Published Nov 18, 2019

There are a million kitchen gadgets out there—these are the ones a chef says you actually need this season

Instead of sifting through the thousands of kitchen gadgets on the market, professional chef Carla Contreras shares her must-haves of the season.

There are a million kitchen gadgets out there—these are the ones a chef says you actually need this season

Instead of sifting through the thousands of kitchen gadgets on the market, professional chef Carla Contreras shares her must-haves of the season.

Published Nov 18, 2019

In Partnership With

Target

Written by

Alex Taylor

Published Nov 18, 2019

In Partnership With

Target

Written by

Alex Taylor

Comparing your own inventory of kitchen gadgets to the high-tech tools you see lining Instagram countertops is enough to make you wonder: How many of these do normal people (read: not just the Martha Stewarts of the world) actually need?

During the holidays, it’s especially tempting to stock up on gadgets promising to make prepping for your family shin-digs a breeze, only to have them collect dust for the other 11 months of the year.

To help you avoid accumulating more clutter, and to clue you in on the real must-have tools that’ll make your food taste delish and your life easier, we tapped Carla Contreras, professional chef and founder of Cook+Chop to share what she always has in her kitchen during the holidays. From a chef’s knife to a peeler to a dutch oven—get ready to finally stock up on the useful stuff.

Keep reading for the kitchen gadgets this professional chef swears by over the holidays.

Farberware Triple Rivet Forged Chef Knife, $16

Contreras doesn’t play around when it comes to her knife set—and neither should you. She advises stocking up on three knives to start: a chef’s knife (like above), a serrated knife, and a paring knife. Her ultimate fave is a chef’s knife, so she recommends starting there if you have to pick just one, and then growing your collection slowly.

Epicurean Non-Slip Cutting Board Slate, $30

“I love Epicurean because of their grip, and they’re built to last—I’ve had mine for 10 years,” Contreras says. Okay, that means you need one (or three) of these cutting boards, stat. Made of recycled wood composite material, you’re helping out the environment and your soon-to-be exceptional cooking skills.

OXO Salad Spinner, $30

Salad isn’t exactly top-of-mind during the holidays (hello, mashed potatoes and casseroled everything), but this spinner will make you want to add in a giant serving of greens to your feast. Contreras agrees and suggests washing and storing additional veggies within the spinner, too.

OXO Softworks Y Peeler, $9

A peeler is one of those kitchen gadgets you never really think about until you’re sitting face-to-face with a giant stack of sweet potatoes that need to be peeled. This underrated kitchen tool is actually a total game-changer, and this stainless steel, Y-shaped one provides a secure grip while you peel your veggies, fruit, or any other peel-able foods you’re into.

OXO Silicone Baking Mat, $20

The worst part of holiday cooking is the clean-up, hands down. Avoid getting stuck on dish-washing duty this year by opting for this non-slip baking mat that can replace parchment or wax paper to eliminate waste and time spent scrubbing bare pans.

Lodge 6qt Cast Iron Enamel Dutch Oven, $60

“I got this for a gift six years ago and I love using it for everything,” Contreras says. “I sauté in it, make soups, stews, or braises—it’s a workhorse in my kitchen and lives on my stove.” Trust the chef here: This enameled iron classic will come in clutch for food prep as a host, and it’ll become a staple in your everyday cooking long after the holidays are over.

OXO 5 Qt Stainless Steel Colander, $25

Whether you need to drain pasta, wash off fruits and veggies, or prepare a homemade salad, a large strainer is a must-have pretty much all year long. Contreras also suggests opting for a small strainer (like this one) for soaking quinoa, beans, or lentils—all simple bases to throw onto your holiday menu.

KitchenAid Nylon Ladle, $7

Use this ladle to dole out (generous) portions of gravy during your Friendsgiving, and give it a job year-round serving up broths, soups, and sauces, making your scoop-to-bowl experience extra efficient (without any spills). “I’m not about having all the kitchen gadgets in the world,” Contreras says. “I want things that are functional, and I want them to work for me year round.”

Ball 12-Pack Glass Smooth-Sided Regular Mouth Mason Jar, $8

Store all the leftovers from your smorgasbord in these mason jars that use SureTight lids to seal in all yum, so nothing goes bad before you’re ready for round two. And once you finally do finish your thirds or fourths, you can wash and reuse the jars for decor purposes. That’s a two-for-one deal if we ever saw one.

