As a leading authority in food and kitchen culture, Bon Appétit consistently shapes culinary discourse through its rigorous testing and expert recommendations. Each month, the publication’s editors, immersed in a constant flow of new products and gadgets, compile a curated list of standouts that have genuinely transformed their cooking and eating habits. The September selections offer a compelling snapshot of current trends, ranging from practical kitchen organization and gourmet flavor enhancers to surprising cross-industry wellness collaborations, underscoring a holistic approach to modern living that extends beyond the plate.
The selections for September collectively highlight a growing consumer demand for products that offer both enhanced functionality and aesthetic appeal. This month’s featured items include a versatile spice blend designed to elevate everyday dishes, an ingenious storage solution for cookware, and an unprecedented skincare partnership from a popular tinned fish brand. These picks not only reflect individual editor preferences but also signal broader shifts in home cooking, entertaining, and personal wellness, demonstrating how culinary innovation is increasingly intertwined with lifestyle choices.
Elevating the Entertaining Experience: Design and Detail
Hors D’Oeuvres Cocktail Napkins by Piecework
In an era where home entertaining has seen a significant resurgence, driven by a desire for personalized and intimate gatherings, the importance of aesthetic details cannot be overstated. Piecework’s Hors D’Oeuvres Cocktail Napkins, priced at $44 for a set of four, exemplify this trend. Crafted with a whimsical design, these napkins transcend mere utility, offering a subtle yet impactful element of charm to any snack table. Social media manager Cristina Correa noted their ability to infuse "a nice touch of whimsy that elevates the snack table," prompting reflection on the broader movement to "romanticize your life a little."
This observation aligns with market research indicating a rising consumer interest in "tablescaping" and unique home decor items that allow for personal expression. While not a kitchen gadget in the traditional sense, these napkins underscore a cultural shift where even seemingly non-essential items are valued for their contribution to the overall experience and atmosphere of a gathering. Brands like Piecework capitalize on this by offering products that are both functional and artfully designed, tapping into a demographic that prioritizes curated living spaces and memorable social interactions. The investment in such items reflects a move away from purely utilitarian purchases towards those that enhance personal enjoyment and hospitality.
Streamlining the Culinary Workspace: Efficiency and Organization
Quince Magnetic Knife Block
Efficient kitchen organization remains a perennial challenge for home cooks, particularly in spaces with limited storage. The Quince Magnetic Knife Block, retailing at $65, presents an elegant and highly functional solution to a common culinary dilemma. Senior shopping & reviews editor Olivia Tarantino highlighted the block’s utility in resolving a long-standing storage issue for her mother, whose knives had been haphazardly stored for two decades.
Traditional knife blocks, while common, are often criticized for harboring bacteria and being difficult to clean, while magnetic wall strips, though space-saving, require suitable wall real estate. Quince’s double-sided magnetic stand addresses these concerns by offering a compact, countertop-friendly solution. Constructed from wood, it provides a soft surface that protects knife blades from dulling, a critical factor for maintaining the longevity and performance of high-quality cutlery. The block’s capacity to hold up to eight knives, four per side, makes it suitable for most home kitchens, and its black walnut finish offers a blend of modern design with classic aesthetics, seamlessly integrating into various kitchen decors, including older "’90s chicken kitchen" styles, as noted by Tarantino. This product reflects a broader trend towards ergonomic and hygienic kitchen storage solutions that prioritize both safety and accessibility, responding to consumer demands for organized and efficient cooking environments.
Wall Control Kitchen Pegboard
For urban dwellers or those with compact kitchens, maximizing vertical space is crucial. The Wall Control Kitchen Pegboard, priced at $80, offers a robust and adaptable solution for expanding storage capacity, transforming unused wall space into a highly functional organizational hub. Shopping & reviews writer Alaina Chou, having recently relocated to San Francisco and confronted with limited cabinet space, lauded the metal pegboard for its effectiveness.
