Photo: Courtesy of Molly Baz
If you’re like us, you’ve probably wondered what famous people add to their carts. Not the JAR brooch and Louis XV chair but the hair spray and the electric toothbrush. We asked food editor and cook Molly Baz — the author of Cook This Book, who recently collaborated with Lo-Fi Aperitifs — about the sneakers, candles, and salt she can’t live without.
I have notoriously dry skin and I always just used a dermatologist-recommended moisturizer. But after my sister gave me this body oil for my birthday, I started using it in place of moisturizer at night. It makes me feel like I just left the spa; it’s like a little bit of luxury. It leaves my skin looking plump and dewy, but not in a greasy way. Also, it smells great.
This is the only salt that matters. I’ve been using it for as long as I’ve been cooking. Anybody who knows me will know how important salt and seasoning are in my content and my recipes. It’s basically everything I stand for. This particular brand makes a kosher salt that is the perfect density, the perfect saltiness, and the crystals are the perfect size. You can actually season your food more liberally with this salt than you can with other brands of kosher salt. Most other brands of kosher salt, like Morton for example, are much denser, so you have to be more careful. I like to liberally season and really see the salt as I’m seasoning.
They’re the most supportive, comfortable shoes I’ve ever worn. When I first learned of this brand, it was before dad shoes were cool. I had a kitchen accident and my legs were really weak. It was hard for me to stay on my feet for more than an hour or two at a time. My orthopedist suggested that I get a pair of Hokas. I remember going home to my husband and being like, “I have to get these shoes.” He was kind of like, “Oh boy, this is not going to be a good look.” But I got them anyway. I put them on and was like, “I can stand for hours in these.” That was four years ago and now, four years later, clunky, platform, dad sneaks are fashionable. I cannot stress this enough: These are the perfect kitchen shoe. I also work out in them. I run a lot and they’re totally great for that, too.
I’m a big candle person. I think they’re important vibe-setters. For a while, I was using standard white taper candles. But then I found these at Coming Soon. I went to the design store a lot when I lived in New York City and always purchased some of these when I’d go. What I like about them is that they’re also sculptural objects in and of themselves. So even when they’re not lit, they’re serving an aesthetic purpose. You can just look at them as objects.
I saw these when I was at Le Crocodile. Beautiful space — everything is so well-appointed and thoughtful, including the glassware. I know the general manager there and I texted him and was like, “I need these glasses.” They’ve become my go-to for cocktails. They are just that much more interesting than a regular old rocks glass because of the way they’re ribbed.
I’ve been a diehard Ilana Kohn fan for about six years now. I hate tight-fitting clothing; I’m a loosey-goosey kind of girl — the person who’s always trying to figure out how to wear pajamas without looking like it. I first saw Ilana’s jumpsuits at a boutique in Portland and fell in love. My first one was white linen, which got completely battered to the point that I had to get rid of it. But I wore it for a really long time. I’m looking at my closet right now and there are probably 14 Ilana Kohn jumpsuits hanging in front of me. I maybe own 30 in total. They’re the only thing I wear. The jumpsuits are totally casual enough for daytime, but you can wear one to dinner and not feel sloppy in any way.
This is the summer version of my Hoka sneakers. Everyone who sees me in them tells me they get served Instagram ads for the slides, but I never saw an ad. A friend of mine was wearing them and I was like, “Those are extremely comfortable-looking shoes.” And she was like, “Oh, they’re Pillow Slides. Have you not heard of them?” I had no idea, so I looked into the world of Pillow Slides. They’re so cheap, so squishy, so comfortable — and washable. I got mine six months ago and I wear them every day. It’s time for a re-up, though, because I want to get some new colors.
I generally like drinking amaro when it’s incorporated in other cocktails, but then I met Lo-Fi. This amaro is so right — just right — on the palate. It’s not as syrup-y as other brands, but still sweet. It has this lightness that makes it so much easier to drink on the rocks straight up. It’s perfect for summer. I developed a recipe for it: an amaro shandy. It’s basically an amaro and beer-lemonade-based cocktail with a salted rim. A really refreshing, more complex way to drink a shandy.
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