2022 is the year of fun, manageable DIY projects. When you choose something that’s engaging and not all encompassing, you’re more likely to succeed. Pick from these five, or use as inspiration for a task you’ve always wanted to tackle.
Catch, Clean & Cook a Fish
Step 1. Catch It
Have men fished since the dawn of time? Yes. Have they captured mighty underwater creatures with bare hands and spears? Yes. Should you go that route? No.
“When I go to a new place and want to target a specific species, my first inclination is always to hire a guide or charter a boat,” says Michael Cimarusti, lifelong fisherman and chef of Providence, a sustainable seafood restaurant in Los Angeles. “There’s no real substitute for local knowledge.”
Best part: You don’t have to wander the aisles of sporting goods stores fretting over what gear to buy. Most guides prefer you use their tackle because everything—rod, line, reel and bait—is fine-tuned for angling success in that locale. Your job is to toss a sandwich and a few beers in a cooler, show up and pray for good weather and photo-worthy fish.
Step 2. Clean It
Many guides and charter crews will either filet your catch for you or set you up with someone when you return to civilization.
“This is an opportunity to stand over the shoulder of an expert,” says Cimarusti. “Catching a fish and fileting a fish are very similar—it usually doesn’t work out the first go-round. Literally roll up your sleeves, get your hands dirty and figure it out. You’ll learn a lot and can practice at home with something you got at a fish market.”
Step one is to remove the scales. Step two is to eviscerate the fish and remove the gills.
“If you want to bake the fish whole, your work is done,” says Cimarusti. “If you prefer to filet it, get a sharp knife that’s appropriate to the size of the fish. You don’t want to attack a 30-pound striper with a paring knife. It’s all about repetition and practice.”
No pitcher starts out throwing 12-6 curveballs. The goal is one simple, perfect strike. Same theory applies to cooking fish—nail the basics.
Add just enough olive oil to coat a nonstick carbon steel or cast-iron pan. If the filet is skinless, cook it over low heat and add a little butter.
“It imparts better flavor and allows you to achieve a nice color at a lower temperature,” says Cimarusti.
If the filet still has skin on one side, place it skin-side down and cook until the skin turns golden brown. At this point, the flesh of the filet will still be mostly raw, but resist the urge to flip it. Instead, pop the skillet in a 350-degree oven until it starts to turn opaque or white. Don’t be scared of a little translucency in the filet’s center.
“People will eat sushi, then order fish in another restaurant and if it’s a little translucent in the center, they’re like, ‘It’s undercooked,’” Cimarusti says. “What you want is the center of the filet to have a little translucency, but be cooked enough to flake.”
How will you know when that happens? He suggests a 99-cent metal cake tester.
“Stick it in the thickest part of the filet for 10 to 15 seconds, then touch the tester to your wrist or lower lip. If it’s warmer than your body temperature, the fish is good,” he says.
Remove the fish from the pan, let it rest on a warmed plate or rack and start your brown butter sauce: Put three tablespoons of butter in the warm pan. After it melts, it’ll turn a chestnut color and produce a nutty aroma. As soon as that happens, squeeze some lemon into the sauce and stop cooking.
“Add chopped parsley and some capers if you’re feeling crazy,” Cimarusti says. “Spoon the butter sauce over the fish and you’ve got something chefs have been serving in French bistros for centuries.”
Illustration by Joe McKendry
Make Your Own Bar, Stock It Properly & Learn How To Make Great Cocktails
Step 1. Make It
Sure, you could buy a bar cart from Pier 1, but where’s the glory in that? The best bars, even home bars, have a personality, and building your own will hit that mark.
You simply can snag a vintage bar off Craigslist and refinish it. Or repurpose a pallet, potting bench or bookcase. Or go big and build a bar from scratch that spans half your freaking basement.
Whichever level you choose, plan to fail your way to success.
“Failure is the best teacher,” says Barrelworx owner Gene Barnard, who fashions shelf bars and other furniture out of bourbon barrels, and therefore claims to have the best-smelling workshop in North America. “I can’t even tell you how many projects ended up in my fire pit. It’d be me in my garage at 3 a.m., cussing and hollering, until I got it right.”
A Subaru plant worker looking to make an extra $300 a week, Barnard had a little woodworking experience under his belt when he made his first piece, and relied heavily on “YouTube University” for how-to videos.
“It’s not like I knew how to make a cabinet out of a whiskey barrel when I started,” says Barnard, who’s sold more than 5,000 pieces to date.
