building.

"We're likely setting an offer date later this week," said Ray. "Most of the people who are interested seem to be interested in the full building, and we've had a lot of interest."

Orlando and Detroit go head-to-head once again in the first round of the NBA Playoffs after the Magic upset the Pistons in Game 1. Below, you can find everything you need to know about Game 2, including where to watch Magic vs. Pistons, the schedule for the rest of the series, and more.

If you don't want to read any further, you can live stream Magic vs. Pistons Game 2 on ESPN Unlimited in the US and on NBA League Pass in several other countries, including the UK and Australia. We'll break down a few other watch options below, including US services with free trials.

Where to watch Magic vs. Pistons in the US

The Magic vs. Pistons game will air on ESPN in the US. The game is scheduled to kick off on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET. Cord-cutters have a few different live streaming options to explore when it comes to ESPN. The network's direct streaming counterpart, ESPN Unlimited, costs $30 a month and offers total live stream to ESPN's full family of networks (including ESPN on ABC content).

You can also live stream ESPN through one of the best live TV streaming services we've tested. DirecTV, Fubo, and Sling TV are three of our favorites. ESPN is available in DirecTV's MySports plan, which starts at $65 a month ($45 a month for your first two months) and comes with a five-day free trial. ESPN can also be found in Fubo's Sports + News plan, which costs $56 a month ($46 in your first month) and comes with a five-day free trial. ESPN is also available in Sling's Orange and Essentials plans, which cost $46 a month and $20 a month, respectively. Additionally, Sling Orange is available in budget-friendly short-term passes, which start at $5 for a single-day pass.

How to watch Magic vs. Pistons from anywhere

If you're traveling away from home and still hoping to keep up with your usual streaming options, you can do so with the help of a VPN. Short for virtual private networks, VPNs are handy cybersecurity tools that let people change their electronic devices' virtual locations. This way, their favorite websites and apps work just like they would back home. The services we've recommended above require country-specific payment methods, so this option will work best for those who are simply traveling abroad right now.

NordVPN is one of the best VPN services on the market right now. It's fast, user-friendly, and has a hassle-free 30-day money-back guarantee if you find that it's not what you're looking for. You can learn more in our NordVPN review.

Pistons vs. Magic First Round schedule

Pistons vs. Magic Game 2 odds

According to BetMGM, the Detroit Pistons are the favorites to win the game. At the time of writing, the spread is -8.5 for Detroit, and the over/under is 218.5.

Where is the Pistons vs. Magic Game 2?

The Pistons vs. Magic Game 2 will be held at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. This is the Pistons' second home game in the series. After this, the series will head to Orlando for the next two games.

Note: The use of VPNs is illegal in certain countries, and using VPNs to access region-locked streaming content might constitute a breach of the terms of use for certain services. Business Insider does not endorse or condone the illegal use of VPNs.

• OpenAI released ChatGPT Images 2.0, a new image generator, on Thursday.
• The company teased the model by showing a fake screenshot.
• ChatGPT Images 2.0 can also generate images based on prompts written in other languages.

OpenAI wants you to know how good its latest image generator is —and it has a few fake screenshots and pictures of pictures to prove it.

On Tuesday, OpenAI announced ChatGPT Images 2.0, a new image model that it says has "thinking capabilities," which includes the ability to crawl the internet and "double check" its own output.

Some of the examples are made to look like fake screenshots or of a person thumbing through a magazine, further blurring the lines between what's real and fake as AI-generated images and videos continue to proliferate on the internet

In teasing the release, OpenAI shared an AI-generated picture on X that mimics a desktop screenshot of a Google Chrome tab on a Mac. The fake screenshot shows a tab opened to ChatGPT's website, talking about Tuesday's livestream of the new model.

"The team really cooked on this one," OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said during the livestream.

OpenAI said in a press release that Images 2.0 can also generate pictures from prompts in multiple languages, including Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Hindi, and Bengali.

In samples provided by OpenAI, the model created realistic advertisements, a photo of what appears to be a physical magazine, and multiple pages of manga.

A spokesperson for OpenAI said the company does not intend to copy or reproduce specific artwork and that the images are generated from patterns it has learned.

Outside mimicry, the model allowed for some creative twists on real-life celebrities and images, like an 1980s glam version of legendary investor Warren Buffett and a blueprint of a Business Insider editor's dinner.

The spokesperson added that OpenAI prevents copying styles of individual living artists, but it does allow recreating broader studio styles.

Mitch Stoltz, the IP litigation director for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, told Business Insider in an interview that the latest model alone doesn't raise copyright issues, and that the distinction OpenAI makes between images generated from specific artwork and those generated from patterns the model learned is important.

"If the output is substantially similar to something that the model was trained on or crawled, then there starts to be a copyright concern," Stoltz said. "But if it's similar on the level of an idea, or just something that occurs in the world, or even a style or a vibe — generally speaking, that's not enough, and that's not a copy under copyright law."

OpenAI is facing at least a dozen ongoing copyright suits from writers and news outlets, including The New York Times and George R.R. Martin.

"The copyright issues are the same as if you were simply using Photoshop, a darkroom, or a human artist to make these kinds of replicas," he said. "The issues for society, whether you call that ethical or political or whatever, are greater because it's easier, faster, and more available."

Societal implications aside, at least we get a looksmaxxing oracle.

• SpaceX, which also owns xAI, announced a partnership with coding startup Cursor.
• The partnership gives Cursor access to SpaceX's computing power.
• The announcement comes as SpaceX preps for a potential IPO later this year.

SpaceX announced Tuesday that it has struck a deal with Cursor that would give it the right to buy the coding startup for $60 billion or pay $10 billion for the work it's doing if there's no acquisition.

The partnership with Cursor gives Elon Musk's space company a major foothold in the AI coding race. Cursor gets access to SpaceX's computing resources, including Colossus, a supercomputer powered by 200,000 Nvidia GPUs.

"The combination of Cursor's leading product and distribution to expert software engineers with SpaceX's million H100 equivalent Colossus training supercomputer will allow us to build the world's most useful models," SpaceX said in a statement posted on X. "Cursor has also given SpaceX the right to acquire Cursor later this year for $60 billion or pay $10 billion for our work together."

Cursor co-founder Michael Truell said in an X post: "Excited to partner with the SpaceX team to scale up Composer. A meaningful step on our path to build the best place to code with AI."

SpaceX's partnership with Cursor comes at a pivotal moment for the company. In February, it acquired xAI, Musk's artificial-intelligence startup, broadening the rocket company's scope into AI infrastructure and software. Then in early April, SpaceX confidentially filed for an IPO, setting the stage for a potential public debut for later this year.

Buying Cursor would position SpaceX to compete more directly with frontier AI labs like Anthropic amid a heated race for more capable coding tools and AI agents.

XAI recently underwent shifts in its leadership structure as a slew of high-profile employees, including Musk's 11 original cofounders, left the startup. Musk said at a conference that Grok, xAI's chatbot, "is currently behind in coding."

Last week, Business Insider reported that xAI was planning to provide Cursor with computing power, according to sources familiar with the matter. It hired two former Cursor product engineering leads in March, Andrew Milich and Jason Ginsburg, to oversee the product team; they report directly to Musk and xAI president Michael Nicolls, as Business Insider previously reported.

Cursor, founded in 2022, has emerged as one of the fastest growing AI startups. Last November, the company said in a blogpost that it had reached $1 billion in annual recurring revenue with a team of over 300 employees. At the time, the company said it had completed a series D funding round at a $29.3 billion post-money valuation.

The company has also been pushing to expand beyond code completion. Earlier this year, it released its first agentic coding model, part of a broader effort to build tools that can take on more complex software tasks through agents.

"We've wanted to push our training efforts much further, but we've been bottlenecked by compute," the startup said in a blog, announcing its SpaceX partnership. "With this partnership, our team will leverage xAI's Colossus infrastructure to dramatically scale up the intelligence of our models."

• Many online retailers are currently experiencing shipping and delivery delays as they try to keep up with increasing demands amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.
• If you need household supplies and groceries quickly, going to a physical store may be the fastest option. 
• Curbside pickup can be a safe alternative that doesn't require you to leave your car, and in some cases, it may be easier than securing a home delivery slot.
• Many stores on this list, including Target, CVS, Nordstrom, and more are closing early or closing stores temporarily amid looting and protests across the country, so check your local stores before placing orders for pickup. 
• Read more: A running list of where to buy groceries online when your local store is out of stock

Now that social distancing policies and stay-at-home orders are in place for most of the country, online shopping has become even more popular. It's usually a fast, reliable, and contact-free method of getting everything you need, from toilet paper to cleaning supplies to groceries.

However, because demand is currently so high, many stores are experiencing significant shipping delays, and home delivery time slots are often booked up weeks in advance. Some retailers, like Amazon, are also prioritizing shipment of essential supplies over non-essential products. 

Braving your local store might actually be the fastest option to check off your shopping list, but it can still feel risky despite the careful steps some retailers are taking to limit both customer and employee interactions. With curbside pickup, you don't have to leave your car, but you can still receive everything you need in a safe and timely manner. While the exact process varies from store to store, usually the customer will place an order online or via app, then wait for confirmation that it's ready for pickup. They'll then park in a designated area close to the retailer, and a store associate will bring out their purchases and load their trunk. 

Below, we've compiled an ongoing list detailing how curbside pickup works for individual nationwide retailers, to help you plan your next shopping trip. Stores are listed by category and in alphabetical order. 

Pick up your orders safely via curbside pickup at these nationwide stores: 

Big box retailers and department stores

• Bed Bath & Beyond: Selection locations are offering contactless curbside pickup. Before you start an order, check that your location is correct on the upper right side of the page. There, you can adjust the address to your nearest store and see options for store pickup and in-store shopping.
• Best Buy: Select "Use Curbside Pickup" when you place your order online or in the app. You'll receive an email when your order is ready. The confirmation email will include instructions on where to park and how to let a store associate know when you've arrived. Bring your photo ID and the credit card you used for your order. The store associate will place your order in the trunk. 
• Kmart: Before you start your order, select "Free Store Pickup" and your preferred store. You'll receive an email when your order is ready for pickup. Park near the entrance of the store, then call the store and a store associate will bring out your order. 
• Kohl's: Choose "Drive Up" or "Free Store Pickup" when you place your order online. Orders are ready in two hours if you place your order by 5 p.m. local time. You'll receive an email when your order is ready for pickup, and it'll also include instructions for a drive-up experience that complies with social distancing guidelines. A store associate will place your order in your trunk or back seat. 
• Macy's: Macy's is currently piloting a curbside pickup program at a few locations, including The Mall at Millennia, The Woodlands Mall, and Westfield Fashion Square, and it is only available on weekdays. If you order by 12 p.m. local time, you can pick it up the same day; otherwise, it'll be ready the next business day.  You'll receive an email when your order is ready, and it will contain additional pickup details. 
• Nordstrom: Curbside pickup is available at select stores. Select "Curbside Pickup" when you place your order online, and wait for the email or app confirmation. At the store, drive up to the designated area and call the store phone number or tap "I'm here" in the app, and a store associate will ask for your order information. They will place the order directly in your trunk. 
• Target: Use the Target app to shop and select "Drive Up" at checkout. The app will let you know when your order is ready to pick up. In the parking lot, park in the designated Drive Up section, and let the app know you've arrived (if you have your location services turned off). To reduce contact, no physical signature is needed, and a Target team member will load your trunk for you. 

Groceries

• Instacart: Since Instacart works for many local stores in your area, it's an easy way to get your grocery pickup order without searching for or committing to just one store. You can see which stores in your area offer pickup by clicking the "Stores" selector and choosing the "Pickup" toggle in the app.  When your order is ready for pickup, Instacart sends a notification to your phone along with directions for where and how to retrieve your order. Curbside pickup policies will vary by store. 
• Walmart: Use the website or app to shop for groceries, then select a time slot for curbside pickup. In the parking lot, park in the designated section, and let the app know you've arrived. To reduce contact, no physical signature is needed, and the store associate will load your trunk for you. Time slots are running out quickly, but Walmart is trying to add new ones each day. 
• Whole Foods: Place your order via Amazon and select the "Pickup" option and find your nearest Whole Foods location. Once you've finished your order and are ready to check out, choose your preferred time for pickup and aim to arrive at your local Whole Foods then. 
• Safeway: Place an order online for its professional shoppers to fulfill. Once the order has been fulfilled, you'll get a notification to go to the store where a shopper will drop your groceries in your car. 

Home

• Home Depot: Curbside pickup is available at select stores through mid-May. Most orders are ready within a few hours but extra processing time may be needed for large orders or items that require assembly. You'll receive a confirmation email or text. Once you get to the designated Curbside Pickup location at the store, call the phone number in your confirmation and a store associate will deliver your order to your trunk. 
• Office Depot and Office Max: Choose "Store Pickup" when checking out. Orders are typically ready within one hour. You'll receive an email when your order is ready to be picked up. Park in a spot near the front of the store and select "I'm Curbside" from your email. An associate will meet you outside. 
• Staples: Choose "Pick up curbside" at checkout, then wait for the confirmation email. Once you arrive at the store, you can call the store number, or speak to an associate outside. They will bring your order to your trunk. 
• The Container Store: Enter your location to see if Contactless Curbside Pickup is available. Place your order online or over the phone and select a pickup time slot. When you're on your way, call the store to let them know, park in the designated pickup area, and the store associate will load your trunk for you. 

Pets and baby

• Buy Buy Baby: On the website, select "Reserve Now" on individual product pages, or click "Find In-Store" to determine pickup availability.  A $1 authorization fee will appear on your card in order to secure your reservation. Your order should be available within two business hours. Once you arrive, call the store to make your payment, then a store associate will bring your order to your car.
• Petco: Place your order on the website or Petco app. When you select "I'll Pick It Up," you'll also save 10% on your order. Orders are typically ready within a few hours. Once your order is ready, you'll receive an email with the number to call once you've arrived in front of the store. A store associate will bring your order to your trunk. 
• PetSmart: Before starting your order, select "in-store pickup" and make sure you have the nearest location. Once you get an email confirmation that your order is ready, head to the store parking lot, call the store, select "0" from the menu option to speak with an associate, and let them know your name and your car's make, model, and color. Once the associate verifies your order and ID, they will drop it in the trunk of your car. 

Hobbies

• Barnes & Noble: Select the "Free Store Pickup" option on the product page or in your cart and complete checkout. You'll receive an email when your order is ready to pick up. Call the store when you arrive and provide your name, order number, and the make and model of your vehicle. A store associate will bring your order to you.
• Dick's Sporting Goods: On the website, go to the product details page, set your store, and select "Contactless Curbside Pickup." You'll receive an email when your order is ready. Pull up to the main entrance curb and tap the "check in" button when you arrive. You can also call your store and dial "0." A store associate will deliver
  your order to your trunk or back seat. 
• Michaels: Curbside pickup is available until 6 p.m. each day unless your local store closes earlier. After you've ordered and received a confirmation email, park in front of the store and call the store number. Press "3" and provide your order number and the name on the order, then a store associate will bring your order to your trunk.
• Guitar Center: Select Guitar Center stores have a Contactless Curbside Pickup option. When you're ready to place an order, select "Contactless Curbside Pickup option" to see if it's available at the location nearest you. If it is, once your order is ready, park in the designated parking space, open your trunk, call the store or click "I've Arrived" on your email confirmation, and a store associate will verify your ID and drop your order in the trunk of your car. 

• Restaurant cookbooks provide an intimate glimpse into a professional chef's inspiration and process, as well as the opportunity to "visit" a dining establishment regardless of physical distance. 
• If you're missing your favorite restaurant right now or want to discover a new one from the comfort of your kitchen, you'll find it in these 50 diverse cookbook options. 
• Recipe ideas range from creative Chinese-American fusion to historic and authentic Spanish cuisine to nostalgia-fueled ice cream treats.
• See also: 11 cookbooks any home chef would find useful

Having lived in Los Angeles, the Bay Area, and now New York City, I've always been surrounded by amazing food options. And I've found that restaurant cookbooks are a great way to remember — and recreate — particularly excellent dining experiences. Since it's rare to be able to meet the chefs behind your favorite meals, much less ask them about their recipe-developing processes, their cookbooks give you an opportunity to peek into their brains.

Restaurant cookbooks are also a great way to try dishes you've only pined after online, whether the spot you've been dying to visit is a beloved neighborhood eatery, a famous dessert shop, or a Michelin-starred establishment. While some of these books contain recipes that are quite involved for the regular home cook, at the very least they provide lots of culinary inspiration. And right now, with restaurants closed or limited to takeout and delivery due to the coronavirus, they'll help you feel closer to a city's dining scene. 

The 50 cookbooks below come from some of America's best and most beloved restaurants and bakeries, and truly represent the country's diverse tastes. 

Tartine

"Tartine," $25.23, available at Amazon

Also available at: Barnes and Noble

Lines go out the door no matter what time of the day or week you visit this San Francisco bakery. Just like you can't decide on any one pastry to buy, you won't be able to choose which recipe to make first: Will it be the Brioche Bread Pudding, Lemon Cream Tart, or Chocolate Chiffon Cake? 

 

Shake Shack

"Shake Shack: Recipes & Stories," $20.88, available at Amazon

Also available at: Barnes and Noble

Before you get too excited, no, this book does not contain the actual recipes for the burger or the famous sauce, but it will get you pretty close to the real deal. You can make delicious burgers, fries, and shakes at home, then conduct the classic Shake Shack vs. In-n-Out comparison. 

 

 

 

Sqirl

"Everything I Want to Eat: Sqirl and the New California Cooking," $25.49, available at Amazon

Also available at: Barnes and Noble

With its colorful, fresh, and health-conscious dishes, Sqirl captures every stereotype you've heard about Los Angeles and its obsession with clean eating. You'll see kale, avocado, and grain bowls alongside unique jams, sophisticated cookies, and elevated beverages. 

 

Alinea

"Alinea," $48.52, available at Amazon

Also available at: Barnes and Noble

This distinctive three Michelin-starred Chicago restaurant helped put molecular gastronomy on the map — meaning, recipes can skew a bit complicated. That being said, the book also comes with access to a website featuring video demonstrations, interviews, and an online forum that allows readers to interact with co-owner Grant Achatz and his team.

 

Momofuku Milk Bar

"Momofuku Milk Bar," $24.63, available at Amazon

Also available at: Barnes and Noble

Christina Tosi's creative desserts play on your childhood favorites, from the Compost Cookie and Crack Pie to the famous Cereal Milk Ice Cream and "unfinished" layer cakes. If you're looking for fun indulgence, this cookbook is it. 

 

 

Dominique Ansel

"Dominique Ansel: The Secret Recipes," $24.49, available at Amazon

Also available at: Barnes and Noble

You know him for the Cronut that took New York and the rest of the world by storm, but Ansel also makes plenty of other delicious pastries. The book is split into three sections by experience level, so you can move through madeleines, macarons, and Kouign-Amanns as you see fit. 

 

Chez Panisse

"Chez Panisse Vegetables," $36.99, available at Amazon

Also available at: Barnes and Noble

It's impossible to talk about California cuisine without mentioning Alice Waters. Fresh, seasonal vegetables are the name of the game and are essential to the menu at her Berkeley restaurant. These recipes will quickly turn you into a farmer's market regular. 

 

The French Laundry

"The French Laundry Cookbook," $52.67, available at Amazon

Also available at: Barnes and Noble

This three Michelin-starred Napa Valley restaurant has been dazzling visitors with its two nine-course tasting menus for more than two decades. Learn from chef and proprietor Thomas Keller how to make the refined and focused dishes that made The French Laundry so famous. 

 

 

Lemonade

"The Lemonade Cookbook: Southern California Comfort Food from L.A.'s Favorite Modern Cafeteria," $9.64, available at Amazon

Also available at: Barnes and Noble

Pair one of these salads, sandwiches, or stews with a tart, fruity lemonade, and you have a lunch that will make all your coworkers jealous. Fans of this Los Angeles staple will have fun recreating their favorite dishes. 

 

State Bird Provisions

"State Bird Provisions: A Cookbook," $26.49, available at Amazon

Also available at: Barnes and Noble

The dishes are brought to you dim sum service-style at this trendy San Francisco restaurant, so you'll fill up your table with a variety of delicious flavors and textures before you know it. Try your hand at Fried Pork Belly, Spicy Yuba Noodles, Sweet Corn Tres Leches Cake, and more in your own home kitchen.

 

 

Eleven Madison Park

"Eleven Madison Park: The Cookbook," $46.31, available at Amazon

Also available at: Barnes and Noble

125 sophisticated recipes fill this book from the iconic New York restaurant. Woven throughout the recipes is the story of how the successful establishment came to be. 

 

Mission Chinese Food

"The Mission Chinese Food Cookbook," $39.99, available at Amazon

Also available at: Barnes and Noble

Chinese-American food is a distinct category in itself, no better captured than by Danny Bowien's fusion dishes like Kung Pao Pastrami and Thrice-Cooked Bacon. 

 

 

Grand Central Market

"The Grand Central Market Cookbook: Cuisine and Culture from Downtown Los Angeles," $20.99, available at Amazon

Also available at: Barnes and Noble

This legendary food hall features a melting pot of vendors — whatever you're craving, Grand Central Market has it. Make some carnitas tacos, curry udon, and pressed juice, then settle in to learn about the market's rich history. 

 

The Cheese Board

"The Cheese Board: Collective Works: Bread, Pastry, Cheese, Pizza," $22.99, available at Amazon

Also available at: Barnes & Noble

In 2016, the highest-rated pizza place in America according to Yelp was Cheese Board, which produces only one type of vegetarian pizza a day and also makes fresh bread and cheese right next door. This book of over 100 recipes is the ultimate carb party. 

 

Cúrate

"Cúrate: Authentic Spanish Food from an American Kitchen," $31.66, available at Amazon

Also available at: Barnes and Noble

Some of the best Spanish food in the country can be found in Asheville, North Carolina at tapas bar Cúrate. Chef Katie Button dropped out of a PhD program to pursue her passion for cooking, and thousands of satisfied diners have thanked her since. 

 

Gjelina

"Gjelina: Cooking from Venice, California," $23.27, available at Amazon

Also available at: Barnes and Noble

Accessible ingredients make up the rustic dishes of this Californian-Mediterranean restaurant. You'll find a lot of roasted and grilled vegetables, interesting salads, and slow-cooked meats. 

 

 

Momofuku

"Momofuku," $35.99, available at Amazon

Also available at: Barnes and Noble

David Chang serves up modern Asian cuisine in his collection of award-winning restaurants. If you like noodles and pork, you'll love his tribute to the comforting ingredients. 

 

 

The Gramercy Tavern

"The Gramercy Tavern Cookbook," $35.19, available at Amazon

Also available at: Barnes and Noble

If you can't snag a reservation at this New York institution, the cookbook brings you right into its dining room and kitchen. Feast on Fresh Spinach Fettuccine, Duck Confit, and Roasted Almond Panna Cotta. 

 

 

Myers+Chang

"Myers+Chang at Home: Recipes from the Beloved Boston Eatery," $19.99, available at Amazon

Also available at: Barnes and Noble

The marriage of chef Joanne Chang and restaurateur Christopher Myers resulted in a child called Myers+Chang, an Asian fusion restaurant in Boston that brings the best of both their worlds together. Think Grilled Corn with Spicy Sriracha Butter, Braised Bulgogi BBQ Sloppy Joes, and other cool combinations. 

 

 

Black Tap

"Craft Burgers and Crazy Shakes from Black Tap," $10.99, available at Amazon

Also available at: Barnes and Noble

The camera definitely comes first at this restaurant made for Instagrammable moments. The hearty burgers and stacked milkshakes are the epitome of outrageous indulgence. 

 

 

Bianco

"Bianco: Pizza, Pasta, and Other Food I Like," $34.99, available at Amazon

Also available at: Barnes and Noble

Who doesn't love a good slice of pizza? You'd never guess that this thriving pizzeria in Phoenix, Arizona started inside the back corner of a grocery store. 

 

 

The Slanted Door

"The Slanted Door: Modern Vietnamese Food," $30.99, available at Amazon

Also available at: Barnes and Noble

Classic Vietnamese dishes take on an American twist at The Slanted Door, which remains on many San Francisco visitors' lists for its tasty home-inspired food and beautiful location on the waterfront. 

 

 

Nopalito

"Nopalito: A Mexican Kitchen," $22.30, available at Amazon

Also available at: Barnes and Noble

Nopalito perfectly captures authentic, regional Mexican food, offering fundamental techniques alongside insights into Mexican culture. 

 

 

Del Posto

"The Del Posto Cookbook," $25.04, available at Amazon

Also available at: Barnes and Noble

The recipes in this Italian cookbook are accompanied by photography inspired by 16th century still life paintings, confirming that food is indeed a form of art. 

 

Bäco Mercat

"Baco: Vivid Recipes from the Heart of Los Angeles," $35, available at Amazon

Also available at: Barnes and Noble

Chef Josef Centeno shares recipes from all five of his Historic Core restaurants: Bäco Mercat, Bar Amá, Orsa & Winston, Ledlow, and P.Y.T. Multicultural flavors shine in this visually captivating book. 

 

 

Burma Superstar

"Burma Superstar: Addictive Recipes from the Crossroads of Southeast Asia," $20.39, available at Amazon

Also available at: Barnes and Noble

The Tea Leaf Salad is a must-try at this Burmese restaurant. Burmese food draws influences from India, China, Thailand, and Laos, so expect lots of savory spice. 

 

 

Ample Hills Creamery

"Ample Hills Creamery: Secrets and Stories from Brooklyn's Favorite Ice Cream Shop," $18.29, available at Amazon

Also available at: Barnes and Noble

Put your ice cream machine to work with this fun book full of recipes for everyone's favorite frozen treat. We always have room for dessert if it means eating Ample Hills Creamery's Salted Crack Caramel ice cream. 

 

 

Prune

"Prune," $38.05, available at Amazon

Also available at: Barnes and Noble

This cookbook is great for home cooks who want to feel like they're working in a professional kitchen. The inside is designed like the actual kitchen binders used in Prune, and written in a voice intended for line cooks. Along with other famous recipes from the NYC Lower East Side establishment, there's an entire chapter on how to make "garbage" and kitchen sink bits delicious. 

Balthazar

"The Balthazar Cookbook," $34.46, available at Amazon

Also available at: Barnes and Noble

For a taste of Paris, New Yorkers can simply go to this French brasserie to enjoy classic French dishes like Bouillabaisse and Macaroni Gratin. Even if you can't dine al fresco in Soho, you can enjoy the same food in your own dining room. 

Laurel

"Laurel: Modern American Flavors in Philidelphia," $22.99, available at Amazon

Also available at: Barnes and Noble

Get ready to create full nine-course tasting menus with this cookbook, written by chef-owner and "Top Chef" winner Nicholas Elmi. The South Philly restaurant is known for its creative flavors, plating, and intimate dining space. 

Homeroom

"The Mac + Cheese Cookbook," $15.97, available at Amazon

Also available at: Barnes and Noble

At Homeroom in Oakland, California, kids and adults alike pack tables to enjoy a menu of all different types of mac and cheese, from Truffle Mac to Jalapeño Popper Mac. If you're a fan of comfort food, you'll love these cheesy, decadent recipes. 

Rao's

"Rao's Classics: More than 140 Italian Favorites from the Legendary New York Restaurant," $31.51, available at Amazon

Also available at: Barnes and Noble

It's notoriously difficult to snag a seat at Rao's, but this cookbook is a great alternative. There are more than 140 recipes for Italian classics like eggplant parm and margherita pizza. 

Johnny Harris

"Johnny Harris Restaurant Cookbook," $26.95, available at Amazon

Also available at: Barnes and Noble

Bakers have plenty of opportunities to flex their pastry skills with recipes like Chocolate Caramel Thumbprint Tartlets and Brown Butter Shortbread. The book is also just beautiful to flip through, featuring vivid, full-sized photos that capture the desserts in all their glory. 

Tujague's

"Tujague's Cookbook: Creole Recipes and Lore in the New Orleans Grand Traditions," $24.99, available at Amazon

Also available at: Barnes and Noble

"Tujague's Cookbook" masterfully weaves history through its recipes, providing rich insight into the second oldest restaurant in New Orleans. You'll feel satiated by the memorabilia from the restaurant's archives, ghost stories, and well-researched tidbits. 

Zuni Cafe

"The Zuni Cafe Cookbook: A Compendium of Recipes and Cooking Lessons from San Francisco's Beloved Restaurant," $24.49, available at Amazon

Also available at: Barnes and Noble

Chef-owner Judy Rodgers got her start as a lunch chef at Chez Panisse before opening her very popular restaurant Zuni Cafe in San Francisco, where fresh, seasonal ingredients and simple recipes reign supreme. The juicy, crispy Roast Chicken, made using only small and organic chickens, is a favorite. 

Columbia Restaurant

"The Columbia Restaurant Spanish Cookbook," $11.94, available at Amazon

Also available at: Barnes and Noble

Columbia Restaurant holds the distinction of being both the oldest restaurant in Florida and the biggest Spanish restaurant in the US. It doesn't merely ride the coattails of its historical significance and remains relevant by offering delicious, authentic dishes (e.g. Spanish bean soup, arroz con pollo) that reviewers and diners fall in love with instantly. 

Ox

"Around the Fire: Recipes for Inspired Grilling and Seasonal Feasting from Ox Restaurant," $35, available at Amazon

Also available at: Barnes and Noble

With summer around the corner, you'll feel inspired to up your outdoor grilling game with the help of Ox chefs Greg Denton and Gabrielle Quiñónez Denton. Don't be afraid to crank up the fire for dishes like Grilled Wild Halibut on the Bone with Toasted Garlic-Lemon Oil. 

Moosewood

"The Moosewood Restaurant Table: 250 Brand -New Recipes from the Natural Foods Restaurant That Revolutionized Eating in America," $22.99, available at Amazon

Also available at: Barnes and Noble

Moosewood is proof is that there are many ways to have fun with vegetables and other healthy ingredients — Butternut Latkes, Cashew-Crusted Chickpea Burgers, and Orange Pistachio Cornmeal Cake are on the menu, along with recipes to please vegans and gluten-free cooks. 

Market Restaurant + Bar

"Market Restaurant + Bar Cookbook: Seasonally Inspired Cuisine from Southern California," $30.23, available at Amazon

Also available at: Barnes and Noble

Local ingredients and fresh seafood feature prominently at Market Restaurant + Bar in Del Mar, California. In the book, Carl Schroeder splits recipes up by season, so you're always making the best of your grocery haul. 

 

The Stinking Rose

"The Stinking Rose Restaurant Cookbook," $15.99, available at Amazon

Also available at: Barnes and Noble

Garlic lovers won't be able to resist the tantalizing recipes from Stinking Rose, which serves more than 3,000 pounds of garlic each month. Make sure both your garlic and breath mint supply are fully stocked in preparation to cook these dishes. 

Clinton St. Baking Company

"Clinton St. Baking Company Cookbook: Breakfast, Brunch & Beyond from New York's Favorite Neighborhood Restaurant," $52.92, available at Amazon

Also available at: Barnes and Noble (Nook Book only)

Clinton St. Baking Company has mastered the art of brunch. You can trust its guidance for sweet and savory Sunday morning favorites from pancakes to crab cakes. 

 

Foreign Cinema

"The Foreign Cinema Cookbook: Recipes and Stories Under the Stars," $27.95, available at Amazon

Also available at: Barnes and Noble

You can't help but fall in love under the romantic lights at Foreign Cinema, which shows a film every night in the airy atrium to accompany its simple and beautiful food. The menu is part North African, part California-Mediterranean, telling stories just like the films on screen. 

