Lands’ End Essentials, Kitchenware From Japan, and Other Recent Strategist Finds

Photo: Retailer An all-over-the-place assortment of stood-behind products culled from this very website that appears in the most recent November issue of New York Magazine.

Anova Precision Vacuum Sealer Pro now 37% off Most vacuum sealers take up too much space or have way too many buttons. But a simple sealer can be indispensable for those who want to shop once and then eat for a week (or months on end). Kitchen and dining writer Emma Wartzman frequents the butcher and constantly uses her vacuum sealer to extend the life of the meat she isn't able to eat that day. To find the best one for a rookie, with a straightforward interface and a workhorse design, Wartzman spoke to professional butchers, homesteaders, and fermenters about their favorites. The Anova Precision Vacuum Sealer Pro turned out to be the most impressive and was simple to use. The device has just six buttons: one for auto sealing and vacuuming, two to do both of those actions manually, one for dry goods, another for wet, and one that controls the port for an external vacuum hose that can reseal wine bottles and canning-jar lids. The suction and seal on each setting are extremely powerful, says Dave Yasuda, director of marketing at Snake River Farms, which produces and packages Wagyu. Wartzman concurs: She once used the Anova to vacuum-seal a bag filled with tomato sauce, then shook it—hard. There were no leaks.

Just For Men 1-Day Temporary Beard & Brow Color now 40% off "I have a strip of gray in my beard. When I was doing my podcast, everyone was like, 'Did Matteo do something to his chin? Did he get a chin implant?' And I realized the gray hair created an optical illusion that made my chin look thinner. So I dyed it and it went away. I use this every day because I don't wanna walk out with a witch chin."

"I'm sure that people who don't know me think I wear the same clothes all the time, but I love a uniform. Right now, it consists of a clean one of these black tank tops every single day. I don't wear a bra with them; I think that's probably what I love the most about them."

"I don't own a purse, and I don't know what kind of bag to carry in a formal setting, but in a casual setting, you can't beat a backpack. I got mine at Staples, and it is flawless­—just a beautifully designed sack. I think if it were socially acceptable for everyone to carry a backpack in all situations, it would help our world."

Thing's

Some things in life are just as good as you remember. Lands' End is one. The quality is obviously great, but I actually appreciate the brand's lack of a tether to trends. It feels cool to have something that's impossible to identify. Below, a collection of my timeless favorites. —Erika Veurink

Lands' End Men's Long Sleeve Stripe Rugby Shirt now 40% off

Namiko Chen, the founder of Japanese-recipe website Just One Cookbook, recently launched JOC Goods , an online shop stocked with tableware and kitchenware from small brands that generally don't ship outside Japan. Our kitchen and dining writer Emma Wartzman already has her eye on a few items.

"Despite the name, this bowl is an ideal size for not just rice but broth and sides, too. The angular shape takes inspiration from the outline of Mt. Fuji."

"Elegantly pour soy sauce via a narrow spout that's the beak of a bird."

"The chopstick rests on offer are all incredibly cute. They include food-related options like an orange, a baguette, and a few versions of this condiment one."

"I'm completely obsessed with this miso muddler. One side is designed to hold a measurement of miso for one portion of soup; the other, two. It can also be used as a whisk for dressing or sauce."

Me, Author Amy Tan got into birding in 2016. She keeps a nature journal about the birds in her backyard, which is filled with feeders, trees, and bushes. "I'm here all day," she says. Here, everything she uses. —As told to Kiki Aranita

Crow Repellent now 13% off "I had a problem with crows taking over the feeders but knew that they mourn their dead comrades, so I bought a fake crow from Wild Birds Unlimited. I hung it upside down, the crows came and screamed and screamed, and then they stopped coming to the yard."

Rat-Resistant Feeder TrayAspects Quick Clean Bigfoot Seed Tray now 24% off "When rain gets into seeds, they mold. And what happens with a lot of birds is that they throw out about five seeds for every one that they eat. That attracts rats. So I found this pan that fits underneath my bird feeder to catch all the seeds they discard."

Storage Turned Perch "I made a DIY feeder from grid panels to act like an open cage for the birds that feed on the ground. I lashed the top, bottom, and sides together with zip ties. One side is unzipped to serve as a door so I can add food. It comes with a black vinyl top and bottom, which is useful in case of rain."

Pendant-Size BinocularsPhoto: Retailer "I have a number of standard-size binoculars, but these are a lot smaller and I usually have them around my neck all day. They weigh about 11 ounces, and I can always have them when I'm traveling. Sometimes I'll wear them out to the store or someone's house thinking I might see a bird."

Collision Protection Photo: Retailer "To prevent window strikes, I found white acrylic pens and drew spiderwebs on my windows. You have to draw on the outside of the window and make radiating lines and loops with no openings greater than two to three inches. The birds see that and put on the brakes."

Nature-Artist TrainingThe Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling now 14% offPhoto: Retailer "I used this to refine my bird-drawing skills. I would practice drawing birds every day in different configurations, different head angles. Because I've drawn a chickadee a thousand times now, I know how to do it without having to go back and forth to look at it."

The Strategist is designed to surface useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Every product is independently selected by our team of editors, whom you can read about here . We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.

Lands' End Essentials and Other Recent Strategist Finds