Step 2. Stock It Properly
“When I started in this industry as a wine-and-spirits rep in 2002, the only vodka on liquor store shelves was Smirnoff,” says Jeff Pennington, co-founder of Pennington Distilling Co. in Nashville. “The sheer number of brands from then to now has grown exponentially. But it’s best to start with the basics.”
Vodka
“Vodka is your commodity spirit,” says Pennington. “It’s neutral, flavorless and will please the most people.”
It’s also the most consumed spirit in the United States by far—we collectively drink 700 million liter bottles of vodka every year. Pennington recommends one or two high-end martini vodkas, such as Kettle One, plus a crisp, easy-drinking vodka such as his own Pickers vodka that you can mix with soda, tonic or cranberry juice.
Whiskey
“You could stock two whiskeys, or you could stock 200,” says Pennington.
To start, get an “everyday good drinking” bourbon or Tennessee whiskey. For making Manhattans, old-fashioneds and Sazeracs, Pennington prefers rye whiskey because it “gives you more bright spice and dried fruit flavor components.”
Gin
Gin isn’t as popular as it used to be, but it’s good to have a traditional London dry and a craft gin on hand to satisfy your “grandfather or 22-year-old cousin,” says Pennington.
Tequila
“Tequila is on fire,” says Pennington, who suggests one each of the blanco, reposado and anejo styles. “I love Don Julio, but the hot one right now is Casamigos. Most people are drinking it on the rocks or with soda.”
Everything Else
Get a decent rum (no silly flavorings), some craft beer, a small selection of red and white wines and an after-dinner liqueur for people who don’t love hard liquor, but like a coffee drink or a little something to sip after a meal.
Step 3. Make a Great Cocktail
“If you can make an old-fashioned, a margarita and a martini, that’s enough to please the masses,” says Pennington.
If a friend comes out of left field with a mai tai request, it’s perfectly acceptable to search out an instructional video. But the best way to learn is to take yourself out to a nice cocktail bar, order a few staples and ask the bartenders to share their knowledge. Then come home and try it yourself.
And there’s no shame in flashy garnishes: Keep a jar of almond- or blue cheese-stuffed olives in the fridge, along with cocktail mixers you just have to shake and pour.
Illustration by Joe McKendry
Build Your Own Fire Pit
For your first time out, the best fire pit starts with a kit.
“You don’t have to know what you’re doing,” says Chicago-based Scott Vargo, who bought a $250 model from Lowe’s to extend outdoor time at his weekend retreat in Michigan. Together with his wife, Vargo runs Yellow Brick Home, a blog and social channel focused on DIY home design and renovation. He has the skills for a more complicated pit, but wanted to go as simple as possible.
“If you can use a shovel and stack bricks, you can build a fire pit from a kit,” he says. “It comes with instructions and a steel ring that dictates the size. We chose the color and style of the blocks that make up the fire pit from six different finishes and it arrived on a truck a few weeks later.”
Vargo finished his project in an afternoon, with his then-infant daughter strapped to his chest. First, he created a gravel ring around the fire pit to avoid having to mow under surrounding chairs, and for the visual appeal.
“We dug up the sod in a perfect circle that we traced out with spray paint and a string line,” he says. “It took about 60 bags of gravel for two inches of depth.”
Before you start stacking bricks, check with your local codes office or fire department to see how far away your pit should be placed from a fence or other structure.
Vargo also found that a fire-rated, caulk-like adhesive came in handy, and, over the long haul, has withstood higher heat than standard glues.
After a few years of regular cleaning and maintenance, Vargo upped his game a bit. “I found a company that makes custom vents the same size and shape as our bricks,” he says. “I removed three bricks and added vents that allow for better air circulation, create less smoke and help the fire burn hotter and cleaner.”
Once you’ve built your fire pit, there’s one more step between you and nightly s’mores.
“There’s an art to building a fire,” says Vargo. “I prefer a pyramid-shaped fire because I like to build it, light it once and forget it. First, stack tinder sticks and twigs, move on to chopped-up sections of logs, then finally add the logs themselves. If you’re going to go to the effort to have a nice fire pit, you want the fire to look nice, too.”
Illustration by Joe McKendry
Restore Something Old & Cool
It’s been sitting in the back of your attic or garage for decades, beat-up and broken down, but you can’t bear to toss it out. Because it’s a symbol of your youth, or a cherished memento of someone you love.
