Worried About Your Gas Stove? Here’s What to Do.

Worried that using your gas stove is negatively affecting your health? Though experts and pundits continue to debate the fine points, gas stoves have long been shown to release benzene, methane, nitrogen oxides, carbon dioxide, and other potentially risky airborne substances when you use them. In January 2023, the Consumer Product Safety Commission made it clear that while the agency isn’t looking to ban gas stoves, it is actively researching emissions, new voluntary safety standards, and solutions for reducing the potential hazards. The good news is, you can usually eliminate most of the risks—even if your household includes kids with asthma—by getting more fresh air into your kitchen while you cook. Here are some tips.

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The Best Gaming TV for PS5 & Xbox Series X

When it comes to pairing with the latest video game consoles—the Sony PlayStation 5 and Microsoft Xbox Series X—not all TVs are created equal. The best gaming TVs take full advantage of the improved performance specs that make the newest gaming consoles worth buying: 4K resolution, HDR compatibility, high frame rates, low latency, and more. After extensive testing, we’ve found that the LG C1 OLED TV is still the best choice for gamers thanks to its low input lag, large range of screen sizes, and gaming-friendly features. Oh, and the picture looks great, too.

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Sorry, but It’s Probably Time to Replace These 17 Household Essentials

Nothing lasts forever. Still, for the sake of your wallet and the planet, we try to recommend things that won’t break quickly and go straight to the landfill. But plenty of items (otherwise-good stuff we recommend) around your home need to be replaced every so often. Some of them trap germs and bacteria over time. Others lose efficacy as the years wear on. Here’s a handy guide to when and why you should swap out some Wirecutter picks that you (probably) use every day.

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The Best VPN Service

As more people’s work and personal lives go digital, online privacy and security become increasingly important. Although a virtual private network, or VPN, is not the total answer to protecting your online privacy, it can be a useful part of your security toolkit. However, the VPN industry is riddled with false promises and shady businesses. After sorting through dozens of VPNs and reviewing four security audits, we think the best option for most people is Mullvad, an open-source VPN that’s not only trustworthy and transparent but also fast and reliable.

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The Best Standing Desks

No matter how great your office chair is, sitting in it all day isn’t doing your body any favors. But being on your feet constantly isn’t good for your comfort or health, either. An electric, height-adjustable standing desk gives you the best of both worlds. Want a productivity and energy boost? Push a button to raise the desk so you can move a little while working. Feel like leaning back in your chair for some deep focus time? Push another button to lower the desk. After reevaluating our top picks and testing three new models, we’ve reconfirmed that the Uplift V2 is the best standing desk for most people. It accommodates a wide range of heights, it’s stable at even its tallest setting, and it features a greater variety of attractive customization options than you’ll find on any competitor.

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The Best Rice Cooker

Rice is one of the world’s most versatile foods: You could eat a different rice dish every day for weeks without getting bored. If that sounds appealing, you might appreciate a great rice cooker, which can turn out perfect, plump grains with almost no effort. After more than 150 hours of research and testing, during which we’ve cooked approximately 275 pounds of rice, we recommend the Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy NS-ZCC10. It makes the best white rice, across all grain types, of any cooker we’ve tested, and it also turns out great brown rice.

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Sleep Number Mattresses: An Honest Assessment

Spending thousands of dollars on a mattress that, by volume, is mostly air may sound as ridiculous as paying inflated prices for bottled water. But with some marketing magic and a few enticing extras, real or imagined, anything can happen. Sleep Number, the most successful brand in the adjustable air-bed category, offers 11 models with varying levels of cushioning, all of which can be puffed up to your desired firmness level with just the touch of a button. If you sleep alone and have a consistent firmness preference, Sleep Number is an overpriced option. But for couples with vastly different tastes in mattress firmness, those adjustable, air-filled chambers could be worth it.

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