The pegboard system, traditionally associated with workshops and garages, has found a new aesthetic and practical application in modern kitchens. Its sturdy construction ensures it can securely hold a substantial collection of cookware, from pots and pans to utensils, freeing up valuable drawer and cabinet space. The ease of installation further enhances its appeal to consumers seeking straightforward and impactful home improvement solutions. This product taps into the growing market for modular and customizable storage, reflecting a shift towards adaptable living spaces where every inch is optimized. Its metal construction not only guarantees durability but also offers a sleek, industrial-chic aesthetic that complements contemporary kitchen designs. The success of such products indicates a broader consumer trend toward practical, durable, and visually appealing organizational tools that enhance daily living without requiring extensive renovations.
A Symphony of Flavors: Innovative Culinary Enhancements
Salad for President Dressing Mixes by Julia Sherman
The market for convenient, healthy, and flavorful meal components continues to expand, driven by busy lifestyles and a growing interest in diverse culinary experiences. Julia Sherman, known for her artistic cookbooks and vegetable-forward philosophy, has successfully translated her culinary expertise into a consumer product line with Salad for President dressing mixes. The Dressing Mix Variety Trio, available for $15, offers an accessible way for home cooks to recreate Sherman’s distinctive flavors. Test Kitchen editor Rebecca Firkser highlighted the mixes as a means for "even the busiest home cook to take advantage of her recipes."
Sherman’s brand aims to reposition salad as the central element of a meal, offering three distinct flavors: Lemon Poppy, Miso Ginger, and Umami Caesar. These mixes are thoughtfully formulated with entirely vegan and gluten-free ingredients, catering to a wide array of dietary preferences and allergies—a crucial consideration in today’s diverse food landscape. The innovative aspect lies in their preparation: users simply add citrus juice and fats, ingredients commonly found in home kitchens, thereby offering a fresh, customizable dressing without the preservatives often found in pre-made bottled options.
Beyond their primary use as dressings, these mixes demonstrate remarkable versatility. Firkser noted their efficacy as a dry rub for meats, a base for dips, or even a popcorn seasoning. Her personal experimentation revealed diverse applications: the miso-ginger flavor paired excellently with soba noodles and crumbled tofu, the Caesar mix enhanced chicken salad, and the lemon poppyseed blended seamlessly with Greek yogurt and fresh herbs to create a "green goddess-ish dip" for vegetables and chips. This multi-functional appeal aligns with consumer desire for products that offer maximum utility and creativity in the kitchen, fostering culinary exploration with minimal effort.
Scrappy’s Celery Bitters
The resurgence of craft cocktails and the increasing sophistication of the non-alcoholic beverage market have led to a renewed appreciation for bitters as complex flavor enhancers. Scrappy’s Celery Bitters, a small-batch product from Seattle, priced at $27, offers a distinctive aromatic profile that appeals to both mixologists and those seeking refined non-alcoholic options. Cooking director Emma Laperruque described becoming "a big bitters-and-seltzer person," finding Scrappy’s Celery Bitters a refreshing alternative to classic aromatic varieties.
Bitters, traditionally used to balance and deepen the flavors of alcoholic drinks, are increasingly being embraced in the burgeoning category of mindful drinking. The celery bitters, in particular, provide a unique vegetal-savory undertone, reminiscent of "an old-school celery soda without the cloying sweetness." This flavor profile is a departure from the more common citrus or spice-forward bitters, offering a fresh dimension to beverages. Small-batch producers like Scrappy’s benefit from a consumer trend towards artisanal, locally sourced, and quality-driven products. The simplicity and cost-effectiveness of a bitters-and-seltzer drink, combined with its sophisticated flavor, positions it as an ideal after-work indulgence that avoids the negative after-effects of alcoholic beverages. This pick highlights a nuanced evolution in beverage consumption, where flavor complexity and health-consciousness converge.
Jugaad It! by Spicewalla
The concept of a "secret weapon" seasoning that can universally enhance flavor is a holy grail for many home cooks. Spicewalla’s "Jugaad It!", priced at $12, embodies this ideal, offering a blend described as the "Swiss Army knife of seasonings." Senior shopping & reviews editor Olivia Tarantino, a returning contributor to this month’s picks, immediately integrated it into her kitchen, noting its profound impact on a wide range of dishes.