 

Various restaurants and bars in Portland, Oregon

"Portland Cooks: Recipes from the City's Best Restaurants and Bars," $20.49, available at Amazon

Also available at: Barnes and Noble

Rather than focus on one specific restaurant, "Portland Cooks" shows you 80 recipes from 40 of Stumptown's diverse culinary scene. It's like a sampler cookbook of sorts, representing Japanese, Spanish, Greek, Moroccan, classic American, and even more types of cuisines. 

Phoenicia Diner

"The Phoenicia Diner Cookbook: Dishes and Dispatches from the Catskill Mountains," $22.49, available at Amazon

Also available at: Barnes and Noble

Phoenicia Diner is nestled in the Catskills and offers classic diner food with a modern twist like Cider-Braised Duck and Grits or Twice-Baked Potato Skillets. It brings all the comforts of a beloved local diner to your own kitchen. 

Roberta's

"Roberta's Cookbook," $35, available at Amazon

Also available at: Barnes and Noble

Those who live around Bushwick have fond memories of Roberta's, a pizza joint that stands out among the sea of pizza options in New York City. Beyond pizza, there are recipes for meat, vegetables, and pasta, so there's something for everyone. 

 

Emily

"Emily: The Cookbook," $17.84, available at Amazon

Also available at: Barnes and Noble

The burger that has topped many "best of" lists comes from a surprising source: a pizza restaurant. After you've filled yourself with the famous pretzel bun-topped burger and thick Detroit-style pizza, move on to the strong cocktails and rich desserts. 

Jack's Wife Freda

"Jack's Wife Freda: Cooking From New York's West Village," $17.01, available at Amazon

Also available at: Barnes and Noble

There are too many memorable dishes to count from Jack's Wife Freda, which features Jewish home cooking with South African and Israeli flavors. You can never go wrong with a comforting Matzoh Ball Soup, nor the Green Shakshuka and Rosewater Waffles with Honey Syrup. 

Ivan Ramen

"Ivan Ramen: Love, Obsession, and Recipes from Tokyo's Most Unlikely Noodle Joint," $19.59, available at Amazon

Also available at: Barnes and Noble

To understand why Ivan Ramen's bowl of noodles is so good, you first need to get inside the head and story of chef Ivan Orkin. He's not shy about sharing his complete recipe for the famous Shio Ramen, in addition to important add-ons like Chashu Pork and Half-Cooked Eggs.

Hawker Fare

"Hawker Fare: Stories & Recipes from a Refugee Chef's Isan Thai & Lao Roots," $26.01, available at Amazon

Also available at: Barnes and Noble

Following chef James Syhabout's fine dining experiment Commis, Hawker Fare takes a different direction, inspired by the colorful, flavorful foods served at open-air markets in Thailand and Laos. After learning the basics of pantry staples, you can move on to dishes like Lao Pho and Minced Pork Salad.

Little Flower Cafe

"Little Flower: Recipes from the Cafe," $20.59, available at Amazon

Also available at: Barnes and Noble

Bakers have plenty of opportunities to flex their pastry skills with recipes like Chocolate Caramel Thumbprint Tartlets and Brown Butter Shortbread. The book is also just beautiful to flip through, featuring vivid, full-sized photos that capture the desserts in all their glory. 

Check out other stories to help improve your culinary skills

• 11 cookbooks any home chef would find useful — from learning basic recipes to mastering French and Indian cuisine
• MasterClass offers online cooking classes with professional chefs like Thomas Keller and Dominique Ansel — here are 11 of the best ones
• Pro Tips: How to cook the perfect medium-rare steak, according to Pat LaFrieda
• 17 virtual wine tastings hosted by vineyards, experts, and winemakers from around the world
• 14 signature cocktail recipes from hotel bars around the world — plus the tools and spirits you'll need to make them

The best cordless drill can provide portability and efficiency, regardless of your skill level or planned project. You might think cordless drills only come in handy for heavy-duty projects, but they're much more versatile. They allow you to create precise holes in wood, metal, or masonry and easily drive and remove threaded fasteners like screws, nuts, and bolts. But cordless drills don't just save time on tasks like assembling furniture. They also have special uses, like mixing paint or cleaning shower tiles with brush bits. In a nutshell, these handy power tools pack a ton of functionality into a relatively small package.

Although the best cordless drill for you will depend on your specific needs, they come in a range of sizes, weights, and power outputs. Consequently, you shouldn't have much trouble finding an effective and high-quality option. As a residential and commercial carpenter, I have a considerable amount of experience working with a wide range of sizes and brands of cordless drills. I've used my experience to choose the five best cordless drills for any project. I also consulted two experts: Bobby Horton, owner of Triangle Remodeling Service, and Dave Nicholas, professional electrician and founder of SparkyBase.com.

In addition to the standard screw and drill settings, the DeWalt 20-Volt Max Hammer Driver-Drill has a third option: the hammer-drill mode. This feature, which makes it an incredibly versatile tool, has saved me on several projects over the years. 

With the hammer-drill setting engaged, the DeWalt uses a repetitive concussive blow like a jackhammer as it drills. Imagine you're hitting the back of the drill with a hammer, like a chisel, as you're drilling. It might go without saying, but this drill is incredibly useful for drilling into tough material like brick and masonry.  

I also love the smaller size and lighter weight of this drill, both of which make it convenient as well as highly powerful. It fits easily into tight workspaces, toolboxes, and bags. The bright LED on the base of the drill is also a nice perk that comes in handy when working in dark corners, underneath furniture, or behind appliances.  

This drill may not be not the cheapest option, but the price tag is mostly because this kit includes two battery packs. You need both to run the drill, but you can use these batteries in any DeWalt 20V tool. So, you could end up saving money by purchasing other tools at a much cheaper "tool-only" price.

The best thing about the Black & Decker 20V Max, apart from its low price, is that it still gives you all the fun bells and whistles of a higher-end option. It's less durable than other drills that cost three or four times as much, but as long as you're careful with it and don't need to use it every day, it can tackle a wide variety of tasks that come up around the house. 

Its 11-position clutch gives you a good range of adjustments, and the 650 RPM max speed should handle typical drilling and screwing. It lacks the sleekness and light weight of some higher-end drills, but that likely won't pose much of an issue for small, quick projects. It also has a useful bit holder on the bottom of the handle. This little cutout allows you to clip in a spare bit, which can save you some time. 

No matter how much caution you use, you still have a good chance of eventually damaging your drill. But there's some peace of mind that comes with knowing you'll only be out $40 if this drill falls off your ladder.

Don't let the small size of this top cordless drill fool you. When working as a freelance furniture assembler, I was routinely surprised at how much the Bosch PS31-2A 12V could handle, and it quickly became my tool of choice. With 20 clutch settings for fasteners and another for drilling, it's versatile enough for a range of jobs, and the low-torque capability makes it ideal for working with fiberboard, particleboard, or any other delicate material that a more powerful drill would easily damage. You can run it at two speeds: a low setting that can go up to 350 RPM and a high setting that can go up to 1300 RPM. 

The slim battery design of the Bosch PS31-2A 12V gives it a pistol grip-style handle that allows it to fit into tight areas, and this feature makes it one of my favorite tools. The lighter weight also came in handy when I needed to install high closet doors, a one-handed job I couldn't have done with a heavier, clunky drill.  

This drill doesn't have a belt clip, which might seem inconvenient. But I actually prefer not having it for this drill. Since you'll most likely use it on finished materials, having no sharp metal edges around reduces the possibility of accidentally scratching or denting any surfaces. You're better off choosing a different drill for heavy-duty jobs, but I've found this drill to be practically perfect for most basic home repairs and maintenance.

I love this little drill, and for me, it's become the best cordless drill for most maintenance and repair jobs around the house. It's essentially the same as a professional 18V or 20V drill, just scaled down to a less powerful 12V version. Even though it might lack the raw power of these heavier-duty options, it has all the extra features that come with a professional-quality model — LED light, clutch settings, brushless motor — without the heavy weight and bulky size.

My favorite feature of this drill, other than its convenient size, is the placement of its LED light. Located at the bottom of the handle, facing up, it does a great job of illuminating your workspace. Other models with the LED below the trigger can cast frustrating shadows and sometimes cover up what you're working on. I also love the overall feel of this drill. It has a great balance in your hand, and the smaller 2.0Ah battery pack doesn't make it too bottom-heavy like larger options. The rubber handle provides a nice, sturdy grip. Whether you're using it upright, upside down, or at an angle, you're always in control, which makes it easy to get jobs done quickly and correctly. 

It's also nice and durable. The plastic housing has heavy-duty molded rubber protecting most of the edges and corners that could otherwise get dinged up from drops and falls. Whether you're a DIY-er who doesn't need a bulkier option or you just want a capable drill to supplement your 20V powerhouse, this drill makes a great choice.

Impact drivers like the Milwaukee M18 Fuel Surge 18-Volt differ from typical drills in that they only perform one job: driving fasteners. This does limit their range — but if you need to sink a lot of screws with little effort, an impact driver is superior to almost anything. Impact drivers use a concussive force to drive fasteners, but unlike hammer-drills that create downward force (think hitting the back of the drill with a hammer), impact drivers work by applying that force to the spinning motion of the bit. This increases the amount of torque they can create, which is why they work so effectively. Impact drivers are also more compact than other drills, and the Fuel Surge model is no different.  

Unlike other impact drivers that use a hammer mechanism to generate their torque, the Surge design uses a hydraulic pump. That means this impact driver produces less torque overall, but it maintains this torque for a longer length of time. As a result, you get a smoother operation, less vibration and noise, and a more comfortable tool. 

This particular option is "tool-only," which means it doesn't come with a battery. These options are substantially cheaper but only make sense if you already own a few 18V Milwaukee tools and have a supply of batteries already. If this is your first 18V Milwaukee tool, you'll need to buy a separate battery and charger.

What to look for in cordless drills

When shopping for the best cordless drill for your needs, it can help to consider these factors: 

Voltage and amp hours: Cordless drills measure power in battery voltage, which can range from 6V all the way up to 24V. "Higher voltage means more torque-spinning strength to overcome resistance," Horton says. Amp hours, on the other hand, measure the runtime of the battery. The amp hour rating can best be described as the 'fuel tank' of the battery, Horton says. The higher the value, the larger the tank — and the longer you can run your cordless power tool on a single charge.

Nicholas says a larger voltage drill will produce more force — great if you're trying to drill a big hole through a brick wall — but will draw more amps, thus draining the battery quicker. An 18V drill will drain a 2 amp hour battery quicker than a 10.8V drill will drain the same battery size. According to Nicholas, you can think of voltage as the size of a water pump. The greater the voltage, the bigger the pump. "Amp hours are the size of the water tank. The bigger the tank, the longer the supply lasts. The size of the pump and how hard you run it affects how quickly the water empties," Nicholas says. 

Torque and speed: Torque is the amount of rotational force the drill can generate. Heavy-duty jobs like drilling into solid wood require a lot of torque, while lighter-duty tasks like drilling through plasterboard need less torque. "We have to be careful of excessive torque as this makes the drill difficult to control, causing it to bounce around and damage the screws," Nicholas says. 

The speed of a drill describes how fast it can rotate. But according to Nicholas, higher speed doesn't necessarily equal better performance. "Different materials have different speeds at which they should be drilled through, so it's always worth clarifying before you start," Nicholas says, adding that you can often get this info with a quick Google search. For example, if you try to drill through aluminum at high speed, the drill bit will overheat and go blunt. So, you'll want to maintain a slow speed that keeps the drill bit cool. 

Horton says it's important to understand the inverse relationship between torque and speed. "As you increase speed, you actually decrease torque — but when you drill at a low speed, you can access the most torque a drill has to offer," Horton says. 

Size, weight, and chuck size: Depending on your needs and projects, bigger isn't always better when it comes to cordless drills. If you don't need the power of a large drill, you might end up with a bulky, heavy tool that's inconvenient and uncomfortable to use. Smaller, less powerful drills have a lighter weight that's often easier to control. They also prove useful for jobs with awkward working areas, like reaching into the back of a cabinet or installing overhead hinges. 

Cordless drills have an adjustable chuck, which is the tip of the drill that holds the bit in place. The chuck size refers to the maximum diameter of bits it can accept. Smaller drills usually have ¼-inch chucks, medium-sized drills have ⅜-inch chucks, and the largest drills have ½-inch chucks. The best cordless drills generally have an adjustable chuck, which allows you to use the same tool for a range of tasks, from heavy-duty construction projects to quick household maintenance jobs.

Brushed vs brushless: When shopping for drills, you might notice the term "brushless motor," which refers to the design of the motor and the mechanism it uses to spin the chuck. All cordless drills use magnets to spin the chuck of the drill. In brushed motors, small metal brushes propel these magnets. Brushless motors eliminate the need for these brushes. This makes the drill smaller and lighter while also reducing friction, increasing efficiency, and extending battery runtime. "Without brushes to cause friction and slow things down, brushless drills pack more power and torque and can reach higher speeds," Horton says, adding that you can expect a 15% to 35% increase in performance compared with a brushed motor drill. With the exception of our budget pick, our picks for the best cordless drill all include brushless motors. 

Runtime: All cordless drills have a limited runtime, but the lithium-ion batteries used today can last much longer than older NiCD or NiMH types. A larger battery will typically provide higher amp hours, which can help extend your drill's runtime and reduce time spent recharging during a project. If you don't want to deal with a heavier, bulkier battery, you can also choose a drill that comes with multiple smaller batteries. This allows you to have a battery charging at all times so you can quickly swap them out as needed.

Batteries: While models that come with more than one battery may have a higher price tag, they typically cost less upfront than you'll pay if you need to buy an additional battery later on. Remember, too, that a battery with a higher amp hours (AH) rating will have more power and run longer. "A 4.0 AH battery will run twice as long as a 2.0 AH battery," Horton says. That said, batteries with higher AH are physically bigger and heavier. This could be a downside if you need to hook your drill on your tool belt for the day or use it in tight spaces.

How we selected cordless drills

To narrow down the best cordless drill, I used my personal experience as a residential carpenter and consulted two experts. 

Bobby Horton owns Triangle Remodeling Service. He shared his vast expertise to help us understand the "cordless" component of cordless drills, specifically how their batteries affect performance.  

Dave Nicholas is a professional electrician and founder of SparkyBase.com. He helped explain the functionality and operational capabilities of cordless drills with helpful real-world examples.

Cordless drill FAQs

What's a clutch?

Your cordless drill will have two basic settings: the clutch and speed settings. The clutch is the numbered collar on the front of the drill that allows you to adjust how much torque your drill produces. Torque refers to the amount of rotational force your drill applies to the fastener you're working with. This setting is important because different tasks require different amounts of torque. Too much torque can damage the material you're working with. Not enough torque means your drill won't have the power it needs to spin.

What clutch setting should I use?

Applying the correct amount of torque can be tricky at first, but you can start with this rule of thumb: the larger the fastener, the higher amount of torque you want. For example, if you're using tiny screws to build a birdhouse, you'll want to keep the clutch dialed down pretty low. If you're cranking out a big lug nut on a piece of machinery, you'll want much more torque. When you aren't sure how much torque you need, aim to start low and work your way up. If you don't use enough torque and the fastener gives you much resistance, the clutch will disengage the motor. This is a good thing, as it prevents you from stripping the fastener or breaking your drill bit. From there, you can ratchet up the torque another notch and try again — repeating until you find the sweet spot that provides enough torque to do the job but not so much that it damages the fastener or the wood.

What speed setting should I use?

The best cordless drills have two or three speeds to choose from. These speed settings combine with the torque settings to allow you to dial in the drill with precision. Lower speeds and higher torque settings work best for driving big fasteners, while high speed and /low torque combinations work well for smaller fasteners and drilling small holes. 

What batteries are used in cordless drills?

Any new cordless drill you purchase will have a lithium ion battery. These batteries have replaced two older battery types: nickel-cadmium and nickel-metal hydride. Lithium ion batteries have a smaller size and require less maintenance than these older types, Horton says, and they're pretty much standard in cordless drills these days.

What size drill do I need?

"The average homeowner would do fine with either an 18v or 20v cordless drill," Horton says. Nicholas adds that an 18V drill can handle most situations a home renovator can throw at it. "An 18V drill has a comfortable size, and the torque settings mean you can adjust it to use for lighter tasks such as putting flat-pack furniture together," Nicholas says. 

• If you have too many shoes and not enough space, there are tons of organizational solutions to help.
• With these 14 organizers, you can store your shoes vertically, side by side, or in individual boxes. 
• Sign up for Insider Reviews' weekly newsletter for more buying advice and great deals.

Of all the clothes and accessories we have to store in our room, shoes are among the most egregious problem item. We possess too many pairs for our own good, and they're often bulky or come in weird shapes. 

It's time to stop tripping over your heels or digging through mismatched sneakers every time you want to leave the house and look presentable for society.

There are many different ways you can organize your shoe mess, whether you prefer to stack them or line them up — or maybe you'll take any configuration as long as it saves space and makes your shoe situation neater. 

14 shoe organization products to make the most of your closet space:

A combination shoe rack and hallway bench

SONGMICS Shoe Bench, 3-Tier Shoe Rack

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This organizer-meets-bench is a nice-looking entryway option where you can put the shoes you wear more often or the casual shoes you wear out for quick errands. It fits around 3 pairs of shoes comfortably, or four pairs if you stash flats on their sides. You can also sneak flip-flops, sandals, and low-profile sneakers like Converse under the bottom row to hold even more shoes.  

A waterproof shoe rack

Songmics 5-Tier Shoe Rack

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This shoe rack features waterproof, non-woven fabric tiers that you can wash. It stores up to 25 pairs of shoes and the metal tubes are removable so you can adjust each layer's height. 

A hanging closet organizer

mDesign 10 Shelf Soft Fabric Closet Organizer

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To make the most of the vertical space in your closet, get this hanging closet organizer. Its deep, narrow shape is optimized for all types of shoes.

A stackable shoe rack

Seville Classics 3-Tier Resin Slat Utility Shoe Rack

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This rack is very easy to assemble, plus you can build upon it once your shoe collection grows by stacking multiple units on top of each other. 

Clear shoe boxes

Drop-Front Shoe Box

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Our resident shoe fanatic Amir Ismael swears by these clear boxes to keep his large shoe collection organized. They also protect shoes from dust. If you're scared of stinky shoes, don't worry — they have ventilation holes. 

A spinning shoe tree

Honey-Can-Do Shoe Tree with Spinning Handle

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Spin your way to your favorite pair of shoes every morning. The heavy-duty chromed-steel shoe tree comes in chrome, bronze, or white, and is available with either three or four tiers. 

A shoe cabinet that doesn't take up too much space

3-Drawer Shoe Cabinet

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Mount this cabinet to the wall (it comes with all the hardware) and you can store up to nine pairs of shoes. The drop-down drawers help keep its profile slim.  

A shoe organizer that slides under your bed

Woffit Under The Bed Shoe Organizer

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The space under your bed is the hidden area you're probably not taking proper advantage of. Store 12 pairs of shoes in this fabric organizer, which has two handles to allow for easy access. 

Hanging shoe pockets for your closet

PEVA 18-Pocket Shoe File

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The clear pockets let you see all your shoes. It's perfect for lighter shoes like flats, sandals, and sneakers. 

A stackable cube organizer

Songmics 15-Cube Plastic Shoe Storage Organizer

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Arrange these cubes in any order that works for your space. The cubby-like system provides a better organization than an open shelf. 

A rolling rack like the ones you see in clothing stores

Whitmor 10-Tier Rolling Shoe Rack

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Do you have 50+ pairs of shoes? You might need to get serious with a 10-tier metal rack like the kind you see in department store sale sections. It's an easy, affordable way to deal with your shoe obsession. 

A slanted organizer you can use for more than shoes

Umbra Charcoal Slant Shoe & Accessory Organizer

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High heels can be tricky to store. This mesh shelf organizer keeps both your floors and heels safe, and is also suitable for accessories like handbags. 

A high-quality wall rack

Elfa Utility Shoe Storage Door & Wall Rack

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This Container Store exclusive isn't cheap, but it is sturdy and multi-functional. Assembling the rack is as simple as sliding the hooks over your door. 

An under-$10 organizer

AmazonBasics 24-Pocket Over-the-Door Medium-Size Shoe Organizer

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On the other hand, if you don't want to spend more than $10, this basic AmazonBasics over-the-door fabric organizer can also get the job done. 

• Reusable shopping bags and totes allow for sustainable grocery shopping week after week. 
• As more states are placing fees on plastic bags, bringing your own bag is a simple and smart solution.
• The BagPodz Reusable Bag and Storage System is our top pick for its simple, space-saving storage. 

A durable, reusable shopping tote is versatile for groceries, library books, and retail returns, among other errands. Whether stored on your passenger seat or inside your trunk, it's an easy carrier for your items and will save time otherwise spent unloading too many plastic bags.

Of course, reusable bags have the added benefit of being sustainable. Most are made of nylon or canvas and come in all shapes and sizes. Though they look similar on the surface, there are subtle differences that make some perform better (and last longer) than others. Some, like our top pick, come with their own storage solutions, and others are sturdier than the competition.

Here are the best reusable shopping tote bags

• Best reusable bag overall: BagPodz Reusable Bag and Storage System
• Best reusable canvas bag: Baggu Duck Bag
• Best reusable waxed bag: Colony Co. Reusable Grocery Bag
• Best reusable bag on a budget: Easy Fold Bag Reusable Grocery Bags 3 Pack
• Best insulated reusable bag: Veno Bag Insulated Grocery Bag
• Best large reusable bag: Baggu Large Reusable Shopping Bag

The best reusable bag overall

The BagPodz Reusable Bag and Storage System comes with multiple nylon shopping bags, a pouch for on-the-go storage, and an affixed clip to attach to your shopping cart.

Pros: Comes with multiple bags, storage pouch, clip for shopping cart, water-resistant material

Cons: Limited designs

The BagPodz Reusable Bag and Storage System comes in a set of five or 10 sustainable, machine-washable nylon shopping bags. They're ideal for transporting groceries and are especially unique for their compact pouch that holds the bags when you aren't using them.

Aside from their smart storage, there's a clip on one end of the pouch that attaches to a shopping cart so you don't have to juggle bags in the middle of the produce aisle. Each bag holds up to 50 pounds yet can easily be stored in your purse or glove compartment. BagPodz's material is water-resistant, too, so you won't have to worry about leaks in the event of a spill. 

The best reusable canvas bag

The Baggu Duck Bag is a sturdy canvas tote suitable for a variety of lifestyles and purposes.

Pros: Durable, machine washable, multiple handles

Cons: Not as large as some picks

For a reusable, practical, and multipurpose shopping bag, the Baggu Duck Bag is our favorite canvas tote. You could easily take it from the office to the grocery store because it snaps shut, has an interior zipper pocket, and two sets of straps: top handles and shoulder straps.

Despite the deep compartment, its restrictive shape makes it better for smaller runs than your big weekly shopping haul. It will last you a while, too, as the machine-washable, artfully-worn fabrics are thicker and more durable than some of its nylon counterparts. 

The best reusable waxed bag

The Colony Co. Reusable Grocery Bag is a sustainable take on old-school paper bags and will last you for years of grocery trips.

Pros: Durable waxed canvas design

Cons: Only has top straps

The Colony Co. Reusable Grocery Bag is made of waxed material that's stain-resistant and easy to clean. It's also vegan, so it's free of beeswax and leather.  Though not machine washable, the 16-ounce bag is an all-in-one carrier for cereal boxes and baked bread alike.

The brand also sells reusable produce bags, which would make a nice addition to any sustainable shopping routine.

The best reusable bag on a budget

Easy Fold Bag's Reusable Grocery Bags are an affordable set of three nylon bags that conveniently fold for your shopping trips.

Pros: Affordable, machine washable

Cons: Fabric is a little shiny, not as sturdy as other picks

If you're not looking to splurge, Easy Fold Bag's Reusable Grocery Bags are a great option. The set comes with three ripstop nylon bags that fold easily. They're machine-washable, too, so it's a practical option for your essential items. 

They're also extremely functional and come in three colors for less than $10.  They aren't as sturdy as some of the pricier options, but if you're looking to reduce waste on a budget, the bags' reinforced stitching should last you a good while. 

The best insulated reusable bag

Veno Bag's Insulated Grocery Bag is a durable, boxy tote that will keep your vegetables and other perishables cool.

Pros: Made with 80% post-consumer recycled material, aluminum covered thermal insulation, can hold up to 30 pounds, flexible fabric sides for odd-shaped items

Cons: May be bulky to carry

For days when you're hopping from the grocery store to the library to the post office, it's important for your perishables to remain cool and fresh. The Veno Bag ensures just that with its aluminum-covered thermal insulation, ideal for avoiding unnecessary pit stops home before heading out for other errands.

A novelty feature of this tote is its recyclable fabric sides which allow for simple storage of irregularly-shaped items. Though the box style may make it inconvenient for carrying, the added bonus of temperature regulation doesn't make it a dealbreaker.

The best large reusable bag

The Baggu Large Reusable Shopping Bag is great for buying canned goods and other items in bulk, holding up to 50 pounds at a time.

Pros: Holds up to 50 pounds, machine washable, folds into a small square

Cons: Short handles, shapeless

The Baggu Large Reusable Shopping Bag comes in a host of cute colors and patterns, is durable and flexible, and is made of 100% ripstop nylon. Despite its large capacity, it folds down to a neat 7-by-7-inch square for easy storage. 

The material is both thin and strong, too, allowing for hassle-free carrying. And, when you've unpacked your goodies, just throw it in your washing machine before its next use. 

Check out our other grocery guides

• The best places to buy groceries online
• The best places to buy fresh seafood online
• The best meal kit delivery services
• The best pre-made meal delivery services

• Time is one of our most valuable resources — and some tasks just take up too much of it.
• Luckily, if you're looking to save some time, there are plenty of services that you can count on to help you out with everyday tasks, from picking up groceries to waiting in a long line — for a fee.
• Outsourcing your tasks may seem silly, but it's a worthwhile splurge. If you're considering the investment, platforms like TaskRabbit, Thumbtack, Handy, Amazon Home Services, DoorDash, and Instacart can help you out.

Don't waste my time. Time is of the essence. Time is ticking. 

The narrative around time cautions us to take advantage of it while we have it. And it makes sense; time is one of our most valuable resources and we can't get it back once it's gone. Sometimes it feels like there's not enough time in a day to complete every task on your agenda, and there just might never be. If you ever find yourself in this debacle, you might want to look into outsourcing some of your simple, everyday tasks. 

These days you can find services to help you with all sorts of tasks — everything from picking up your groceries to building furniture for you. It might seem silly at first — why would I pay someone to pick up my groceries if I am able to do it myself? The answer is, to save time. Business Insider spoke with two financial experts who both agreed that spending on time-saving services is worth the splurge. Outsourcing small tasks is probably the closest you can get to actually getting back some hours in your day, and therefore, it's a worthwhile investment.

From meal delivery services to on-demand handymen, here are six great services that can help you complete your everyday tasks in less time:

Instacart

Get groceries delivered by Instacart here

What it is: A same-day grocery delivery service.

How much it costs: $3.99 - $14.99 per delivery (price varies by store and delivery time)

How it works: Make an account on Instacart (don't worry, it's free) and browse the grocery stores in your area. They have a pretty good selection of stores, including more local specialty stores, as well as wholesale stores like Costco. In New York, Whole Foods is one of the more popular options.

Pick a store, and then shop for your groceries as you would shop for anything else online — simply add whatever groceries you want to your cart. Instacart also shows you all the promotions and deals going on at your local grocery store, so while the delivery fee for some stores might seem expensive, it ultimately could save you money with easy-to-find deals you might not have noticed walking down the store aisles.

When you're done shopping, check out and choose a delivery window — this is when your food will be delivered right to your door. Delivery prices vary by store, but you can often snag free delivery deals. If you have other tasks to complete at home, this is a great way to save some time and get all the food you need.

Handy

Make a Handy appointment today, here

What it is: An on-demand handyman and cleaning service. 

How much it costs: Price varies based on task, zip code, and service date.

How it works: Pick the service you'd like, then the date and time when you'd like it done. Handy offers a wide range of services including home cleaning, home painting, furniture assembly, and housekeeping, among others. Handy recommends the amount of time you'll need to get different tasks done (for example, a cleaner will likely need more time to fully clean a large home than a small apartment). After filling out all of the information, Handy will send you a price quote. You can then book instantly — Handy appointments can be scheduled as early as one day in advance.

From there, you can easily use the Handy app to pay, reschedule your appointment, and communicate with your Handy professional. All Handy professionals are vetted, not only to ensure they have experience in their given field, but also to make sure they have a clean background. Additionally, you can see reviews of your Handy worker on the app, including how many jobs they've completed and their rating out of five stars. If you like shopping at Wayfair, you may be familiar with Handy — the two brands have a partnership to make furniture shopping and assembly easy. 

 

DoorDash

Order food from DoorDash here

What it is: A service that delivers food from local restaurants right to your door. 

How much it costs: Price varies based on restaurant, items ordered, and location. 

How it works: You're hungry, but the last thing you want to do is cook and you sure don't want to leave the house to pick up takeout either. What do you do? DoorDash. It's a food delivery service that lets you order food from your favorite restaurants and delivers it right to your front door.

Place an order through the DoorDash app or website — both are pretty seamless to use. Start by putting in your current location and DoorDash will show you its partner restaurants in the area. Sort through your available restaurants by type of cuisine, menu price range, or by which are running deals at the moment. Find a restaurant you like, pick out some menu items, and place your order. A cool feature is that DoorDash lets you schedule orders up to five days in advance, as well as make ones for immediate delivery. When you place an order for immediate delivery, DoorDash gives you an estimate for how long it should take for your food to get to your plate.

Prices on DoorDash depend on a few factors. On top of the price of the menu items, you'll have to pay a service fee — a combination of sales tax, which will differ based on location, and other fees. If your order is less than $10, you'll incur a small order fee of $2. Then there's a delivery fee, which typically costs $2.99 or more. Additionally, DoorDash is offering $0 in delivery fees on your first order. If you're a frequent user, you can get DashPass. For $9.99 a month, it cuts out the delivery fee and lowers the service fee from a bunch of participating restaurants. With DoorDash your food will end up costing a little more than picking up takeout or cooking at home, but you save big on convenience. And after a long day, there's nothing better than satisfying your cravings with a meal from your favorite restaurant, that you can eat on your couch, in sweatpants. 

* Sponsored by DoorDash

TaskRabbit

Find a TaskRabbit Tasker available near you here

What it is: A service that deals with just about any task you need done. 

How much it costs: Price varies based on task, zip code, and service date.

How it works: TaskRabbit was one of the first time-saving services I'd ever encountered, and it's likely because of the breadth of the services they offer. You'll find the classic handyman and home cleaning services available, but TaskRabbit can also help you with a lot of niche tasks, too. Through TaskRabbit, you can pay someone to organize your closet, do research for you, help you move, build your IKEA furniture,  bartend at your party, or even wait in a line for you. Once you choose the task you're interested in, you'll see a list of all of the qualified professionals aka "Taskers" in your area and how much they charge. TaskRabbit uses independent contractors who all set their own hourly rates — you can filter Taskers by their rates, number of positive reviews, and tasks completed to find the right person for the job. 

Once you find the right Tasker for the job, schedule your appointment either online or on the app. You can usually find available appointments for the day of, or you can book further out — it really depends on the schedule of your Tasker. The day-of booking is particularly convenient in the case that you think you can do something yourself, but then realize you don't have the right tools or enough time.

Amazon Home Services

Book an Amazon home & business service here

What it is: A selection of home services offered on Amazon. 

How much it costs: Price varies based on service, zip code, and other factors. 

