ROB MCCARTHY 
I grew eight basil plants last summer. By August I had so much basil I started giving bags away to neighbors, then coworkers, then strangers at the farmer’s market. That’s the moment I discovered basil salt. One afternoon I blended a few cups of leaves with coarse salt, dried the mixture on a sheet pan, … Read more
Every summer, I end up with a mountain of zucchini from the garden and more blueberries than I know what to do with. A few years ago, I started combining the two into one loaf, and this blueberry zucchini bread recipe has been on repeat in my kitchen ever since. It is the kind of … Read more
Every August my counter disappears under a pile of garden zucchini the size of baseball bats. The first few loaves of zucchini bread are great, but by week three I am hunting for new ways to sneak that surplus into every meal. That is exactly how this chocolate chip zucchini muffin recipe came to live … Read more
When the air turns crisp and the leaves start shifting colors, nothing beats the smell of warm spices filling your kitchen. Fall cookie recipes capture that cozy autumn feeling better than almost any other treat. Whether you are baking for a holiday cookie exchange, a Thanksgiving gathering, or just a quiet weekend at home, these … Read more
I’ve been lifting for over a decade, and the right Olympic barbell can transform your training more than any other piece of equipment. After spending 90 days testing 10 different bars in my home gym, I can confidently say the PAPABABE 7FT Olympic Barbell is the best olympic barbell most home lifters will ever need. … Read more
Battle ropes are thick, heavy training cords that produce wave patterns when you slam, wave, or whip them. They look simple, but a good set turns into a full-body cardio and conditioning tool that fits in a corner of your garage. I have been using battle ropes in my home gym for years, and in … Read more
I’ve spent over 100 hours testing gymnastic rings across garage gyms, backyard pull-up bars, and tree branches in three different parks. After hanging, swinging, failing, and pulling on 12 different sets, I narrowed down the 8 best gymnastic rings that actually hold up to real bodyweight training. The best gymnastic rings deliver something no pull-up … Read more
I dropped a 45-pound plate on my garage concrete floor three years ago and cracked it. That single mistake sent me down a rabbit hole researching the best gym rubber mats — and I have not looked back since. Since then, our team has tested 10 different rubber gym flooring options across garage gyms, basements, … Read more
Building tree-trunk quads, hamstrings and glutes used to mean a $50 monthly gym membership and waiting in line for the squat rack. In , the best leg press machines bring commercial-grade lower body training right into your garage, basement, or spare bedroom. Over the past three months, our team tested 10 leg press machines across … Read more
Our team spent 90 days testing 23 rechargeable flashlights across camping trips, power outages, and backyard projects. We measured real-world brightness with a light meter, timed charging cycles, dropped units from 5 feet, and ran them on Turbo until batteries died. The best rechargeable flashlights today combine genuine brightness claims with reliable USB-C charging and … Read more