Happy Spooky Season, my fellow gear head and food friend.

In case you're unfamiliar, Mason’s Must-Haves is a monthly email about my favorite foods, ingredients, cooking gear, or food-related content from the past month.

This is the third edition of this email series, and it's the first time I find myself adding a "nice-to-have" tag on a couple things. I don't want this series to come across as me telling you to go out and buy all these things, particularly the more expensive gear. It's more of me sharing my experience with things I think are worth buying for the right person.

Okay, here's everything I'm digging in October 2023.

#1. Skyr Icelandic Yogurt

Think: Greek yogurt with a milder flavor.

We've been buying Siggi's skyr almost exclusively for the past couple years. It's ultra creamy, has 16g of protein and 110 calories per serving, and has a very barebones label with no funny sweeteners or other ingredients.

Whole Foods always carries it in a variety of flavors, Kroger usually has a smaller selection of single serving containers, and Central Market (+ H-E-B) for the Texans out there always carried it. Their store locator is probably your best bet for tracking it down.

I will say we've tried a couple other skyr products but Siggi's is the best.

My go-to use case is just eating the vanilla flavor straight up without anything added, but it's also great with some granola (bonus points for homemade protein granola) or over a sliced banana with almond butter and a drizzle of honey.

#2. Quality Cutting Board(s)

If you've seen any of my recent videos, you may have noticed a couple upgrades to my cutting board collection.

I've been using a pretty basic 16" x 14" wooden cutting board from Ironwood Gourmet (on Amazon) for the past few years. It's done its job really well, so don't think you have to splurge. But it's definitely warped over time and wobbles even with a kitchen towel underneath it.

My upgrade choices were a 24" x 18" maple Boos block from Amazon and a 21" x 14" acacia cutting board from Crate and Barrel. They're heavy and massive, which is great for stability and workspace. The downside is obviously washing and caring for them.

I keep prep limited to veggies and non-meat items, which reduces the need for deep cleaning them. A good wipe down with a damp towel and occasional vinegar or lemon juice cleanse does the trick.

For meat prep, I still (reluctantly) use plastic OXO cutting boards. I try to limit the prep I do on plastic cutting boards because they can shed micro plastics in your food. I've seen people recommend the recycled plastic boards from Material, but I'm thinking you still run the same risk with those.

If I had to leave you with a recommendation, it would be to buy a nice wooden cutting board in a size that you're comfortable handling.

My smaller wooden board has lasted 3+ years and only cost around $50. You could buy three for the cost of the Crate and Barrel board and use one for meat prep since they're pretty easy to handle and wash well in the sink.

Made In has a great video about washing wooden cutting blocks in the sink. I'd never thought about washing them on all sides to prevent warping.

#3. Immersion Blender

Gear confession: I bought a professional level Vitamix 5200 and regret it.

It's fine, but I love my KitchenAid stick blender that's, like, 10% of the cost. Sure, you can't make smoothies with an immersion blender (at least not good smoothies). But for nearly everything else, it gets the job done and is super easy to use/clean.

If I had to rank blending accessories that I reach for most often in my kitchen, it would be immersion blender, food processor, then blender—in that order.

#4. Costco Membership (Nice-to-Have)

Okay, this is technically more of a nice-to-have than a must-have. I was slow to warm up on Costco, but they really have some great finds for the fitness loving foodies out there.

I spent a few weeks working my through the full line-up to find my top ten products and find ways to use each to make complete meals and snacks.

I've talked about it ad nauseam at this point. But in case you missed it, check out my blog post and shopping guide or video.

And if you have seen this already, I'd love to hear your thoughts on future versions of this. Would you like to see one for Sam's Club, Trader Joe's, etc.? Reply to this email with your ideas!

5. Knife Sharpener (Nice-to-Have)

I've tried several sharpening tools, honing rods, and everything s sharpening my knives with a whetstone. I know a whetstone is THE way to go for sharpening, but I just can't be bothered.

In the past, I honestly leaned toward buying "beater" knives that were cheap and expendable. When I lost an edge beyond use, I'd throw them in the deepest depths of my knife drawer.

But that seems a bit wasteful and against this newly found appreciation for craftsmanship. Over the years, I've amassed a collection of higher quality knives and knives that I just love using. One might say I've become one with the sword.

So as a final attempt at DIY sharpening before sending them to a professional sharpening service, I tried the Chef's Choice electric sharpener from the kitchen gear god that is Lisa from America's Test Kitchen in this video.

And I'm pleased to say, I can now successfully sharpen my own knives. I will say, either my knives were very dull, or it takes a bit more time than you'd think from watching the video. I spent a good 10-15 minutes on one knife before it was slicing through paper like room temp butter. In fact, I almost gave up and returned it.

So if you're taking the leap, be aware that it will definitely sharpen your knife. It might just take a while!

It's a bit pricy at $160, so I wouldn't say this one is a must-have unless you're really cooking and using your knives often. That would probably buy you a lot of professional sharpening trips.

Bonus

It's peak soup season. So technically, my new video teaching you how to make four of my favorite soup and chili recipes is a must-watch.

Thanks for reading!

Mason

9900 Spectrum Dr, Austin, TX 78717
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