Restoring something with emotional weight is a great way to honor its previous owner, but be honest about your limits. Your great-aunt’s VW van might be better off with professionals, but you can’t screw up your grandfather’s baseball glove.
“It’s almost impossible to mess up a glove and not be able to put it back together,” says Chris Petroff, founder and lead glove technician (“which is kind of a joke because it’s just me and my dad”) of The Glove Lab in Phoenix. “I always refer people to YouTube for tips and tricks, and I have a handful of how-to videos on our Instagram TV. Worst-case scenario, there’s always a local person or someone like me to send it to.”
Your vintage glove likely needs to be relaced before you head out to have a catch. This might be slightly more difficult than you think. Here are Petroff ’s five simple steps:
Step 1. Photograph the glove so you remember how to put it back together
“Every glove is different and has a different pattern,” Petroff says. “Take 30 pictures of the glove at every stage to document the process.”
Step 2. Draw a diagram of how you pulled the laces out.
“That’s the call I get most often on a Thursday night before a Friday game,” he says. “‘Oh no, I took out the laces and have no idea how to put them back.’”
Step 3. Remove the laces.
Cut them with a wire cutter or pair of sharp shears.
Step 4. Clean and condition the glove.
“The leather of a glove is like your skin if you don’t shower,” Petroff says. “The amount of dirt buildup makes the leather stiff, dry and hard. You want it to be soft, so when the ball hits the glove, the glove collapses around it instead of popping out.”
Get a quality leather or glove cleaner, a good brush, some warm water and a clean towel. Using the wet brush, apply the cleaner to the leather and wipe with a towel. Do this all over the glove. Then use a quality pH-neutral leather conditioner like Ball Player’s Balm.
Step 5. Relace the glove with your handy diagram and photos.
“I tell people all the time—crack a beer and take your time,” says Petroff, who receives five to 10 gloves a day from pros and regular people. “It’s not going to get done in an hour or three hours. Do it over the course of days so you enjoy the process and the time you’re spending with the glove.”
Illustration by Joe McKendry
Visit Your Distant Ancestor’s Home
This is more than just a trip—it’s time travel.
A heritage trip is about your ancestors, where they lived, how they lived and your connection to it all.
Start with science: Take a DNA test through a service like 23andMe or Ancestry, and keep an open mind and heart. The results could come back exactly as expected, or they could go sideways.
“It’s pretty common to find out something surprising or disturbing,” says Kyle J. Betit, senior genealogist and travel program operations manager at Ancestry, who learned about a long-lost aunt late in life. “You might find relatives you don’t know about, or that someone isn’t related in the way you thought they were.”
Once you get your results, ask yourself what’s going to scratch the itch to connect with past generations. If it’s enough have a Guinness at a pub in County Cork after learning you’re 85 percent Irish, buy a flight and brush up your brogue. But if you want to stand at the font where your great-great-grandfather was baptized, consult further with a genealogist.
“It can be easy to stick at one level and focus on the pie chart,” Betit says. “We spend a lot of time with travelers helping them interpret their DNA results. There’s a lot more info there if you know how to use it, and the more specific you can be about the place you’re visiting, the more meaningful the trip will be.”
The beauty of heritage travel is that it’s not a cookie-cutter process, but many of the planning pitfalls are the same.
Don’t rush it. A well-rounded heritage trip can be a deeply layered process that requires introspection and investigation. “Don’t arrive in the country and have regrets about not getting to see what you wanted,” Betit says. “Planning takes time. Research takes time.”
Google the hell out of it. Yes, there are records you can see only in village archives, but there’s plenty you can figure out online, in advance. This includes any local holidays that might shut down important places and throw off your trip. The more work you do on the front end, the less you have to figure out on the fly in a foreign country.
Navigate the language barrier. Once you get where you’re going, will you be able to communicate with people? And does that mean you’ll be able to read the records? “Poland was divided into three empires during the 19th century,” says Betit. “Most records are kept in Russian, German or Latin, but not Polish.”
Nail down local transportation. This can be a big logistical piece of the trip, especially if your ancestors lived in a small burg far from a train stop.
Make connections in advance. Whenever possible, if you plan to visit a town hall or church, call ahead and chat someone up. “That way you’re not completely unknown to them when you arrive,” Betit says. “In Europe, one priest may cover several churches and it can be hit or miss when he’s around.”
Don’t surprise your cousins. Advance contact also applies to distant relations still in the old country: Don’t just show up and expect them to roll out the welcome wagon.
