As people who write about food and kitchen gadgets for a living, Bon Appétit editors are constantly surrounded by a wide range of products. Between our own purchases and the endless stream of samples sent our way, it means there’s always something new coming across our desks and into our homes. Every month, we’re rounding up the standouts we’ve tested or bought ourselves that changed the way we cook and eat.
This month, a refreshing energy drink alternative, moreish Parmesan ranch potato chips, and our current favorite wood cutting board.
Read on for all of the products we’ve been obsessing over this April.
Snactiv Finger Chopsticks
I love snacks that are covered in flavor dust. Popcorn covered in cheesy dust, crackers covered in ranch-y dust, tortilla chips covered in—well, I guess that's also cheese dust. I don't love how these snacks leave my fingertips covered in said dust. “Whoever could invent something to fix this,” I've often thought to myself, “would become a bazillionaire.”
I don't know if the people behind Snactiv, the maker of an “ergonomic snacking tool” that slips onto your fingers so you can grab your snacks without getting dirty, are now bazillionaires, but they are definitely geniuses. We throw the word “game-changing” around a lot, but these little pinchers have truly solved one of life's great annoyances, and I am much, much happier for it. —Abbey Stone, shopping and reviews lead
Boardsmith Walnut End Grain Cutting Board
For the first several years I lived in my current apartment, I had a cheap wooden cutting board from Target sitting atop my kitchen island. I think I could count on one hand the number of times I used it. I’m well aware of how you’re supposed to clean and care for such a board, but my laziness always led me to opt for a plastic option instead—that is, until I added this gorgeous cutting board from Boardsmith to my collection.
Its maple end-grain construction is so beautiful, it makes me genuinely excited to use and care for it. I love how sturdy it is thanks to its rubber feet, that it’s big enough to serve as my whole prep station without ever feeling crammed, and that it’s made to order and fully customizable (I opted for a flat surface on one side and a juice groove on the other, plus handy finger grooves that make lifting the hefty board easy). And while I balked for years at the upkeep required by wooden boards, the Boardsmith has proved easy to maintain. I just make sure to dry it well after each wash, and I rub it with Boardsmith’s board butter and oil every month or so to keep it looking like new. —Alaina Chou, commerce writer
Shuug Amba Sauce
I wrote a few months back about Shuug's herby, punchy zhoug sauce, but there's a new Shuug sauce in town and it might just be my new favorite. The brand's new amba sauce is the third flavor they've debuted and it boasts a tangy, fruity flavor from green mango blended with spices like turmeric, fenugreek, and cumin, lemon juice, vinegar, and habanero. Plus, I love that it's made with extra virgin olive oil. As a huge amba fan, I've been especially excited to have this hot sauce at home to drizzle on top of my eggs, rice bowls, and chicken or fish. —Kate Kassin, editorial operations manager
Tenderheart by Hetty Liu McKinnon
A couple of months ago, I made this simple tofu and broccoli from cookbook author Hetty Liu McKinnon for my family, and it was a huge hit. My wife, who prefers to cook vegetarian given the option, asked if we could have more from her, so I got McKinnon's excellent Tenderheart (from 2022) for her as a gift. I knew it had some good veg recipes, but I didn't know just how many. Even better: the book is separated by vegetable, not course. That means that, with CSA season here, you don't have to wonder what exactly you're going to do the inevitable week of way-too-much-eggplant. We're more than half a dozen recipes in and haven't had a miss yet. —Noah Kaufman, senior commerce editor
Beyond Good 100% Cocoa Dark Chocolate With Dates & Sesame
When I first read “100% Cocoa Dark Chocolate With Dates & Sesame,” I was curious whether the cocoa's intensity would knock my socks off. (I had never eaten a bar that was 100% cocoa, nor have I seen one apart from baking bars.) It did, but in the best way possible. The dates provide just enough sweetness to tame and enhance the chocolate while also letting the cocoa shine and show off its true colors. It's really a statement chocolate bar, and one you need to taste for yourself. —Jesse Szewczyk, senior Test Kitchen editor
Nadas Empanadas
This month I learned the importance of keeping an emergency stash of frozen empanadas at work for when you’re in need of a filling, delicious lunch between meetings. That’s where Nadas Empanadas comes in handy. These rainbow-colored empanadas are entirely gluten-free (made with masa) and only take 15ish minutes to heat up in the oven or air fryer (you can also microwave, but these two methods heat them up evenly and keep the exterior crunchiest). My go-to is the mango pork, but the spinach and cheese is a close second. Despite starting out frozen, they heat up well enough that they could even pass as fresh from a local bakery. The best part? Each empanada packs in 10-15 grams of protein to keep you actually satiated through dinnertime.—K.K.
Oomee
Energy drinks have never been my thing. I'm not much for candy-flavored beverages named after explosives, and caffeine on its own just makes me feel exhausted. For a while, I avoided the stuff entirely, until I realized that tea, or anything containing L-theanine in addition to caffeine, does give me a nice little pep without the instant crash. So lately I've been dabbling.
On the surface, Oomee looks like the kind of brightly colored energy beverage I'd normally pass on. However, the flavors are subtle and not overly sweet (my favorite is the matcha lemon mint), with the most apparent flavor being tea. They aren’t carbonated either, so the overall drinking experience is smooth and pleasant. Each can contains a lovely 60 mg of caffeine and 30 mg of L-theanine—just enough to add a brighter sheen in the afternoon. They also contain some agar agar for the purported benefit of curbing cravings—I don’t know about all that, and it’s not really what I’m going for. I just like how they taste, and I like how they make me feel, and that’s all I could really want from a beverage. Just be sure to shake well. —Wilder Davies, commerce writer
Bachan's Japanese Dipping Sauce, Sesame Ginger
When I first tried Bachan’s Original Japanese Barbecue Sauce, it quickly became a household staple—so when I spotted their new dipping sauce at the grocery store, I had to try it. It’s thicker than the original, with the same addictive mix of sweet, miso-rich, sesame-forward flavor. I still prefer the original’s thinner, drizzle-friendly consistency for topping rice bowls, but the dipping sauce works especially well in marinades, brushed over salmon before baking, or served alongside chicken nuggets. —Emma Jacobson, contributing social media editor
Great Lakes Parmesan Ranch Kettle Cooked Potato Chips
There is no greater joy than visiting a local supermarket when traveling. The happiness I feel when happening upon the chips aisle is a special kind of serotonin hit. During a recent jaunt upstate (Tops in Rhinebeck, NY, to be precise), my friend reached for a bag of chips with the markings of an instant hit written all over it: "Parmesan Ranch Style," the block letters called out. Say less. The 8-ounce bag of Great Lakes kettle-cooked chips couldn't hit my suburban supermarket aisle-fitted XL wide shopping cart fast enough.
The experience we all felt when we finally ripped into the bag was a startling one. "Oh, these are GOOD." The type of good that can only come from a prime potato, whose skin has been left on for added texture and flavor. I appreciated that, while kettle-cooked, the crispy chips didn't fall into deafening crunch territory, rendering my jaw useless after having just a few. The Parmesan ranch of it all also didn't disappoint; the flavor mix was expectedly savory and crowd-pleasing, but balanced and never overwhelming the true star of it all—the potato. The endless 5-star reviews on their site indicate I am not alone in my thoughts. I am now tempted to try all of their flavors, and order a case of the Parmesan ranch flavor as back-up! —Hana Asbrink, deputy food editor
