The freezer might be my best friend in the kitchen. I freeze beans, brown rice and cooked leafy greens for quick, healthy meals. I freeze bananas. I freeze calzones. I even freeze whole unbaked pies. All this freezing saves a lot of time and money, but my poor freezer is stuffed — and there's still more I want to freeze! That's why, even though I live in an apartment, I'm seriously considering buying a chest freezer. More

Looking for an easy, reusable solution to labeling foods before you freeze them? Try a dry erase crayon! It's a cheap and washable way to label lids. More

You know those square fruit containers you get from the farmer's market or grocery store? If you have a spare one sitting around, you may want to check out this clever, budget-friendly DIY project: turn it into a recipe card holder! More

Last week I was in Portland and got to visit one of my favorite stores, Canoe, for the first time. Since I was on vacation, I splurged and bought myself a Health Ceramic mug ($34). Like many of my other favorite home and kitchen stores (Brook Farm General Store, Kaufmann Mercantile, Herriott Grace, to name a few), I found myself eyeing far more than I could afford to buy at that time. Which has me wondering: how do you determine whether or not a kitchen tool or accessory is worth the price? How important is the item's aesthetic appeal and backstory? More

When you're on a budget, it can be a challenge to shop for healthy, fresh food, so the EWG took that dilemma to task! Their newest guide assessed nearly 1,200 foods and hand-picked 100 of the most nutrient-dense foods at a good price, from fruits and vegetables to dairy, protein, grains, and cooking oils. More

It's difficult to make sweeping generalizations about kitchen renovations and builds (other than the old "add 50% to the initial estimate!" rule — always a good idea!). Every kitchen is different, just as every cook has a slightly different set of desires and priorities. However, as I've researched and shopped for my own kitchen, which is being built from the ground up, I've made some trade-offs in costs and priority that, so far, seem worth it to me. Here are five of my own save/splurge decisions for a new kitchen. More

I love this cheery little pantry, which illustrates some cute printable labels from Better Homes and Gardens. What I really love, though, even more than the labels, are the calendar and shopping list on the back of the door! More

Most cooks appreciate every scrap of storage space allotted to their kitchen, big or small, urban or suburban. Some of us let the kitchen spill out into other spaces in the home (remember how David Lebovitz keeps his ice cream maker under the bed?). I recaptured an inefficient coat closet and turned it into a cheery little pantry — one of my all-time most useful kitchen projects! Packing all your kitchen goods together in a pantry like this can really streamline your organizing and post-grocery shopping routine. Here are ten more inspiring examples of pantries, each with a takeaway for small spaces. More

Do you love microgreens? These baby sprouts — just a few days old — of plants like basil, arugula, and chard have immense flavor packed into their tiny forms. Microgreens command a great deal of money at the store, and they are beloved by chefs, who use their intense flavor and delicate appearance to enhance expensive restaurant plates. But you can grow microgreens at home with nearly no effort whatsoever, and the payoff is terrific. Here's how, courtesy of reader Claire, are instructions for quickly growing microgreens. More

Cooking for one has a number of unique challenges, from not being able to finish a bottle of wine to passing up great super-sized deals. We've already discussed how to deal with a whole loaf of bread, strategies for using onions and keeping sweets in the house. We've even covered what to do when you get bored, as a solo cook. Now let's take a look at four common challenges for the solo cook and their simple solutions. More