Apron Red Embroidered, $16

While it isn’t in the kitchen gadgets category per se, this apron is an easy way to keep the holidays festive—and to keep all splatters off your party clothes. Made of soft-yet-sturdy cotton with red embroidery for a pop of festive fun, you’ll be set for the remainder of holiday dinners you host.

Sponsored by Target

Top photo: Getty Images/filadendron

Sign Up for Our Daily Newsletter

Get all the latest in wellness, trends, food, fitness, beauty, and more delivered right to your inbox.

Got it, you've been added to our email list.

Lifestyle Mindfulness

Published Feb 20, 2025

What Would You Tell Your Younger Self? The Power of Narrative Therapy

Psychologists say reflecting on and writing down your life experiences has unexpected mental health benefits

What Would You Tell Your Younger Self? The Power of Narrative Therapy

Psychologists say reflecting on and writing down your life experiences has unexpected mental health benefits

Published Feb 20, 2025

Written by

Hannah Yasharoff

Stocksy / BONNINSTUDIO

Published Feb 20, 2025

Written by

Hannah Yasharoff

What would you tell your younger self? And how would you reflect on your life so far?

There's a new TikTok trend, inspired by a poem by writer Jennae Cecelia, where creators imagine they just got coffee with their younger selves. Each "version" takes turns expressing how they feel at their point in life. The younger version leaves the coffee date feeling the support and love they perhaps didn't have earlier, and the older version comes away with more clarity on how much they’ve grown, persevered, and learned.

"[My younger self] said she always felt like she made the wrong decision," wrote creator @hello.kelsie in a TikTok video that has amassed nearly two million views. "I told her I [now] never second-guessed myself."

Even Barbara Corcoran got in on the TikTok trend, looking back on how she went from “scared” waitress to fearless real estate mogul.

It may feel like a silly premise, but the trend actually mirrors a rising therapeutic technique: narrative therapy, which involves lots of self-reflection and putting on your creative writing cap.

The concept? Physically writing down your experiences or sharing stories of what happened in your life can help you break out of negative thought patterns, stereotypes, and other societal messaging.

"The stories we tell ourselves can become self-fulfilling prophecies," therapist Jordan Madison, LCMFT, tells Well+Good. Narrative therapy is all about looking at the big picture from an outsider's perspective, which can help keep you from internalizing problems or focusing only on the negative. If you understand the story of your own life, you can better figure out how to rewrite the next chapter to your liking.

Author your life story

There's some research to back up the benefits of narrative therapy. One study published in The Journal of Positive Psychology explored how a person's storytelling skills are related to their sense of meaning in life. Through a series of surveys, researchers found that across the board, test subjects who were dubbed better storytellers (by themselves, strangers, and those close to them) also had a stronger s ense of purpose, meaning, and growth.

Christine Pride, a longtime memoir publisher and author of the upcoming novel All the Men I’ve Loved Again, understands the power of someone writing down their story—both for the author and the readers. Pride jokes that she sometimes feels like a writer's therapist as they're working on a memoir together. And though being an author isn't quite the same as booking an appointment with a licensed professional, the steps of journaling for your mental health and writing a memoir for public consumption might be more similar than you'd think.

"There's a lot of personal writing that can be really helpful and therapeutic," Pride says, citing things like morning pages or writing letters you never intend to send in order to help yourself make sense of what you experienced.

In narrative therapy, it's also helpful to get everything off your chest via journaling before pulling back to notice which storylines keep popping up. After that, there's something to be said for pretending to be an outside observer, reading someone else's story. What unhelpful thought patterns do you keep seeing?

"Reframing and noticing patterns are huge tools in boosting your mental health," Madison says. “When you realize patterns you’re participating in, and that you have the power to change them, it helps you to feel less stuck and work on small habits and changes in thoughts and behaviors to do things differently."