The blend’s core ingredients—salt, sugar, and MSG—are meticulously balanced to create a profound umami effect that deepens and rounds out flavors without overwhelming them. MSG, or monosodium glutamate, despite past misconceptions, is widely recognized by culinary experts as a safe and effective flavor enhancer, capable of imparting a savory depth (umami) that elevates many dishes. The term "Jugaad" itself, derived from Hindi, signifies an innovative, flexible, and often unconventional approach to problem-solving, perfectly encapsulating the blend’s versatile utility.
Tarantino’s experience highlights its transformative power on microwave popcorn, soups, and dumpling sauces, describing its effect as making food "addictively good." This product speaks to a growing consumer appreciation for high-quality, versatile spice blends that simplify cooking while delivering exceptional results. Spicewalla, a brand known for its fresh, vibrant spices, positions "Jugaad It!" as an essential pantry staple, aligning with the broader trend of gourmet convenience that empowers home cooks to achieve restaurant-quality flavors with minimal effort.
The Unexpected Intersection: Food and Wellness
Dieux x Fishwife Glowing Skin Bundle
Perhaps the most unconventional and intriguing pick of the month is the Dieux x Fishwife Glowing Skin Bundle, priced at $69. This collaboration between Fishwife, a beloved tinned fish brand celebrated for its distinctive packaging and high-quality products, and Dieux, a skincare brand known for its reusable silicone eye masks, represents a fascinating convergence of food and beauty. Editorial operations manager Kate Kassin expressed initial surprise at the partnership, noting the novelty of "Fishwife… making eye patches."
This collaboration taps into several contemporary trends: the holistic wellness movement, which emphasizes "beauty from within" through diet, and the growing interest in sustainable, reusable beauty products. Fishwife’s sardines, rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, are celebrated for their health benefits, including promoting skin health. While the eye patches themselves do not contain tinned fish, their design playfully incorporates Fishwife’s iconic aesthetic, creating a branded experience that links the internal benefits of consuming sardines with external skincare.
Dieux’s reusable silicone eye masks are a sustainable alternative to single-use patches, aligning with eco-conscious consumer values. The bundle, which can be purchased with or without the sardines, offers a unique "self-care" ritual: enjoying nourishing tinned fish while simultaneously treating the delicate under-eye area with hydrating patches. Kassin describes this combination as "my kind of self-care," underscoring a shift towards personalized, enjoyable wellness routines that blur the lines between culinary indulgence and beauty regimens. This innovative cross-branding demonstrates how companies are creatively engaging consumers by connecting seemingly disparate aspects of lifestyle under a cohesive brand narrative, appealing to those who value both gourmet food experiences and effective, sustainable personal care.
Broader Implications and Future Trends
The September editor picks from Bon Appétit reveal a nuanced landscape of consumer preferences and emerging trends. The selections collectively emphasize a desire for products that offer more than just basic functionality. There is a clear inclination towards items that bring joy and aesthetic pleasure, such as the Hors D’Oeuvres Cocktail Napkins, signifying a broader movement towards mindful consumption and the "romanticization" of everyday life.
Efficiency and smart design remain paramount in the kitchen, as evidenced by the Quince Magnetic Knife Block and the Wall Control Kitchen Pegboard. These products address practical pain points in home organization, reflecting the reality of increasingly compact living spaces and the need for adaptable storage solutions. The emphasis on durable, easy-to-clean materials also highlights a consumer preference for longevity and hygiene in kitchenware.
Flavor innovation continues to be a driving force, with products like the Salad for President Dressing Mixes and Spicewalla’s Jugaad It! catering to a demand for convenient, versatile, and high-quality ingredients. The vegan and gluten-free attributes of the dressing mixes, alongside the re-evaluation of ingredients like MSG in the spice blend, underscore a more inclusive and informed approach to food. Scrappy’s Celery Bitters points to the evolving sophistication of the beverage market, where non-alcoholic options are gaining complexity and prestige.
Finally, the Dieux x Fishwife Glowing Skin Bundle represents a frontier of unexpected collaborations, illustrating how brands are exploring interdisciplinary connections between food, health, and beauty. This trend points to a future where consumer choices are increasingly guided by a holistic view of well-being, where what we eat and how we care for ourselves are seen as interconnected aspects of a curated lifestyle. These Bon Appétit selections are not just product recommendations; they are indicators of a dynamic and evolving relationship between consumers and the culinary world.
