Patrick Hoffman

I started The Culinary Standard after years of reading reviews that didn't say much. Most kitchen gear trends repeat: boutique cast iron one year, Damascus handles the next, touchscreens after that. The pattern is usually that the new thing gets praised in the same language as the last new thing, and a year later the basic version outperforms it. I try to point that out when it happens and explain what the extra money is actually paying for.

What I look for in a review is whether the recommendation will hold up over a decade of real use. If a $20 tool does the job better than a $200 one, that's what gets recommended. I cover knives, cast iron, espresso, and most of the workhorse equipment people actually cook on. I don't put much weight on how something looks on a shelf.