If your kitchen drawers are full of well-loved pots and pans that reflect their age, it’s time for a cookware revamp. The annual Kitchen Sale, happening September 9-22, is your opportunity to take advantage of 20% off our entire housewares department. Maybe you’ve been searching for a trusty, high-quality pan for everyday use or a more specialized vessel for bringing global cuisine to your table. We sat down with our housewares expert, Jenny VanDerwalker, to get her take on kitchen pieces she thinks are worthy of your collection—and the perfect recipes to make them shine.
Holcomb Mortar and Pestle
What to make with it: Basil Pesto
Holcomb is a Seattle housewares studio that specializes in architectural kitchen pieces crafted from natural materials. Their mortar and pestle is a prime example of functional artistry: robust granite stone inlaid in an ash wood base designed to protect countertops from the weight of the mortar while seamlessly pivoting with each pulse and rotation of the pestle.
A mortar and pestle is an ancient tool that yields some of the best marinades, sauces, and pestos you’ve ever tasted. The handcrafted technique gives you precise control over a sauce’s consistency, from thick and chunky to silky and smooth. It’s the ultimate instrument for preserving the flavors of delicate herbs like basil and coaxing out the vibrancy of whole spices like cardamom. Smash, grind, emulsify, and impress with a dish crafted using a millennia-old technique.
Joyce Chen Wok
What to make with it: Soy-Ginger Beef with Mushrooms
You may recognize Joyce Chen’s name from her cooking show legacy, but she’s also remembered for innovating the original flat-bottom wok, a move that made Chinese cooking far more accessible to Western home cooks.
Wok means “cooking pot” in Cantonese. It’s an endlessly adaptable piece designed for hot, fast cooking—think loaded stir-fries, saucy chow mein, and egg fried rice. The high walls can hold a large volume of food while minimizing heat loss—a drawback of shallower skillets—and the flat-bottom design facilitates even heating across the surface. It’s truly a game changer for flavorful, 30-minute weeknight dinners.
Made In Carbon Steel Pan
What to make with it: Prosciutto-Wrapped Scallops
There’s a reason carbon steel is favored by professional chefs—it’s a heavy-duty, nontoxic alternative to standard nonstick pans. Impressively, it becomes more nonstick over time, thanks to cooking oils fusing smoothly with the metal. Plus, carbon steel offers many of the benefits of cast iron at a fraction of its weight: superior heat retention and stovetop-to-oven versatility. It’s basically the Goldilocks of pans.
Made In’s carbon steel pans excel at high-heat cooking—envision steaks and chops sporting restaurant-quality crusts, crispy-skinned fish fillets with fork-tender flakes, and blistered vegetables bursting with flavor.
Lodge Griddle Pan
What to make with it: Ricotta Pancakes
A solid cast-iron griddle pan makes batch cooking and group meals a breeze. The large, flat surface area and uniform heat retention mean you can cook your whole meal in just one pan, maximizing burner space and minimizing cleanup. Picture a weekend family breakfast of ricotta pancakes, eggs, and bacon or an outdoor dinner party with sizzling fajitas, taco meat, and soft tortillas. And it adapts to so many cooking settings with ease—put it to work on the stovetop (including induction), in the oven, on the grill, or even over a campfire. Lodge’s griddle pan is Jenny’s pick for high-heat searing—juicy, crispy smash burgers turn out sensationally with this in your cookware arsenal.
Bonus Deal: This versatile pan is available for just $29.97 during the sale—40% off retail.
Emile Henry Anniversary Pie Plate
What to make with it: Sweet Potato Pecan Pie
Emile Henry is the gold standard in ceramic bakeware. Their products are handcrafted in France with legendary Burgundy clay, a natural resource prized for its thermal shock resistance, exceptional heat distribution, and noteworthy durability.
The anniversary pie plate is a limited-edition design commemorating 175 years of craftsmanship and tradition. The gorgeous glaze is as functional as it is beautiful, helping the piece resist scratching and cracking commonly encountered with other ceramic bakeware. All in all, it’s a timeless and elegant heirloom kitchen staple that you’ll find any excuse to pull out for dessert.
Bonus Deal: This gorgeous pie dish is available for just $29.97 during the sale—57% off retail.
Level up your cookware
You’re in luck! All of these items are discounted during the Kitchen Sale from September 9-22.
Want the inside scoop on more housewares brands that our team has been obsessing over? Check out Jenny’s 10 Kitchen Sale Must-Haves.