Katie Okamoto

Los Angeles, New York

Sustainability Lead Editor at Wirecutter

mostly not here. find me:

Articles

The 3 Best Creamy, Nut-Free Seed Butters of 2025

6 days ago | nytimes.com | Katie Okamoto

If you grew up with a peanut allergy, someone might have told you, oh so helpfully, that you’ve missed out on an American school lunch classic. (Might? Who am I kidding? I know you’ve heard that one.) I felt this acutely in 1991, the year I started kindergarten. But this is 2025, and you know what? They’re wrong.
It’s Time to Clean Your Books

1 month ago | nytimes.com | Katie Okamoto

Of all my possessions, the only ones I really, truly love are my books. They are like friends—no, they’re family. And I have been neglecting them. True, some books I handle regularly, mainly poetry collections and cookbooks. But most of them—novels, essay collections and memoirs, tomes about apples and oysters and architecture—are parked on my shelves, quietly keeping me company, warming my room with their array of colors and textures. And they’re gathering dust.
The Veggie's Editor Dishes on Her Favorite Kitchen Tools

1 month ago | nytimes.com | Katie Okamoto

If you subscribe to The Veggie, you probably already know a little bit about its author. “I want our readers to think of me as a friend who is going through some similar things in their life,” Tanya Sichynsky, the editor behind the weekly New York Times Cooking newsletter, explained as she answered my questions from her Brooklyn apartment kitchen.
These Silk Pillowcases Are an Affordable Bedtime Luxury. Just Don’t Expect Miracles.

2 months ago | nytimes.com | Katie Okamoto

In my ongoing quest to have East Coast hair in Los Angeles (dry land of hard water), I succumbed to the silk pillowcase hype a few years ago and sprung for one with a luxury price tag. The bill hurt, but the pillowcase! I was not prepared for how delicious it would feel against my cheek. I have always had sensitive skin, and laying my head down to sleep, I wished I had switched from crisp percale cotton (my previous favorite) sooner.
Do You Use a Humidifier or Diffuser Before Bedtime? You Might Want to Stop.

2 months ago | flipboard.com | Katie Okamoto

Derms Say These Shower Water Filters Can Actually Improve Your Hair And SkinJust like the ones you use on the kitchen sink, these filters can remove “minerals and chemicals [that] can potentially dry or irritate hair and skin,” said a dermatologist. In recent months, I’ve been bombarded with social media ads singing the praises of shower head water filters. My immediate …
Do You Use a Humidifier or Diffuser Before Bedtime? You Might Want to Stop.

2 months ago | nytimes.com | Katie Okamoto

About a year ago, I started running an essential oil diffuser in my bedroom in the evenings. The hinoki oil I used in it was soothing and grounding, an olfactory signal to my body that it would soon be time to sleep. Besides, the water vapor from the diffuser, I reasoned, might help add some moisture to the perennially dry air in my Los Angeles apartment. That scent diffuser is now bound for my local electronics-recycling center.
This Cotton Yoga Rug Is Beautiful. But It’s Not for Every Body.

2 months ago | nytimes.com | Katie Okamoto

My loyalty to the natural-rubber JadeYoga Harmony Mat, Wirecutter’s current top pick in our guide to the best yoga mats, is well documented. I’ve been practicing on the mat for more than a decade, replacing it every few years, through multiple yoga-teacher trainings and a mentorship. But sometimes the eye wanders. In my case, I kept hovering over social media ads for an Oko Living cotton yoga rug in vibrant natural-dye colorways that evoked lavender, cantaloupe, sage, and sand.
Why Doctors Still Recommend Masking After Wildfire Smoke Clears

Jan 14, 2025 | nytimes.com | Katie Okamoto

After an urban wildfire, as the smoke clears and air quality index readings lower, serious health risks may still linger. You should definitely wear an N95 mask if you smell smoke or see ash, as our colleagues at The New York Times reported earlier this week, due to the immediate health impacts of breathing urban wildfire smoke. You should also wear one if you are at a burned or smoke-damaged property or nearby.
PFAS Bans Are Coming for Clothing. Here’s What You Need to Know.

Jan 13, 2025 | nytimes.com | Katie Okamoto

I remember buying my first rain shell when I was still in college. I sought out the Gore-Tex label specifically, because based on its reputation I knew that the breathable waterproof coating would keep me bone-dry as I sloshed across the sleet-drenched New England campus to class and on sodden trips to the coast for my research. When I eventually moved to New York City, that jacket cocooned me through soaked commutes and drizzly upstate hikes. I felt protected but not claustrophobic.
PFAS Bans Are Coming for Clothing. Here’s What You Need to Know

Jan 13, 2025 | pfascentral.org | Katie Okamoto

By Katie Okamoto | Wirecutter | January 13, 2025 Read the full article by Katie Okamoto (Wirecutter) "I remember buying my first rain shell when I was still in college.