Food packaging contributes to a lot of the waste in our homes, and it's something most of us just accept. Plastic wrappers for cereal, energy bars, deli meats, and instant coffee all find themselves in the garbage at a rate as high as our consumption. Monosol is aiming to change that by offering edible, water-soluble wrapping. Could this be the food packaging of the future?

My oven broke over Christmas. That's four months without a big oven. I could have had it repaired at any time but never felt the urgent need to do so. That's because I have my Breville Smart Oven. (I don't work for Breville or have any ties to the company whatsoever, I promise). The Smart Oven toasts, bakes, broils, and reheats. It's perfect for someone living alone or for couples. But it's also great for cooking for kids. I always hated heating up an entire oven for 8 tiny faux-chicken nuggets or a small Amy's Organic pizza for my kids! In fact, I am starting to think I could probably live without a big oven; that space could be better served with drawers or shelves.

Love Hipstamatic for the iPhone? Like taking food photos? Then you should check out the the Loftus Foodie Lens and Film Pak inspired by London-based food photo artist David Loftus. It was released in December and it is "crafted to produce luscious food shots with incredible clarity in the center and blurring of the edges."

Jessica Goldman Foung of Sodium Girl has an unusual dilemma, for a young and otherwise healthy woman: She can eat almost no sodium. She is on a mission to make low-sodium eating delicious — and today she offers her best tips on dressing a salad without salt, gluten, or other allergens.

Let me ask you this question: What are three things you're carrying in your bag this instant? Now let me make this guess: You didn't answer salad dressing. Right? For most people, carrying a bottle of vinaigrette seems like a strange idea.But for those of us with food allergies and dietary restrictions, smuggling sauces in one's purse (or murse) isn't so far fetched. How do you dress a salad at home, or at a restaurant, when you can't eat much salt, not to mention gluten and other allergens?

I'd like to take a moment to talk about something very dear to my heart: my morning cup of coffee. While I am fortunate enough to live in a neighborhood with many fantastic coffee shops, I really enjoy the process of making my own cup each morning. I have always favored the french press, but lately I have been taken with another classic coffee apparatus: the Chemex.

Sorting waste can be a real challenge in a small kitchen. First there's your basic trash, then there's recycling (co-mingled if you're lucky) and compost. Like most people, we didn't want to give up precious floor space for these bins, so we came up with a semi-custom and affordable solution.

Fortunately, switching to plastic-free food containers has gained a lot of steam. With steel and glass as the main alternatives, how do you choose? Both containers have their advantages, like being BPA free and long-lasting. To make choosing easier, here is a list of pros and cons for each.

Chinese or Lunar New Year falls on this coming Monday, January 23rd. In honor of this very important holiday, Bee of the beautiful and delicious website Rasa Malaysia brings us a traditional recipe for hot and soothing soup. Welcome, Bee!

A traditional Chinese New Year meal is incomplete without dumplings and a dish of nourishing and soothing Chinese soup, hence I've combined the best of both worlds into this pork dumpling soup. This dish is a Cantonese delicacy and the dumplings are called "Siu Kow" in Cantonese, or literally "water dumplings."

Every holiday season we ask a few friends to join us here at The Kitchn for a series of guest posts. The topics range from favorite holiday recipes to family memories and traditions. Today's guest: Ilke of the lovely blog Ilke's Kitchen, writing about her family's New Year's Eve traditions of bingo, red underwear (indeed! read on and it will all become clear!) and a scrumptious rice pilaf. Welcome, Ilke!

Growing up in a Muslim family in Turkey, celebrating Christmas was not a regular thing for our December routine. There was no Santa to sit on his lap and tell our wishes, no cookie baking craziness all month long, no nonstop Christmas music on the radio. I don't think Santa tradition and trying to make kids behave with the Santa threat would be a long-lived one in Turkey anyway.

Every holiday season we ask a few friends to join us here at The Kitchn for a series of guest posts. The topics range from favorite holiday recipes to family memories and traditions. Today's guest: My friend Chris Gardner, fellow denizen of the Midwest, and managing editor of the rad DIY site Curbly. He also writes a blog called ManMade DIY, and he's sharing some great cocktail recipes from there today. Enjoy!

I love discovering new cocktail recipes and original ways to experience different, unique flavors with classic spirits. But, these days, discovering "new cocktails" on the internet usually means "new fandangled drinks that use a bunch of specialty liqueurs and spirits you don't have and aren't gonna buy a whole bottle of to try a new drink."

So, with that in mind, I decided to come up with five tasty, holiday-ish cocktails using stuff you can find in an average liquor cabinet.