How it works: Just when you thought the list of Amazon's products and services couldn't get any bigger, you can now count on the e-commerce behemoth to help you out with housekeeping services, furniture assembly, technology installation, and home maintenance.

There are two ways to find the services and providers available in your area. You can search for services you need specifically at any time, but you can also choose to add installation to many of your Amazon orders.

When you pick the service you'd like, Amazon will give you an estimate based on your location and a few job-specific factors. Some services may not be offered in certain locations — it all depends on the pros that Amazon has available at any given time. Amazon is very transparent about exactly what the fee will get you, and provides information about how to change your appointment and what additional requests might be available as part  your service. If you already have an Amazon account, using this service will be easy.

Thumbtack

Make an appointment with a Thumbtack pro here

What it is: A service that pairs you with pros in all different fields.

How much it costs: Price varies based on service, location, desired appointment date, and other factors. 

How it works: You can find professionals in all sorts of fields on Thumbtack. On the easy-to-use app (or online), search for the service you're looking for — Thumbtack offers a huge selection from event DJs to makeup artists, piano teachers to painters, and lots more. Once you've decided what you want and put in your zip code, you'll see the pros in your area. In order to get a full price estimate, you'll need to put in some more info about what you need specifically. Then, you'll get to see everyone in your area who can help you out. Each professional has a profile with ratings, reviews, and their typical pricing. 

Once you've looked around, you can schedule your appointment right through the app or website. Lots of professionals have their contact information on their profile, so you can clear up any questions you may have before your appointment. The interface is very informative, making it feel comfortable to use for the first time. Thumbtack has roots in all fifty states, and not just in the big cities — you can find Thumbtack pros in small towns across the country too.

• Months into the coronavirus pandemic, things are still not under control.
• Now that winter is here, the best thing you can do is continue to stay inside and limit social interaction. 
• Knowing that you're no longer a stranger to being stuck at home, our guide includes 23 fun and unique ways to keep busy, whether you want to be relaxed, creative, productive, or entertained. 
• See more: Small gifts and gestures for friends or family members who are having a hard time self-isolating or social distancing

Months after the coronavirus first emerged in the US, it's still, unfortunately, not under control.

The fall and winter seasons could be the most challenging times of the entire pandemic, but pandemic fatigue is also real and setting in. The novel restlessness, stress, and boredom that you may have felt in March and April are novel no longer, making it more difficult to stay at home all the time.

Still, the best way you can help yourself, your loved ones, and your community is to limit your interactions with other people and avoid indoor gatherings and establishments.

If you've already exhausted the classic quarantine pastimes of doing puzzles and baking bread, we've come up with 23 new ways to pass time at home. They include creative pursuits, entertaining activities, and productive personal development. 

Insider Reviews' ultimate guide to keeping busy:

Draw or paint

Let your creative ideas flourish — and don't worry if you don't think you possess the "skills" to or if you never took an art class in your life. Start with Johanna Basford's highly popular adult coloring books, then continue through the rest of this list of adult coloring books. 

You can create an art nook in a corner of your room with these art supplies. 

Need creative inspiration? Watch videos from our own Art Insider YouTube channel and check out the classes on Skillshare. 

Get reinspired in the kitchen and brush up on basic cooking skills

Feeling the burnout of cooking for months on end? You're not alone. We asked food experts how they continue to feel inspired in the kitchen, and they said you should try wandering your local farmers market safely, using a new spice, and speeding up the cooking process with small appliances. 

Read the following to help you get back in the kitchen:

• How chefs get reinspired in the kitchen
• 4 easy ways to make takeout feel special
• The 19 most useful kitchen appliances and tools, recommended by chefs
• 11 essential kitchen tools, all under $10 

You can also try going back to the basics. Whether you want to hunker down and master basic skills, like how to make an omelet and cook the perfect steak, or make your way methodically through every single page of an essential cookbook, you finally have the time to do it now. 

See if you have these cooking skills down: 

• How to poach an egg 4 different ways
• How to boil an egg 3 different ways
• How to cook rice on the stove or in a rice cooker
• How to cook a medium-rare steak, according to Pat LaFrieda
• How to roast a chicken in the oven
  
• How to make crispy bacon in the oven
• How to sous vide
• How to meal prep

Here are reviews of and links to our favorite places to shop for cookware, if you realize the pots, pans, and knives you're using right now aren't up to par. 

• For stainless steel cookware: Made In and Sardel
• For other types of cookware: Equal Parts, Great Jones, Field Company, and Le Creuset
• For a variety of well-designed cookware and tools: Food52 Shop and Material Kitchen
• For basics and utensils: Potluck

Join a virtual experience

In place of in-person events, many businesses now offer virtual experiences to teach you new skills, bring you to cool places, and connect you to people all around the world. The pro of a virtual experience is that it's usually cheaper than a normal event. These are some of our favorites: 

• Online Plant Workshops: Receive tips from plant experts on everything from watering to light. $10/person from The Sill. 
• Virtual Wine Tastings at Home: Hear from winemakers about tasting notes, the winemaking process, favorite pairings, and more. Upcoming special guests include chef José Andrés. Free to participate from Wine.com. Corresponding wine must be purchased separately. 
• Floral Arranging Workshops: Create beautiful and lush seasonal arrangements with fresh flowers. $65/person from 1-800-Flowers. 
• Airbnb Experiences: Hosts from around the world offer everything from guided meditation with sheep in the UK to a street art tour in Buenos Aires followed by a sketching session. 
• Museum and Theme Park Visits: Popular destinations like the Louvre and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter have granted virtual access to their cultural institutions. 

Clean out your closet — and donate to those in need while you're at it

With ThredUp's clean-out programs, you can clear out your closet without having to leave your house.  

Whether you choose to receive back money or donate your clothes, the site takes care of all of the work — all you have to do is fill the prepaid shipping bag, then send it back via FedEx or USPS. Read more about how it works. 

Take control of your finances

We know, revisiting your savings accounts and financial plans doesn't incite the same excitement as having a dance party or baking dessert. But it's never a bad idea to know where you stand financially and plan for the future, with or without a pandemic. The resources from our Personal Finance team will help: 

• The best savings accounts
• The best online high-yield savings accounts
• Sign up for the Personal Finance Insider newsletter

Donate to an organization supporting communities affected by the coronavirus

Use Charity Navigator to find vetted organizations that are providing medical supplies, food, educational support, and other resources to the people that need it the most right now. 

Meanwhile, these brands are running coronavirus-related donation initiatives: 

• 1-800-Flowers.com: Donating 20% of net proceeds from gifts purchased from the Season of Sharing collection to No Kid Hungry, now through December 24. 
• Away: Donating 100% from its Master & Dynamic collaboration to the MusiCares Coronavirus Relief Fund. 
• The Company Store: Donating $1 to The Ronald McDonald House New York for every pair of pajamas sold on its website. 
• Koral: Donating $1 to the American Red Cross for every face mask sold, now through November 30.

Move your body and perfect your home gym set up

Creating an at-home gym doesn't require fancy equipment. In fact, there are plenty of effective full-body workouts that use only your body weight. But, while you're stuck at home, now may also be the best time to start your own home gym if that's something you've been thinking about.

Find the best guide for your favorite form of exercise below. 

• The best exercise bikes
• The best yoga mats
• The best pull-up bars
• The best jump ropes
• The best treadmills
• The best rowing machines
• The best dumbbells

If you're someone who likes group studio classes but can't attend in-person sessions due to gym closures, there are still ways to get your sweat in within a "group" setting:

• The best workout videos, apps, and equipment needed to make the most of your at-home workout
• ClassPass doesn't just grant access to physical fitness studios, it offers on-demand videos, too — here's how the videos compare to in-person classes
• Beachbody On Demand's diverse virtual workouts provide the motivation I need to break a sweat at home each day
• Peloton's Digital Membership offers more than just on-demand cycling classes — and you don't even need the bike to access them

In case you need to rethink your workout clothes, which will conveniently double as very comfortable work-from-home wear, we also have you covered:

• The best women's workout clothes
• The best men's workout clothes

Treat yourself to an at-home spa day

Fill your tub with bubbles, light some candles, and disconnect from tech today. If you can put aside a few hours of your day, you can set up your very own spa at home with the following products. Don't forget your robe.

• The best hair masks
• The best sheet masks
• The best foot massagers
• The best massage guns
• The best places to buy candles

Make yourself a drink

While many bars are open again, turning your own kitchen into a bar is the safest — and most fun — way to sip your signature drink. If you miss drinking while traveling, you can even find 16 signature cocktail recipes from hotel bars here. 

Order spirits and other alcohol to your front door here:

• The best wine subscriptions
• 14 places to buy alcohol online — from general online liquor stores to monthly wine delivery services
• 12 places to buy wine online

And take advantage of these promotions from companies that curate delicious recipes and ingredients for you:

• SaloonBox
• Shaker & Spoon

For those who like to relax without alcohol, Seedlip is a very popular and high-quality non-alcoholic spirit that you can use to make sophisticated and creative drinks. During the pandemic, we also discovered Ghia, a non-alcoholic aperitif. 

Play a game

With more time on your hands, you can try a new board or card game. Remember to only play these games with your household and people you're self-isolating with. If you are itching to play with people you don't live with, try this online tabletop game site that synchronizes card movements across all the players' screens. Jackbox Games is also a fun game site to invite your friends to. 

Otherwise, we recommend these classic and modern games: 

• The best board games
• The best adult card games
• 21 unique editions of Monopoly for game night
• Exploding Kittens profile and review

Get crafty and learn how to knit, crochet, embroider, and make pottery

You can pass an entire weekend away with just one project.

We Are Knitters is a cool site that strips away preconceptions of knitting as an activity for your grandmother, selling supplies and kits for knitters of all skill levels. It carries many different types of yarn, from recycled yarn to baby alpaca. You'll learn how to make blankets (which we during quarantine), scarves, and complex sweaters once you've worked your way up through the different levels. 

If you're more interested in embroidery, Etsy has many affordable embroidery kits for beginners. For fans of clay, Crockd is a new DIY pottery kit that comes with clay, step-by-step instructions, tools, and icebreaker topics to discuss as you make your creation. 

Care for a plant

The natural beauty of a lush green plant will make you feel more at ease, and caring for a plant right now is easier than caring for, say, a dog. Instead of going outside to a nursery, stay indoors and order a beautiful plant from one of our three favorite online plant shops: The Sill, Leon & George, and Bloomscape. We compare their offerings, shipping policies, and more here. 

Some cool offerings include:

 

Another option is to grow your herbs to use in your own cooking. Even if your home doesn't get much light, these garden systems let you grow fresh herbs and vegetables thanks to energy-efficient LED lighting and special soil.

Read (or listen to) a book

Take this chance to reread an old favorite or try the latest bestseller. You can even hold virtual book club meetings with your friends (complete with wine and cheese, of course). We recommend supporting and ordering books from your local bookstore during these times. 

If you need ideas of where to start, here's are some recent recs:

• The top 30 audiobooks on Audible right now
• 13 books for young children that feature protagonists of color
• 20 travel books to take a globe-trotting voyage without ever leaving home
• 16 books about the biggest business scams of our time
• The 15 best personal finance books for 2020
• The 50 best audiobooks of all time

To entertain kids at home, try Amazon's kids' book subscription service, Prime Book Box, and for yourself, a Book of the Month membership.  

It's no secret that several members of the Insider Reviews team love their Kindle e-readers. I rarely buy ebooks and instead borrow them for free through my public library using the Libby app.  

Another way to get your reading fix digitally is through Scribd, a reading app that gives subscribers access to hundreds of thousands of audiobooks, ebooks, magazines, sheet music, and more. Reporter Mara Leighton has used it for four years and won't be stopping any time soon. 

Take an online class

Online learning has been on the rise in recent years, with students of all ages looking to continue their educations, advance their careers, or simply learn something new for the sake of learning something new — all without the high costs of traditional education. 

Together, our six favorite online learning communities offer hundreds of thousands of online classes. They cover creative endeavors like photography and illustration, academic subjects like philosophy and biology, and even skills from world-famous experts, authors, and athletes. 

The top-ranked colleges in the US have dozens of cool classes to take, including a fascinating course from Yale about happiness. 

Listen to an album from beginning to end

When singles dominate the charts and digital streaming fragments the way you listen to music, it can be hard to remember the last time you sat down and listened to an entire album, front to back. So pop one of these records on the record player or pull it up on Spotify (no shuffling!), close your eyes, and enjoy these essential favorites from the Insider Reviews team. These are just a few of the many suggestions that came in, so email us if you want the full list:

• Rumours, Fleetwood Mac — Ellen Hoffman, executive editor; Sally Kaplan, senior editor; Mara Leighton, senior reporter; and Remi Rosmarin, reporter 
• 1989, Taylor Swift — Sally Kaplan, senior editor; Breton Fischetti, vice president of commerce; Emily Hein, production fellow 
• Oshin, DIIV — Lisa Sabatini, parenting and pets editor
• The Carnival, Wyclef Jean — Danny Bakst, manager, story production 
• If You're Feeling Sinister, Belle & Sebastian — Les Shu, senior editor
• DAMN., Kendrick Lamar — Mara Leighton, senior reporter 
• -Ugh, those feels again, Snoh Aalegra — Connie Chen, senior reporter
• Carrie & Lowell, Sufjan Stevens — Alexa Bleustein, e-commerce analyst 

You can enter your own private world with a good pair of earbuds or headphones: 

Or play the tracks on a speaker that fills the whole room and brings out the instrumentation, bass, or vocals as they're meant to be heard. 

Have a record player but can't decide what to listen to? VNYL decides for you, sending you a record based on your music profile and streaming service activity. It also makes a great gift for the music lover in your life who's struggling with self-isolating. 

Watch a movie or show

Be it a drama, rom-com, or reality show, entertainment is always a comforting fallback. The following guide contains all of our recs for what to watch. If it's on Netflix, download the Netflix Party extension so you can watch it with friends or partners at the same time. 

• Insider's ultimate guide to the best movies and TV shows to watch while you're stuck at home

As you navigate the crowded land of streaming services to decide which one's for you, check out our guides: 

• The best streaming services you can sign up for online
• ESPN+ review
• Hulu Premium review
• Everything you need to know about Disney Plus
• Amazon Fire TV Stick review
• Apple TV 4K review
• How to watch your favorite shows on Food Network

Meditate

You're not alone if you're feeling anxious, uneasy, and stressed. Regular meditation can help reduce these feelings, and also reduce depression, improve memory function, and boost well-being. It's a good skill to learn and know even outside of the current pandemic.

If you want to get started, check out our guides for beginners — and don't worry if your mind wanders or you wonder if you're "doing it right." It's all part of the process.

• How to meditate for beginners
• The best meditation apps

Develop your skin-care routine

In times of uncertainty, people are turning to the comfort of skin-care routines. Skin-care routines help maintain a sense of normalcy, plus they help pass time and pamper your skin along the way. Every person's skin is different, so there's no singular routine or set of products we can recommend. But here are some guides and reviews to get you started towards soft and glowing skin: 

• The best face masks
• The best sheet masks
• The best hyaluronic acid serum
• The best vitamin C serum
• The best eye creams and serums
• The best skin-care products we tried 
• Aztec Secret Clay Mask review
• Maelove skin-care review
• Drunk Elephant Sukari Babyfacial review

Stream a live concert or dance party

An upside of all the canceled live events — concerts, opera, dance, club nights — is that many have now shifted to online streams, and they're entirely free to enjoy. Go to the social accounts of any of your favorite musicians or organizations ... chances are, they'll have a live stream for you to watch. Here's a short list of cool live events:

• DJ D-Nice is a viral sensation whose viewers flock to his "Club Quarantine" sets. Find him on Instagram @dnice for dance breaks and parties. 
• Our resident theatre critic, Jen Gushue, recommends BroadwayHD.com for all your musical needs. It's only $9 a month after a free 7-day trial. 
• Classical music organizations, including the NY Phil, Met Opera, and London Symphony Orchestra, are hosting live streams and making concert archives available for viewing. Classic FM has a great always updating list here. 

Write a short story or journal your own experience

Grab one of these notebooks (or go the "smart" route to save all your writings to the cloud), then find your favorite nook in the house. Even better, if the weather permits, sit outside with a cup of coffee as you scribble away. Here are some ideas to get your mind rolling: 

• 50 fiction writing prompts
• 50 creative nonfiction writing prompts

While the Insider Reviews team spends most of its week typing on keyboards, when we do pick up our pens for some old-fashioned writing, we love using these pens: 

Clean and reorganize your home

Spring cleaning is still a thing, and maybe now is finally the time for you to start the cleaning and reorganizing project you've been putting off. Start with cleaning:

• The best vacuum cleaners
• The best disinfecting cleaners
• The best natural cleaning brands
• Top-rated products to clean every room in your house

As for organizing, I swear by cheap pant hangers and bathroom shelves to instantly clear up space and organize my things: 

Reporter and shoe collector Amir Ismael uses these boxes to keep his massive collection neat and tidy: 

Here are more guides to help you out: 

• The best closet and drawer organizers
• Under-$30 kitchen organization products from Amazon

Bake bread and pastries

More time at home means more opportunities to tend to those delicious baked goods that typically require a lot of careful oversight and many, many steps to make. Beginner bakers need not worry or be intimidated — you can learn from two professional bakers what tools to order right now. The essentials include sturdy measuring cups and spoons and a tapered rolling pin. 

The bakers on the Insider Reviews team are big fans of the silicone baking accessories from Silpat: 

And we'll be looking at books like these for plenty of guidance and inspiration: 

Do a puzzle

Jigsaw puzzles are a great activity for both kids and adults, and various studies point to the benefits of puzzle-solving, including better spatial skills, memory retention, and cooperation with others. Whether you doing one by yourself or with another person, the feeling when you fit the last piece to complete the puzzle can't be beat. 

The MoMA Design Store's puzzles, appropriately, are modeled after pieces in the MoMA collection in New York City. 

The puzzles from Jiggy highlight the work of women artists. Each comes in an attractive jar you can repurpose for other uses and puzzle glue to make your completed project a permanent piece of decor. 

The world seems to be in its dinner party era, which means curating a collection of the best dinnerware for your aesthetic is more important than ever. 

We spoke with Courtney Whitmore, cookbook author and party hosting expert, as well as Bruce Roy, a wedding caterer for more than 30 years to curate a list of quality brands to consider. We used their advice and our own research to pick the best dinnerware sets from each brand. Whether you want a simple, durable dinnerware set for everyday family meals, or impressive, patterned china you'll pass on for generations, our guide has you covered.

Our Place

Shop all dinnerware at Our Place

If you want dinnerware that makes a big impact on your table setting, Our Place dinnerware is a great choice. The company sources high-quality materials from ethical factories and artisan collectives with a focus on female entrepreneurs. Like its best-selling product, the Always Pan, Our Place's dinnerware options are both simple and highly functional. The porcelain plates and nesting bowls are hand painted, and the drinking glasses are hand blown, giving each piece a one-of-a-kind look. 

Our Place is a great option if you're looking for ethical dinnerware that's as unique as it is functional. You can buy just the essentials separately or purchase a bundle, which offers all the pieces you need at a better value. 

What to buy:

Food52

Shop all dinnerware at Food52

Unlike the other brands on this list, Food52 is a retailer and not a pottery manufacturer. However, its carefully curated selection of unique and hard-to-find dinnerware makes it a worthy addition to this list.

Among the finds are sets from small studios around the country and abroad, including bowls from North Carolina-based East Fork Pottery, colorful French glassware, and imported hand-painted Italian sets from Vietri.

What to buy:

 

Wedgwood

Shop all dinnerware at Wedgwood

If you frequently host dinners and gatherings and love bold patterns, Wedgwood is the way to go. Josiah Wedgwood, an English potter, founded the company in 1759. Because of his invention, Jasperware (a colorful stoneware), Wedgwood became one of the first dinnerware companies to offer colors, including the iconic "Wedgwood Blue."

Historically, British royalty and other nobility have chosen Wedgwood for fine china, and the company holds a royal warrant, denoting it as a supplier to the British royal family. But you don't need to be nobility to enjoy a set of your own; Wedgwood is available online at many retailers. 

What to buy:

Mikasa

Shop all dinnerware at Mikasa

Whether you're looking for a formal dinnerware set or an everyday set, the American brand Mikasa will have what you need. It offers several collections from an antique white to a more intricate trellis collection, all at an affordable price. You can buy open stock plates or sets with service for one to 12. Mikasa's dinnerware is made from durable porcelain and stoneware.

Mikasa offers a generous return policy of up to 90 days from purchase. You can find Mikasa at virtually every major retailer, so it's readily available if you ever want to add to your current collection or upgrade a few pieces.

What to buy:

Noritake

Shop all dinnerware at Noritake

Noritake is a Japanese brand that's been around for more than 100 years, and you can still find some of its vintage china today. These days, the brand is well known for providing a large variety of dinnerware options, both formal and casual.

You can purchase most collections by the piece, place setting, or in a set. Noritake does come at a higher price, so "buying in sets would generally prove to be the best option and money-saving choice," Roy said. Noritake customer can register their dinnerware pattern online, allowing you to to replace any broken pieces at a discounted price as long as the pattern is in stock.

What to buy:

Gibson

Shop all dinnerware at Gibson

For those on a budget, Gibson makes a great everyday dinnerware choice. The company partners with many brands — like The Pioneer Woman, Oster, and Crockpot — to provide affordable customized dinnerware and cookware options. 

You can find just about every style and material in its massive line of dinnerware, but we're particularly fond of its chip- and scratch-resistant melamine dinnerware for outdoor entertaining or households with children. This high-quality melamine line is great for kids and "can be mixed and matched or added into the table settings for the adults," Roy said.

What to buy:

Crate & Barrel

Shop all dinnerware at Crate & Barrel

For a timeless and simple all-white design that will last for years, the Mercer line from Crate & Barrel is the perfect selection. This low-maintenance dinnerware made from porcelain is dishwasher-, microwave- and even oven-safe.

The plates in this line are flat on the bottom and feature low rims to provide more surface area and a rustic feel that's still classic and elegant. The line is versatile, so you can match it with any other dinnerware look. Crate & Barrel sells the collection as open stock pieces so you can pick exactly what you need, or you can buy the plates and bowls in sets of eight.

What to buy:

Lenox

Shop all dinnerware at Lenox

An American company that's more than 130 years old, Lenox offers high-quality dinnerware with obvious craftsmanship. Its dinnerware comes in many materials including porcelain, bone china, stoneware, melamine, and metal. You can buy the dinnerware as open stock pieces and in sets from three pieces all the way up to 28 pieces. 

Lenox also offers a Replacement Promise if you register your dinnerware, meaning the company will replace any Lenox brand dinnerware and serveware you break for free as long as the replacements are available. (This is a recent improvement from their previous policy of replacing items at 50% off.)

What to buy:

Dinnerware materials

When shopping for dinnerware, you'll want to consider a material that meets your durability and lifestyle needs. The main dinnerware materials you'll find are porcelain, fine and bone china, stoneware, and melamine. In general, porcelain and china are more delicate, while stoneware and melamine are heartier and can go in the dishwasher. Here's a breakdown of the different material types:

China

China is durable, lightweight, and often reserved for special occasions. There are two types of china — bone and fine. Bone china is made by combining china clay and cow bone ash, which forms a translucent, milky look that's timeless and classy. 

While both bone and fine china may be associated with special occasions, they're also a surprisingly good option for everyday use — both bone china and fine china are durable dinnerware options, with bone china being the most durable. 

If you prefer the look of bone china, you will pay a higher price. When shopping for bone china, make sure you look at the percentage of cow bone ash content. According to Noritake, the standard amount of bone ash should be 30%. If you don't see the percentage listed in the product details, ask the manufacturer before purchasing; brands can claim their dinnerware is bone china with even a small percentage of bone ash.

Porcelain

If you prefer a slightly heavier, sturdier feel for dinnerware, porcelain is a great option. Porcelain — a nonporous ceramic — is fired at a high temperature making it durable, and it's oven-, dishwasher- and microwave-safe. Porcelain dinnerware usually comes in white but you can find it in different colors and patterns.

Stoneware

Stoneware is a nonporous ceramic dinnerware made from stoneware clay that's fired at a high temperature. It's thicker than both porcelain and china, and you'll often find this dinnerware material at your favorite restaurant for this reason. This type of dinnerware requires a little more maintenance as it doesn't handle extreme heat or extreme cold temperatures well. 

Melamine

Even though many dinnerware materials are durable, they aren't completely shatterproof like melamine. Melamine is a type of plastic that's food safe. Whitmore suggests it's worth investing in a chic melamine set if you have small children in your household; it also doubles as dinnerware for outside or poolside dinner parties. However, according to the FDA, it isn't microwave safe. And even though melamine has come a long way in appearance — often looking like a higher-end material — it may be too casual for a formal dinner.

How we chose the best dinnerware

A nice dinnerware set is something you'll keep for years to come, and perhaps even pass down generations, so we chose brands that have been around for decades, or even centuries. After speaking with cookbook author Courtney Whitmore and wedding caterer Bruce Roy and doing our own research, we selected trusted brands that provide the best customer service and have plenty in stock so you can easily replace or add to items in your collection.

Dinnerware FAQs

How many dinnerware pieces do I need?

You can buy dinnerware as open stock, by the place setting, or in sets with services of two to 12 people.

"I always advise people to have a dinnerware set for at least 10 [people] in addition to a selection of platters, trays or serving pieces," said Whitmore. "You can mix and match pieces to coordinate a cohesive look as well."

Brands may differ in what pieces they include in their place settings or sets. If you are shopping for a dinnerware set for a formal dinner, make sure each place setting "includes the key pieces like dinner plate, salad plate, a teacup and saucer and dessert plate," said Roy.

---

What's the best type of dinnerware to buy?

How you plan on using your dinnerware will determine the type you need. For formal special occasions, you probably want porcelain or china. Stoneware and melamine are sturdier and dishwasher-safe, more suited to everyday use.

---

What style of dinnerware should I buy?

The style of dinnerware depends on your personal aesthetic and how you plan on using your dinnerware. If it's for everyday use, you can play with different colors and patterns. If you're looking for dinnerware for a formal table setting, it's best to keep it simple. 

"I always recommend a classic white set with a little extra detail like a subtle scallop edge or a beaded trim," said Whitmore. "You can use it all year long and switch out the colors of table linens, flowers and decor to coordinate color schemes with holidays and occasions."

---

What are the best dishes for everyday use?

First, you want a material that's dishwasher- and microwave-safe. You may even want an oven-safe material. Overall, they should be versatile and sturdy.

While stoneware and melamine are obvious choices, some china and porcelain are dishwasher-safe but are still more delicate.

---

What is the most chip-resistant dinnerware?

Porcelain, bone china, stoneware, and melamine all resist chips and scratches.

---

Where can I purchase replacements for broken china?

If you receive a broken or damaged dinnerware item when you first purchase it, most companies will replace the product for free. If you want to replace a broken item from your collection, check to see if the brand offers a replacement program. If you register your dinnerware, brands like Lenox and Noritake offer a replacement program at a discounted price or free as long as the items are still actively being sold. You can also check Replacements, Ltd., the world's largest retailer of dinnerware (with more than 425,000 patterns available), to search for a replacement.

• Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces in your house can help lessen the community spread of germs and bacteria.
• If someone in your home is sick, prevent the spread of bacteria, viruses, and more with appropriate cleaning strategies and disinfecting products like Clorox Disinfecting Wipes, Lysol Laundry Sanitizer, and Microban 24 Multi-Purpose Disinfecting Spray.
• Some of these products are expected to be effective against the novel coronavirus, but not all are, so be sure to read labels and check the EPA's list of effective products.
• Due to the novel coronavirus, many of these items are currently out of stock, so we'll do our best to keep this post updated with accurate in-purchase links. We've kept all links live in case the item becomes available. 
• Read more: The best disinfecting cleaners

Our homes are supposed to be a safe haven where we can relax and recuperate from what we've encountered out in the world. Unfortunately, we wind up bringing home the world and all its germs through dirty hands, shoes, clothing, and phones.

Even if your home looks clean, it may still harbor contaminants that could affect your health. Dr. Michael G. Schmidt, professor of microbiology at the Medical University of South Carolina and chair of the American Society of Microbiology's Council on Microbial Sciences, says that the best way to protect your family is to simply clean your house.

Dr. Schmidt explains that after washing our hands, the next best way to protect your family is to wipe down countertops, doorknobs, light switches, and common surfaces with a microfiber cloth dampened in a solution of hot water and an all-purpose cleaner like this one from Method twice per day. "The slight abrasion of the microfiber cloth and the cleaning solution will lift and dilute any microbes that have settled on the surfaces," says Dr. Schmidt. "Since electronics don't hold up well to soap and water, use an alcohol wipe with at least 70% isopropyl alcohol to clean cell phones, remotes, and keyboards."

The difference between cleaning and disinfecting

Cleaning shouldn't be confused or used interchangeably with disinfecting. The former means you're removing germs but not killing, while the latter means you're actually killing them. This distinction is important because you might clean surfaces effectively but you might not be disinfecting, leaving germs and bacteria to fester and grow. 

Disinfecting, if done correctly, will kill microscopic organisms so that they can no longer cause harm. However, Dr. Schmidt says, "Disinfecting cleaners can give a false sense of security if they are not used properly and are only necessary if someone in the household is ill." The key areas to address are surfaces that are shared by family members and those that come in close contact with bodily fluids. If your windows are dirty, they aren't a big concern to your health but a doorknob touched after a sneeze can be.

According to Dr. Joseph Horvath, associate professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of South Carolina Medical School, it is important to read labels and follow the directions on products. "Products labeled as disinfectants will adequately kill viruses and bacteria if used correctly." If the label promises to just "sanitize" a surface, the fine print might say that it will kill 99.9% of the bacteria, but not mention if it's effective against viruses or fungi. You want to look for disinfectants as they can kill bacteria, viruses, and fungi when used properly.

How to disinfect every room in your house 

As a house-keeping expert with more than 20 years of experience, I have tested all the products listed here and gathered my best tips to help you disinfect the surfaces in every area of your home and slow the transfer of common communicable diseases. While many of the types of surfaces overlap, it's meant to be a comprehensive list of products you need to help keep your family healthy.

Unfortunately, due to the novel coronavirus, many of the items have stock issues or are heavily marked up. In an interview with Reuters, Clorox CEO Benno Dorer said products like Clorox wipes won't be more readily available until 2021. We're actively researching and testing more products for their effectiveness, and we'll do our best to update this post with accurate purchase options as they become available. Your local brick-and-mortar stores might have more availability than online stores, but we've also kept the links live in case the item becomes available.

If you're looking to disinfect a specific room in your house, click on the links below, otherwise, keep reading to see how you can disinfect your entire home. 

• How to disinfect the kitchen
• How to disinfect the living room
• How to disinfect the bathroom
• How to disinfect the bedroom

How to disinfect the kitchen

Before you disinfect anything in your house, you should wear gloves. Rubber gloves are more durable and reusable, but disposable latex ones are fine too. Remember to always wash your hands with soap and warm water after using any cleaning products.

Kitchen surfaces can not only harbor the bacteria we transfer from our hands and belongings but also foodborne bacteria so it's particularly important to disinfect items properly.

• Best for disinfecting hard surfaces: Clorox Disinfecting Wipes
• Best for disinfecting food preparation areas: SaniDate Hard Surface Sanitizer
• Best for disinfecting utensils, dishes, and glassware: Clorox Germicidal Concentrated Liquid Bleach

How to disinfect hard surfaces in the kitchen

Every light fixture, cabinet, and appliance in your kitchen has some type of handle or control panel that's touched each time it's turned on or opened. If any surface is touched after raw food is prepared or before hands are washed, bacteria like salmonella, listeria, E. coli, mold, and yeast can be present. All of these surfaces should be cleaned multiple times daily, especially after food preparation, with Clorox Disinfecting Wipes. 

