This is Highly Recommend, a column dedicated to what people in the food industry are obsessed with eating, drinking, and buying right now.
As a recipe tester and developer, I’m constantly shifting from savory to sweet and then back again, which means I need to keep all of my equipment as clean and scent-free as possible—including my most important tools: my hands. After a recent day spent testing brandade, a luscious spread of whipped salt cod and potatoes, my hands smelled like the bottom of the ocean. I was due to start a finicky thumbprint cookie recipe next, so I began breaking down parts of my station, cleaning as I went along. That’s when I noticed the minimalist blue and white packaging of MacKenzie’s Fisherman Hand Scrub by the sink in BA’s test kitchen.
Developed by two recreational fishermen in New England, MacKenzie’s is a deeply moisturizing exfoliator that, judging by their Instagram, is a favorite of bearded anglers who like to pose with their catch. It utilizes finely ground walnut shell and pumice stone to remove fish scales and stuck-on gunk, while coconut oil and cocoa butter soften and protect skin from dryness. Bright, refreshing lemon essential oil keeps hands smelling squeaky clean.
After using the scrub, I smelled my hands, and not one whiff of salt cod remained. My hands also felt remarkably moisturized. Because I’m washing my hands constantly while cooking, they’re usually dry and cracked. I found myself coming back to MacKenzie’s all day because of how soft it kept my hands without leaving a greasy residue.
I also tried this miracle scrub on my plastic cutting board, which I’d used to break down a few pounds of salt cod. The walnut shell removed any trapped bits of fish, and the essential oil left it smelling brand new.
If you’re cooking a multi-course meal, a squeeze of MacKenzie’s Fisherman Hand Scrub will keep your thumbprint cookies from smelling like sea bass—or onions or garlic. You don’t have to be a professional recipe tester to know that’s a good thing.
