Valentine's Day

For our money, this is the best carving knife on the market, ready to dispatch a roast turkey, leg of lamb, or bone-in ham with aplomb.

Race relations, religion, the New South versus the Old: These are just a smattering of the heavy issues Rien Fertel writes about through the lens of—well—smoked meat, in this new book. And, while you might be thinking, "Oh, man, another book about barbecue?", this one stands out from the crowd thanks to Fertel's superb writing and storytelling skills. In a book that's part culinary history, part personal narrative, and part tale of an American road trip, Fertel travels throughout the South, documenting the men who have long stood behind the fires practicing the time-consuming pursuit of whole-hog barbecue—the ones who have been keeping alive the embers of what once seemed like a dying art, and the ones who are inspiring a new generation of pitmasters today.

Every lip balm Stewart & Claire makes uses great ingredients that you won't hesitate to smear all over your mouth, but the coolest are the custom scents devised by the company, many of them inspired by foods. There's also a cocktail-inspired trio that includes Negroni, with spiced orange and juniper, and Old Fashioned, with cedar, vanilla, and black pepper. The Tiki balm is, as you’d expect, tropical, with traces of coconut, mandarin, and mango.

To make good tortillas at home, you need a tortilla press. Though you might find lightweight aluminum presses out there, this one, made of cast iron, is heavy enough to easily press your masa mixture into perfectly flat little tortillas, with minimal effort on your part.