Wipes are convenient and easy to use but don't use just one wipe in an attempt to disinfect an entire kitchen. There must be enough of the disinfecting solution left by the wipe to leave a surface visibly wet for at least four minutes while air-drying to be effective.

This is currently out of stock on Amazon and many other online retailers, though we've kept the links live in here in case the item becomes available. A bottle of 75-count wipes cost around $6 on Amazon in late 2019, but due to the novel coronavirus, what becomes available can highly be marked up. We don't suggest buying items at these high prices, but if you need them, it's something to consider.

How to disinfect food preparation areas and tools

Many disinfecting products, including ones with chlorine bleach, are not safe to use in food preparation areas without an added step of a rinse after disinfecting. That's why you need SaniDate Hard Surface Sanitizer.

While SaniDate doesn't pretend to deep clean surfaces, the one-step disinfectant will kill bacteria like E. coli, salmonella, and staphylococcus aureus on plastic and sealed wood cutting boards, stone, tile, and laminate countertops, and even utensils and dishware with patented ethyl alcohol technology. 

With a rapid kill time of only 30 seconds, the product is also quick drying and registered with the EPA. Surfaces are safe to touch nearly instantly without rinsing and it contains no bleach or ammonia. SaniDate is unscented and can be used to clean fruits and vegetables as well as kitchen surfaces. 

According to the price-tracking site CamelCamelCamel, a one-gallon jug ranged between $20-$40 on Amazon last year, so be aware of potential price-gouging if you see it marked up.

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How to disinfect utensils, dishes, and glassware

If you're using an automatic dishwasher with the proper water temperature of 140 degrees Fahrenheit and a dishwasher detergent that contains chlorine bleach as one of the ingredients, you can rest assured that eating utensils, dishes, and glassware are disinfected and free of bacterial growth. 

When handwashing dishes, wash as usual and add a final soak in a solution of one tablespoon of unscented chlorine bleach per one gallon of cool water for two minutes before draining the solution and allowing the dishes to air-dry. Do not use on silver, aluminum, or chipped enamel.

Make sure to use a chlorine bleach like Clorox Germicidal Concentrated Liquid Bleach that contains a high-enough concentration of sodium hypochlorite to thoroughly kill bacteria. You can use chlorine test strips to confirm that you have 200 parts per million (ppm) required for the correct concentration of bleach.

According to CamelCamelCamel, prices for a 3-pack can range from $15-$27 on Amazon. It's currently unavailable at most retailers, but we've kept the links below live in case the item becomes available.  

Quill previously had availability for a three-pack of 121-ounce jugs, but if you're looking for just one jug, Home Depot might have them for under $5. It's currently unavailable, but the price seems accurate and normal. The Walmart price at $6 isn't the worst we've seen, though it's currently out of stock.

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How to disinfect the living room

When disinfecting shared living spaces, don't forget to treat soft-surfaces like pillows and upholstered furniture as well as hard surfaces. We'll go over hard surfaces here, but you can skip ahead to soft-surface disinfecting here.

• Best product for disinfecting hard surfaces: Microban 24 Multi-Purpose Disinfecting Spray
• Best product for disinfecting electronics: HomeSoap UV Electronics Sanitizer
• Best wipes to disinfect remotes and game controllers: Towei Alcohol Wipes

How to disinfect hard surfaces in the living room

End tables, light switches, doorknobs can all become contaminated due to germs on our hands. While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends constant handwashing with water and soap for 20 seconds to curb the spread of germs, many people don't do it often enough or even effectively. 

When that fails, try Microban 24 Multi-Purpose Disinfecting Spray to disinfect surfaces and offer 24 hours of protection from bacteria growth even after multiple touches.

Spray the surface with enough Microban so it will stay wet for five minutes before air-drying for the most protection. If you simply can't wait, and the surface needs cleaning as well as disinfecting, spray it on and let it sit for five seconds before drying the surface with a clean microfiber cloth.

This was previously available online at Walmart for a little under $4, but now it appears as an item you can only buy in stores, though inventory is limited. It's currently unavailable at Office Depot though you can add yourself to the online waiting list. Note that it's around $13 — significantly higher than the Walmart price.

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How to disinfect electronics

Phones, remotes, laptops, and keyboards hold onto every bacteria they encounter — and we all know they encounter a lot.

You can use an alcohol wipe that's 70% isopropyl alcohol to clean iPhone screens; these pads from Curity should do the job though any should be fine. Certain carriers may have different coatings to prevent smudges and scratches that may be harmed by alcohol, so we suggest checking out this list of techniques to clean your phones effectively. Always read the manual before cleaning the screen of a cell phone. 

Though it's not a liquid that comes in contact with your phone screens, HomeSoap UV Electronics Sanitizer safely kills bacteria in just 10 minutes using UV-C light. It's a larger version of the popular PhoneSoap, which we've tested, and can hold two phones at once.

With interior dimensions of 13.18 inches long by 3.43 inches wide and 9.13 inches high, this device can accommodate almost every type of hand-held electronics. And with two USB ports for charging, electronics come out sanitized and charged at the same time. The UV-C germicidal short wavelength, ultraviolet light breaks apart the DNA of bacteria and germs leaving it unable to harm or reproduce.

This is the same UV-C light technology used in hospital surgical suites to aid in killing superbugs.

It's available on the PhoneSoap site for pre-order but will ship at the end of September, so if you're not planning to wait for one, we'd suggest alcohol wipes, the smaller $80 PhoneSoap 3, the new $120 PhoneSoap Pro, or this $40 phone sanitizer from HoMedics instead. HoMedics provides lab results that show its effectiveness against common bacteria like E. coli, salmonella, staph, and more.

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How to disinfect remotes and video game controllers

If a HomeSoap is a bit out of your price range or you don't want to wait that long, you can still disinfect electronics with Towei Alcohol Wipes.

The wipes are a large non-woven fabric that is saturated with a 75% isopropyl alcohol. This is the same concentration that doctors and hospitals use to rid your skin of bacteria before giving a vaccination or drawing blood.

Just wipe down the remote or controller and allow the item to air-dry. You can go wash your hands while you wait.

It was previously on Amazon through third-party sellers for $24 with $4 shipping, but it appears as though the item is no longer available on Amazon or elsewhere online. We suggest regular alcohol pads with at least 70% isopropyl alcohol instead.

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How to disinfect the bathroom

In addition to hard surfaces like showers, toilets, and counters, be sure to disinfect and wash towels and bathmats regularly. A fresh handtowel should be put in place at least daily. Giving everyone a new toothbrush regularly, and especially after getting over a cold, can also help keep bacteria levels under control.

• Best for disinfecting bathroom surfaces: Microban 24 Bathroom Cleaner and Sanitizing Spray
• Best for disinfecting toilet: Lysol Complete Toilet Bowl Cleaner with Bleach
• Best cleaning cloth: AmazonBasics Microfiber Cleaning Cloths

How to disinfect bathroom counters, tubs, showers, and floors

Hard surfaces in the bathroom should be disinfected twice a day because this is the room exposed to the most bodily fluids.

If you're using a disinfectant wipe or spray like Microban 24 Hour Bathroom Cleaner and Sanitizing Spray, you must follow directions carefully, use enough of the cleaner to leave the surface wet for several minutes, and allow the cleaner to air-dry on the surface. The Microban 24 Multi-Purpose Disinfecting Spray would probably also work on hard surfaces here too. 

To remove dried mucus from a sneeze or spittle after teeth are brushed, a microfiber cloth will provide the gentle abrasion needed to loosen the matter so it can be cleaned away. Use a separate microfiber cloth for the toilet or clean it last to avoid transferring germs.

The spray was previously available online at Walmart for a little under $4, but now it appears as an item you can only buy in stores, and it's available at Target for just under $5. It's currently unavailable at Office Depot though you can add yourself to the online waiting list. If you choose to buy this, note that it's around $13 — significantly higher than the Walmart price.

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How to disinfect toilets

It's a good idea to disinfect every surface of a toilet including the bowl. The outer surfaces can be cleaned with Microban 24, but to disinfect the interior of the bowl, use Lysol Complete Toilet Bowl Cleaner with Bleach. 

The thick gel clings to bowl surfaces and the angled head makes it easier to reach the often forgotten area under the rim. Squirt the gel into the bowl at the beginning of your bathroom cleaning session and close the toilet lid while you finish the rest of the bathroom. Giving the cleaner time to work will make it easier to remove residue as you scrub the bowl.

The Walmart prices of around $2 for a bottle and $8 for a 4-pack seem normal, though the item is unavailable online. We suggest signing up for e-mail alerts as the item becomes available. There is a 2-pack option for $4 at The Home Depot, which is unavailable as of this post's update time. 

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How to disinfect the bedroom

Soft surfaces like bed linens, pillows, and clothing need special attention to kill bacteria especially if someone is ill. Don't forget outerwear, gloves, and scarves that may have been exposed to communal germs.

• Best for disinfecting nonwashable fabrics: Lysol Disinfectant Spray
• Best for disinfecting washable fabrics: Lysol Laundry Sanitizer

How to disinfect non-washable soft surfaces

Mattresses, pillows, and some bedding just can't be tossed in the washer. The same theory applies to any upholstered furniture.

That's why you need a good phenolic disinfecting spray like Lysol. This is not just an air-freshener, it contains the ingredients necessary to kill bacteria and is safe to use on fabrics and hard surfaces. I like to use it on bed linens between changes to freshen the fabric and kill lingering bacteria which is particularly important if someone is ill. 

The key to proper protection is to cover the surface with the mist and allow it to remain wet for at least 30 seconds up to 10 minutes so the active ingredients in the spray have time to work. Drying times for specific viruses are listed on the container.

Remember, if you are spraying surfaces that might end up in a mouth, they must be rinsed with clean water after the Lysol spray has dried. 

There are also a dozen scents available, so you can find one that suits your sensibilities and possibly find them easier than other disinfecting items in this story. 

The Crisp Linen is currently out of stock at Walmart, but depending on your zip code, available at Target and the $6 price is about right for an item like this. There's also a 1-ounce travel-sized can available at Quill for around $5, which is expensive for the amount of product but a potentially useful solution.

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How to disinfect washable fabrics

While washing clothes and drying them at a high heat will take care of most of the harmful bacteria, you can be sure that every bedsheet and pair of is bacteria-free with Lysol Laundry Sanitizer.

Bacteria and germs can live on fabric surfaces for days and regular washing, especially in cold water, won't take care of every problem. There are several ways you can sanitize washable fabrics.

Chlorine bleach and pine oil kill germs but can harm some fabrics, and quaternary formulas used in hospitals are difficult to find, but Lysol's phenolic disinfectant is readily available and appropriate for all washable fabrics. 

Bleach-free and safe to use in standard and high-efficiency washers, Lysol Laundry Sanitizer is easy to use. Just add the recommended amount of liquid to the washer's fabric softener dispenser so the sanitizer will be dispersed through the rinse water. If you don't have a dispenser, wait until the rinse cycle to add the product directly to the washer drum. The product comes in a Crisp Linen scent and is also available in an unscented dye-free formula.

In addition to the health benefits, the sanitizer also kills odor-causing bacteria that can leave clothes like socks and underwear smelling less-than-fresh.

It's available online at Home Depot for a little under $10. There's a sport version presumably designed with even more odor-killing capabilities though it's currently unavailable online and in physical Walmart stores. If you're able to find it, know that it previously ranged between $6-$10, depending on which size you get. 

It's also currently in stock on Amazon for just under $10. Earlier in March, the price was around $11, according to CamelCamelCamel. 

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Check out our other related cleaning guides

The best disinfecting cleaners

While there isn't just one product that will easily disinfect everything in your home, we've put together the best disinfecting cleaners for everything from clothes to counters and athletic gear. These are the best disinfecting cleaners.

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The best hand soap

Hand washing is the single best way to prevent the spread of viral illnesses like colds and the flu, and it's the best way to keep bacteria from entering your body. These are the best hand soaps.

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The best floor cleaners

Taking care of hard surface floors is a never-ending job. Just think about what gets dropped and spilled on your floors and what comes into your home on the bottom of shoes. Sweeping or vacuuming can capture much of the loose dirt and hair, but eventually, some of the mess will stick and the floor is going to need to be cleaned with a mop and a good cleaner. These are the best floor cleaners.

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The best mops

For regular upkeep of hard surfaces — wood, laminate, concrete, stone, etc. — a mop is an effective tool, even if it's basic. But mopping is also a dreaded chore. We're here to tell you that, from years of research and testing, mopping doesn't have to be difficult. Here are the best mops you can buy.

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The best stainless steel cleaners

Stainless steel is extremely durable and resistant to water damage and rust. But it can also show every fingerprint and smudge left my hands and every water spot that is not properly wiped away. If you use the wrong type of cleaner, there is no way to restore the finish. These are our top picks for the best stainless steel cleaners.

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The best drain cleaners

Most of us take plumbing systems for granted until there is a problem. Drain care should really be something we attend to every day. While we can't control the rate a pipe joint disintegrates, we can help prevent clogs. These are the best drain cleaners for keeping your pipes in top shape.

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The best hand sanitizers

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend hand washing as one of the most effective ways to protect yourself from communicable diseases, but if that's not an option, using hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol is a good alternative. Here are the best hand sanitizers.

• Most cut flowers can last anywhere from 7-12 days if properly cared for, but there are easy ways and simple tricks to make your bouquets last longer with common household items. 
• Here are the best methods to keep your flowers alive longer.
• Read more: The best flower delivery services 

Everybody loves fresh flowers. They bring color and life to your space, add a nice touch to any room, and make the perfect gift for someone special or even yourself.

One of the pitfalls is the short lifespan of fresh-cut flowers, but there are lots of tricks, and tips that extend their longevity, including ones from my mom and experts at UrbanStems and ProFlowers.

The first thing to keep in mind that some flowers naturally last longer than others. Roses, lilies, freesia, daisies, and sunflowers tend to stay fresh longer than hyacinths, lilacs, daffodils, ranunculus, and tulips. These are notorious for wilting after only a few days. 

We did the research and spoke with experts at UrbanStems and ProFlowers for all the ways to make your buds last longer.

Everything you need to keep flowers alive longer:

You don't need everything on this list, but you'll definitely need gardening shears or scissors to cut stems, and a vase for the bouquet.

• Garden shears: Fiskars Steel Bypass Pruning Shears
• Kitchen scissors: Tigeo Multi-Purpose Scissors
• A low vase: Mifley Ceramic Vase
  
• A can of soda: 12-pack of Sprite
• Asprin: Equate Aspirin 500-count
• Bleach: Clorox Bleach
• Apple cider vinegar: Bragg Organic Apple Cider Vinegar

How to keep flowers alive longer:

Prepare your flowers for the vase

Experts at Urban Stems and ProFlowers suggest following these five flower care tips:

1. Cut the stems: Before you put those roses in water, trim 1-2 inches off the end of each steam. Garden shears are best for this task, but kitchen scissors or a sharp, clean knife will also do. Cut at an angle to help the stems take in water more easily since they aren't resting flat against the bottom of the vase. Experts suggest retrimming your blooms every few days for a fresh and clean stem.
2. Prune extra leaves: It's important to remove any leaves that fall below the water line to prevent bacterial growth. Check your flowers daily to remove dead leaves and petals. This is especially important in mixed bouquets which have multiple types of flowers that may have different blooming times.
3. Pick the right vase: This may seem obvious to some people, but it really does make a difference. Just because the florist hands you a bunch of peonies on long stems doesn't mean they should be put in a tall vase. Bigger, heavier blooms should be cut short and put in a low vase where they can support each other when they open or have room to spread out, while lighter, more delicate flowers can be kept in a taller vase. Make sure you are not crowding the vase either; when in doubt you can always make two bouquets out of one.
4. Change the water every few days: Start with a clean vase and fill it with room temperature water. When you add ingredients like flower food to the water, make sure they are completely mixed and dissolved before you place the flowers. Change the water, clean the vase, and re-trim the stems every few days.
5. Avoid heat, direct sunlight, windows, and even fruit: Flowers will last longer in a cooler room and if you keep them out of direct sunlight. Avoid placing them near appliances that generate high or low temperatures like the stove, air conditioner, ceiling fans, and even your computer or TV. Open windows will also cause them to dehydrate more quickly, and keep them away from fresh fruit which releases tiny amounts of gas that can cut the lifespan of your blossoms.

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Make your flowers last longer with additives

• Flower food packet: The pre-mixed packet that comes with flowers from your florist or grocery store is universally agreed by experts to be the best overall method for keeping flowers alive. It's the perfect mix of the three essential things flowers need: carbohydrates (sugars), biocides (cleansing agents), and acidifiers. These ingredients promote cell metabolism, combat bacteria, and adjust the pH of the water to increase water uptake. Experts recommend adding a new packet to your vase whenever you change the water, so ask for several from your florist if you can. If you run out of packets, try this recipe for homemade flower food: 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon bleach, and 2 teaspoons lemon or lime juice mixed into 1 quart of water.
• Vodka: Happy hour for your flowers is officially a real thing. By adding a few drops of vodka to your water, you're slowing the wilting process through the alcohol's ability to decrease the production of ethylene, the ripening gas that makes fruits, veggies, and plants mature.
• Soda: Maybe you didn't know your hydrangeas had a sweet tooth? Mix a ¼ cup of soda into the water and watch how your blooms stay perky with a sugary beverage, just like a kid with a can of Sprite. In fact, that's the type of soda recommended, since a dark drink like Coke or Pepsi will turn the water cloudy.
• Aspirin: Keep your daisies from drooping by crushing an aspirin tablet and mixing it into your water. The common pain-reliever can lower the pH level in the water, which helps it travel through the stem faster to keep your flowers fresher, longer.
• Coins: The copper in coins, especially pennies, has acidic properties that also fight bacteria growing in your water and on your flowers. Just one penny on the bottom of the vase will help your tulips open up, but some experts suggest adding crushed aspirin to lower pH levels and increase water flow.
• Apple cider vinegar, sugar, and bleach: The jury's still out on this one (sorry, Mom), but the idea here is that you're mimicking the flower food with sugar for nutrients and vinegar to acidify the water. The most common recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of sugar, 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and ½ teaspoon bleach for a quart vase. And if this method doesn't work for your flowers, there are lots of other things you can do with a little ACV.
• Bleach: If bleach fights bacteria on floors and countertops, it only makes sense that it will kill the nasties in your vase water too. This method may be the trickiest since too much bleach is bad for your blossoms. Experts suggest just a ¼ teaspoon of bleach for 1 liter of water and adding a bit of soda or vinegar for an acidic element that will help the water flow through your flowers.
• Refrigerator: There's a reason why your florist usually keeps flowers in a large commercial fridge. This method will keep your buds fresher for longer – if you remember to do it every night. 

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Check out our guide to the best flower delivery services

The best online flower delivery services

Now that you know how to keep fresh-cut flowers alive as long as possible, you're ready to order some blooms. We've done a lot of testing to choose the best online flower delivery services. 

• To cool down a room without AC, make sure to use window fans, ceiling fans, or tower fans.
• Keep your room cooler all day by covering windows to prevent heat from sunlight coming in. 
• You can also reduce humidity, block air leaks, and ventilate out hot air to cool your entire home. 

Summers are getting hotter, and extreme heat events are only becoming more common, including in places like the Pacific Northwest, where less households have air conditioning than in other parts of the country.

So, what can you do when the heat hits? 

Fans are a powerful tool, especially if you don't have air conditioning or are running it at a higher temperature. Fans are generally cheaper to buy and install than AC units. Plus, they are better for the environment because they use less energy.

In fact, AC costs homeowners about $29 billion each year, according to the United States Department of Energy (DOE). Fans are far more energy-efficient and cost-effective. 

If you have some fans on deck, you can optimize how you use them for the best, coolest results. There are also plenty of other steps you can take to keep your home cool. 

Here are 10 ways to cool down a room using fans and other items you can easily buy or might already have in your home:

1. Put window fans to work

Window fans are installed in open windows to draw cold air in and push hot air out, and can be set up to cool an entire house. Here's how to use window fans most effectively. 

Only turn window fans on when it's cooler outside than inside. In order for window fans to cool your home, the outdoor temperature must be lower than the indoor temperature. That's going to be at nighttime or early in the morning. 

Window fans are installed with a fitted sheet metal mounting that slots into an open window and seals around the edges. So, you don't have to worry about opening or closing that window. 

However, other windows in your house should remain closed during the hottest part of the day and — when safe — open at night and early morning.

Use more than one fan to create a crosswind. Window fans work best when you use more than one to create a crosswind, which pushes the hot air out and draws the cool air in. To do this, setting the fans up in the right location is crucial. 

Here's how to be strategic about your window fans' placement:

• Fans blowing air into your house. "You want the cooler air to blow inwards, so place one fan or more on the coolest side of your home that sees lots of shade — this will ideally be on the north side which gets the most shade — facing in towards the house and away from the windows," says Nathan Kipnis, FAIA, founder of Kipnis Architecture and Planning and specialist in the sustainability and energy efficiency of architectural design. 
• Fans pushing air out of your house. Then place an equal number of fans on the opposite side of your home facing out of your windows to push the hot air out. "Pushing air out on the south side is ideal," says Kipnis. 
• Keep as many inside doors open as possible. This will help maximize airflow throughout the house. 

Work with the design of your home. If you live in a multi-story home, place the inward-blowing fans on the lower floors where it's cooler and the outward-blowing fans on the upper floors. This method will rid your home of the warm air rising to the upper stories.

"Bringing air in low on the north side and pushing it out high on the south side is ideal," says Kipnis. 

2. Optimize your ceiling fans

Ceiling fans circulate air in the room by pushing it down. However, they can not lower the temperature like a window fan or AC unit. But they can still cool you down.

That's because their breeze creates a slight wind chill effect that can help sweat evaporate from your skin, which cools you down. So, it's not your home that it's cooling, but rather your body.

Here's how to use your ceiling fans most effectively:

Make sure your ceiling fan is rotating counterclockwise. In the summer, make sure your fan is rotating counterclockwise. This will push the air straight down and create that wind chill effect. Follow the instructions in this DelMar Fans guide to safely check and change the direction of your ceiling fan. 

Turn your ceiling fan off when you leave the room. Make sure you turn ceiling fans off when leaving the room because they cool people, not rooms. It's a waste of energy to have them switched on if there is no one there to feel the wind chill effect. 

Combine a ceiling fan with your AC unit. If you have a ceiling fan in the same room as an AC unit, it helps blow colder, air-conditioned air throughout the room. This can cut your energy consumption and reduce how hard your air-conditioner has to work.

"You could set your AC unit four degrees higher, combine it with a ceiling fan, and feel just as cool," says Kipnis. "And the key thing with AC is that it dehumidifies the air which is what helps make the fan even more effective."

It's worth noting that all ceiling fans work more effectively in dry air, "Because the sweat on your skin evaporates more quickly than if the air was humid, so you feel cooler," says Kipnis. 

3. Create an icy breeze with tower fans

Tower fans are narrow, tall, and portable, meaning they easily fit into the corner of most rooms. They create airflow by oscillating from left to right. 

Again, they work by creating a wind-chill effect rather than lowering the temperature of the room. 

Use ice for extra cooling. If you're really struggling to stay cool, for instance, during the peak of the day when it's hottest outside, place a bucket of ice or a large, frozen water bottle covered with a damp cloth in front of your tower fan as a homemade AC unit. The ice cools the air pushed out by the fan, which then circulates around the room. 

4. Cover windows to block sunlight

Around 40% of the unwanted heat in your home comes through windows, according to the DOE. 

Blocking that sunlight from the moment it starts to shine can make a big difference in how a room feels, especially if the room faces east or west. 

Here are some of the best window covering options for blocking solar heat:

• Insulated window quilts or cellular shades. Just as insulated shades can block heat from leaving your home, they can also keep it from getting in. You can increase their efficiency by keeping them tight around the edge of the window. 
• Curtains. Hanging medium-colored curtains with white backing "reduces heat gains by 33%," according to DOE. They recommend choosing tightly woven fabrics in light colors to reflect sunlight. And, two layers of fabric is better than one. In a pinch, you can hang sheets or blankets over your windows as makeshift curtains.
• Window films. Window films help block ultraviolet rays from entering through windows and can reduce the amount of heat that comes through. You can find clear or reflective window film (reflective film will be more effective at driving heat away) in rolls that you can apply yourself. 
• Exterior shutters or awnings. Closed shutters keep much of the sun's heat from reaching windows in the first place. Awnings are also very effective, reducing heat gain from the summer sun by up to 65% on your home's south side and by 77% on the west-facing side. The DOE recommends choosing light-colored awnings to reflect the most sunlight.

5. Block air leaks

Air can leak into and out of your house through even tiny openings around windows, doors, walls, and floors. This is not only a waste of energy, but it can also devastate your attempts at keeping it cool.

Weatherstripping and caulking can help prevent that precious cool air from escaping. 

To find out where air may be leaking in your home, inspect obvious spots where different materials meet — door frames, window frames, wall joints, and exterior bricks, stucco, or siding. Also, check where any exterior parts lead inside, such as around dryer vents, plumbing, and cable or internet lines.

You can also have a professional conduct a blower door test to help you specify where all your air leaks are.

6. Avoid using heat-emitting appliances and electronics

Appliances like your dishwasher, oven, stove, washer, and dryer can emit a lot of heat when they're in use. 

Avoid using them if you can — especially during the hottest part of the day.

If you need to use one of these appliances, try shutting off the room to contain the heat and prevent it from spreading to the rest of your home. 

If you have a computer that emits heat, shut it off. Also check your light bulbs. Incandescent bulbs can put off heat, so try to keep them turned off.

7. Use exhaust fans

You may not be able to use your gas range, but you should certainly use the exhaust hood above it. Turn it on to suck heat up and out. 

You can also turn on your bathroom fans to help suck humid, warm air out.

8. Focus efforts on your home's lowest level

Since hot air rises and cool air settles, you'll have an easier time keeping the lowest level of your home cool. 

If you have a cooler lower level, you can use it to ventilate your entire home. If there's a cool breeze outside, you can open windows on the lower levels to encourage the air to flow in. 

Then, open windows on the upper level to create a vacuum and encourage the rising hot air to flow out. This is what the DOE refers to as the "chimney effect." If you have fans, you can use them to speed up the process. 

If your lower level is a basement with no windows, try setting up a fan in the doorway toward the rest of your home and opening upper windows to let rising hot air out.

The DOE notes that this method works best in dry climates and at cooler times of day. 

9. Dehumidify your room

While humid heat is not necessarily more deadly than dry heat, it does affect how your body cools itself. When moisture levels in the air are high, it makes it more difficult for your sweat to evaporate. The evaporation of sweat is imperative for body temperature regulation. 

You can dehumidify a room by purchasing a dehumidifier. If you don't have a dehumidifier, these methods can help reduce moisture in the air:

• Open windows, but only if it's cool enough outside.
• Turn on fans to help evaporate moisture.
• When showering, run your bathroom fan, open a window, or simply take cooler showers that don't put off as much steam.
• If you see condensation on windows or other surfaces, this is a sign of high humidity. Wipe it away with a towel and try to find the source of the moisture.

10. Invest in bigger projects to cool your home

The world is warming, so battling the heat and finding ways to keep it outside of our homes is only going to become a more common issue. 

Luckily, there are some larger home projects and renovations you can do to keep your home cooler and more efficient in the future. They include:

• Try a cool roof. Look into getting a "cool roof," which might entail painting your roof white or installing a roof with reflective materials to drive away heat.
• Go green. Plant trees outside your home to provide shade and induce natural cooling via evapotranspiration, which is when moisture from a tree evaporates and cools the surrounding air.
• Paint your home's exterior a light color. While dark exteriors draw in heat, light-colored exteriors can help reflect it away.
• Start a rooftop garden. Also called a green roof, a rooftop garden can be around 30°F to 40°F cooler than a regular roof.

Insider's takeaway 

Cooling down a room in the peak of summer or during a heat wave might seem like a difficult task, but it doesn't have to be.

Fans can be an energy-efficient and cost-effective way to beat the heat during the summertime. You can use window, ceiling, or tower fans to cool down a room — with a few special tricks to make your fans even more effective.  

From the moment the sun comes out, window coverings can make a drastic difference in how much your home heats up. You can keep even more heat out of your home by locating and blocking air leaks and turning off any appliances or electronics that emit heat. 

If there's a breeze outside, you can open windows and create a chimney effect, where windows on the lower levels pull cool air in, and heat rises out of your home's windows on the upper level.

For the long-term, smart upgrades like a "cool roof" or shady landscaping can help keep your home cool summer after summer.

Everyone seems to have a toilet paper brand that they remain loyal to. After all, if you're going to apply toilet paper to some of the most sensitive areas of your body, you want it to treat you right. The best toilet papers are septic-safe, comfortable to use, and within budget.

We rounded up the best options for you and your family. For toilet paper alternatives check out our best bidet guide and our Brondell GoSpa Travel Bidet review.

Learn more about how Insider Reviews tests and researches home products.

Our top picks for toilet paper in 2023

Best overall: Charmin Ultra Strong Toilet Paper - See at  Amazon
Charmin's Ultra Strong Toilet Paper is plush, strong, easy to tear, ultra-absorbent, and has built a faithful following with its consistent quality.

Best budget: Scott 1,000 Sheets Per Roll Toilet Paper - See at Amazon
Scott's 1,000 Sheets Per Roll Toilet Paper is ideal for people who want to save money, care about the environment, and don't like lint.

Best sustainable: Cloud Paper Bamboo Toilet Paper - See at Cloud Paper
Cloud Paper Bamboo Toilet Paper provides a good balance of strength, absorbency, and softness.

Best for sensitive skin: Cottonelle Ultra Comfort Care Toilet Paper - See at Walmart
If most toilet papers leave a burning sensation in your rear after a thorough cleaning, consider treating yourself with Cottonelle Ultra Comfort Care Toilet Paper, which is triple-thick and hypoallergenic. 

Best subscription: Reel Premium Bamboo Toilet Paper - See at Amazon
If you never want to run out of toilet paper ever again, the Reel Premium Bamboo Toilet Paper ships right to your door and is made without trees.

Best 3-ply: Quilted Northern Ultra Plush Toilet Paper (6 rolls) - See at Amazon
Quilted Northern Ultra Plush Toilet Paper is the ideal absorbent tissue if softness is your top concern.

Best overall: Charmin Ultra Strong Toilet Paper

Pros: Soft, strong when wet and dry, rips cleanly from the roll, woven like a washcloth, Roto-Rooter-approved

Cons: Slow to dissolve

You might recognize Charmin Ultra Strong Toilet Paper from the series of commercials featuring bears with comfortable butts. As the name suggests, Ultra Strong is positioned as Charmin's strongest two-ply toilet paper. Charmin advertises it as having washcloth-like cleaning abilities with four times the strength of "the leading bargain brand" when wet.

This is one of the best toilet papers to use when your digestive system is having an off day and trips to the bathroom are frequent. And if you're concerned about hardy toilet paper wreaking havoc on your plumbing, you'll take comfort in knowing that Ultra Strong is Roto-Rooter-approved as septic- and clog-safe.

Though it's strong whether wet or dry—and neatly rips from the roll—the downside is that it takes a while to dissolve. That said, it might not be the best toilet paper for super-finicky plumbing. 

Best budget: Scott 1,000 Sheets Per Roll Toilet Paper

Pros: Affordable, eco-friendly, dissolves easily, has minimal lint, and is one of the best toilet papers when it comes to quantity and price

Cons: Somewhat abrasive

Despite Scott's 1,000 Sheets Per Roll Toilet Paper's one-ply stature and quick-to-dissolve design, it stays strong and leaves behind little lint. It's what we use in our house, and Scott is a great, sustainable option that's certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, too. Scott 1,000 dissolves quickly and easily while maintaining strength while wet. It's also recommended for people with RVs and sensitive septic tanks who aren't looking for luxury—it breaks down quickly but is still rough on the skin.