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There’s no doubt when the weather turns colder as we settle into winter, stouts take center stage. And while we enjoy all its iterations: standard stout, imperial stout, and robust barrel-aged stouts, we think this malty, chocolate-filled beer’s close cousin deserves a little respect as well. Of course, we’re talking about the oft-overlooked porter. And the best porters, oh buddy, they’ll have you rethinking your seasonal bevvie of choice.
For those uninitiated, the porter style had its genesis in England like many other iconic beer styles. It first appeared in the 1700s and is (you guessed it) named after porters—individuals tasked with transporting luggage.
A confusing origin story
“Stout is the direct descendant of porter. In the 1700s, it was common to use the word ‘stout’ to refer to a bolder, higher-alcohol version of any beer style, much in the same way we use the word ‘imperial’ today,” says Zach Fowle, advanced cicerone and head of marketing for Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co. in Phoenix, AZ. “Porter was the most popular beer of the day, and over time, “stout porter” became a popular variant. But by the late 1800s, demand for regular porters evaporated, and stout porter shortened simply to stout.”
But more has changed between the 1800s and today than just our penchant for wearing top hats. “Today, most brewers seem to market beers as either stout or porter based on vibes, rather than on any notable stylistic differences,” he says.
Specifically, porters are known for their dark, almost pitch-black color and rich, sweet flavor profile. If you were to drink a porter and a stout side by side, you might even have difficulty discerning the differences between the two.
Stout versus porter is an enduring topic of discussion in the brewing industry. “While there’s no debating the porter came first—and stout used to be called stout porter, so it was a stronger version of a porter—the lines have become very blurred over the years,” says Rob Lightner, co-founder of East Brother Brewing in Richmond, CA.
“I would venture that even among professionals, a blind taste test would often yield inconclusive results,” says Lightner.
The difference between porters and stouts
Porters tend to be on the milder, more chocolatey end of the spectrum, Lightner says, whereas stouts are typically a little stronger and more roasty. Of course, this isn’t a hard and fast rule
Fowle agrees, “Porters tend to be fruitier, sweeter, and less bitter than stouts, with cocoa and caramel flavors in balance with dark malt bitterness. And stouts are usually hoppier, drier, maltier, and more coffee-forward—and may even have a touch of acidity.”
Whether or not they fit neatly into boxes, one thing’s for sure: both make for incredible cold-weather brews.
“As the nights grow longer, drinking a light, summery beer just doesn’t seem right,” says Fowle. “Porter is the perfect style for the transition to winter: warming and toasty yet not too heavy, with flavors of coffee, chocolate, and pie crust that correspond with autumn weather and holidays.”
It’s the perfect time to broaden your repretoire. Sweet, robust, warming, and well-suited to the season, here are the best porters to drink now.
Courtesy image
1. Deschutes Black Butte Porter
There are few porters more well-respected than Deschutes’ iconic Black Butte Porter. It’s brewed with Cascade and Tettnang hops as well as 2-row, Chocolate, Crystal, and Carapils malts as well as wheat. This 5.5% ABV year-round offering is great for cold-weather drinking because of its mix of roasted malts, coffee, and chocolate. It’s a robust, subtly sweet beer perfect for imbibing on a crisp fall night.
The key to 360-degree muscle: 90-degree eccentric isometrics. It might seem like we’re throwing a lot of geometry at you, but the concept behind time under tension (TUT) is simple, says Joel Seedman, PhD, owner of Advanced Human Performance: “Perform the lowering phase of a movement in a slow, controlled fashion, usually 3 to 5 seconds; pause in the stretched position, typically around 90 degrees; then perform the lifting phase in a powerful yet controlled fashion.” Believe us, a time-under-tension workout can humble even seasoned lifters…Eccentric isometrics are like the pressure cooker of training.
“Rather than mindlessly performing slow-tempo reps, you’re using the increased time under tension as a means to fine-tune your body mechanics and alignment, which requires more mental engagement and focus,” Seedman adds.
If you want to forge functional muscle mass and strength while simultaneously bulletproofing the joints and connective tissue, give this 10-move, full-body eccentric isometrics workout a go.
Directions
Perform the following moves as 90-degree eccentric isometrics following the above protocol. Use heavy weight, but not at the detriment of proper form. Rest 60 to 90 seconds between sets and 2 minutes between circuits. Perform once every 2 to 4 days for optimal results.