How to try narrative therapy techniques for yourself

So you're intrigued by the concept of narrative therapy—what's next? Book that coffee date, buy your younger self that Frappuccino they love, and get reflecting. (And, of course, you can also book an appointment with a licensed mental health professional who can help you work through your thoughts.) If you're flying solo, try these expert-approved tips to get started:

Ask yourself the right questions
When journaling, it may help to have specific prompts to guide you. Madison recommends implementing the following questions as you reflect:

What is the narrative I have about this situation?
How does this story affect my thoughts, emotions, and behaviors?
Who are the characters in this story, and what are the roles they play?
When was the first time I created this story, and what situation made it develop?
What events or experiences contributed to this narrative?
Have there been times when this story wasn't true?
What is a more empowering narrative I can begin to tell myself instead?

Write like nobody will read it
While editing memoirs, Pride sometimes notices writers holding back the real emotional crux of their story because they're worried about how those close to them might react. Whether you're writing for yourself or an audience, you won't find the true meaning of your story until you're 100% honest with yourself.

"You can't write your story honestly if you're censoring yourself along the way based on fearing what your mom or cousin is going to say about it," she says.

(However, if you're actually publishing your life story, those close to you are going to have opinions, which you may need to mentally prepare for.)

Don't expect to fix everything right away
Writing the story of your life will take some time. Pride says that not only is that OK, but it's actually beneficial. More time means you might better understand the full arc of your story.

"You have to have distance," Pride says. "I tell people they can't really be objective without some distance, and sometimes that distance equates to time."

When you hug your younger self goodbye at the end of your coffee date, promise to keep in touch—the more you two get to know each other, the better you'll feel in the long run.

Sign Up for Our Daily Newsletter

Get all the latest in wellness, trends, food, fitness, beauty, and more delivered right to your inbox.

Got it, you've been added to our email list.

Lifestyle Relationships

Published Feb 19, 2025

How to Use AI In the Bedroom For a More Satisfying Sex Life

With AI doing all the grunt work for you, no more excuses for putting connection on the back burner.

How to Use AI In the Bedroom For a More Satisfying Sex Life

With AI doing all the grunt work for you, no more excuses for putting connection on the back burner.

Published Feb 19, 2025

Written by

Jaime Osnato

Stocksy / French Anderson Ltd

Published Feb 19, 2025

Written by

Jaime Osnato

AI is officially making its way between the sheets. From spicing up foreplay to unlocking new fantasies, couples are tapping into tech to level up their love lives. So, if your bedroom routine could use a refresh, why not let a little artificial intelligence lend a hand? (Or, you know, suggest where hands should go.) Let’s dive into how AI can turn up the heat—and keep the connection strong—while keeping things safe and consensual.

How AI can enhance intimacy

AI isn’t just for writing emails or planning your grocery list—it can also help shake things up in the bedroom. Think of it as “your relationship coach, intimacy wingman, and communication guru all rolled into one,” says Kate Balestrieri, certified sex therapist and author of What Happened to My Sex Life: A Sex Therapist’s Guide to Reclaiming Lost Desire, Connection and Pleasure. Here’s how AI can take your love life to the next level:

Improve communication skills
Let’s be honest—talking about sex can be awkward. Balestrieri says AI can help break the ice by suggesting open-ended questions and conversation prompts to deepen intimacy, explore fantasies, and set boundaries.

If your relationship has mismatched communication styles or differing desire levels (which is super common), AI can help bridge that gap by analyzing interaction patterns and flagging potential stressors before they impact your connection, adds Nico Velotta, relationship scientist and head of relationship research at Arya, an intimacy coaching app and subscription box.

Our erotic needs tend to fall into four categories, says Velotta. Romantics crave emotional connection; adventurers seek novelty; directors prioritize straightforward, frequent intimacy; and connectors thrive on sensual touch. AI can help translate needs between partners, making sure no one feels left out or misunderstood.

Boost confidence and reduce sexual anxiety
Sex can be vulnerable, and self-doubt is often a mood killer. Balestrieri says that AI-powered apps can offer personalized feedback to help you feel more self-assured—whether it’s improving body language, refining dirty talk, or learning new techniques. The result? More confidence, better chemistry, and way more fun.

If overthinking kills the mood, AI can be your chill pill. It can guide you through mindfulness exercises, breathing techniques, and even virtual scenarios to help you relax and stay present during intimacy. Less stress, more pleasure—sounds like a win.