Best sustainable: Cloud Paper Bamboo Toilet Paper

Pros: Absorbent, free of scents, chlorine, BPA, and dyes, one of the best toilet papers when it comes to strength

Cons: Not widely available in stores; not as soft as other options

In our testing of the best sustainable bathroom tissue, Cloud Paper Bamboo Toilet Paper was among the most absorbent options. Plus, it rarely ripped when we tore off a sheet, making it one of the strongest toilet papers. However, it only had average softness compared to the other sustainable solutions.

According to the company, Cloud Paper is free of BPA, dyes, scents, and chlorine. The Natural Resources Defense Council gives Cloud Paper a B+ for sustainability. 

Cloud offers a subscription service that delivers 24 rolls to your door every two, three, or four months. The toilet paper comes in plastic-free packaging made of recycled paper products.

Best for sensitive skin: Cottonelle Ultra Comfort Care Toilet Paper

Pros: Soft, made with plant-based fibers, hypoallergenic, paraben-free, made without harsh chemicals and dyes, sustainably sourced, certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, three times thicker and two times more absorbent than the average brand, biodegradable, clog-free, septic- and sewer-safe

Cons: None 

Cottonelle Ultra Comfort Care Toilet Paper has a cushion-like, rippled texture, which is supposed to clean better while remaining comfortable, strong, and soft. It's ideal for sensitive skin because it's hypoallergenic, paraben-free, and made without harsh chemicals and dyes.

Cottonelle's toilet paper is also sustainably sourced and certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. And, because this two-ply tissue is three times thicker and two times more absorbent per sheet than the average brand, you'll appreciate its ultra-plush feel.

Cottonelle is also biodegradable, clog-free, and septic- and sewer-safe, so even though it's a thicker toilet paper, it's just as safe to use as it is soft.

Best subscription: Reel Premium Bamboo Toilet Paper

Pros: Tree-free, zero plastic packaging (including tape), no inks or dyes, fragrance- and chlorine-free, BPA-free, biodegradable, good quality weight and thickness, one of the best toilet papers due to its impressive sheet count per roll

Cons: None

Sure, subscription services are typical for makeup, coffee, and even razors, but toilet paper? That's a new one. The Reel Premium Bamboo Toilet Paper makes sustainably sourced, tree-free toilet paper that will be regularly shipped to you, so you never run out.

This three-ply toilet paper is sustainably sourced and made without chlorine, fragrance, inks, or dyes. Zero plastic goes into the manufacturing process, and the 100% bamboo rolls are wrapped in recycled paper. 

You can subscribe and have Reel delivered to you every month, every two months, or every three months, depending on how stocked you want your bathroom cabinet to be. If you want to reduce waste wherever you can, these rolls are a wonderful option.

Best 3-ply: Quilted Northern Ultra Plush Toilet Paper

Pros: Incredibly soft and absorbent, thick, Sustainable Forestry Initiative-certified, sewer- and septic-safe

Cons: Produces lint; not the best for weak plumbing

Quilted Northern Ultra Plush Toilet Paper lives up to its name, as its three-layered paper makes it more absorbent and softer than one- and two-layered sheets. 

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative-certified toilet paper remains strong, though it doesn't dissolve easily. But, despite the thick texture, it's sewer- and septic-safe.

Quilted Northern guarantees that their rolls will fit your holder. If the rolls don't fit, the company will send you a free extender.

What to look for in toilet paper

We examined hundreds of expert and buyer reviews and ratings of many toilet paper brands and styles. The ones we chose to include in our guide have the ability to clean you down there, are septic- and sewer-system-safe, and have discernible softness. Here are some other factors to consider when shopping for toilet paper:

Price

There is no standardization of toilet paper square or roll sizes, so words like "mega roll" or "double roll" don't mean much. If you want to compare prices, look at the cost per square foot and the number of "plys," or layers of thickness. This toilet paper value calculator is a great trick to bookmark if doing math in the toilet paper aisle isn't your strong suit.

When looking at costs, keep in mind that you will use fewer sheets of three-ply than one-ply because of the superior cleaning and absorbing abilities.

Ply

Toilet papers typically range from 1 to 3 ply, referring to the number of layers in each sheet of toilet paper, with 1 ply being the thinnest and 3 ply being the thickest. Some folks prefer our best budget option, 1-ply Scott, over our plush 3-ply pick from Quilted Northern since thicker toilet paper options sometimes create lint that people do not like.

When it comes down to deciding which is right for you, it is all based on personal preference and how you want your toilet paper to feel. A rule to follow is that a higher ply typically equals more comfort, whereas a thinner ply sacrifices comfort but is cheaper.

Septic safety

You'll want to buy toilet paper that says "septic-safe" on the packaging. This notifies you that the toilet paper will cause less damage to your septic system. Septic-safe toilet paper breaks down quickly and into smaller pieces compared to non-septic-safe options.

Product details

As we were doing our research, we found that there were a lot of buyer complaints about the rolls they ordered not being the same size as what they were used to. For this reason, when buying online, pay special attention to the sizes of the sheets, how many sheets are on a roll, and how many rolls you are getting.

If you do find toilet paper you like on Amazon, we recommend trying the "Subscribe & Save" service. This allows you to save up to 15% off the regular price. Plus, you don't have to remember to reorder toilet paper. It automatically comes to your home at regular intervals, much like our Reel pick.

Toilet paper FAQs

Is toilet paper bad for the environment?

Jennifer Skene, natural climate solutions policy manager for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), said that while some toilet papers are better than others, they all have an impact on the environment. 

The NRDC publishes an annual "Issue with Tissue" scorecard (pdf) that gives popular paper products a sustainability grade based on how the materials are sourced, the bleaching process, Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification, and other factors.

Skene said one of the major problems is that manufacturers rely on virgin forests for toilet paper production. Oftentimes, harvesting the forests infringes on indigenous rights and properties. And even bamboo is sometimes harvested unsustainably.

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Which toilet paper is better for the environment?

In addition to checking the NRDC scorecard, Skene recommends looking for toilet paper certified by the FSC and made from post-consumer recycled material.

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How can you reduce your toilet paper use?

Although there are plenty of eco-friendly toilet paper brands, for the sake of forests and our environment, the less toilet paper we use, the better. Skene said that bidets are indisputably better for the environment than toilet paper alone.

Skene added that it takes more water to make toilet paper than you would use to clean yourself with a bidet. That doesn't even factor in the added waste of toilet paper and the effects of deforestation.

I have used bidets in my home and on the road for almost a decade and strongly recommend them. You'll still want to use some toilet paper to dry and spot-check, but having a bidet has drastically reduced my family's toilet paper use. 

If you are looking for a travel bidet, check out our Brondell GoSpa Travel Bidet review. And, if you are looking for an at-home option, check out our guide to the best bidets.

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What toilet paper do plumbers recommend? 

Plumbers recommend 1-ply toilet paper since it is thin and dissolves easily. While it might not be the most comfortable, it will protect your plumbing.

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How long is a toilet paper roll?

Typically, a roll of toilet paper contains 200 sheets or about 900 inches of product.

• The aromatherapy of an essential oil diffuser can help you relax or boost your energy.
• Every diffuser should be cleaned regularly — at least once a month — to remove dust and oil residue that cause the unit to malfunction.
• Just a few simple cleaning products you have around the house, like isopropyl alcohol, dishwashing liquid, and a few Q-tips, can protect the longevity of your diffuser.
• See also: The best essential oil diffusers

If you rely on an essential oil diffuser to help you relax and get a restful night's sleep or to boost your energy levels at work, you want to keep it running smoothly and help it last as long as possible. Since nearly every diffuser uses a heat source to break down the components of essential oils, some residue will remain. Once that residue builds up, the unit can overheat or even stop functioning properly. This means you need to clean it regularly.

I've tried many different types of diffusers through the years and right now my favorite is the Vitruvi Essential Oil Diffuser. But no matter what style or dispersing method I've used, I've taken time to read the manual for directions on disassembling the unit and how to clean it. If you have lost the manual, most companies offer information online or by calling customer service.

As a cleaning expert and consultant to several small appliance manufacturers, I recommend thoroughly cleaning a unit each time you change scents and at least once a month to remove dust and oil residue. If you use it daily, bi-monthly cleaning is even better. Cleaning the ultrasonic plate or chip, which breaks down the oil into base molecules and causes water vibrations to disperse ultra-fine mist into the air, is the most important. Failure to clean that component can result in low diffusion or even cause your diffuser to stop functioning.

Steps to routinely clean an essential oil diffuser

These are the steps I use each week to clean my essential oil diffuser. It takes only five minutes or so and keeps the mist flowing smoothly.

1. Make sure the diffuser is unplugged from the power outlet.
2. Empty any water and oil mixture that remains in the diffuser reservoir.
3. Dampen a microfiber cloth and place a small dot of a plant-based dishwashing liquid like Home Made Simple on the cloth.
4. Wipe out the water reservoir with the soapy cloth. Rinse out the cleaned reservoir with fresh water and then dry completely with a dry microfiber cloth.
5. Dip a Q-tip cotton swab into rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol and rub it over the ultrasonic chip or plate to remove any oily residue.
6. Reassemble the diffuser, refill with water and oils, and it is ready to use.

Steps to deep clean an essential oil diffuser

If you use your diffuser daily, it will need a more thorough cleaning monthly to remove mineral deposits left from the evaporation of water.

1. Unplug the unit and empty any standing water in the diffuser.
2. Refill the diffuser's water reservoir approximately half full with fresh water. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons of distilled white vinegar (5% acidity). The vinegar will help dissolve any mineral deposits and kill any mold or mildew that has formed.
3. Plug the diffuser into a power outlet and let it run for at least 15 minutes so the vinegar solution has time to work.
4. Turn off and unplug the diffuser. Empty the vinegar solution from the reservoir. Use a dry microfiber cloth to wipe down and dry the chamber.
5. Dip a Q-tip in rubbing alcohol and clean the ultrasonic chip or plate to remove any trace oily residue.
6. Slightly dampen a microfiber cloth with fresh water to wipe down the exterior and power cord of the diffuser to remove fingerprints and dust. Pay extra attention to areas around the fan exhaust vents and the controls. If the exhaust vents are clogged with dust, the diffuser will overheat and possibly stop working.
7. Reassemble the diffuser, fill with a fresh water and oil solution, and enjoy.

Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore are two of the biggest paint retailers in the US. If you're in the market for paint, you've probably started to wonder about the difference between the two. They both have dozens of products and a dizzying amount of colors. 

We spoke to experts from five painting companies to get their insight on the two brands. For the most part, they all said both have several good product lines backed by massive research-and-development budgets. But there are few instances where they might prefer one over the other. 

The pros also explained what paint you should use when you're doing it yourself or are hiring professionals, the best paint for cabinets, and more.

What the pros have to say

Do interior designers prefer Benjamin Moore or Sherwin-Williams?

When we asked interior designers and color experts for recommendations on paint colors for living rooms, they offered a mix of the two companies but generally suggested more choices from Benjamin Moore.  

"Different brands have different strengths in terms of their colors," said color consultant Amy Wax. "If I'm going more towards earthier grays and beiges and slate blues, I'm going to look more towards Sherwin-Williams. With Benjamin Moore, sometimes they have a little bit brighter colors, a little bit more colors that are energized," she said. "So to me, it's a matter of what I'm trying to accomplish as to what paint company I'm going to use."

Does Sherwin-Williams or Benjamin Moore offer better color matching?

"Typically, I tell people to pick any color that they want," said Travis Nolan, the founder of Old Crow Painting. Nine times out of 10, he said both companies can match it. 

However, he explained that Benjamin Moore's Aura line seems a little trickier to get just right. Both Matt Kunz, president of Five Star Painting, and Michael Camper of M&M Precision Painting said Sherwin-Williams has superior color-matching software and mixer.

What brand lets me use just one coat?

Camper said regardless of a brand's claim that it only needs one coat, you should do a second and prime your walls first. "Put two coats on, and you're guaranteed to get the highest quality finish," he said.

Which brand is best for different climates?

"I've got a lot of folks that like to use either the Regal Select or Aura from Benjamin Moore, especially if they're in high-sun areas," said Kunz. 

"Sherwin-Williams Duration and SuperPaint [also] do a great job in those areas," he said. 

Nolan mentioned Sherwin-Williams' Resilience for Florida's climate. When the sun heats up water molecules between the paint and wood, they try to evaporate through the paint. "They'll just basically pull the paint right off, and that's why we get a lot of peeling here," he said. Resilience is quick-drying and holds up well in heat and humidity.

What paint should you use if you're hiring professionals? 

Kunz and Camper both said if your painting crew is pushing for a particular brand and type of paint, it's because they know how to get the best results with it. 

"What we find is like certain crews will get very used to using one of the types of paints, and they'll lean towards it because they know just without even thinking about it," said Kunz. "They know the coverage rate. They know the right nap roller to use — everything that they need for that specific type of paint."

Camper likes using certain products over and over for the same reason. "I become familiar with its characteristics, the way it flows, what the dry time is, whether it's more apt to run," he said.

Almost everyone we spoke with also suggested using higher-quality, more expensive paint. With a cheaper paint, "if you hire a professional painter, and you want a good job done, they're going to end up, generally, using more product to cover with, so it's going to cost them more in labor," Camper said.

Materials, including paint, make up about 10% of the total cost, so it makes more sense to save on labor if you can, he said. 

What brand is best for DIYers?  

If you're painting yourself, the price calculation will be a little different than with professionals. The biggest cost will be the product. 

Though they're pricier, self-leveling paints like Benjamin Moore Aura or Sherwin-Williams Emerald Urethane (for trim) may be a little more forgiving of wall flaws and brushstrokes.  

If you want a paint that's easy to touch up, Camper suggests Benjamin Moore. With Sherwin-Williams, "the more coats you apply, the shinier it gets," he said. While flashing (glossier spots on the wall that look like different paint finishes) tends to happen with higher-sheen paints than with matte or flat paints, Camper said Benjamin Moore's satin seems easier to touch up than the satin line of Sherwin-Williams. 

What's the best paint for cabinets?

Painting your own cabinets is a laborious process. Cupboards are also subject to slamming, grease, steam, and other hazards. 

Water-based alkyd paints cover and dry hard like oil-based paint but are easier to clean and less hazardous, like latex paint.    

Camper suggested Sherwin-Williams ProClassic and Benjamin Moore Advance, which are both water-based alkyds. 

The basics

Sherwin-Williams versus Benjamin Moore

	Number of locations	Price	Number of colors	Website tools	Color matching	Durability	For DIYers
Benjamin Moore	7,500+ privately owned stores (some with limited product lines)	$36 to $90 per gallon	3,500+	Personal Color Viewer	Yes, but experts said Sherwin-Williams is a bit better.	Benjamin Moore's Aura scuffed less easily.	Regal Select or Aura
Sherwin-Williams	4,700+ corporate-owned stores	$42 to $121 per gallon	1,700+	ColorSnap Visualizer and Snap It Button	Yes, experts said Sherwin-Williams has the edge.	Sherwin-Williams interior Emerald scuffed more but was easy to clean.	Duration and SuperPaint

Availability: Searching 11 fairly remote zip codes from Alaska to Maine, we found Benjamin Moore at more locations. However, they often had limited options, only offering the brand's budget-friendly Ben line. 

Travis Nolan, founder of Old Crow Painting, said he likes to support local businesses and prefers Benjamin Moore. But Michael Camper, owner of M&M Precision Painting, said the company's privately owned stores might have hours that aren't as consistent as Sherwin-Williams locations, which are always open on weekends, for example.  

Customer service: The painting companies we spoke to were split on the customer service between Benjamin Moore and Sherwin-Williams. It seems to depend heavily on the managers and employees at individual stores. 

Colors: "I do think that Benjamin Moore offers better colors," said Camper. "And if you're going to go with something vibrant, like a dark red or royal blue or something like that, Benny Moore is probably going to be a better option." 

Color samples, visualizers, and consulting

With thousands of colors to choose from, picking just one (or a whole palette) can be overwhelming. Both Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore have ways to help you find the right one. 

Color chips: After picking a color family or specific hue, you'll want to start comparing different shades to each other. "Color chips are the best way to help narrow down the process," Sue Wadden, director of color marketing at Sherwin-Williams, told Insider. It's hard to know if a color is warm or cool unless you have something side by side to compare it to. 

Website tools: Laura Bruqi of Brush Rite Painting said the two companies "have awesome, friendly websites where we can have clients actually go and pick their color." Both have programs that allow you to picture what your room will look like painted with a new color, though it obviously won't be an exact match.

Benjamin Moore's Personal Color Viewer lets you upload your own photo and "paint" cupboards, walls, and trim with any color you want. The tools are easy to use, and it shows details beneath the digital layer of paint well. You do have to register with your email to use it.

The ColorSnap Visualizer from Sherwin-Williams is very similar. You can use your own photo or one from the company. The results are a little sloppier than what you'll get with Benjamin Moore, but you don't need to register. 

Sherwin-Williams has another useful tool, the Snap It Button, which creates color palettes from any photo you want and matches them to the brand's paint colors. It isn't perfect, but it gives a starting point.

Sample jars: If you're stuck between a few colors, you can buy small quantities of paint from both companies and test them out. Greg Agosta, owner of Level 5 Fine Finishes, recommends painting a poster board instead of your wall. If you apply them to your walls, it can take extra prep work and coats to cover them up when you're ready to paint with your final color. Also, these samples are just meant for testing and don't have the same durability as the actual products. 

Color to Go from Sherwin-Williams is around $10 for a quart (32 ounces). We've seen some stock issues with the samples.

Benjamin Moore's paint samples are $5.99 for 8 ounces. You can have them shipped or pick them up in your local store. 

Peel-and-stick samples: Larger than traditional color chips, these sticky-backed samples let you put up and take down different colors and try them out in different lights and locations around your room. You can order them online, but individual stores may not always carry them or may not have the color you want. 

Sherwin-Williams' 8-by-8-inch peel and stick squares are each $3.95. 

Benjamin Moore's peel and stick samples are 9 by 12 inches and $5.95 each.

Color consultancy: Sherwin-Williams offers a free, virtual color consultation to homeowners. They're 30 minutes and include color recommendations and color chips. Benjamin Moore doesn't have a similar program at this time.

Benjamin Moore paint options

Benjamin Moore has dozens of types of paint. We asked the painting experts about some of the most popular lines. 

Regal Select

Available in both interior and exterior paint, Regal Select costs $70 to $75 per gallon. 

Agosta says it's great for walls because it's self-priming. 

"I stare at walls a lot," said Agosta. "And when you paint a wall that's got patches that are done over an existing finish, they'll leave spots that are not as shiny as the rest of the wall." Regal Select is more forgiving, he said, so you don't have to worry as much about imperfections in the wall if you're a DIYer.

Aura

"I would say that that is probably Benjamin Moore's number one interior paint," said Matt Kunz, president of Five Star Painting. "It has a really good color retention and spreadability." Aura comes in not just interior and exterior but Bath & Spa and Grand Entrance (for doors and trim). A gallon costs around $85 to $90.

Nolan says it takes multiple coats of other paints to achieve the density and finish of two coats of Aura. "Aura is at the top of its game," he said. "It's for good reason." 

"The Aura is kind of a self-leveling, heavier body material," said Agosta. "It's a little bit trickier to apply, but it has a much better finish" and is very durable. 

Advance

Advance is made for interior doors, trim, and cabinetry and costs around $65 a gallon. 

"It's a waterborne oil base," said Agosta. "So it's like the unholy alliance of oil and water. They finally figured it out." It's low-VOC, so it gives off fewer harmful volatile organic compounds than other paints.

Ultra Spec Scuff-X

A mid-priced paint from Benjamin Moore, Scuff-X is about $58 a gallon. Nolan said it's a great product for high-traffic areas because it holds up really well and touches up nicely.

Sherwin-Williams paint options

Like Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams also has a variety of interior and exterior paints, stains, and primers. Here's what the experts had to say about some of them.

Duration 

Like Benjamin Moore's Aura, Sherwin-Williams Duration is a self-priming paint, said Agosta. "It doesn't telegraph flat spots on the wall," he said. A gallon is about $76 to $89, and there are interior and exterior formulas. 

Emerald

Sherwin-Williams' Emerald line is available in both interior and exterior varieties for between $81.42 and $93.99.

Nolan said it's comparable in price and coverage to the Aura line from Benjamin Moore.

Emerald Urethane

For interior trim and other woodwork, several people we spoke to mentioned Sherwin-Williams' Emerald Urethane. It's pricey, at about $104 a gallon, and it's available in satin, semi-gloss, and gloss finishes. 

"I think that's actually probably one of the best paints that's ever been made," said Nolan, who's used it on 100-year-old houses. Agosta warns that it smells a little bit like skateboard tires but says it's really durable. 

Resilience

About $80 a gallon, Sherwin-Williams Resilience is an exterior paint that you can buy in flat, satin, and gloss finishes. 

Nolan, who is based in Florida, likes it for its resistance to the state's muggy climate. "That one tends to dry a lot faster and just holds up better to high heat and high humidity," he said.

Cashmere

Cashmere from Sherwin-Williams is an interior paint that's available in five finishes, from flat to a higher-gloss Medium Lustre. 

Kunz calls Cashmere "a very scrubbable paint" and says it feels almost silky. He likes it for high-traffic areas and homes with kids and pets.

SuperPaint

Available in interior and exterior versions, SuperPaint is between about $70 and $74 a gallon. The interior paint has antimicrobial properties. 

A lot of Kunz's painters like SuperPaint for hot, sunny areas.

The bottom line

All the experts we spoke with like both Benjamin Moore and Sherwin-Williams. There were differing opinions on issues like customer service, suggesting it varies by location. But there are some instances where you might prefer one over the other.

If you're hiring professionals, it makes sense to go with what they recommend since supplies are a fraction of the total cost. You may end up paying more in labor if the painters are working with an unfamiliar or poor-quality paint. 

For DIYers, talk to the employees at your local stores and see who's most available to work with you. One tip we found browsing a Reddit page for Sherwin-Williams employees was to avoid visiting a paint store when they first open for the day. That's when pros pick up supplies, and the workers won't have time to answer detailed questions.

Halloween is my family's Christmas, Super Bowl, and Gathering of the Juggalos all rolled into one. I've wanted Home Depot's 12-foot skeleton since it first became a thing. In the past, I've settled for a fun assortment of smaller skeletons. Last year, I needed the real deal. Below are my experiences with Skelly and how it's made my yard a local attraction.

For more decor ideas, check out our best Halloween decorations guide.

Step one: Get your hands on Skelly

The 12-foot skeleton, affectionately known as "Skelly" for short, is pricy at about $299, but even if you can afford it, it's often out of stock due to its popularity. My local Home Depot didn't have any of the skeletons in the giant Skelly family, which now includes a 5-foot skeleton cat, 7-foot Skelly's Dog, and 12-foot Levitating Reaper, among others.

Fortunately, Skelly is sometimes available on The Home Depot's website, and delivery is free — you just have to be quick, as it eventually sells out every year.

Skelly arrived in a big truck

The 12-foot skeleton didn't just arrive via the classic FedEx or UPS. Instead, a local delivery company called me the day before to make sure I'd be around during the delivery window.

Skelly and his dog arrived in a large box truck and were wheeled to the base of my porch on a pallet jack. I had to sign several places, and the delivery folks took about a dozen photos before I was free to marvel at my new Halloween decoration. I was surprised by the heavy-duty delivery considering I get mattresses delivered all the time, and they're just tossed on my porch without even ringing the doorbell. The Skelly in the box weighs about 85 pounds. Since I live in a high-theft area and couldn't set it up right away, I dragged the bulky box inside.

The setup took about 45 minutes

Overall, the setup took a little over 45 minutes, and I did most of it on my own, though the instructions say to have two to three people. Before starting the assembly, I organized all the pieces to make sure they were all there. There are a lot of them, lettered A through V. The instructions come in paper form, in an app, and printed on the box flaps. I chose to follow the box flap instructions, which were spot on.

The setup process was pretty simple. My 10-year-old son helped me lift Skelly's upper body so I could attach the bracing cable and put it upright when I was done. My wife helped me position the upright skeleton perfectly. I liked that I could put the arms in various positions. I decided on a menacing wave with one arm.

The only tool I needed to set up Skelly was a screwdriver to remove the battery cover. It doesn't come with batteries, so you'll need to buy four C batteries or plug in the AC adapter. I went the battery route, and they only lasted 48 hours before the eyes just started blinking to indicate low battery. The battery compartment is easily accessible under the pelvic bone.

If you love interactive instructions, download the BILT app. While I didn't use it, I did look at the 12-food skeleton on there, and the directions seemed more useful since each step features a 3D illustration you can rotate and zoom in on.

Secure and name your Skelly

A narrow object that goes 12 feet straight up into the air will want to fall over. This was especially true when I set it up on a windy day. Fortunately, it comes with four extension poles that attach to the base and four stakes that go about 6 inches into the ground. These should keep it stable enough, but you can also add sandbags or weights to the base. My wife spread a 40-pound bag of black mulch over the base, which weighed it down and helped with the aesthetics.

While securing the skeleton was hard, coming up with a name was harder. You gotta give your Skelly a cute, original name, preferably one with a relevant pun. I agonized over it for days with my editors and family. Skelly Ripa was floated. Skelloncé was another good one. But, in the end, I had to go with MaSkully Skullkin. I don't have any particular affinity for the Home Alone star. I just loved how over-the-top the name is and how it has the double pun. If you get stuck, ChatGPT has some helpful ideas.

The payoff

The moment we had MaSkully upright, a 5-year-old walked by with his mother. The kid stopped and just stared at the skeleton in wonder. He loved it.

The LCD eyes light up and seem to follow you, which is an impressive touch. I wanted to get a photo of it at night, so once the sun set, I went out to my front yard. I was surprised to find someone out there already taking a photo. He didn't notice that I came out of the house and assumed I was another passerby. "You had the same idea as me," he said. "I had to take a photo. I love this."

Cons to consider

You might want to wear protective gloves while assembling Skelly. Some of the plastic pieces have sharp edges, and I cut my delicate writer's fingers on them. I had to put a Toy Story Band-Aid on the cut to stop the bleeding. The directions also feature a warning that the cable could cut you, but it left me unscathed.

While it's quite cumbersome, someone might try to steal your 12-foot skeleton. Since we've had Halloween decorations stolen in the past, I decided to lock up this $300 statement piece. I simply put a bike lock around the femur and attached it to my son's lemonade stand.

The bottom line

Is Skelly worth the $300 price tag? I'd say yes if you want your holiday decorations to truly stand out. The 12-foot skeleton has become a landmark in my neighborhood. We get a lot of foot traffic by our house, and it brings a smile to people's faces. My son loves playing outside around it. Plus, as a family dedicated to year-round spookiness, I have a feeling we'll be dressing Skelly up for all seasons.

• With a slow cooker, you combine low heat and plenty of time to make great-tasting one-pot meals with minimal effort.
• If you don't have a slow cooker yet, we recommend picking one from Crock-Pot, the company that first popularized the appliance and is synonymous with slow cookers.
• Here's how slow cookers work and how you can use them at home.
• Read more: The best slow cooker

After working all day, most of us just want to flip on the TV and zone out. The idea of preparing a healthy, delicious meal may not sound appealing so we often end up reaching for frozen foods or takeout.

But with a slow cooker, you can avoid impulse decisions and prepare meals before the day takes your energy away. Slow cookers are a great tool for preparing one-pot meals before you get down to work for the day. When you're ready to call it quits, your meal will be ready to eat. 

What is a slow cooker?

Much like you might refer to hook-and-loop fasteners as Velcro, facial tissue as Kleenex, and pressure cookers as Instant Pots, most of us use "slow cooker" and "Crock-Pots" interchangeably.

Since Crock-Pot's inception in 1971, its slow cookers have had the same basic parts of a base, an inner pot, and a lid. The base plugs into an outlet and heats the inner pot, which is usually made of stoneware. The pot and its contents are heated to a consistent temperature, typically between 200 and 300 degrees Fahrenheit, and you set it to cook your dishes for at least four hours.

Though you can get excellent slow cookers for under $50, including ones from Crock-Pot, you can also find them for less at secondhand stores if you're on a budget. Though if you go this route, be careful about the wiring and try to test it in-store to make sure it heats up properly before you make your purchase.

If you own a Dutch oven or other large oven-safe pot with a lid, you can turn your oven into a slow cooker. To convert any slow cooker recipe, just set your oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit for low heat or 300 degrees for high.

How does a slow cooker work?

The slow cooker gets its name from the time it needs to cook meals at low temperatures. This is different from a pressure cooker, like an Instant Pot, which uses intense pressure and a short amount of time. If you're interested in learning to use an Instant Pot, we've got a breakdown here.

Though times vary, most slow cooker recipes call for cooking on low for eight hours. However, you won't be actively working on the meal during that time. The amount of time you spend preparing your meal for the cook is much shorter.

How to use a slow cooker

Here are the most basic steps to use a slow cooker:

1. Prep your ingredients.
2. Add your ingredients to the pot.
3. Put the lid in place.
4. Select your preferred heating level.
5. Set a timer (if necessary) and go about your day.
6. Once the time is up, carefully open the lid and enjoy your meal.

Recipes and ingredient preparation can be as involved as you want. For recipe inspiration, there are countless slow cooker cookbooks. The "Fix-It and Forget-It Big Cookbook" is a popular choice. I've also listed out my favorite dishes and recipes below. 

Since slow cookers rely on heat and moisture, they are mainly used for foods you might otherwise boil or simmer, including stocks, pot roasts, soups, beans, dips, and more. You don't want to slow cook crispy or fried foods and you should need to be careful with noodles as they can become mushy fast.

For added flavor, caramelize onions and sauté garlic before you add them to your pot. You can skip these steps if you're in a hurry to get your meal cooking, though I strongly recommend browning your meats before throwing them in the slow cooker. This adds a flavorful crust that can help seal in juices for tastier, juicier meats. The perfect tools for doing this are a good cast iron skillet and tongs. Check out our guide to the best cast iron skillets and pans. For tongs, OXO Good Grips is a smart solution.

Once the ingredients are in the pot and the lid is in place, it's time to choose a temperature setting and start cooking. Most slow cookers have just two settings: Low and High. Low heat is almost always preferable — after all, it's what gives "slow cooking" its name — because longer simmers can extract all of the flavors. Count on meals cooked on the Low setting to take roughly four hours longer than those on High. For instance, dishes that take four hours on High will take about eight hours on Low.

Once the Crock-Pot is cooking, let it be. It's designed to just work on its own, and as mentioned above, removing the lid frequently can mess with your cooking times so only do this if a recipe calls for it. Otherwise, set a timer (if your model doesn't have one built-in), and go about your day. 

You might come back after an hour to make sure that the unit is hot. There are countless stories of people who have turned on their non-digital slow cooker only to find out hours later that they'd never plugged it in. 

Once the time is up, check to make sure the food is thoroughly cooked. This is unlikely going to be a problem but it doesn't hurt to be safe. You can use a thermometer in the thickest part of the meat and refer to the USDA's recommended internal temperatures guide. Or just cut the biggest piece of meat in half and eyeball it. If it appears to be cooked all the way through, you're good to go. You can serve the meal in the pot itself or on a serving platter if anything needs to be sliced or cut.

How much liquid do I need in a slow cooker?

