If you’re thinking about getting something to make cooking a bit easier, I’ll tell you what I’ve been using: the AOBOSI 4-in-1 Electric Meat Grinder. It’s nothing fancy or showy, but it does a lot of jobs without taking up half the kitchen. It grinds meat, helps with prepping veggies, and generally saves you from hauling out three different gadgets every time you cook.

I’ve found it especially handy for traditional dishes — the kind you’ll see on my “Coming Home for Christmas” page — because using freshly ground ingredients really does make a difference. It just makes the whole process feel a little more homemade and a little more comforting.

In our family, we’ve always made Sarmale in a good old cast-iron pot. It holds the heat nicely and goes from the hob straight into the oven without any fuss — just what you need for something that cooks low and slow. I still use mine to this day. If you enjoy making those long-simmered dishes, a solid cast-iron pot really does make things easier and a bit more comforting in the kitchen.

This pan has become one of those everyday bits of cookware I reach for without even thinking. The non-stick surface means you hardly need any oil, which is handy when you’re trying to keep things a little lighter. It heats evenly, works on whatever hob you’ve got, and the little pour spout makes it easy to handle soups or sauces without making a mess. The handle stays cool, the lid lets you keep an eye on things, and cleaning it is no bother at all. It’s just one of those pans that quietly earns its place in the kitchen.