Become more attuned to your partner
Ever wish you could just know what your partner needs in the moment? AI-powered devices that sync biometric data—like heart rate or arousal levels—can help you tune into each other’s rhythms, making it easier to connect physically and emotionally, Balestrieri says. For example, you and your partner can use wearables like the Oura ring to track biometrics and share each other’s data, so you know exactly when you're primed for pleasure. Think of it as a high-tech way to get on the same wavelength.

Help rebuild trust
Got trust issues? AI offers structured exercises designed to help couples reconnect. While it’s no substitute for therapy, AI-powered intimacy tools have been shown to help couples regain confidence in their relationship and deepen eroticism, Velotta says. The goal isn’t to replace human intuition but to improve it—helping partners recognize and act on opportunities for more connection.

Reduce the mental load
Let’s face it: life is hectic, and the mental load of daily responsibilities can make intimacy feel like just another task on your to-do list. AI can help take some of that weight off by handling logistics—tracking schedules, suggesting ideal date nights, and even curating personalized intimacy experiences.

And intimacy isn’t just about sex. According to Arya’s intimacy study, one-third of people want more romance, sensuality, and quality time together—not just more action between the sheets. AI can help with the full spectrum of connection, from emotional bonding to physical play, all at a pace that works for both of you.

Ways to use AI in the bedroom

So, how do you put AI to work in the boudoir? Here are some fun, practical ways to spice things up:

1. Shake up your routine
Are you bored of the same old moves? You’re not alone. According to an intimacy study conducted by Arya, 75% of couples feel more connected after trying something new together. AI can suggest personalized intimacy activities based on your erotic persona—whether you’re an adventurer looking to try something new or a romantic craving a deeper emotional connection.

Got mismatched libidos? Happens all the time. AI can offer personalized conversation starters and intimacy-building exercises to help bridge the gap. The best part? It can adapt to your comfort level, making exploration feel natural, not forced.

2. Elevate foreplay
Who says foreplay has to start in the bedroom? Build anticipation with AI-powered sexting prompts, curated playlists, or daily flirty challenges.

3. Upgrade your dirty talk
If you love the idea of dirty talk but freeze up when it’s time to deliver, AI can generate spicy lines tailored to your (and your partner’s) comfort level. For example, Slutbot is a no-judgment zone to level up your sexting and unleash your wildest fantasies.

4. Explore erotic fantasies together
AI platforms can help you co-create erotic stories, giving you a safe space to explore fantasies without pressure, Balestrieri says. You can even use AI-generated scripts to roleplay new scenarios together.

5. Get a sex-ed refresh
Let’s be honest: most of us didn’t get the best sex education. AI chatbots or apps can provide accurate, up-to-date info on anatomy, techniques, and pleasure—all from the comfort of your home. The online platform Beducated even gives you a personal AI sex-ed coach to answer all of your questions.

6. Debrief and strengthen your connection
After intimacy, AI can help you reflect on what worked (and what didn’t) through guided prompts to strengthen communication and deepen your connection (and pleasure) over time, Balestrieri says.

Using AI responsibly

When AI meets intimacy, things can get complicated. For one, privacy is non-negotiable. “Intimate details require maximum protection—period,” says Velotta. Stick to reputable apps with strong encryption and clear privacy policies to keep your data secure, adds Balestrieri.

Consent is just as crucial. Both partners must agree on usage, boundaries, and expectations—no exceptions, Velotta stresses.

Bias is another red flag. “AI is only as good as the data it’s trained on,” says Balestrieri. Many systems exclude different identities, orientations, and preferences. If suggestions feel off, the platform may not be built with you in mind—so seek inclusive options. And while AI can offer ideas, it can’t predict real-life intimacy. Human connection is messy, Balestrieri says. Mood, miscommunication, or an off day can derail even the best AI-generated plan.

Finally, beware of emotional dependence. AI can feel eerily “understanding,” but it’s not a real relationship. If AI is replacing human connection, step back and reassess, suggests Balestrieri.

The bottom line

AI won’t replace human intuition, but it can enhance it—helping you and your partner communicate better, explore new dimensions of intimacy, and build a stronger bond. “It's about using AI strategically to enhance what makes relationships fundamentally human— understanding, growth, and connection,” Velotta says.

If you and your partner are on board, why not give it a try? Your future self (and partner) will thank you.