This depends on the recipe but when adding ingredients, remember that heat makes items expand. Therefore, if you fill the stoneware all the way up to the top, you're likely to have some of the liquids spill over during the cooking process. Go with the recipe and don't fill the pot more than two-thirds or three-quarters of the way full. With this in mind, if you plan on making big pots of food, consider buying a larger Crock-Pot.

You should keep the lid on slow cooker at all times unless you absolutely need to remove it. This protects against temperature fluctuations since a lot of heat is released when the lid comes off. With the lid in place, moisture also stays contained so you need less liquid in the pot than if you were simmering on the stove or in the oven.

What do you need to use a slow cooker?

One of the main benefits of slow cookers is that you don't need extra accessories to make a delicious meal — just the slow cooker itself.

The Crock-Pot 6-Quart Cook & Carry Programmable Slow Cooker is our top pick, but I've tested and liked others from the Crock-Pot family.

One, in particular, is the Crock-Pot Express, which is Crock-Pot's answer to the Instant Pot. Most electric pressure cookers have a slow cooker function, so it's always nice to have one appliance that serves several functions. In my experience though, electric multicookers tend not to slow cook as well as the units devoted to that function.

Where do you put a slow cooker?

One great thing about slow cookers is that you're using low temperatures (usually under 300 degrees Fahrenheit) so there's a decreased chance of danger or fire. However, you still need to be careful about where you place your slow cooker. 

Don't place your Crock-Pot on the stove. It's too easy to accidentally turn on a burner and end up with a ruined appliance, a mess, or worse. You should also avoid putting your slow cooker where it might fall into water or people might trip over it.

Don't use an extension cord with your slow cooker if you can avoid it too. If you do need one, make sure it's rated for at least 12 amps and 120 volts, and place it somewhere that people won't trip over the cord. You don't want someone to accidentally send a scalding mess flying through the air.

How do you clean a slow cooker?

During long cooking sessions, food can get caked onto the inner pot, which makes cleanup a real pain. The pots are often heavy and unwieldy to wash by hand and may not fit in your dishwasher, so if you're concerned about this, consider picking up some liners for easier cleanup. We recommend Reynolds Regular Size Slow Cooker Liners. 

Slow cooker tips

• Your slow cooker can do more than just make a one-pot meal. It can be used to keep items warm at potlucks, parties, and other events. A friend of mine uses his Crock-Pot to make large batches of hot chocolate during holiday parties. You scoop it into your mug and add your holiday cheer of choice from the bar.
• Since some ingredients may cook at different speeds, you might want to stagger the ingredients you add. For instance, I like to wait until the final three hours of a low-temp cook to add potatoes and carrots to a roast. Dairy products are best added at the end.
• In many cases, the juices left in the pot are like liquid gold. Consider serving them as a sauce or gravy. Use a slurry to thicken it up. A slurry consists of 1 part cornstarch to 2 parts cold water. Start with small amounts (think a tablespoon or two) and slowly whisk more in until it thickens.
• Many slow cooker and Instant Pot recipes are interchangeable. If a meal takes an hour in the Instant Pot on high pressure, count on it taking 8 hours in the slow cooker on Low.
• If the idea of getting up early to prep your ingredients before heading to work sounds unappealing, you can prep items the night before and store them in the pot in the refrigerator. That way, in the morning, you can just take it out, put it in the base, and start cooking.

Easy slow cooker recipes

Now that you have a good idea of how a slow cooker works, here are a few of my favorite meals:

Chili, soups, and stews: Soups and stews are great in Crock-Pots, but this device was made for the chili lover. It keeps your creation at a low simmer, and when it's ready, you can use the "Keep Warm" mode so the chili is ready for second and third helpings throughout the evening. Here's an excellent Betty Crocker recipe using beer that really puts it over the top.

Roasts: Though I prefer sous vide for cheap cuts of meat, slow cookers also do an outstanding job of breaking down 3-pound pieces of beef into tender, flavorful meals. I made this recipe recently with items I picked up from my CSA, and it was a hit.

Pulled pork: If you don't have a smoker, you can get a similar pulled pork experience with a slow cooker. Here's an easy recipe. I recommend adding some liquid smoke to give it more flavor complexity.

Chicken breast with salsa and cheese: When I'm lazy or in a rush, I sometimes just toss a pound or two of chicken breasts into the slow cooker, cover it with a container of salsa, and let it cook on low for about 8 hours. When there's about an hour left, I add a bunch of cheese. When it's done, I shred the chicken and serve the concoction over rice. It also works well in a tortilla with additional toppings.

BBQ chicken with baked potato casserole and cheesy corn: This is primo Midwest cuisine I picked up while testing Chefman's triple slow cooker. For this, you'll need a triple slow cooker so all the components are ready at the same time. The Chefman model is no longer available but I also recommend trying HomeCraft.  

Shopping for a new pair of glasses can be a pricey hassle, but Zenni offers a streamlined process that can help get you into a fresh pair of glasses without breaking the bank or leaving the comfort of your home. The online eye retailer carries everything from sunglasses and readers to prescription frames (and even some niche products, like blue-light blockers), so there's something for every eyeglass need. The retailer already offers several deals, but you can bring the price of your cart down even more by applying one of the best Zenni promo codes we've tested.

Our editors have tested out all the leading online eyewear retailers, and Zenni consistently makes the cut as one of the top options thanks to its stylish, budget-friendly glasses. The brand's in-house frames deliver impressive quality for the price, while designer options from labels like Calvin Klein and Marc Jacobs prove you don't need to spend luxury-level prices to get a polished look. Zenni offers a massive selection of frames and lenses, including options for all ages and face types. For a closer look at why we like the retailer, you can check out our full Zenni review.

Zenni is already one of the most affordable online glasses retailers, but shoppers seeking some extra savings can find additional discounts by using one of the many Zenni promo codes that are currently active. We've scoured the internet for new coupons and rounded up the best options below. Plus, we've tested them all out to ensure that they're still working (at the time of writing). The best codes can help you save up to 15% at checkout.

Today's best Zenni discount codes

Previous Zenni promo codes

Are there any other Zenni sales running at the moment?

You can check out Zenni's sale page anytime for a full list of current markdowns on their frames. At the time of writing, Zenni is also running the following promotions.

• Follow our Instagram page and WhatsApp channel for more deals and buying guides

How to use Zenni promo codes

Start by adding eligible items to your cart. From the "Shopping Cart" page, scroll down to the bottom where it says, "Have a promo code?" You can paste a discount code into the text box and click "Apply." Then, continue to checkout as a guest or with an existing account.

Can you stack Zenni discount codes?

Zenni doesn't allow you to stack multiple promo codes. Only one code can be used per purchase. If it's your first purchase in the Zenni mobile app, we recommend using the 15% off FIRSTAPP code rather than one of the many 10% off codes, which you can use on future purchases.

Zenni promo code frequently asked questions

Does Zenni offer discounts for students, teachers, and the military?

Zenni offers eligible college students, teachers, military members (active, reserve, and veterans), and military spouses a 10% discount on all purchases. First responders and medical personnel can also receive a 10% discount on orders.

People eligible for these discounts must verify their status to take advantage of the offer. These discounts can't be combined with other promo codes or offers.

If you're a student or educator, check out our roundups of the best student discounts and best teacher discounts for more ways to save.

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Zenni doesn't take insurance directly. However, they will provide a detailed receipt with your order that you can submit to your insurance for reimbursement.

Zenni does allow you to spend FSA and HSA dollars directly on the site. Simply enter your FSA/HSA card at checkout like you would a credit or debit card. Learn more about using FSA and HSA dollars on Zenni's website.

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Shoppers can receive free standard shipping on orders of $89 or more. Free shipping will automatically be applied once you have enough items in your cart, so you don't need to enter a promo code. Free shipping is also combinable with other offers and promotions.

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Zenni lets you shop frames by face shape on their website, so you can choose from frame shapes that typically complement your features. For example, they suggest choosing round frames if you have a square face shape or square and aviator frames for a heart-shaped face.

If you're unsure of your face shape or what would look best on you, Zenni also has a virtual try-on feature that allows you to see what any of their frames look like on your face.

Do I need a prescription to use Zenni?

Zenni offers plenty of non-prescription eyewear, so you don't need a prescription to use the site. You can shop for non-prescription readers, sunglasses, sports goggles, and blue-light-blocking glasses with Zenni.

What is Zenni's return policy?

Zenni allows shoppers to return items within 30 days of the original purchase in exchange for site credit and reimbursement of any shipping fees. For returns made within 14 days of your original purchase, you'll have the option to receive a full refund to your original payment method instead of site credit. Learn more about making returns on Zenni's website.

Can I reuse a Zenni promo code?

Zenni does not explicitly prohibit using promo codes multiple times. However, certain codes may only be applied to one order per person, so be sure to check the specific terms and conditions for the code you want to use.

How do I know which size frames to get?

If you don't know which size to get for your frames, Zenni can help. Visit the size guide on the Zenni website for information on how to measure your face and sample frames you can print out to test your size.

Looking for more eyewear? Check out our roundups of the best GlassesUSA promo codes.

• The cookware brand Le Creuset launched a Harry Potter-inspired collection, exclusively at Williams Sonoma.
• The collection includes Le Creuset's signature Dutch oven in two colors with Harry Potter accents.
• Looking for more product recommendations? Check out Insider's list of the top 100 products ever tested.

Harry Potter's round glasses are as instantly recognizable as a Le Creuset Dutch oven, so it makes sense that the book-franchise-turned global brand has collaborated with the French cookware company on a magical collection. And we've tested enough Le Creuset pieces to know that their cooking ability is already close to wizardry.  

The lineup includes items representing all four Hogwarts houses, as well as spatulas with wand-shaped handles and a Voldemort-inspired casserole dish. The real standouts, however, are the two Dutch ovens: one in cerise red topped with a lightning bolt handle, and another in Marseille blue with a solid brass Golden Snitch knob. If you know a chef who is also a Potterhead, then you can make their dreams come true with any of the products. But you don't need to be an avid cook to appreciate the adorable mugs or dessert plates, just a muggle who loves a bit of magic. 

Insider Picks writes about products and services to help you navigate when shopping online. Insider Inc. receives a commission from our affiliate partners when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

• Keeping a small kitchen organized can be a difficult feat, especially if you live with roommates.
• Less countertop and cabinet space means that household essentials like pots and pans, spices, and cooking utensils turn into a cluttered mess. 
• I'm currently figuring out the best solutions for my own apartment, and I've come across quite a few clever options on my hunt. Below you'll find 12 of them.

As a recent grad living in New York City, I'm learning the ins-and-outs of managing life in a place with limited square footage. My micro-abode is shared with three other roommates, meaning that every inch of our place is packed with our belongings and household essentials — and the kitchen is by far the most chaos-plagued room in our apartment. 

I know I'm not the only grown adult navigating life in a toy-sized kitchen, because stores like Amazon, Target, and Bed Bath and Beyond are stocked with space-saving products that help to you make the most of limited counter and cabinet space (while still being able to access all your cooking necessities).

I found some really useful products that were made to save precious counter-top real-estate so you'll actually have room to make something other than your go-to microwave meal. 

Take a look at these 12 space-saving products that you can (and should) be using in your small kitchen to keep clutter at bay. 

A Lazy Susan that doesn't require counter space

GetEm Innovations Hanging Lazy Susan, $29.95, Available at Amazon

Instead of finding a large container to store all your kitchen utensils, you might want to opt for this hanging Lazy Susan instead. It can hold anything from small measuring cups and spoons to larger tools like spatulas and ladles. It needs to be drilled in with screws, so if you're renting, you may want to avoid this one — but we suspect it'd be possible to hang it with Command Strips instead for damage-free installation. 

A magnetic knife bar to mount on your wall

Modern Innovations Magnetic Knife Bar, $16.99, Available at Amazon

When counter space is limited, a wood block knife holder may not be an immediate priority. This magnetic bar will securely hold your knives on a wall — and the package comes with an easy installation kit so you can be sure you're drilling in the right place. 

This fruit basket to keep your groceries in one place

Gourmet Basics 2-Tier Metal Fruit Basket, $29.99, Available at Amazon

This two-tier basket comes in multiple sizes, including a smaller countertop unit and a larger floor unit. The small one actually makes great use of vertical counter space, though, since you can pop your K-cups, snacks, fruit, or any other groceries that won't fit in the cabinets.

A K-cup organizer for easy access to your morning joe

Keurig 36 Pod Carousel, $26.99, Available at Target

Nothing is more frustrating than digging through boxes of unorganized K-cups when all you want is a quick caffeine fix. This carousel will keep the cups organized while taking up minimal space on your countertop. 

This sliding organizer you can easily store under the sink or inside a cabinet

Simple Houseware 2-Tier Sliding Basket Organizer, $20.87, Available at Amazon

Stacking is always a great option when you have a small space to work with. This sliding organizer provides quick access to things like spices and small utensils — plus the small size means it can fit inside of cabinets to make better use of vertical space.

A corner bamboo shelf to hold plates or bowls

Lipper 3-Tier Corner Bamboo Shelf, $29.99, Available at Bed Bath & Beyond

Bread, fruit, spices, mugs, plates — name anything and it can be stacked on this bamboo shelf. The three tiers make great use of that open corner that rarely gets put to good use. 

These jars that stack to save you valuable space

Kilner Clear Stackable Jars, $30, Available at Bed Bath & Beyond

Mason jars are still popular as ever, but they tend to take up a good amount of space which can make your countertop or cabinet seem crowded. The Kilner jars are stackable, which allows you to organize your goods in a space-saving and secure way. 

This storage shelf for any stand-alone microwave

Mind Reader Microwave Storage Shelf, $27.99, Available at Bed Bath & Beyond

Your counter top isn't the only place where you can store your kitchen essentials. Those with a limited amount of space need to make use of just about any open area they have, and this shelf is perfect for transforming the place above your microwave into some extra storage.

A slim storage option for any unused area in your kitchen

Perfect Life Ideas Slim Storage Cart, $41.95, Available at Amazon

If your countertop is cluttered with things like a microwave, toaster, and coffee maker, then you likely don't have much room to work with. Instead of cramming a spice rack into the little available space you do have, consider using a slim and narrow area, like the space between your fridge and counter, for optimal storage. 

A nifty basket to put under your shelf

Simple Houseware Under Shelf Basket, $9.87, Available at Amazon

There is no installation needed to incorporate this extra shelf into your small kitchen. This basket simply slides under your existing cabinets or shelves and acts as an additional space to store anything that may seem out of place. 

This mug holder to keep your cups from falling out of a crammed cupboard

Spectrum Euro Mug Holder, $12.29, Available at Target

If your bowls and plates are already taking up the entirety of your cabinets and you just can't find a place to store your mugs, this storage tree will do the trick. It takes up little counter space and allows you to easily access your favorite mug. 

Mounted storage bins for any free wall space

Wall35 Mounted Kitchen Storage, $26.99, Available at Amazon

You can install these mounted baskets with nails or Command Hooks to clear up some valuable counter space. Save some drawer space by storing foil or plastic wrap, or put your put your cleaning supplies in one of these to save some space by your sink.

• Jing Gao wanted to shift prejudiced views of Chinese food as being cheap and unhealthy, so she quit her job to open a restaurant.
• Her Sichuan condiment startup Fly by Jing was born after Gao's guests raved about her chili crisp. 
• In addition to its signature crisp, Fly by Jing offers several sauces, spices, and frozen dumplings.

"I wanted to shift the way people saw Chinese culture and food in the US," says Fly By Jing founder Jing Gao, who in 2018 launched one of Amazon's top-selling "hot sauces" (although that term doesn't quite do it justice), a personal take on Sichuan chili crisp. "There was an active prejudice against Chinese food as being dirty, cheap, and unhealthy."

First and foremost, Gao wanted to grasp and address those perceptions for herself, and in the process, a company was born. "I was realizing that so little real Chinese food made its way out of China and wanted to shine light on that, and represent it on a global stage," she told Insider. "My hypothesis is that people were ready for a new paradigm."

One thing lead to another, and Gao ended up quitting her tech job and opening a restaurant in Shanghai. Guests loved her chili crisp so much that she decided to bottle it and build a Kickstarter page. She hasn't looked back since.

We spoke with the entrepreneur about launching a successful startup amidst a pandemic, how Fly by Jing went from a small operation to being sold at Whole Foods and Target stores nationwide, and what's next for the rising brand. 

"Not traditional but personal" is Fly by Jing's motto

"What I wanted to show through our product and tagline — "not traditional but personal" — is that there's no [one] chili oil. There are tens of thousands of recipes. Ours is the expression of one person" — Gao's, to be clear. She was vaguely chasing a familiar, familial recipe, but not ignoring her own unique taste buds in the process. 

Part of the beauty of "traditional" Chinese cuisine, as Gao sees it, is its inherently personal nature. While the basic recipe for chili crisp, or chili crunch, is, in essence, fried chili peppers in oil with any number of aromatics, one household's version is likely a world away from the next's. Whereas some might consider regional cuisine as a whole, she views Sichuan food as distinctly indefinable and varied. 

There's chili crisp and then there's chili crisp

Gao's highly personal take on Sichuan chili crisp — Fly by Jing's flagship product — involves 18 ingredients, some of which can only be found in China's Sichuan Province.

For obvious reasons, we couldn't exactly pry every little detail out of the proprietress, but she did say that the most essential ingredient is the peppercorn of the tribute pepper, or gongjiao, which Fly by Jing employs widely across its inventory.

Painstakingly (and painfully) harvested by bare hand once annually from a small plot of land in Sichuan, the tribute pepper is so named because for 300 years, the village of QingXi — by many accounts the peppercorn's preeminent grower — made a point of expressing a portion of each harvest to China's imperial courts. That's how highly those small, red seeds were (and continue to be) coveted. 

The brand's chili crisp recipe also calls for something called "semi-winter rampa, or rapeseed oil" — though Gao is quick to distinguish it from "European rapeseed or canola oil, as the FDA makes us write it." A yellow-flowering member of the mustard family, semi-winter rapeseed is sown before winter, flowers in spring, and tends to carry flavor rather than impart it, making it a choice vessel for Fly by Jing's complex condiments.

I tried Fly by Jing's other products, and they're all excellent

Fly By Jing's Chili Crisp was an instant hit, but the brand hasn't stopped there.

Its Zhong Sauce, which offers a perplexingly delicate balance of sweetness, smokiness, and savoriness (if we may), is at home atop "dumplings, grilled meats, soft cheeses, eggs, and carbs," and more than once, I've found myself indulging in a level spoonful of the stuff. It holds its own beside the Sichuan Chili Crisp, and I made my way back and forth between the two before concluding that I am enamored with both and couldn't choose one or the other if I tried. Thankfully, I don't have to. 

The highly spicy chili crisp, which Gao recommends for "ice cream, fried eggs, vegetables, and meat," and, again, "carbs," mounts a decidedly more brutal attack on the taste buds — although, that's not a bad thing. Like any variation of the Chinese classic, it isn't for the faint of mouth, but the earthier, milder tones of the Zhong Sauce allow for a quick recovery of the senses.

The Mala spice is recognizeable as a more traditional Chinese seasoning (though Fly by Jing's is made with Gao's zeal for freshness) that can be used like a dry rub before or after cooking. It is at once a sweet, herbaceous, and visceral indulgence start to finish, and hard to put down.

The brand's dumplings — Pork, Shrimp, and Scallop; Pork, Shrimp, and Mushroom; and Pork Xiao Long Bao Soup Dumplings — are its newest addition. They're on the pricey side compared with, say, your regular freezer-aisle potstickers, but they're a specialty of Gao's, and a step above the competition. You not only taste each ingredient, you can dissect the dumpling and find, perhaps to your surprise, that it is largely unprocessed. 

The bottom Line

I've been foisting the Zhong Sauce, Sichuan Chili Crisp, Mala Seasoning, and dumplings upon dinner guests for over two weeks. In the span of time I've been sampling Fly By Jing's wares, I've used them to adorn steak and eggs, breakfast sandwiches, gyros, smoked fish, chicken, crab, and both grilled and sauteed vegetables.

I even substituted the "Tribute Pepper Oil" and "Chili Pepper Oil" in Italian dishes that called for Calabrian chili oil, and was pleasantly invigorated with heat. They imparted the kind of lively aromatics my preservative-bathed Calabrian chili oil (and for that matter my buffet of mass-produced Chinese chili pastes) could only ever dream of offering me.

I also went so far as to test the Zhong Sauce in the odd cocktail. One, a citrus-and-Mezcal concoction received mixed reviews, but I still came away confident in its — or rather my — mixological potential. 

If brighter, vinegar-based hot sauces such as Tobasco and Crystal are on one end of the spectrum, Zhong Sauce and Sichuan Chili Crisp effectively fill out the middle and opposite end, respectively, on my already-too-crowded shelf of picante condiments. But suffice it to say that weeks in, I'm still having fun experimenting.

The superlative way to delight in what Fly By Jing offers is to embrace the brand's "not traditional but personal" nature — use it with abandon, and on your very own terms.

• With a sous vide device, you can turn cheap cuts of beef into tender steaks that rival your favorite steakhouse, make fall-off-the-bone ribs without babysitting a smoker, and produce flavor-packed fish every time.
• If you don't have a sous vide machine yet, we recommend either the Breville Joule or Anova Nano because they both have smart capabilities, a track record of performance, and can be used with any large pot or container for cooking.
• Here's how sous vide works and how you can do it at home.
• Read more: The best sous vide machines

In the last few years, three appliances have begun showing up in kitchens across America: air fryers, electric pressure cookers, and sous vide machines. Every brand has its own device, and we've tested and reviewed nearly all of them. See exhibits A, B, and C. 

While the technology for all three of these appliances has been around for decades, they've only recently become convenient for the average home chef. Of the three, sous vide is perhaps the easiest to use, yet the most intimidating due to its ability to produce delicious results with minimal culinary experience via vacuum sealing and hot water.

Before we get into how you can make Michelin star-worthy meals in your own home, let's learn a little about sous vide cooking.

What is sous vide?

Pronounced "sue-veed," sous vide is French for "under vacuum." Sous vide cooking involves putting your food in a plastic pouch and cooking it slowly in a water bath that is kept at a low and precise temperature. The "vacuum" part of sous vide comes from the airtight, vacuum-sealed pouch the food is cooked in. Air doesn't conduct heat as well as water so removing all air is imperative. 

There are two types of sous vide machines. The more popular solution is an immersion circulator, which is what we use and suggest for home cooks. As the name suggests, an immersion circulator is immersed in a water bath in a container of your choosing and circulates the water. A heating element within the device keeps the water at the precise temperature you want.

The other machine is the sous vide oven, which works similarly to the immersion circulator except the water bath is contained within the machine. This is a good all-in-one solution, but you are stuck cooking within the oven and can't use different containers, so the immersion circulator is probably more convenient for most people.

Sous vide cooking is best for meats. If you want to cook the perfect steak, you have a short window to get it just right on the grill. With sous vide, since the temperatures are lower, you have a wider window and are more likely to achieve your ideal doneness.

Eggs and vegetables are also excellent in the sous vide. And you might also try making infused syrups, cheese, yogurt, and desserts. However, sous vide is rarely used for grains. Fortunately, it's easy enough to cook your grains on the stove with water in a pot.

Read more: The best sous vide machines

What do you need to sous vide?

• Sous vide oven or immersion circulator
• Vacuum sealer (optional)
• Container for water
• Sous vide cookbook (or any recipe of your choice)

A good sous vide oven or immersion circulator is a must if you are going to do sous vide cooking. You might be tempted to use a pot on a stove, but it's virtually impossible to keep the water at a low and consistent temperature. 

The two most popular immersion circulators are the Joule and the Anova. The Joule was introduced by ChefSteps, which was purchased by appliance behemoth Breville, so you'll likely see the item as "the Breville Joule." It's celebrated for its compact design, impressive app, and the company's outstanding customer service. 

The Anova cooker is made by Anova Culinary. The most popular model is the Nano, which is smaller than previous generations while providing the same functionality, including Wi-Fi and Bluetooth compatibility as well as on-device, smartphone-free usage.

I currently use the Chefman Immersion Circulator, which is affordable, accurate, Wi-Fi compatible, and has served me well.

You might also consider using a sous vide water oven. However, these tend to be more expensive and not as convenient to use. We think the Sous Vide Supreme Demi Water Oven is the best you can buy.

Next, we recommend buying a vacuum sealer. This puts the "under vacuum" in sous vide by removing all of the air from around your food.

We think vacuum sealers are an underappreciated kitchen appliance. In addition to using the sealer for sous vide, it also helps your food stay fresher by keeping air away. Food Saver is the big name in vacuum sealers, but you can save a few dollars by going with a lesser-known brand. For instance, I use a Gourmia vacuum sealer and am happy with it.

You can sous vide in just about any container, including a stockpot, large saucepan, plastic storage container, and a Dutch oven. A quick search on Amazon will also yield a variety of containers specifically designed for sous vide cooking. 

However, my favorite option is a $10 Igloo cooler because it has excellent insulation, which makes it so the sous vide machine doesn't have to do as much work to maintain the temp you want. You simply drill a hole in the lid of the cooler large enough for your immersion circulator to fit through with minimal wiggle room. Anova gives more detailed instructions if you choose to go with the cooler route.

When choosing a container for your immersion circulator, look at the maximum bath volume that your immersion circulator is rated for. For example, the Joule is rated for up to 40 liters. You can usually push this limit if you use a well-insulated container, such as a cooler.

When cooking food in a standard oven, you can easily take it out and assess whether it's done using a variety of methods, including checking the internal temperature. However, since your food is sealed in an airtight bag, it's much harder to tell when your food is ready. This makes it important to have accurate recipes on hand.

There are several online resources, including the Anova Culinary site, or you might want to pick up a cookbook. One of the best options available is "The Effortless Sous Vide Cookbook."

Read more: The best vacuum sealers

How to cook using a sous vide immersion circulator

1. Fill your container of choice with water
2. Place the immersion circulator in the container
3. Set the temperature depending on your protein to preheat your water bath 
4. Prepare your protein 
5. Seal the protein in a vacuum sealing machine or zipper-lock bag 
6. When protein is ready, use tongs to remove from the hot water bath
7. If you prefer a sear, chill the protein in a cold water bath for 10 minutes
8. Sear accordingly 

Here are more detailed instructions on how to cook using a sous vide circulator.

Much like you might preheat an oven, you should first preheat your water bath.

To do this, place your immersion circulator into your container of choice and fill it until the water gets close to the maximum fill line of your sous vide machine. Then set the temperature of your appliance. If you aren't following a recipe, here are some temperatures you might consider for common foods:

• Beef: 124 degrees Fahrenheit rare, 132 degrees medium-rare, 140 degrees medium, 150 degrees medium-well, 156 degrees well done
• Chicken: 155 to 165 degrees 
• Pork: 140 to 150 degrees 

For a more detailed description of what temperatures to cook meats at, check out Anova Culinary's guide.

While the water is getting up to temperature, prepare your ingredients. This might involve nothing more than covering a steak with salt and pepper or adding a dry rub to some pork ribs. With sous vide, even the most basic preparations allow prime meats and fresh vegetables to shine.

Read more: What it's like to use the Anova Nano, a $75 sous vide machine that's designed to cook restaurant-quality meals at home

Prep your protein and pat away any excess liquid.

Once your ingredients are prepared, it's time to seal your food in an airtight container. Plastic bags are most commonly used, but Mason jars also work in some situations. A vacuum sealer is best for this step. You simply put the prepped ingredients in the plastic pouch and then have the sealer remove all of the air from the pouch and seal it.

If you don't have a vacuum sealer, you can use a zipper-lock bag. First, remove as much air as you can from the bag by gently squeezing it. Then, seal the bag until there's about an inch left open. At this point, you can either dunk the bag which forces the air out or you can put your mouth to the gap and suck the rest of the air out. Whichever method you choose, seal the bag the rest of the way immediately after removing the air.

Then vacuum seal your protein, or remove all the air in a zipper-lock bag.

Once the bag is sealed and the water is at temperature, immerse your food in the water bath. Allow it to cook the recommended amount of time depending on your recipe. If you are cooking in an uncovered container for a long time (such as 2+ hours), you may want to slowly add extra water during the cooking process as water evaporates.

After the recommended cooking time, remove your pouch from the hot water bath — I usually use tongs for this — and extract your food from the bag. At this point, you can dig right in. However, with some dishes, such as steaks, you might want to quickly sear each side in a preheated cast-iron skillet. A nonstick pan will also work, but I prefer the sear of cast iron. Don't cook the meat for too long, since it's already at the right doneness. You just want it in the skillet long enough to brown each side.

If you prefer to finish meats with a nice sear, you might be concerned about it getting overdone. To combat this, after your meat is done cooking in the hot water bath, put the whole pouch in ice water for about 10 minutes while your pan preheats. This will lower the temperature of the meat and keep it from getting too hot as you sear it.

Dishes to try 

Now that you have a good idea of how sous vide cooking works, here are a few of my favorite meals:

Ribs: Rub the ribs with a spice rub — I use the Cook's Illustrated recipe — then vacuum seal them in pouches. Next, cook the ribs at 145 degrees Fahrenheit for 24 to 36 hours. When done, put the pouch in ice water to keep the meat cool while you preheat your broiler. When the broiler is preheated, slather the ribs in your favorite BBQ sauce and put them under the broiler on a baking sheet until the sauce starts to bubble. Eat right away.

London broil/top round roast: Rub the roast with a generous amount of salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Vacuum seal it. Cook in the sous vide at 132 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 to 20 hours. When done, preheat a cast-iron skillet on high on the stove, turn on your vent fans, slather the roast in mayonnaise, and sear it on all sides — about a minute per side. Slice and serve.

Pork tenderloin: Season tenderloin with salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and minced garlic. Vacuum seal it. Cook at 135 degrees Fahrenheit in the sous vide for about 4 hours. When done, remove from bag and sear in oil or butter on all sides. Slice and serve.

Dulce de leche: My wife loves to put this in her morning coffee. It's also great for dipping fruit. Simply cook an unopened can of sweetened condensed milk (preferably without a pull top) in a 185-degree bath for 12 hours. The finished product stays good in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Egg bites: If you like the wildly popular egg bites at Starbucks, you can use sous vide to make them at home for a fraction of the price. Blend six eggs with salt and garlic powder to taste. Distribute evenly in six 4-ounce canning jars. Add additional ingredients you like, such as crumbled bacon, diced broccoli florets, cheese, etc. Screw the lids on the jars until fingertip tight — you want to allow air pressure to release. Cook in a 172-degree water bath for one hour. Finish by removing the bites from the jars and putting them under the broiler for a few minutes.

Read more: We compared the ChefSteps Joule to the Anova — and it's clear which sous vide machine you should get

Extra sous vide tips

• Buy extra meat on sale: When there's a sale on roasts, I'll buy a few of them. As soon as I get home from the store, I season the meat, vacuum seal it, and put it in the freezer. So, when I'm ready to cook the roast, I can take it out of the freezer and put it directly into the water bath. I also like to do this with pork tenderloins. I usually add an hour to the cooking time for smaller cuts of meat that are frozen. For larger cuts, such as a roast, I add up to four hours. 
• Use your sous vide to chill wine: Though most immersion circulators don't cool water, you can use them to chill wine by putting cold water in your container with ice, set the immersion circulator to its lowest setting, and add your bottles of wine. 
• Use your sous video to also defrost: You can also defrost meat you forgot to take out of the freezer by using your sous vide machine at its lowest setting. Make sure the meat has an airtight seal and put it in a cold water bath (don't add ice). Even larger cuts of meat should defrost within an hour.

