Our goop test kitchen is nothing short of a dream—airy, open shelves! high ceilings! moveable butcher-block
islands! marble countertops!—that was over a year in the planning and the making. We centered the design
around a sleek, high-tech range from Signature Kitchen Suite that has everything (including a
sous-vide setup) but the kitchen sink. Because the goop kitchen functions year-round in holiday-ish mode
(events, multiple dishes being made at once), food director Catlin O’Malley relies on a deep cast of must-have
essentials to keep the deliciousness coming, no matter how busy it gets. She’s full of favorite strategies and
tools, below, to make cooking and entertaining through the holidays easier.

On a busy day in the test kitchen, I might have four or five recipes—all with different cooking
times and methods—going simultaneously. Same goes for preparing for an event. Kind of like a Swiss Army knife
for the kitchen, the Signature Kitchen Suite Dual-Fuel Pro Range does everything, which makes it easy
for me.

It’s got two ultrahigh burners for high-heat cooking (I’m thinking of this crispy Brussels sprout salad) and
two ultralow ones, for gently simmering sauces or soft-scrambling eggs. And the spacing of the burners is
quite generous, so I’m able to comfortably fit a few larger pots and pans at once—truly, it’s a joy to cook
with.

This clean, nonstick set works for all those situations, so I’m covered. These are great pans for everyday
use, and they’re easy to clean, which makes them the ones I choose every time. The braiser is my favorite for
one-pan meals—chicken and dumplings, arroz con pollo, baked pasta. It’s the perfect size and pretty enough
to go from oven to table.

The combi-steam oven makes for quick cooking and incredibly crispy food: We’re talking shatteringly crisp
chicken skin and crackling roast potatoes, thanks to a convection fan. I use the Nordic baking sheets—they’re
the best—and it’s a brilliant combination. I like the variety of sizes this set offers. (Roasting a whole
spaghetti squash? Go big. Baked sweet potato for one? Go small.) I also love using them to help me organize my
mise en place, which is handy when you’re juggling a few dishes at once this time of year.

The steam feature helps retain moisture and achieve optimal texture for more delicate items like fish. I’m a
Dutch-oven evangelist, and this one’s my favorite. Use it for baking bread, braises, stews, and soups, or
roast a whole chicken, pork loin, or rib roast.

The sous-vide and induction burner are a great one-two punch for accurately cooking proteins while still
getting a nice seared exterior. The key is the precise temperature control—steaks, chicken
breasts, salmon fillets, and even racks of lamb cook low and slow, at the exact temperature you set it to. No
need to check on it or worry that it’s over or under. At the end, I turn on the induction burner to get that
Maillard effect and a perfect photo finish.