Maybe you’ve heard of our Hotline. It’s a place to send smoke signals—the help me! kind—when you face a cooking crisis that you don’t know how to find a way through. Our editor Lindsay-Jean stays on top of new questions, answering them at lightning-speed or sorting them out to someone who has the answer, and our whip-smart community has expertise in seemingly everything. The range: What material should I use for my new kitchen countertop? to My cauliflower turned purple. What do I do?
Today, starting at 8 A.M., we’re trying something different. In honor of our Shop turning three tomorrow (yippee!), we’re welcoming all your questions about the designs we sell, the makers behind them—anything at all you want to know before shopping that you’d normally hit up our Customer Care team for—on our Hotline. The Food52 team members who know our products best will be standing by, so you can chat them up for speedy, real-time answers.
Our art team works tirelessly (and brilliantly, if you ask us) to make each product’s size, shape, finish, and usefulness clear when they prep images for the product pages. And our copywriter Olivia is more like a detective, pre-empting every question she can think of about a piece before signing off on the accompanying copy, which reads more like a really fun article than a description, if you’ve ever taken the time to read one through (do!).
But it’s more an art than a science, and we know not every feature of every product is obvious at first glance at a product page. We’re constantly working to clear that water and present pieces in their most useful light, but today’s a time to ask away if you’ve ever wondered. As Rebecca, our Director of Customer Service puts it. “Ask questions! Online buying can be tricky, especially if there is no physical store to check out the product before purchasing.”
Today, we welcome you to do that on our Hotline. The whole Customer Care team (and me, and Hannah, our merchandising manager, and all our buyers) are standing by to answer any questions that might arise.
In the mean time, here are some interesting tidbits about our products that I learned recently, and that I thought you might be curious to know.
What’s the difference between cast iron and carbon steel?
Not much, in practice—the difference is largely look and feel. You’ll season them, creating a natural nonstick surface and seal, then store them somewhere dry and wash them without soap to keep hard-working.
What’s all the fuss about this little fella?
I only recently had the pleasure of seeing this copper grater in real life! It is VERY sharp—even the tiny blades are copper-coated!—and larger, weightier, more lasting than it looks in the photograph. It might be the only grater that will last your whole life long.
And what’s the difference in texture on our two butter keepers?
The French-style one is a rougher, unfinished material on the exterior (I like it because it’s not slippery) while the white one is glazed a glossy finish, for more star power on your counter.
Is that vintage copper really vintage?
I know, I know—it’s so perfectly shined, rosy, and in mint condition, that it’s hard to believe. But our vintage copper sleuther Beth Sweeney first seeks it out at flea markets everywhere, then has it meticulously restored to remove dents, get re-tinned, and be very high shine.
This is the softest blanket in all the land.
It’s about to be nesting season—this blanket is so soft and cuddly, you might need to throw out all your other throws.
Why would I replace my lovely-scented dryer sheets with dryer balls?
First of all, dryer balls are a labor of love—Brooke from Bog Berry makes every one by hand. Plus, they’re free of chemicals, economical (use them over and over for years!), and really cute.
We sell jewelry.
And it’s gorgeous. From tiny, endearing cooking tool necklaces from Mary Mary Handmade to geometric statement pieces from YIELD, we’ve got tons of earrings, necklaces, and the like in our Shop. Who knew? (We did!)
Have any questions about products in our Shop? Take to the Hotline, anytime today.
See what other Food52 readers are saying.