• A high-quality shaved ice maker is easy to use, handles ice directly from the freezer, and cleans up effortlessly.
• I like the Little Snowie 2 Ice Shaver because it shaves a quart of ice in under 30 seconds, is simple enough for my teenager to use on a daily basis, and has several safety features to protect you from accidents.
• Though it's more expensive than most consumer snow cone machines (currently $209 on Amazon), it features a professional-grade, high-speed motor and is backed by a one-year warranty.
• Read more: The best ice cream makers you can buy

Dessert time is a constant battle in our house. Both of our boys, Jerome (17) and Bucky (6), are always campaigning for treats after dinner. After busy days, my wife and I "can't even," so we raise the white flag and let them eat candy, ice cream, or some other similarly unhealthy confection.

When we finally got a snow cone maker, it was a game-changer. Now, we can make relatively healthy desserts and not feel guilty about it.

Though "snow-cone maker" and "shaved-ice machine" are often used interchangeably, there is a slight difference.

Snow-cone makers grind or crush ice to create hail-like pellets, while shaved-ice machines shave the ice to create a more snow-like treat. The shaved ice soaks up the syrup, but the syrup tends to sink to the bottom of snow cones.

Based in Salt Lake City, Snowie specializes in shaved ice makers for commercial use. They provide everything you need to start your own shaved ice business. The Little Snowie 2 is the company's attempt to introduce high-quality ice shavers into the home. Below are the ways that this unit stands out.

Specs

At 12-inches deep by 13-inches tall by seven-inches wide, the Little Snowie 2 doesn't take up much counter space. And since it only weighs 11 pounds, it's easy to store or bring with you to parties.

The user manual states that the unit can hold up to half a gallon of ice at a time, and in my experience, that is true. That much ice should be able to make around nine eight-ounce cups of shaved ice. The blade is made of 301 hardened stainless steel, which is basically real-life Valyrian steel and valued for its corrosion resistance and impressive strength.

Set-up process

The Little Snowie 2 comes with six sample-sized (two-ounce) syrups and eight serving spoons, but oddly, the box I received also came with four full-sized (16-ounce) syrups. The syrups are great because they don't have high-fructose corn syrup. Instead, the sweetness comes from good, old-fashioned refined sugar.

The set-up was incredibly simple. Within five minutes of opening the box, I had a delicious shaved ice treat in my hands. I just wiped the unit down with a damp cloth, plugged it in, loaded up ice from the tray in our freezer, and pushed the lid down to activate the motor. It's that simple to use.

What makes the shaved ice maker stand out

It's so simple, in fact, that the biggest user of the shaved ice machine is my teenager Jerome, who uses it on an almost daily basis. He often forgets to wipe the machine down when he's done with it, but so far, we haven't noticed any ill effects from this lapse in cleaning.

I like that I don't have to be afraid that Jerome might hurt himself using the machine. The motor only activates when the lid is shut all the way. So, it's basically impossible to stick your hand in while it's running. And, the blade keeps you from reaching in where the shaved ice comes out. Though, I suppose if you really tried, you might be able to take off a little skin.

To test the Little Snowie 2's speed, I emptied a tray of 16 standard ice cubes directly from the freezer into the unit and let it go to town. In under 30 seconds, I had around 40 ounces (by volume) of snow-like shaved ice. I also tested a tray that had been sitting out at room temperature for about 10 minutes. The machine handled these cubes slightly faster.

Next, I tested larger chunks of ice. I used ice from our brain ice trays. The large chunks are about three times as big as your standard ice cube. They barely fit through the opening into the spinning chamber, but once they were situated, the Snowie 2 shaved them up, though it was slower than the standard cubes. This suggests that smaller ice chunks work better in this device, but larger pieces are not a deal-breaker.

After more than six months of almost daily use and lackadaisical cleaning, the machine is holding up well, and the blade is still sharp enough to make quick work of ice. Snowie does offer replacement blades in case something happens, but they cost nearly $50. For what it's worth, the company backs the Little Snowie 2 with a "no-hassle" one-year warranty.

In addition to replacement blades, Snowie also has a variety of other accessories available on its website, including ready-to-use flavors and syrup concentrates. We enjoyed the Snowie syrups, but I recommend making your own concoctions since it's affordable and easy. You just need water, sugar, and flavoring. For a healthier version, try mixing two parts fruit juice concentrate with one part water.

Cons to consider

We've had to institute a "no shaved ice-making while the parents are asleep" rule in our house because the Little Snowie 2 is so loud. Even from outside our house, the Snowie 2 sounds like a jackhammer. My sound meter registered over 105 decibels from 12 inches away, which is similar to the noise at a loud sporting event. Fortunately, the machine works so quickly that the noise doesn't last long.

You need to make sure that your bowl or cup fits just right in the opening, or else you'll get bits of shaved ice all over your counter and the floor. Whenever I used the device, errant ice would end up here and there. It wasn't that big of a deal since it's just water, and there was never a significant mess.

The bottom line

Aside from the noise levels, I liked everything about the Little Snowie 2. The powerful motor and strong blade make quick work of large quantities of ice. The safety features make it so I don't have to worry about my sons losing their fingers. And, cleaning up afterward is a breeze.

At $200, the price is a bit much for most casual at-home users. I've tested the Dash Shaved Ice Maker and though it doesn't even compare to the Little Snowie 2, you might want to consider it if you're looking for an affordable way to make shaved ice treats at home. Currently, it's less than $30 on Amazon.

But, if you have a bigger family with lots of kids who love shaved ice, it may be worth the investment, especially if you make syrups from fruit concentrate and really focus on keeping your creations healthy.

Overall, if you can afford it, I'd recommend buying the Little Snowie 2. It's sure to be a hit wherever you use it this summer and beyond.

• If you're looking to eat rather than drink your matcha, the new Jade Leaf Matcha Organic Matcha Fruit Bites is a great place to start.
• At just $5.47 (originally $10.95) for a pack of six, these are my new favorite snacks — especially because it has a good caffeine kick.
• I've found that these snacks give me the right amount of pep I need to start (or finish) my day, all without the typical jitters I might get from coffee.
• See more: 35 kitchen gifts from Williams Sonoma for the cook and foodie in your life

Let it be known that I've jumped on the matcha bandwagon. Actually, I should give myself more credit — I was a fan of matcha before it was popular, so it could be argued that I was the creator of the bandwagon.

But credit-grubbing aside, I'm always in search of the next best way to consume my favorite form of caffeine. And my most recent discovery comes in the form of Organic Matcha Fruit Bites from Jade Leaf Matcha, the brand behind the best-selling tea on Amazon.

But as much as I love matcha, I'm generally not a fan of dried fruit, so I ate these new snacks with a healthy dose of skepticism. I've always found dried fruit snacks to be overly sweet or tangy and not particularly satisfying when I'm in need of a pick-me-up. But whether it's the addition of matcha or the pleasant flavor combinations (Apple Ginger, Lemon, and Peach Mango), I'm something of a fruit snack convert these days.

The little green cubes don't necessarily look like the most appetizing snack that you've ever had, but they pack quite a flavorful punch. The natural bitterness of the matcha does a great job to offset the telltale sweetness from the dried fruit, but there's enough tartness to keep me interested without making me pucker. Because each piece is quite small, I've recently taken to having a handful at a time — don't judge.

Of the three flavors currently available, I'm most partial to the Peach Mango. The tropical flavors marry well with the matcha, and the result is — dare I say? — refreshing. Either way, I constantly find myself reaching for more of this particular flavor. The Apple Ginger is also pleasant, and while the Lemon is my least favorite, it's still something that I would actively choose to snack on — which isn't always the case for other healthy snack foods. These are also organic, gluten-free, non-GMO, and contain zero added sugar.

But taste aside, what really sets these fruit bites apart from other offerings is the caffeine boost. According to Jade Leaf Matcha, each single-serving pouch packs around 25 mg of caffeine. That's about the amount of caffeine found in a small cup of green tea, or about a quarter of the caffeine found in a standard 8 oz. cup of coffee. 

I was pleasantly surprised that after eating a few bites, I found myself more alert and focused than before. Whether it's the sugar from the fruit, caffeine from the matcha, or a combination of the two, it certainly helped me get through my last few finals of business school this semester. Plus, unlike with coffee or strong teas, I didn't experience any crashes or jittery feelings — possibly due to the fact that I was eating rather than drinking my caffeine on an empty stomach. 

There have been a number of studies that point to the health benefits of matcha too, which is a potent form of green tea crushed into a fine powder. It's high in catechin (a natural antioxidant), which studies have suggested could inhibit cancer cell growth. A study from 2014 with 25 randomized controlled trials found that green tea drinkers saw a significant blood pressure drop over the course of 12 weeks. As with many studies, the findings imply possible health benefits but aren't entirely concrete or definitive.

And, of course, everyone responds differently to various stimulants, so you may have to talk with your doctor before seeing how your body responds to matcha. Since I was a fan of matcha previously and knew how my body would handle its effects, the Jade Leaf Matcha Organic Matcha Fruit Bites were a great next-step in my never-ending quest for caffeine. 

They're available for $5.97 for a six-pack, which makes them easy to stock up on for my next finals week.

• I tried several meal-kit delivery services in an effort to eat healthier, and Splendid Spoon was by far my favorite. 
• The company was founded by a former biochemist and the meals are satisfying, nutrient-dense, gluten-free, and non-GMO. 
• Splendid Spoon's plan includes a mix of smoothies, soups, grain bowls, and wellness shots that require little to no prep time. 

"Busy can be healthy," the Splendid Spoon homepage proclaims in inch-high, sans serif font. It's a nice sentiment, but I didn't really believe it — at least, not at first.

Last year was been my busiest yet. I got married, moved to a new city, and traded in my corporate career in favor of the full-time freelance hustle. It's also been my unhealthiest year. I barely had time to exercise and definitely didn't have time to cook, which means I usually grabbed a not-very-nutritious bagel and cream cheese with my Venti iced coffee every morning and order in takeout at night.

Meal-kit delivery services seem like an appealing alternative to the grab-and-go lifestyle, and I've tried a bunch of them. The major players — Blue Apron, Home Chef, and HelloFresh — offer weekly boxes fully stocked with easy-to-follow recipes and all the ingredients needed for dinner (yay for not have to go grocery shopping!). But I still found myself opting for Uber Eats on particularly stressful evenings. I just didn't have the time or motivation to prep and cook, even with everything laid out for me.

Basically, in my world, "busy" has always been synonymous with "unhealthy," and it's a relationship that Splendid Spoon's founder knows well. In fact, Nicole Centeno launched the company to remedy this exact issue.

"I really was Splendid Spoon's very first customer," Centeno tells Insider. "I realized how much time we spend thinking about and preparing food. On average, it's about two hours and 15 minutes a day." Do the math: That adds up to 35 days over the course of the year.  

"I set out to make something that was as good and nutritious as if I had made it at home, and something that was as easy as the muffin or croissant around the corner," Centeno continues. In my experience, that's precisely what Splendid Spoon delivers.

To back up a bit, the meal-delivery service sets itself apart from others in that it offers a mix of smoothies, hearty soup bowls, grain bowls, light soup, and wellness shots. The soups and bowls can be chilled or heated for more of a sit-down meal. The program requires zero effort and prep time unless you decide to actually heat the soup, which takes all of five minutes.

"We want to have careers that are meaningful, have time with our family, have time to spend with loved ones," Centeno says of the motivation behind her quick-and-easy meal plans. "That two hours a day spent on food doesn't have to be done anymore — we set out to take care of those moments in a way that you can still be nourished." 

Nourished is actually the perfect word to describe how I felt during my first full week of Splendid Spoon. It honestly came as a surprise, considering my Splendid Spoon plan was pretty much a liquid diet. I'm a notorious snacker and assumed I'd be hungry and craving solids throughout the day, but that wasn't the case.

When I tell Centeno that I felt shockingly full during my first "reset" day — made up of a smoothie and two light soups — she tells me that's all by design. She combined her study of biochemistry with her International Culinary Center experience to come up with combinations that satisfy in every sense of the word.

"I tried a juice cleanse before I started Splendid Spoon, and was hungry and angry the entire time," she says. "Then I realized I was stripping fruits and vegetables of fiber, which is one of the huge reasons to eat fruits and vegetables in the first place." In contrast, Splendid Spoon's offerings feature fruits and veggies that have been cooked down or blended to retain their fiber. 

"Fiber is literally what feeds the good bacteria in your gut, slows down the absorption of sugars, and physically cleanses the digestive system," explains Centeno. "The other amazing thing that happens when you're cooking your vegetables is that you're increasing the bioavailability of certain vitamins." She claims that vitamin A — found in Splendid Spoon's Butternut Tumeric sippable, care of butternut squash — along with vitamins E and K are all more "readily available to the system when heated."

Another way the meal-delivery service helps boost the absorption of nutrients (which, again, helps keep customers feeling full, satisfied, and high-energy) is through the use of healthy fats. Olive oil, avocado oil, and coconut oil all "create a little vehicle for the nutrients to get into your system more easily," Centeno says.

These are balanced out by proteins and complex carbs, all of which are plant-based, gluten-free, and non-GMO, because the company believes the body is "happier" when it's receiving mostly plant-based fuel.  

I'm personally a meat-eater (I'll never say no to a medium-rare steak), and I have to admit: My body is thriving on the Splendid Spoon program.

My subscription plan, which isn't an option that's available anymore, includes five smoothies, five soups, and four lighter soups delivered weekly for $135; that roughly translates to five days of breakfast, a snack, and/or lunch or dinner. I'm only on my own for weekends, and every meal I have during the week takes between zero and five minutes to prepare. It's pretty much my dream situation.

Subscribers can choose from three plans: five grain or soup bowls ($65); five smoothies and five bowls ($95); or five smoothies, five bowls, and five light soups ($135). Splendid Spoon has 40+ different flavors to choose from, and you can switch them up every week, depending on your personal preferences. All plans come with free shipping.

Centeno and I actually share our two favorite meals. First, the Ab+J smoothie is a must. It's a blend of almond butter and strawberry "jelly," a combo that's so tasty and equally filling. "That one, to me, has the perfect mix of protein, fat, and a little bit of sweet from the strawberries," the founder says. "I will actually have that one in the middle of the day if I'm running behind for lunch, because it takes me into the next gear and keeps me going." 

As for dinner, you can't go wrong with the Ikarian Stew, which is inspired by one of the world's "blue zones" — a term used to describe areas where citizens are most likely to live to be 100. "There are more centenarians in Ikaria, Greece than most other parts of the world, and one of their staples is this stew," Centeno explains. The dish features black-eyed peas, a great source of brain-boosting folate, as well as antioxidant-rich tomatoes and digestion-easing fennel. Centeno calls it "a powerhouse food," and I have to agree. Plus, it's delicious.

After a month of Splendid Spoon meals, I've learned that busy can be healthy — so long I have every single sweet and savory meal delivered straight to my door. 

Of course, you should run major dietary changes by your doctor or nutritionist before subscribing to Splendid Spoon (or any other service), in order to determine if it's right for you. I personally feel completely satisfied with this plan, but my experience won't necessarily be yours.

• OpenAI CEO Sam Altman discussed the recent attack on his San Francisco home.
• He said AI doomerism and other discourse may be factors.
• "I think the way Anthropic talks about OpenAI doesn't help," he said.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's intense rivalry with Anthropic has reached a new level.

During an interview with podcaster Ashlee Vance in an episode of Vance's "Core Memory" podcast posted on Tuesday, Altman named checked Anthropic while talking about the recent attack on his San Francisco home.

"I think the doomerism talk hasn't helped. I think the way certain other labs talk about us hasn't helped," Altman said, adding, "I think the way Anthropic talks about OpenAI doesn't help."

It's not clear which Anthropic comments Altman is referring to. In the wake of the early morning attack, Altman wrote a blog post that referred to "the Shakespearean drama between the companies in our field," though he did not name Anthropic or any other AI model makers. In the post, he also suggested that a recent New Yorker exposé may have made things more dangerous for him.

After the attack, Altman told Vance that he initially had "an adrenaline shock" only to turn more despondent.

"I was just, like, you know, there's gonna be more stuff like this, and it's incredibly disheartening," he said. "I went through a real depressive cycle about it. But it's very scary."

Authorities have said that Daniel Moreno-Gama traveled from Texas to California with the intent of killing Altman. Before he was arrested outside OpenAI's headquarters on the early morning of April 10, Moreno-Gama threw a Molotov cocktail at Altman's $27 million home, authorities said.

Moreno-Gama is facing state and federal charges, including attempted murder. The FBI said Moreno-Gama listed other AI CEOs' names in an "anti-AI" document it found on him. The names of the other CEOs have not been released.

OpenAI's rivalry with Anthropic isn't slowing down

In recent months, OpenAI's rivalry with Anthropic, founded by seven former OpenAI employees who felt Altman was not sufficiently focused on safety, has grown increasingly intense. Representatives for Anthropic did not respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.

In December, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei poked fun at companies that declared "code reds," remarks that were taken as an insult to OpenAI. Ahead of the Super Bowl, Anthropic released an ad campaign poking fun at ads in AI chatbots, which happened to coincide with OpenAI preparing to add ads to ChatGPT. In response, Altman said, "Anthropic serves an expensive product to rich people." Weeks later, Altman and Amodei declined to join hands during what was supposed to be a moment of unity at an AI conference in India.

In late February, Altman called out the Trump administration's overreach when Anthropic was effectively blacklisted by the Pentagon. At the same time, OpenAI quickly announced a deal with the Pentagon that Altman later said was rushed.

The Information later reported that Amodei, in a private memo to employees, called OpenAI's messaging "safety theatre."

"Sam is trying to undermine our position while appearing to support it," Amodei wrote in the memo, according to the publication. "I want people to be really clear on this: he is trying to make it more possible for the admin to punish us by undercutting our public support."

OpenAI faced severe backlash, including briefly losing its No. 1 crown among free apps on the Apple App Store. Caitlin Kalinowski, who had led hardware and robotics at OpenAI since November 2024, resigned in protest.

Elsewhere during his conversation with Vance, Altman was asked about Anthropic's decision not to publicly release Claude Mythos, citing concerns that the AI model would make it too easy to hack popular programs and systems. Altman said it amounted to "fear-based marketing."

"It is clearly incredible marketing to say, 'We have built a bomb. We were about to drop it on your head. We will sell you a bomb shelter for $100 million to run across all your stuff, but only if we pick you as a customer.'"

Ultimately, Altman said he hopes the conversation around AI changes.

"I hope cooler heads prevail," he said.

• Wall Street firm Sullivan & Cromwell apologized for AI hallucinations in a court filing.
• Partner Andrew Dietderich said the errors made it through despite firm policies on AI and reviews.
• Fake legal citations are on the rise as AI hallucinations make there way into court filings.

A partner at the elite Wall Street law firm Sullivan & Cromwell wrote an apology letter to a federal bankruptcy judge for a court filing that contained AI hallucinations.

Andrew Dietderich, co-head of Global Finance & Restructuring at the firm, said in the April 18 note that a prior filing contained inaccurate citations and other errors, including AI hallucinations.

"'Hallucinations' are instances in which artificial intelligence tools fabricate case citations, misquote authorities, or generate non-existent legal sources," Dietderich's letter said. "We deeply regret that this has occurred."

A chart attached to the letter showed that the motion contained incorrect case names and numbers and apparently fabricated quotes from cases.

Dietderich said the errors by Sullivan & Cromwell, which represented the bankrupt firm Prince Global Holdings, were caught by the law firm Boies Schiller Flexner, which represented creditors, and that he'd thanked them and apologized.

He said Sullivan & Cromwell — a 140-year-old firm with more than 1,000 attorneys — has comprehensive policies when it comes to using AI and that there are safeguards to avoid this exact scenario. The firm's policies weren't followed, and the errors also made it past the firm's review process for citations, he said.

Dietderich wrote to Manhattan-based Chief Judge Martin Glenn that he and the firm were "keenly aware of our responsibility to ensure the accuracy of all submissions."

"I take responsibility for the failure to do so," he said, adding they would submit a corrected version of the filing.

A representative for the firm and Dietderich did not respond to inquiries from Business Insider. A representative for the judge also did not respond.

When it comes to AI hallucinations in legal work, Sullivan & Cromwell has company.

Fake legal citations have become more common since 2023, according to legal researcher Damien Charlotin, who keeps a public database of AI hallucinations in legal cases.

When you spend hours at a time on your feet, the best shoes for standing all day can help relieve your joints from constant pressure. The pain that comes from prolonged standstills won't appear overnight. But after some time, the wrong shoes can lead to more than just achy arches and sore calves.

"Unsupportive footwear for professions that require long periods of standing and walking can lead to inflammatory conditions — plantar fasciitis, metatarsalgia — that may take months under a doctor's care to resolve," says Timothy Oldani, DPM, a podiatric surgeon with Missouri Foot and Ankle.

Whether you're a nurse, chef, restaurant server, construction worker, or someone who spends all day running errands and chasing kids, it's worth investing in comfortable shoes for standing all day. The right pair can make a world of difference in your long-term health.

To find the best shoes for standing all day, we had two testers try 23 pairs of shoes. Our favorite pairs prevented our feet from feeling tired and achy at the end of a long day, and eventually, became our go-to kicks for stepping out.

The best shoes for standing all day:

Best overall: Brooks Ghost 17 - Men's│Women's
A breathable pair of sneakers, perfectly balanced between incredible arch support and strategic cushioning to support tired legs and feet.

Best budget: Sorel Caribou - See at Sorel
Despite only costing $60, these structured clogs are surprisingly easy to slip on if you need lasting support on short notice.

Best non-slip: Crocs On the Clock Work Sneaker - Men's│Women's
With Crocs' signature lightweight and well-cushioned footbed, top-notch slip-resistant tread, and easy-to-clean waterproof overlay, these non-slip shoes are a prime pick for restaurant workers.

Best cushioning: Asics Gel Nimbus-27 - Men's│Women's
This pair comes with a firm raised midsole to stabilize your stance and lift your feet out of the flat position.

Best for walking: On Cloudtilt - Men's│Women's
These are designed with a collapsing "cloud" system that compresses gradually to offer just the right amount of give.

Best sandal: FitFlop RELIEFF Recovery Toe-Post Sandals - See at FitFlop
They may look like your average poolside flip-flops, but they're secretly built with firm, supportive soles and plush recovery foam footbeds.

Best work boot: Wolverine Overpass CarbonMax - See at Wolverine
This rugged pair offers construction workers and landscapers an abrasion-resistant toe, with contoured footbeds that feel flexible and secure.

Best clogs: Dansko Platform Pro - See at Dansko
Dansko clogs offer incredible arch support and padding in areas where you need it most, like beneath the ball of the foot.

How we tested the best shoes for standing all day:

Comfort: We assessed whether the cushioning was counterbalanced with a firm enough heel counter. This way the shoe can relieve pressure while reducing foot fatigue. Shoes with shock-absorbing design features like EVA foam footbeds and raised midsoles proved superior.

Durability: We wore each pair for at least three full days of standing in three to 10-hour stints. At the end of each stint we inspected the materials for any signs of wear, such as stained uppers or wore-down rubber soles.

Versatility: These shoes were tested working in a restaurant kitchen, construction site, and during landscaping shifts, as well as in places like outdoor concerts, museums, and long TSA lines at the airport.

Traction: We stood on surfaces like uneven dirt, concrete sidewalks, and hardwood floors. When testing shoes for specific parameters, such as non-slip properties or traction outdoors, we stood in each contender for five to 10 hours in applicable conditions.

Breathability: Dr. Oldani pointed out that proper ventilation is vital for standing-all-day shoes. Heat and sweat puts you at and a greater risk for blisters, infections, or slipping around inside your shoe.

Learn more about how the Reviews team tests shoes at BI.

Best overall: Brooks Ghost 17

They're the best release yet in the Ghost lineup. The Brooks Ghost 16 were our former top overall pick, but they've been usurped by the updated model, the Ghost 17. This design has everything we loved about the Ghost 16 — namely an incredible balance of support and cushioning — but now has more padding and a slightly lower heel-to-toe drop, allowing for a smoother gait.

They have every feature our podiatrists want to see. Brooks' Ghost 17 sneakers have everything podiatrists say is ideal for the best shoes for standing all day: lightweight cushioning, heel stability, a rigid sole, and a breathable mesh upper. Plus, the insoles are removable if you need to add more arch support.

Importantly, they lace up. Priya Parthasarathy, DPM, a Maryland-based podiatric surgeon with Foot Ankle Specialists of the Mid-Atlantic, says lace-up shoes offer better support for standing all day compared to slip-ons.

They're comfortably cushioned, but firm enough for long shifts. Our chef tester wore these shoes over a dozen 10-hour kitchen shifts, while I wore them on multiple 12-hour travel days and full city sight seeing. On all occasions, the Brooks Ghosts proved to deliver an outstanding balance of comfort and support.

The midsoles have the same DNA Loft v3 foam as the previous model, but now with about 1-3 millimeters more foam in key areas (especially the forefoot). These shoes felt lightweight and slightly springy while maintaining a medium amount of plushness under the ball of the foot.

They're our top pick overall because they're much more supportive than most well-cushioned shoes. The firm, stable heel cup works to prevent joints from feeling fatigued eight hours into a kitchen shift, according to our chef tester. He raved about how much support they offer for the knees and lower back.

They're breathable, even in the waterproof version. The Ghost 17s are engineered with mesh that feels breathable and a touch more structured than the waterproof version. Even after wearing these for hours on my feet, the shoe didn't feel overly stuffy or hot.

Nevertheless, the waterproof Ghost 16 GTX sneakers are still a good option for messy restaurant shifts or drizzly weather. The Gore-Tex membranes were effective at keeping our chef tester dry amid spills and splashes.

Best budget: Sorel Caribou Clogs

They're surprisingly comfy and incredibly lightweight. Over the past three years, I've worn these clogs for long travel days, running errands, concerts, and standing for over five hours during volunteer shifts. Despite being only $60, the Sorel Caribou Clogs are remarkably supportive and easy to wear. They're made with injection-molded EVA in every part of the shoe, and the material is firm but structured — enough to keep my high-arched feet from aching after long days.

They're waterproof with a grippy outsole. These clogs are my go-to shoes in the cold (aside from when I'm tromping through snow banks in winter boots) because they seal out moisture and are made with Sorel's Evertread, a high-traction rubber that delivers reliable grip on slippery surfaces. I wouldn't classify them as completely "non-slip," but they are definitely grabby enough for nurses who may need stability on slick hospital floors.

They're stylish. The nearly 2-inch platform on these clogs gives you a height boost and, while they are basically a huge block of rubber color, I get compliments on these clogs all the time when I wear them — to the point that I've had multiple people stop to ask what they are and say they're going to go buy them after I sing all of the above praises.

They're not great in the heat. The one downside to these shoes is that they aren't breathable. Being clogs, they're very easy to slip your feet in and out of to catch a little air, but they do build up heat during humid summers to the point where I don't wear them from May to September.

Best non-slip: Crocs On the Clock Work Sneaker

They're made for spills and easy to clean. Our chef tester wore these on multiple 10+ hour standing kitchen shifts — including one at a very messy oyster station — and only had good things to report. These sneakers, which are part of the Crocs At Work collection, have a synthetic Nubuck overlay that's good at preventing spills from seeping inside, and it's very easy to wipe clean.

They're actually slip-resistant. Testing confirms: The Crocs Lock outsole is reliable at preventing a wipe out on slick kitchen floors.

They're comfortable and breathable. These sneakers are built with Crocs' premium LiteRide footbed, which is why they're beloved among cooks, nurses, and other professionals who are on their feet all day. Our tester reported that his feet felt well-supported and free of aches after long shifts on hard kitchen floors. The lace-up sneakers are ideal for most restaurant workers who need ankle security as they pivot during busy shifts. Our tester also appreciated how breathable the upper material of these sneakers are, especially with their waterproofing overlay.

They're well-priced. I hear so many cooks complain about how the expensive, orthopedic non-slip shoes may be worth the price once, but eventually they get too stained and smelly to keep. The Crocs On the Clock Work Sneaker is easy to clean and rewear for longer, and at $70, they aren't too painful to replace when the time comes.

They're polished enough for front-of-house service. We decided to rank these sneakers slightly above the Crocs Bistro Work Clogs (which are worth an honorable mention) because they offer a more clean, understated look for servers and bartenders.

Best cushioning: Asics GEL-Nimbus 27

They have pillow-soft cushioning, yet with a more rigid structure. As someone whose knees become strained from hours of standing, I found the GEL-Nimbus 27s more nurturing than something like the Brooks Ghost 17s. That said, the GEL-Nimbus 27 have a firmer midsole (which helps to keep your foot from sliding around), and are rigid enough that they can't fold in half.

They don't get squishy after a few hours of wear. High-cushion shoes aren't always ideal for standing all day because the foam compresses over time, creating a sinking or muddy feeling. But the joint relief is worth it for some, and after testing the Asics GEL-Nimbus 27s for 100+ cumulative hours across international travel days, I can confirm this is a high-cushion sneaker that maintains its structure.

They're highly breathable, even in the heat. The jacquard mesh upper is both roomy and breathable, with plush sock liners that feel soft around the ankles. The ventilation and expandable space made these sneakers comfortable and cool after they'd been on my feet for 20+ hours on a long summer travel day to Copenhagen.

Best for walking: On Cloudtilt

Their soft-but-rigid cushioning stays springy after standing all day. I've tested a lot of different walking shoes, and the On Cloudtilts strikes a perfect balance between cushioned and supportive. On's signature technology, CloudTec, builds the midsole out of firm foam cutouts, or "clouds," to provide structured support. These clouds are organized in a sequential collapse pattern, so they compress gradually in away that offers just the right amount of give. This allows for better balance and disperses the impact of walking all day, thereby reducing fatigue in your legs.

The uppers feel super stretchy and breathable. The Cloudtilts use a knit upper made from 100% recycled polyester that feels more elastic and forgiving — especially if your feet tend to swell. It hugs your foot like a sock without trapping heat. One downside: The sock-like upper means you lose some structure and lateral stability, so it's not ideal if you pivot a lot on the job.

The secure laces are easy to slip on and off. Dr. Parthasarathy says she finds lace up shoes are more supportive for standing and walking all day compared to one-size-fits-all slip ons. That said, sometimes you want a shoe that slips on and off easily. I love that this lace system lets you tighten across the top of the foot as needed, but has enough stretch and a simple stopper knot so you can slip them off without having to untie and re-tie every time.

Best for working outdoors: Wolverine Overpass CarbonMax 6" Boot

They're proper work boots — durable, weather-ready, and grippy. Wolverine has been making work gear since the early 1900s, with a long-standing reputation for quality and durability. While my husband has torn through other boots within half a landscaping or construction season, this pair showed no wear-and-tear (besides dirt stains) after two and a half months of heavy use. These boots are made with premium waterproof leather, an abrasion-resistant toe, and a ContourWelt construction that feels both flexible and secure.

They have a composite safety toe. Wolverine's Overpass CarbonMax boots are made with a composite safety toe made from lightweight carbon fiber. This meets the ASTM standards for impact and compression, and feels more lightweight than steel-toed boots. Unlike steel, it also won't conduct heat or cold, making it a better choice for extreme weather. It's also thinner than traditional steel toes, giving your toes more wiggle room without sacrificing protection.

They're comfortable for standing on soil or concrete. These boots required zero break in time and were comfortable for an all-day shift right out the box. Their shock-absorbing midsoles and removable Ortholite footbeds minimized foot fatigue, even after standing on concrete or uneven ground for 8+ hours. They also have a slight lift in the heel to take the pressure off your foot tendons.

They're lightweight and breathable. Despite being incredibly durable and having that protective composite toe, these boots weigh just 1.63 pounds. And even though they're waterproof, they're still quite breathable thanks to a moisture-wicking mesh liner.

They're backed by a 30-day comfort guarantee. Wolverine offers a 30-day money-back guarantee if you don't find these boots comfortable once you've worn them on the job.

