The best things.

Tried and true, I can stop searching for the best.

I get crushed with new brands regularly - both online and off-line, begging for attention. Instagram is an advertisement minefield, my inbox is crowded with offers (how did they get my email?) and my mailbox is stuffed with a never-ending parade of old school catalogs that seemed to make a comeback in the last few years. A lingering gift from Covid, perhaps.

This competition for my attention (and my dollars) has me thinking recently about how nice it is to be done with the search for certain things. It’s so nice when you find something you love, it works, it delivers on value, and you know you can stop looking for what else is out there. It’s like one less thing to worry about. I’ve always admired people who have their “thing” and they swear by it; I can say now, as I am knocking on 40, that in a lot of categories, I’ve found my “thing.”

I’m still searching for the perfect white t-shirt, but many categories I’ve been able to put to bed.

I wanted to share my standbys with you here. It’s all over the place - but an interesting snapshot of things I have that deliver on their promise, high and low, niche and mass.

These are, at the end of the day, my hall of fame products. I’ll be a committed supporter until I die, because I just can’t imagine something better coming along.

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Old Spice Deodorant

As much as I might like to think I’m the kind of guy who would have some cool deodorant from an Italian pharmacy that I buy on vacation (Munstermann, perhaps), a 25 plus year relationship with Old Spice has proven to be a great one. It smells a bit strong at first pass, but doesn’t linger after applying. It works, it’s readily available, and my wife tells me it’s aluminum free, something I didn’t know I should care about, but now I do! She loves it so much, she wears the same thing, which I find incredibly louche.

Cream Nut Peanut Butter

Made in Michigan from Virginia peanuts, this family owned company makes the single greatest peanut butter in the world. My search has been over for years, and if you know me (or have read this newsletter) you know I’m an evangelist for this brand. We buy it by the case directly from the manufacturer, and we go through a jar every few days.

this Handheld Juicer

Muji Pens

There are better pens. I’m a recent Kaweco convert and extremely happy to carry own their Sport model for letter writing and sketching. But for everyday use, I am a committed fan of these pens from beloved Japanese brand Muji. My wife introduced them to me years ago, and a decade in, my love remains steadfast.

Moleskine Journal

Several years ago I tried in vain to convert to an electronic schedule. I failed.

I’ve been a Moleskine user for the last decade and I’ve toyed around with other brands, but when it works, it works. My wife uses a beautiful Smythson calendar, but the paper is too thin and it’s too expensive for me. I love the simplicity of the Moleskine, and the fact that I can find them every New Year at my local art store.

My particular model is this Classic Weekly Planner.

these Fits Wool Socks

Stupid name, and I hate the logo on the toe. But the socks themselves? Unparalleled. They’re really a cool weather sock, but I will wear them in the summer anyway. Wool is naturally wicking and resistant to smell, so these make a great travel sock - I’ve gotten three days out of the same pair before needing a wash.

I’m sure there are socks out there that are as good, but I can’t imagine anything exceeding Fits for comfort, durability, and price.

LL Bean Boat & Tote

There are many totes, but they’re all just pretending to be the classic LL Bean Boat & Tote. I like them in natural, so as they wear in and get beat up they really show all the nicks, bumps, spills and accidents they’ve survived.

These make great carry-on bags, farmer’s market bags, beach bags, or picnic totes. They are sturdy, resilient, quietly stylish, and made in America. I use the open top regularly and the zip top as a carry-on, in large or extra large.

Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint Soap

For years I used Dove until my wife introduced me to Dr. Bronner’s. How much difference could there be in a bar of soap, I wondered?

I’ve never looked back. A proper bar of soap lasts longer, smells better, and works beautifully. Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint leaves an lively, cooling tingle all over your skin as you use it - a brilliant way to wake you up, knock off the grime, and cool you down in the summer months.

Nuts.com

Maybe this isn’t a product, per se, but Nuts.com is one of my most visited websites, and I’ve never ordered a product that wasn’t first class. We’ve got a large box showing up every couple of weeks, stuffed with many of our most common reorders: pistachios, chopped walnuts, dates, raw cashews, dried mango, dry roasted peanuts, lentils, quinoa - anything you might find in the bulk aisle of your local grocer. The difference is in the superior quality and deep assortment.

I’ve built my pantry from this site, and it continues to excel in their simple mission or bringing premium bulk items direct to the customer.

Bonus: having these kinds of things on hand for easy snacking or meal building makes for a much healthier diet, full of good fats and satisfying, wholesome fruits, grains and legumes.

Le Creuset

You can’t beat a Le Creuset Dutch Oven. I’ve got them in multiple sizes, and we reach for them nearly every day. They’re ideal for making soups, braising meat, boiling pasta, making oatmeal, or popping popcorn.

I’ve tried competitors from Staub to Great Jones, and I’ve not found another brand that delivers on the quality and construction that Le Creuset has been delivering for almost a century. They know what they do, and they do it well.

Our collection is in their deep red “Cerise.” These pots are truly a once-in-a-lifetime purchase - they’ll never break, and they will last your lifetime and into the next.

Boos Block

Stop looking for a fancy cutting board. John Boos has been making the best for years, and I swear by the Maple series which I have in multiple sizes. These things only get better with age, and a sporadic wipe down with this cutting board oil will ensure it outlives you.

Blanc Creatives pan

I bought my carbon steel Blanc Creatives pan in 2015 when they were making only a few pans by hand in their workshop in Charlottesville, Va. I loved it so much I bought the same pan as a Christmas gift for my parents the next year. To this day, this is the one pan that lives on the stovetop at both our houses.

While the pans no longer bear some of the ‘handmade’ marks I loved about my first pan, they are still produced in West Virginia out of high quality steel. They just appear a bit more polished, so to speak. (I prefer the older style which looks and feels handmade.)

We use this pan for frying eggs, searing fish, roasting vegetables, cooking steak, and making pancakes. It is versatile and reliable, with excellent heat retention and a wide, flat surface. Cleaning is simple: most of the time I just wipe it out with a paper towel — it never sees any soap or water, which will compromise the beautiful seasoning we’ve built up over the years. For bigger cleanups, I will rub it with salt.

This is another “forever” pan, and frankly, between this and a Le Creuset dutch oven, I don’t really need any other piece of cookware in my lineup.

Kunz Spoon

If you’re an avid cook, this spoon is as essential to your toolkit as a sharp knife. It’s not easy to wax poetic about a spoon, and I’m not sure I’m capable of converting the skeptics.

The basin is the perfect size for saucing, stirring, plating or tossing. The handle is comfortable, long, and elegant. It comes in three sizes, as well as a slotted version that makes easy work out of testing pasta or beans for doneness.

I’ve got 6 of these spoons and I use them during cooking, but also on the table as serving spoons for dinner parties.