What I Added to Cart in July

An Insulated Japanese Tote
I didn’t expect to like my Shupatto as much as I did. Growing up while Baggu and other packable totes were getting traction, I figured if you’ve tried one, you’ve tried them all. I love it when my job makes me eat my words.

The beauty of the Shupatto is that it doesn’t need to be folded into a tiny square and wrestled into a separate transport baggie. 1) I always lose the latter (don’t you?), and 2) the tote never quite seems to fit the way it did the first time. But the Shupatto shakes open and then collapses and rolls back into a neat coil with a single pull. I have the Original, but I’m a newly converted fan of the Insulated model. It’s perfect for toting picnics to the park or dishes to friends’ cookouts. And it’s roomy enough to stash plenty of fuel for a long-haul road trip.

Anchovies for the Uninitiated
You may think you hate anchovies—I did—but I’d posit you actually don’t. At a staff tasting a couple of months ago, one of our testing experts suggested I try a plain fillet from a jar of Callot Serrats L’Escala Anchovies. I like tinned fish—give me something adventurous, like a mussel in escabeche or garlicky grilled octopus—but I’d never thought of anchovies as a fish worthy of eating solo.

These are not 99-cent gray mush. Fished off Spain’s Costa Brava, hand-filleted and salted then packed in Spanish olive oil, these anchovies are pretty special. Snack on them plain or ferry the fish into your mouth on a butter-laden cracker; the fillets will hold their shape. They also melt into stews or sauces, imparting umami funk without any of the overly fishy flavor anchovies are notorious for. They’re mild, meaty and tender. And if you, like me, only need a couple at a time for a recipe, take what you need from the glass jar and store the rest in the fridge for next time—that’s the advantage of a reusable glass jar over a single-use tin.

The Better Mini Masher
Leave it to Suncraft, one of our favorite brands from Japan, to improve the humble masher. It tops out around 7 inches, so it’s ideal for small jobs—like quickly mashing an avocado, banana or steamed sweet potato for my toddler nephew. But instead of a handle that attaches to the middle of the head, the handle curves into the head so you can use the masher like a scoop. The three other edges of the head are also functional: There’s a curved one that will scoop through rounded items like an avocado shell, a flat edge to use a makeshift knife and a serrated edge to cut through textured peels or tough edges.

Like Family California Chili Oil
All of Like Family’s infused olive oils have been popular around the Milk Street office, but this spicy chili number is my favorite. It gets its bite from three chilies—Anaheim, jalapeño and Fresno—which also give it its gorgeous color. The olive oil is luscious and smooth and adds just the right kick to grilled fish, vinaigrettes, hummus plates and soups. In this heat, I venture it would even be good drizzled on gazpacho or salmorejo.

My Very Favorite Tongs
While the Gassiri Tongs aren’t new to the store, I’ve recently rediscovered my love for them as I’ve been doing more batch cooking on the weekends. They’re a meal prepper’s dream. The rounded ends can pick up items that would otherwise roll away or slip out of the grip of pointy or straight tongs: They can cradle soft-boiled eggs without smashing them and pick up meatballs, falafel and roasted baby potatoes. One side is slotted, so the tongs double as a strainer—they’re great for fishing lardons out of a pan after rendering out the fat or plucking confited garlic cloves out of olive oil. And the other side works as a scoop, for adding a splash of pasta water or sauce to a dish.

My favorite part is their stainless steel construction, so I never have to worry about a silicone or plastic tip flaking off into my food. They’re strong enough to pick up breaded chicken cutlets and dexterous enough to grab a single herb stem, if you’re into plating.