Best sandal: Fitflop RELIEFF Recovery Toe-Post Sandals

These combine the ease of flip flops with orthotic-level support. These look like your average poolside flip-flops, but they're secretly built like a recovery shoe. They combine a firm, supportive sole with a plush recovery foam footbed that absorbs shock and relieves pressure at key points like your heel, arch, and ball of the foot.

The wide toe box also lets your foot spread naturally, and the slight 1-inch heel takes pressure off your plantar fascia — a feature recommended by our podiatrists. I've worn the Fitflop RELIEFF Recovery Sandals for over 8+ hours walking and standing in museums and shops around Spain, as well as over four straight days out and about in New York City, and my feet felt as comfortable as if I were wearing sneakers.

They're surprisingly stylish for orthotics. With their slight heels and regular-width straps, these flip flops blend in perfectly with a casual summer outfit without screaming "sensible footwear."

They do rub a little in the humidity. I don't think this is a deal breaker because no blisters formed, and they felt fine when I wore them for shorter stints in drier West Coast climates. But after two days of standing on subways, in line at museums, and walking around a humid late-June New York, the straps caused some friction between my toes and outer edge of my foot. I wore preventative Band-Aids, which fixed the issue.

Best clogs: Dansko Platform Pro

Their legendary support earns them podiatrists' praise. There's a reason "Dansko" is pretty much synonymous with "supportive clogs": The brand's shoes are built with a footbed like no other — contoured specifically to reduce strain on the feet, ankles, and lower leg and made with memory foam to learn your foot's curves the more you wear them.

I wore the Platform Pro clogs for over six hours of standing at an outdoor concert, as well as many all-day stints at my standing desk. They support my arches and are cushioned in the forefoot to prevent metatarsal pain. The heel counter is very firm, and there's a slight 0.5-inch heel-drop wedge — two features podiatrists recommend for lessening foot fatigue.

They're slip-resistant. Designed with an outsole that grips on wet, dry, and oily surfaces, the Platform Pro is ideal for kitchens, hospitals, or anywhere with slick floors. The chrome-free, breathable lining keeps your feet from overheating through long shifts.

The leather is super versatile and ages well. I particularly love how chic and versatile the leather Platform Pros are over any other Danskos. They pair nicely with jeans or slacks, so they're great for any dress code.

They're not too clunky — though they're a bit loud, and not the most lightweight. The platform on these clogs gives them a bit of an elevated look, but they're also designed with Dansko's signature rocker sole to promote natural movement as you walk. This helps to minimize the clunkiness. That said, they aren't quite as lightweight as, say, the Sorel Caribou Clogs. They're also a little noisy to clomp around in on hardwood or concrete floors, so if you work in a quiet office, these might not be the best pick.

Other shoes we tested

Honorable mention: Crocs Bistro Work Clogs

Many cooks and chefs prefer shoes that slip off easily in case of hot liquid spills. The Crocs Bistro Work Clogs do just that — and kept our kitchen tester's feet supported on countless 10+ hour shifts — while still offering Crocs Lock slip-resistant tread, toe protection, and a heel strap to keep your foot secure as you move around the kitchen.

• Dansko Bridget: With a double strap to hold your toes in place and Dansko's supportive contoured footbed, we found these sandals to be supportive. However, the heel cup was very narrow.
• Hey Dude Wally Work CE Classic Slip Resistant: These non-slip shoes are lightweight, have removable insoles, and are overall pretty comfortable, but they aren't breathable enough.
• FitFlop LULU Resin-Buckle Leather Back-Strap Sandals: While we like the sleek and versatile aesthetic of these double-strap FitFlop sandals, they didn't provide enough arch support after three hours of standing. Consider them only if you have flat feet.
• Hoka Gaviota 5: While these are our favorite walking shoes for extra arch support, the Gaviota (and most Hokas, for that matter) aren't rigid enough to off-set the high cushioning. They started to feel too squishy after a few hours of standing in them.
• Nike Motiva: With a breathable upper, wide toe box, and balanced cushioning, the Nike Motivas proved to be comfortable for hours on your feet — though not quite as supportive as the Brooks Ghost 17s or Asics Gel Nimbus 27s.
• Oofos OOmy Zen: A slide-on, high-cushion sneaker from a great recovery footwear brand, these shoes are very comfortable for walking all day. They run a full size small and may be a little too cumbersome for some people, but if you're not a fan of the Asics Gel Nimbus 27s, these are a solid high-cushion alternative.
• Wolverine Rev UltraSpring DuraShocks Vent CarbonMax Work Boot: These lightweight boots are made with the same top-tier durability, composite toe, and high-traction outsoles as the Wolverine Overpass boots, and come with a cushioned, energy-returning footbed. They just take a little longer to break in.
• 5.11 A/T 6" Non-Zip Boot: These work boots are super comfortable, breathable, and have great traction, but the toe box wore through with holes after just four months of landscaping.

What to look for in the best shoes for standing all day

"Wearing high-quality, comfortable footwear for standing all day lowers your risk of injury and other foot issues, such as plantar fasciitis or neuromas," says Dr. Parthasarathy. Conversely, choosing unsupportive footwear can create inflammatory conditions that may take months to resolve, Dr. Oldani adds. Here's what both experts recommend:

A shoe that matches your activity. If you're walking a lot during your shift, you'll want something with more ankle support than clogs. If you're working construction, you need a boot durable enough to withstand flying debris.

Cushioning. This is crucial to increasing shock absorption and reducing stress on your ankles.

Rigidity. When you hold the shoe by heel and toe, you shouldn't be able to fold it in half.

Supportive heel counter. A solid heel counter cradles your Achilles tendon and prevents you from excessively rolling your feet inward as you step (also called "overpronation").

Breathability. When you're in an active profession, even air flow prevents overheating.

A slight wedge. A slight lift in the heel (half an inch, ideally) takes pressure off your Achilles and plantar fascia.

Removable insoles. Ideally, you can place a custom orthotic in your shoe as needed.

Secure straps. Some people find a lace-up shoe provides better support for standing all day because it keeps your foot in place.As for sandals, look for styles with adjustable ankle straps, including one over the toes for better stabilization.

FAQs on the best shoes for standing all day

What are the best shoes for standing all day?

After testing 23 pairs of shoes, we think the Brooks Ghost 17s are the best shoe for most people who spend hours on their feet. They're cushioned to absorb shock, but rigid enough to not fold in half, with a firm and supportive heel counter.

Are flat shoes good for standing all day?

No, flat shoes aren't ideal. You actually want a shoe with a slight 0.5-inch heel, as this helps take strain off your foot tendons, and one with a supportive footbed, Dr. Parthasarathy says.

Are HOKAs good shoes for standing all day?

It depends on which model, but for the most part, HOKAs are too flexible to support your joints for hours at a time. If you want a similar high-cushion shoe with a more rigid midsole for better support, opt for the Asics Gel Nimbus 27s.

What should I do if my feet hurt after a long day of standing?

If your feet hurt after standing all day, Dr. Parthasarathy recommends rotating your shoes to provide different levels of cushion and support, stretching during and after your shift, and icing to reduce inflammation. She adds that wearing compression socks may also help.

• Tim Cook and Donald Trump don't seem like natural allies, at all.
• But Cook unlocked Trump fairly early in Trump's first term.
• The secret: understanding that Trump wants personal attention from rich and powerful people.

Tim Cook's record is pretty clear: Under his watch, Apple didn't create a world-changing product. But it posted world-beating sales, and the stock market rewarded him for it.

Cook also has other accomplishments, including one he is much less likely to boast about: He got Donald Trump on his side.

We are a little bit inured to this kind of thing now. In Trump's second tenure, Big Tech CEOs and everyone else who wants favors from him — or at least wants to escape his wrath — knows how to do it. You can simply cut checks to his ballroom, or library, or his inaugural fund. You can also try selling a chunk of your company to the US.

But Cook figured out how to get on Trump's good side early, during his first term. That was a notable accomplishment at a time when lots of tech bosses were actively hostile to the president.

We could periodically see evidence of this with our own eyes. In 2019, for example, Cook and Trump toured an Apple plant in Texas, and Cook stood at Trump's side when Trump said Apple had opened the facility at his behest. That was not true — the plant had opened in 2013, during the Obama administration — but Cook didn't bother to correct Trump.

But a lot of the Cook/Trump relationship happened behind closed doors, via frequent visits to Washington. And it all kicked off with a private phone call, Trump said on Tuesday via his Truth Social platform: He said Cook called him early in his first term, with "a fairly large problem that only I, as President, could fix."

Trump doesn't explain what the problem was. But it's a pretty good assumption that it had to do with tariffs on electronics made in China. That could have been a real problem for Apple, if Trump hadn't granted it an exemption.

The truly striking thing about that story, in Trump's telling, is just how flattered Trump was to get a phone call from the CEO of one of the most valuable companies in the world.

"When I got the call I said, wow, it's Tim Apple (Cook!) calling, how big is that? I was very impressed with myself to have the head of Apple calling to "'kiss my ass,'" Trump wrote.

It's a very telling passage. By definition, President Donald Trump is a more powerful person than Apple CEO Tim Cook. But Trump likes rich people, and Trump likes famous people, and Cook is both. And Trump was tickled that a very rich, very famous businessman would take the time to pick up the phone and call him.

"That was the beginning of a long and very nice relationship," Trump continued in his post. "During my five years as President, Tim would call me, but never too much, and I would help him where I could."

In Trump's second term, when CEOs have become much more public in their support for Trump, Cook has followed suit. Which is why we remember Cook handing Trump a gold-and-glass bauble in the Oval Office — a gesture meant to symbolize Apple's commitment to building things in America.

We don't really know how that's going to pan out, though it seems very, very unlikely that Apple will ever comply with Trump's demand that it make iPhones in the US.

But we do know that the two men are very likely to stay in touch for the next few years. Though Cook is stepping down as CEO in September, he will stick around Apple as executive chairman of its board — a job Apple specifically says will involve "engaging with policymakers around the world." Translation: More phone calls and visits to Washington, at least through the end of 2028.

• Jet fuel costs and supplies across the globe are under pressure from the US and Israeli war on Iran.
• 19 of the world's 20 largest airlines have cut flights in May, according to Cirium data.
• Airlines have largely cut routes with multiple daily flights or those with lower demand.

First, the Iran war made flights more expensive. Now, it's making them disappear.

All but one of the world's 20 largest airlines are reducing capacity in the coming months, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.

Its analysis found the planned global capacity for May has dropped three percentage points since early March. Cirium revised its initial prediction of 4%-6% growth this year, saying it could decline by up to 3% under some potential scenarios.

The war has disrupted supply chains, trapping oil in storage facilities across the Middle East.

That saw the price of Brent crude oil rocket past $100 a barrel in early March, before dipping back below that benchmark once ceasefire talks began this month.

Jet fuel prices have risen even faster, doubling in price to almost $200 a barrel. And as the war drags on, jet fuel is getting harder to come by for countries that don't produce it or have limited supplies.

"In Europe, we have maybe six weeks or so (of) jet fuel left," the International Energy Agency's executive director, Fatih Birol, told the Associated Press on April 16.

Willie Walsh, the director general of the International Air Transport Association, an airline trade group, said the next day that "by the end of May we could start to see some cancellations in Europe for lack of jet fuel."

"This is already happening in parts of Asia," he added in the statement.

However, the European Union's transport commissioner, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, denied that the continent was close to running out of jet fuel.

"Any cancellations announced so far by European airlines are linked to the high cost of jet fuel, not to supply shortages," he added.

Several airlines have already canceled flights or grounded airplanes due to rising costs.

Here's a look at some of the airlines that have already started canceling flights due to rising prices and falling supplies.

European airlines

Ryanair, Europe's largest airline, said it is considering reducing routes.

CEO Michael O'Leary said its jet fuel supply could be at risk if the war continues during an interview with Sky News.

"We don't expect any disruption until early May, but if the war continues, we do run the risk of supply disruptions in Europe in May and June," he said.

KLM said on April 17 that it was canceling 80 return flights from Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, its main base.

It added that these routes were "no longer financially viable to operate" due to rising kerosene costs. The airline also clarified that there was no kerosene shortage.

Lufthansa Group said in a press release on April 21 that the airline is cutting around 20,000 short-haul flights through October as it trims "unprofitable routes" and in response to surging fuel costs. The move is expected to save more than 40,000 metric tons of jet fuel, said Lufthansa.

"The planned consolidation of the European network is being carried out across Lufthansa Group's six hubs in Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich, Vienna, Brussels, and Rome," said Lufthansa

"Passengers will therefore continue to have access to the global route network, particularly long-haul connections," Lufthansa added.

According to the press release, initial adjustments will be in place by May, and the airline expects to have a sufficient fuel supply for the coming weeks.

Switzerland's Edelweiss Air also said it was canceling flights to the US, due to declining demand and rising fuel prices. It will no longer fly to Denver or Seattle, and will reduce the frequency of flights to Las Vegas.

A spokesperson for Scandinavian Airlines said that it would cut about 1,000 flights in April due to the surge in jet fuel costs.

They added that most of the canceled flights were on short-haul routes in the Nordic region, at airports with multiple daily flights.

And Aer Lingus said on April 20 that it had made adjustments to 2% of its schedule. In a statement, it said there were cancellations due to "mandatory maintenance on aircraft, along with a limited number of schedule adjustments."

The Irish Independent had previously reported that over 500 flights were being cut.

Asian airlines

Several airlines in Asia said they would cut flights to mitigate fuel shortages and mounting costs.

Vietnam Airlines suspended seven domestic flight routes beginning April 1, a local state-run newspaper reported, according to Reuters. The outlet reported that Vietnam Airlines planned to slash flight volume by 10% to 20% a month over the next financial quarter if jet fuel prices rise to $160 to $200 per barrel.

Other local airlines, including Vietjet Air and Bamboo Airways, will also cut flights.

AirAsia said it has cut 10% of its flights and raised fares to curb the impact of rising fuel costs. The Malaysian low-cost carrier, which flies to 25 countries, added that it would cut capacity on routes where it couldn't cover fuel costs.

At a media briefing on April 6, CEO Bo Lingam said the fuel surcharge has risen up to 20%, and overall ticket prices have risen 30% to 40%.

Lingam said its jet fuel had risen from $90 per barrel before the war to $200 per barrel, describing this as the airline's most serious challenge.

United Airlines

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said in a March memo to staff that the company would cut flights over the next two quarters.

"In the short term, that means tactically pruning flying that's temporarily unprofitable in the face of high oil prices," Kirby said.

The airline planned to cancel some off-peak flights and red-eyes.

"If prices stayed at this level, it would mean an extra $11 billion in annual expense just for jet fuel," Kirby said in a message to employees posted on the company's website. "For perspective, in United's best year ever, we made less than $5B."

Delta Air Lines

Delta hasn't officially announced any flight cuts due to fuel prices; the oil refinery it owns in Pennsylvania has given it a buffer during the crisis.

"It's not going to cover the crack entirely, but gives us a fairly significant hedge," Delta CEO Ed Bastian said at a March JP Morgan conference.

Delta is cutting its seasonal Los Angeles to Anchorage route this summer, telling Business Insider that it "adjusts its schedule to align with customer demand." Alaska Airlines will be the sole operator on that route.

Air New Zealand

Air New Zealand said it would cut about 5% its flights, or about 1,100, at the start of May.

"We're focused on consolidating flights that are off-peak flying hours, for example, or where there is an alternative that we can re-accommodate customers," CEO Nikhil Ravishankar told 1News, a local outlet, in March.

Air Canada

Air Canada said it will suspend certain routes starting in late May due to rising jet fuel costs.

"Jet fuel prices have doubled since the start of the Iran conflict, affecting some lower profitability routes and flights which now are no longer economically feasible," the company's statement said. "Schedule adjustments including some frequency reductions are being made in response."

Route suspensions will affect certain domestic Canadian, transborder, and international flights.

Cats may not drink enough water because they evolved to get most of their hydration from prey or running water, not stagnant pools or water bowls. While wet cat food can provide some hydration, cats also need access to clean drinking water to support their long-term kidney and urinary health. The best cat water fountains can help, encouraging some cats to drink more by keeping water fresh and moving.

After testing a dozen fountains and consulting veterinarians, a veterinary nurse, feline behaviorists, and an environmental microbiologist, I found that the best fountains balance a design that works for cats and a cleaning routine people will actually keep up with. I chose the Petlibro Stainless Steel Water Fountain as the best overall. At around $30, it's more affordable than most of its stainless steel competitors without sacrificing quality. It disassembles easily, has few crevices to clean, and runs quietly.

Below, I recommend several other options for a variety of needs. These devices can also provide mental enrichment for cats who enjoy playing in or watching moving water, says Laura Watson, a registered veterinary nurse and cat welfare assistant for International Cat Care.

Read more about how Business Insider Reviews tests and researches pet products.

Our top picks for the best cat water fountains

Best overall: Petlibro Stainless Steel Fountain - See at Chewy

Best ceramic: PawsPik Serenity Faucet Ceramic Cat Fountain - See at Chewy

Best smart: Petlibro Dockstream 2 Smart Cordless Fountain - See at Chewy

Best for multiple cats: Cat Mate 3-Level Fountain - See at Chewy

Best overall

Food-safe stainless steel is a great material for pet fountains because it's nonporous and durable, making it easier to remove biofilm — the red, slimy buildup of bacteria and other microorganisms that can form inside cat water fountains. The Petlibro Stainless Steel Fountain is my top pick because it's built around this advantage: Nearly every component is stainless steel, except for the pump, filter housing, and spout. At around $30, it's a fraction of the price of many comparable options.

Most parts are dishwasher-safe, but I still recommend using the included brush to remove buildup. This fountain makes that easier than most. The cylindrical reservoir has a smooth design, and the spout detaches easily for thorough cleaning. According to Matthew Fields, a biofilm expert at the Center for Biofilm Engineering at Montana State University, crevices can become hotspots for buildup, so the fewer nooks to navigate, the better. During testing, debris didn't linger in the spout or top drinking basin. Instead, particles were pulled into the filter and stayed there until the next filter swap. This won't prevent biofilm entirely, but it helps keep drinking areas cleaner.

The spout is adjustable, and both flow settings run quietly, with no hum or rattling metal. When bumped in passing, it didn't slosh or spill. One downside of the solid stainless steel design is that there's no way to see the water level at a glance, and there's no indicator light or automatic shut-off. If the water runs low, the replaceable pump can burn out, so it's important to check it regularly. During a power outage, water won't remain in the top basin. Watson and Dr. Bradley Krohn, a small animal veterinarian in Portland, Oregon, recommend placing multiple non-powered water sources, such as bowls, throughout your home, regardless of the fountain you choose.

Best ceramic

Ceramic is another excellent nonporous material that's easy to scrub clean, though it's heavier than plastic or stainless steel and can crack or break if dropped. The PawsPik Serenity Faucet Ceramic Cat Fountain is my top pick in this category, replacing the PetSafe Drinkwell Pagoda Fountain, which was bulkier, louder, and pricier. It holds 2.2 liters of water, in line with other fountains in this guide, but its small footprint makes it easy to tuck into tight spaces and lift for cleaning.

The fountain is genuinely nice to look at, too. The outer bowl features vertical decorative lines, and the stainless steel spout gives it a clean, modern touch. Cats who love drinking from a running bathroom faucet will appreciate the spout option, while others may prefer to drink from the bubbler when the spout is removed.

The basin, ceramic top, and metal spigot are dishwasher-safe, but the plastic plate housing the filter and pump needs to be hand-washed. Regardless, everything should get a good scrub with the included brush. I recommend cleaning this fountain every few days, or more frequently if you have multiple cats. Mine cleaned up like new after a quick scrub and rinse in the dishwasher. Because the container is solid ceramic, you can't see the water level or how dirty it's gotten until you open it up, and I was genuinely surprised at how dirty mine was after just one week. Debris collected in the top basin and within the crevice around its edge, while grimier buildup settled at the bottom of the tank. The filter itself stayed relatively clean, suggesting that most of the water wasn't cycling through.

Best smart

The Petlibro Dockstream 2 smart features offer something for everyone. If you want to monitor your cat's water intake, the app provides detailed tracking, while push notifications for cleaning and filter changes provide the nudge I need to stay on top of maintenance. This fountain replaces the original Petlibro Dockstream as my favorite smart pick. It gets an upgrade with a larger tank, but the pump-free design and dual power options (corded or cordless battery operation up to 30 days) give it a real leg up over the original. The fountain held firm during durability testing with minimal splashing when bumped.

Submerged water pumps have crevices that accumulate biofilm, so they need to be disassembled and scrubbed. The Dockstream 2 is different — it features a small water rotor that circulates water with a single, easy-to-clean part, so there are fewer hiding spots for grime and a longer expected lifespan. It isn't noticeably quieter than the original, but it's easier to clean. The stainless steel water tray is dishwasher-safe, while the filter housing, spout, and rotor require hand-washing. A big heads up: The rotor is tiny and can fall out when you flip the tank. I've nearly lost mine down the sink disposal and, at the time of writing, Petlibro doesn't sell replacements.

The fountain can run plugged in or cordlessly for up to 30 days on a single charge, making it easy to place on an elevated surface, in a catio, or in my case, anywhere out of reach of a curious toddler. Indicator lights on the front of the base alert you to a low battery, filter change, or low water level, while the Petlibro app offers more detailed tracking and push notifications. It logs water intake, which is helpful for cats with kidney or urinary issues, and sends customizable maintenance reminders. I set mine for weekly cleanings and filter changes every 14 days.

Best for multiple cats

Cats can be particular about their water sources, says Rachel Geller, a certified cat behavior and retention specialist and founder of All Cats All the Time, Inc. Some prefer lapping from a wide, still pool, while others are drawn to the movement of a flowing stream. The best pet water fountain for multi-cat homes offers assorted water features like tiers, pools, and streams to provide options for everyone.

The Cat Mate 3-Level Fountain has a three-tiered design: a lower pool perfect for kittens and two upper pools, each with a cascading stream. One of my adult cats enjoys watching the water cascade down the tiers. The tiers and pools create more nooks to clean, but the fountain, except for the pump, is dishwasher safe.

This fountain doesn't have a low-water indicator. I had only used it for a few days when I woke to strange noises, like a shovel scraping the sidewalk, and found that the water level was near the minimum fill line. To avoid this, I recommend adding more water daily. When the fountain is filled to capacity, you can hear the low hum of the motor.

What to look for in a cat water fountain

Based on insights from the experts I interviewed and my own research and testing, I recommend considering the following essential features when choosing a pet fountain for your cat.

Materials: Cat water fountains are most commonly made of plastic, stainless steel, or ceramic. Even when the main components of a fountain are stainless steel or ceramic, the pump and filter housing are typically plastic.

Regardless of the fountain material, biofilm will eventually accumulate. "We're surrounded by microorganisms, and most are usually harmless. We should just try to manage our exposure to them," Fields says. Some bacteria commonly found in biofilm, such as Serratia marcescens, are natural residents in a healthy cat's mouth, says Dr. Maggie Placer, veterinarian at EveryCat Health Foundation. The buildup you see after a few days without cleaning is typically harmless for healthy cats, but large amounts can affect the taste and safety of your cat's water. Very young, very old, or immunocompromised cats could develop infections from unhygienic fountains.

Because you can't prevent biofilm from accumulating, Fields says the key to clean, fresh water is choosing a fountain material you can properly clean. For removing biofilm, that means manual cleaning.

• Plastic: Plastic fountains are lightweight and more affordable, but plastic is porous and can scratch during cleaning. Those scratches can give biofilm the perfect place to take hold. Use a soft brush or paper towel to manually remove biofilm and replace plastic fountains at the first sign of a scratch.
• Food-grade stainless steel: Also known as type 304 stainless steel or 18/8 stainless steel, it is one of the best materials for a cat water fountain. Fields says stainless steel is nonporous and durable enough to withstand repeated mechanical cleaning that removes stubborn biofilm. It's also relatively lightweight and can handle being dropped without cracking. However, not all stainless steel is food-grade, and not all manufacturers are upfront about the grade they use. "It is best to ensure the grade of stainless steel with the manufacturer — never buy a stainless steel product without knowing the grade it's made from," says Kara Burns, a licensed veterinary technician and nutrition specialist at EveryCat Health Foundation.
• Ceramic: Ceramic shares stainless steel's nonporous advantage and is equally durable for cleaning. However, it's the heaviest of the materials, and if damaged, it should be replaced. "One drop or bang can chip, crack, or shatter your ceramic bowl, making it no longer safe for use," Burns says. While ceramic is typically dishwasher safe, it should also be manually cleaned to dislodge biofilm.

Accessibility: The best cat water fountain for your home will depend on your cat's needs. Some cats prefer the sound of moving water, while others might find it scary. The fountain should be designed to accommodate their preference, with a quiet option available for skittish cats. Watson says some cats don't like lowering their head into a bowl because they feel vulnerable. The Petlibro Stainless Steel and Dockstream 2 fountains offer raised options.

Power supply: Cats should always have access to clean, fresh water. The best cat water fountains will have a battery backup in case of power outages. If your fountain lacks a battery backup, make sure it holds enough fresh water in the basin or tray to last your cat at least 24 hours. Regardless, the experts I spoke to recommend providing multiple water sources throughout the house to cater to different drinking preferences and ensure access to fresh drinking water at all times.

Ease of assembly and cleaning: When testing cat water fountains, I considered my setup experience, including assembly time and WiFi connectivity, when applicable. It's important to clean a cat fountain at least once each week, so I also evaluated the ease of disassembling and cleaning the fountain. If the cleaning process is complicated, you might clean the fountain less often, which can shorten the fountain's lifespan and potentially make your cat sick.

Price: Geller points out that a water fountain has a higher lifetime cost than the sticker price, since you have to purchase filters. "You need to remember to change the filter regularly and follow the recommended schedule to do this with your particular fountain. If the filter hasn't been changed routinely, you will see all kinds of things such as dust, dirt, and fur stuck in it," she says.

How we tested the best cat water fountains

To test the performance of 12 different fountains, I developed a series of tests drawing on insights from veterinarians and cat behaviorists. In addition to the key evaluation criteria below, I considered each fountain's cost, footprint, warranty, and return policy.

Ease of assembly: I evaluated the time it took to assemble and set up each fountain, including connecting to WiFi and a smartphone app when applicable.

Ease of cleaning: I monitored each fountain for buildup throughout a week of use, noting which ones needed more frequent cleanings or were prone to collecting debris. Following the manufacturer's instructions, I disassembled and washed each fountain after one week, evaluating any challenges with disassembly, reassembly, or cleaning specific areas.

Capacity: I measured how much water each fountain could hold and noted any additional features such as auto shut-off or water level indicators.

Noise: The best cat water fountains are quiet. A quiet fountain is especially important if you have a timid cat. "A noisy pump or loud noise when dispensing water may scare or put your cat off drinking, defeating the purpose of a fountain altogether," Geller says. To test noise levels, I filled each fountain completely and used the "Sound Meter" app on my phone to record the average decibel rating over 30 seconds. Our picks all clock in at around 40 decibels or less. To put that in perspective, 40 decibels is roughly the hum of a quiet library, 30 is a whisper, and 25 is the rustle of leaves. Advertised decibel ratings didn't always match my real-world results, so I confirmed readings using a second app. While background noise in my home could contribute to a higher reading, it's worth erring on the side of caution if you have a timid cat. Cats' hearing is far more sensitive than ours, and even a trickle can spook them away from the fountain.

Filter quality: To assess each fountain's filter performance, I sprinkled 1 teaspoon of crushed dry kibble into the drinking dish. Then, after eight hours of operation, I checked the amount of debris in the fountain's dish and filter.

Cat appropriateness: I prioritized fountains with wide, shallow designs to prevent whisker fatigue and ensure easy access to water. Fountains with multiple drinking areas, such as streams, bubblers, or shallow pools, also earned a higher score since they cater to different cat drinking preferences.

Durability: Cats do all sorts of funny things, like balance on the side of their fountain to drink. No one appreciates wet socks, so I tested the durability of each fountain by walking past and lightly kicking each one three times to check how much water spilled or if the fountain tipped.

Power and WiFi: Cats should have uninterrupted access to water. None of the fountains I tested had a backup power supply in case of power outages, but I prioritized ones that had water available in the basin when the power was cut off.

Meet the expert behind this guide

Janelle Leeson, pets reporter: As a writer specializing in cat health and wellness, I've spent years interviewing veterinarians and veterinary nutritionists about the importance of hydration and kidney health in cats, which gives me a strong foundation for evaluating what matters in a cat water fountain beyond aesthetics and price. I'm a guardian of two cats, one of whom is obsessed with both drinking from and playing in water fountains. And I'm a mom to a toddler who shares that exact obsession, which means my approach to cat water fountains is as practical as it is personal.

Cat water fountain FAQs

Do vets recommend water fountains for cats?

Vets often recommend cat water fountains because they can encourage cats to drink more water, Krohn says. Cats should drink or consume around 0.7 ounces of water per pound of body weight a day. That's roughly a cup of water for an 11-pound cat. Geller says some domestic cats prefer running water because their wild ancestors sought out running water sources like streams as safe places to drink from, rather than stagnant pools of water that could be riddled with bacteria. "Some domesticated, indoor-only cats have preserved this instinct," she says.

What water fountain do cats like best?

Cats have individual preferences, just like people. Geller says some cats prefer standing water because they don't like new noises, while others retain a wild instinct to seek out running water. In general, your cat's fountain should provide fresh, clean water that's easy to access, even during a power outage. I picked the Petlibro Stainless Steel Water Fountain as the best overall choice for its affordability, quiet operation, and ease of cleaning. The Cat Mate 3-Level Fountain may be better if you have multiple cats with different drinking styles. Ultimately, the best cat water fountain depends on your cat's unique personality and needs.

How often should cat water fountains be cleaned?

Cat water fountains should be cleaned at least once a week, and filters should be replaced every two to three weeks. Depending on the number of cats using the fountain, where it's placed, and your water quality, you may need to clean it more often. Every time a cat drinks, they introduce bacteria from their mouth and bits of food from their muzzle, providing the nutrients biofilm needs to grow, Fields says. Filtered, distilled, or municipal water may slow biofilm growth compared to well water, but no water source will prevent it entirely.

What is the slime in my cat's water fountain?

That pink or reddish slime is biofilm, a buildup of microorganisms, most commonly a waterborne bacterium called Serratia marcescens, Fields says. For most healthy cats and humans, normal build-up over a few days poses a low risk, but it is a sign your fountain needs cleaning. An overgrowth, however, can put kittens, senior cats, immunocompromised cats, and those recovering from injury or surgery at risk of infection, Placer says.

Is a ceramic or stainless steel water fountain better for cats?

Both ceramic and stainless steel fountains are good options for cats, as they may be more hygienic than plastic fountains and easier to clean. Ceramic fountains may be more aesthetically pleasing, but are heavy and may crack if dropped. Stainless steel fountains are generally more durable, lighter, and less likely to break than ceramic.

What are the cons of cat water fountains?

Potential drawbacks include some cats finding the fountain's noise or movement intimidating and the risk of bacterial growth if the fountain isn't cleaned regularly, Krohn says. If your cat is startled by their new fountain, Watson recommends encouraging enjoyable activities near the fountain, like playing with a wand toy to lure your cat over and then scattering a few treats as a reward. "Ideally, water sources would be placed in a quiet location where the cat can access the drinking vessel from all angles away from a wall," she says.

Is it safe to leave a cat water fountain on all the time?

Cat water fountains are generally safe to leave on all the time, provided you maintain them properly and their water level stays above the minimum fill line. Smart fountains, like the Petlibro Deckstream App Monitoring Water Fountain, can send alerts for low water levels and maintenance reminders.