Best Time-Under-Tension Workout for Total-Body Strength
Circuit 1
Marius Bugge
A. Barbell Back Squat
Set a squat rack up with heavy weight, then grasp bar and step under it. Squeeze shoulder blades together, then stand to unrack bar and step back with feet shoulder-width apart. Inhale, hinge at hips and slowly bend knees to 90 degrees. Pause, keeping natural arch in low back, then extend through hips to powerfully stand. 3 x 4-6 reps
Marius Bugge
B. Renegade Row
Start in the top position of a pushup with hands shoulder-width apart on moderate-to-heavy dumbbells (shown). Explosively drive right elbow back to row dumbbell toward ribs while balancing on opposite hand and feet. Pause, then slowly lower weight, stopping a few inches above floor. Switch sides after all reps are done. 3 x 5 reps each side
Circuit 2
Marius Bugge
A. Dumbbell Bentover Row
Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding two moderate-to-heavy dumbbells in front of thighs, palms facing you. Push hips back and hinge torso forward so it’s nearly parallel to floor, soft bend in knees. Dumbbells should be near shins. Drive elbows back to row weights toward ribs. Pause, then slowly lower down for 3 to 5 seconds. 3 x 4-5 reps
Marius Bugge
B. Incline Dumbbell Chest Press with Legs Raised
Set an adjustable bench to a 30- to 45-degree angle and lie back with dumbbells in either hand. Engage core and lift legs off floor, flexing feet. Press weights overhead, palms in. Slowly lower to 90 degrees, staying tight and compact. Pause, then drive weights up directly over chest. 3 x 4-5 reps
Circuit 3
Marius Bugge
A. Dumbbell Bulgarian Squat
Stand lunge-length in front of a flat bench, holding heavy dumbbells in each hand by your sides, palms facing in. Rest the ball on top (shoe’s laces) of your right foot behind you on the bench. Slowly lower your body until your front thigh is parallel to the floor. Pause, then drive through your heel to stand. Switch sides after all reps are complete. 2 x 3-4 reps each side
Marius Bugge
B. Single-leg Romanian Deadlift
Stand with feet hip-width apart holding dumbbells or kettlebells. Drive right leg up, foot flexed, knee aligned with hip, making a 90-degree angle. Hinge at hips as you slowly lever your torso toward floor, lowering weights and driving right leg back for counterbalance. Hold, then squeeze glutes to reverse. 2 x 3-4 reps each side
Circuit 4
Marius Bugge
A. Pullup
Hang from a pullup bar using an overhand grip with legs extended and feet flexed. Engage lats and draw shoulders down your back, then pull yourself up until chin is higher than hands. Pause at the top, then slowly lower. Pause at bottom, then reset before your next rep. 2-3 x 4-5 reps
Marius Bugge
B. Kneeling Overhead Barbell Press
Hold a bar with moderate-to-heavy load at shoulder level with forearms perpendicular to floor. Kneel at end of bench with feet flexed to grip edge for support. Inhale, engage your core and glutes, then press the bar overhead, pushing your head forward so it passes your face, exhaling at the top. Slowly lower until elbows are at 90 degrees, then hold to maintain tension. Begin your next rep from here. 2-3 x 4-5 reps
Circuit 5
A. Dumbbell Pushup
Place hands on dumbbells (this provides greater range of motion) at shoulder width and feet wider than shoulder width with just toes touching the ground. Keep head neutral and hips high to increase tension on core, chest and tris and reduce stress on spine. Slowly lower to the floor. Stop once elbows hit 90 degrees, pause, then push up to start. 1-2 x 6-8 reps
B. Biceps Curl
Stand with feet hip-width apart with moderate-to-heavy dumbbells in each hand hanging by sides. Engage biceps to curl the weights up, keeping upper arms still. Pause at the top, then lower slowly. Don’t let arms drop all the way down to keep greater time under tension on biceps. 1-2 x 6-8 reps
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If you haven’t picked up a jump rope since elementary school, you’re missing out on a fantastic cardio workout. Not only will you burn a ton of calories in a short amount of time—200 to 300 calories in 15 minutes—but jump ropes can also improve your coordination and agility. Better yet, jumping rope doesn’t require much space, so it’s easy to do at home, and it’s often more mentally stimulating than jogging or swimming.
Choosing a Jump Rope
When deciding which jump rope is best for you, it’s important to determine what your goals are. While lightweight speed ropes are popular for cardio-focused training, weighted or drag ropes will be best for those focused on strength training.
No matter what your training goals are, we’ve got you covered with this roundup of 10 jump ropes from top brands including Crossrope, TRX, Rogue, and more.
The Best Jump Ropes of 2022
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