Food52 used feedback from over 26,000 home cooks to make cookware and tools they'd really use he
When you buy through our links, Business Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more
- Five Two is Food52's in-house brand of home and kitchenware. Since launching in October 2018, it has been a favorite line among customers looking for the perfect balance of price, function, and aesthetics.
- A big reason for its success is that product designs are based on community feedback. Food52 has an opt-in base of more than 26,000 volunteers who relay the cooking problems they have and what kinds of products they want to see.
- The results are cleverly designed products that have versatile use cases. We tried and loved Five Two products like an apron with pockets and hidden features abound, an ergonomic saucepan, and silicone lids that made food storage easy.
Whether you're looking for great recipe ideas or creative food stories, Food52 is probably one of those places perennially sitting among your most visited websites. Since 2013, it's also helped recommend the best cookware and home goods in its Shop, where curated picks are given beautiful photo treatments and pined after by cooks and foodies.
In October 2018, it decided to make its own home and kitchenware brand, Five Two. The first product, a double-sided cutting board featuring a phone nook, extra-deep juice groove, and a pour spout, sold out in just five days, and from there, Five Two was off and running.
In less than two years, Five Two has become the number one brand in the Shop in terms of units sold, gross margin, and overall sales. With its reasonable prices, attractive designs, and tight curation of products you actually need, it's easy to see why Five Two is doing so well.
Another essential piece to its success is its community-based approach to designing and creating products. Food52 founders Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs knew that the relationship with the reader — which manifests on the Food52 site through discussion forums, recipe contests, and social media conversations — would also have to play into the decision-making process for Five Two.
They discovered the power of simply asking and listening. Through editorial surveys, social media, events, and a "design team" that comprises more than 26,000 opt-in community members, Food52 can gather direct feedback and requests and convert them into innovative home and kitchen solutions. That's why clever features abound on Five Two cookware, cooking tools, and home products — they're specific to the small yet common and persistent problems that many traditional brands may not catch.
At the same time, Five Two doesn't fall into the trap of cranking out one-time-use gadgets that show off cleverness for the sake of cleverness. As three Insider Reviews testers discovered, Five Two products are versatile cookware and tools you'll use often for a variety of cooking and baking needs. They're also durable and hold up well over time and repeated use.
You can find more detailed thoughts on Food52's Five Two collection below and shop the entire line here. Standard shipping starts at $9 in the contiguous US.
Read on to see why we love Five Two cookware and accessories.
A set of wooden spoons for various purposes
Five Two Wooden Spoons
Check price at Food52These spoons are some of my most-used kitchen tools. They're nothing like the kind you bought in college — you know, the ones that splinter into pieces of the course of a few months. These are sturdy and lasting, each carved from a single piece of teak. They're durable enough to use daily for stirring and cooking, but they look nice enough to serve with as well.
A pack comes with five utensils, but the one I use the most is the two-sided spoon that lets me take little tastes of whatever I'm cooking. I chipped the small spoon recently when shoving it into my utensil caddy, but if you're delicate with it, you shouldn't have a problem. I should also note that wooden spoons are particularly great for nonstick surfaces, which get easily scratched with metal utensils. —Sally Kaplan, senior editor
An apron with tons of smart, hidden features
Five Two Ultimate Apron
Check price at Food52I love kitchen aprons. I have a small collection, including this adorable sprinkle apron from food blogger Molly Yeh's collaboration with Enrich & Endure. But none of them are as smartly designed as this one from Five Two. My favorite features are its built-in potholders at the bottom corners and the measurement conversion chart that's hiding inside one of the front pockets. It's the little details that make it stand out. —Ellen Hoffman, executive editor
An ergonomic saucepan
Five Two 2.7-Quart Saucepan
Check price at Food52It's the little touches that make this saucepan — something so normally basic and oft-used to render it utterly forgettable — a memorable piece of cookware. There are internal measurement markings to help you add the right amount of water, a pouring spout to direct the liquid in a nice and neat stream, and a strainer built right into the lid. I take advantage of the slightly curved sides to make dishes that require mixing a lot of ingredients because I know they won't get stuck in the edges. —Connie Chen, senior reporter
Handpainted stoneware mixing bowls
Five Two Stoneware Mixing Bowls
Check price at Food52Food52 designed these bowls at the behest of someone who wrote in about needing a mixing bowl that doubled as an easy-to-carry serving bowl. If you think about it, most mixing bowls have round bottoms that make them precarious to lift if filled with heavy ingredients.
The slanted bottom and lipped rim of these mixing bowls make them easy to carry, whether you're bringing them from the kitchen to the dining room or over to your neighbor's house. I have all three sizes, and I use them constantly. They look nice on the table when we have friends over, and they work well as simple mixing bowls when baking. —Sally Kaplan, senior editor
A stainless steel stock pot
Five Two 6-Quart Stock Pot with Lid
Check price at Food52I find myself reaching for this stock pot all the time these days. It's the perfect size for big, one-pot meals like beef stroganoff and Ina's weeknight bolognese, or for side dishes like mashed potatoes that I find can lead to a messy stovetop if prepared in smaller pots. I also appreciate that it can be tossed in the dishwasher for easy cleaning. The only feature I don't really like or use is the built-in strainer; the liquid trickles out too slowly for me, an often-impatient cook. I think a regular colander gets the job done better. —Ellen Hoffman, executive editor
A set of colorful silicone lids in different sizes
Five Two Airtight Silicone Lids
Check price at Food52These things are lifesavers for people like me who cook all the time and constantly run out of Tupperware in which to store leftovers. If I make a dressing or a sauce or just have a few bites left of something that I don't want to throw away, I'll slap one of these little airtight lids over the bowl my food is already in, and it stays fresh in the fridge. —Sally Kaplan, senior editor
Connie Chen Connie Chen is a former senior reporter on the Insider Reviews team, where she led coverage of home textiles, home entertaining, and food and drink. While at Insider, she specialized in all the things that enhance life at home, from the most comfortable bed sheets and fluffy pillows to cool online wine clubs and bartender-approved cocktail shakers. She combined rigorous testing methods, conversations with professionals, and active knowledge of the home and kitchen space to help readers get the most out of their money. When she's not changing duvet covers or washing towels twice a day for articles, she loves talking about and trying the newest snacks, drinks, and food gifts. You can see more of her testing process and other behind-the-scenes of being a product journalist on her Instagram @connayreviews. Connie joined Insider Reviews as an early member in 2017 and has also reported on products and services in the style, tech, fitness, travel, and e-learning spaces, with a particular interest and expertise in emerging startups. She has represented the team at CES and moderated panels on media business and the future of retail. Connie graduated from UC Berkeley with degrees in media studies and business administration, which help inform her perspective on and coverage of industry trends, as well as the competitive e-commerce landscape at large. Read some of her work: The 4 best cocktail shakers in 2021 The 7 best women's bathrobes in 2021 The 5 best wine openers and corkscrews we tested in 2021 The 5 best bed sheets we tested in 2021 The 5 best cordless vacuums we tested in 2021 12 direct-to-consumer kitchen startups that are changing the way we shop for cookware and knives 8 tableware startups changing the way we shop for dishes Even chefs experience cooking burnout — here's how they get re-inspired in the kitchen How businesses create successful virtual experiences 50 cookbooks from famous restaurants across the US that will help you recreate their best dishes at home Learn more about how our team of experts tests and reviews products at Insider here. Learn more about how we test kitchen products. Read more Read lessncG1vNJzZmivp6x7o8HSoqWeq6Oeu7S1w56pZ5ufonyowcidnKxnm57BpLTEp2afp5%2BZgnN5xaKtnmWkrLxur86oorCZopp6s7HVopyw