I’m Nicole Carroll, the editor-in-chief of USA Today, and this is the background story and insight into our biggest story this week. If you want to receive The Backstory in your inbox every week, please sign up here. 

David Ellerby put out nine aluminum foil pots, each filled with different brands of cat litter. Next, he pours 5 teaspoons of fox urine on each cat (this is the amount a normal cat uses each time). 

Then he wrapped each pan in a huge plastic bag and sealed it. After a few hours, he will come back with an air quality meter to determine which brand is doing the best at absorbing odors.

Ellerby is the chief scientist of Reviewed, an organization of the USA Today network that rates and reviews thousands of products each year.

After our experts have tested and selected the best product, our author will search for the best price for the item. The combination of quality and price has led to our "best" list-the best blender, the best grill, the best air fryer, and yes, the best cat litter is coming soon.

There is a tabby cat named Pepper in Ellerby's family. "So I might change the brand based on my findings within a few minutes," he said with a smile. "I think it will be a mixture of excitement and terror."

This week, the days around Black Friday and Cyber ​​Monday are the busiest days in the Reviewed. This year, staff tested approximately 2,000 products, many of which were performed in their 24,000 square foot laboratory in Cambridge, Massachusetts. These tests form the cornerstone of reviews, gift guides, and other stories. (Other items may be listed in the list if they receive positive reviews from actual users.)

Ellerby helps design tests to ensure that the results are credible and reproducible. For larger items, such as dishwashers or refrigerators, workers will use industry testing standards. For smaller or more unique projects, they will come up with their own (usually interesting) test equipment and protocols.

A reviewed TikTok video showed that the staff lit their aprons, exercised on the rowing machine, and tested the fryer by frying Oreos.

"I am a professional scientist and I am used to mining and interpreting scientific and technical literature," said Ellerby, who has a background in physiology and biomechanics. "So the tests we run are largely rooted in science; they are developed in a way that can be fully replicated. This allows us to support our data 100%."

The review article contains a link to the online store, so users can easily purchase goods. The company did get commissions from many of the goods sold. But the editor-in-chief David Kender made it clear that it will never affect which items on the list or which store links are included.

Kendall said that Reviewed will always send users to reputable companies at the best price, regardless of whether they have signed a financial agreement with them. For customers, the cost of goods remains the same regardless of whether commissions are charged. Financial disclosures appear in every review article.

Reviewed pays for all the products it reviews (costs about 1/4 million dollars per year), or it will loan out the tested products and return them to the manufacturer afterwards. Kendall said that products will only be on the list when they are of good quality. His famous saying is: "There are no discounts for bad products."

"Most of the time, the problem that needs to be solved is that someone needs to buy something," he said. "I need to buy a new umbrella, a new coffee cup, and a gift for my niece. We hope to get to the point as soon as possible, provide them with recommendations, and ensure that it is purchased at a legitimate retailer at a reasonable price. And at the same time, try to emphasize We know what we are talking about. We have completed our homework, and this is a photo of us testing it. So please move on with confidence."

The entire staff will participate in the comments. Some products are best reviewed on site, which usually means going home. Kend had spent three months trying different electric toothbrushes. 

"My teeth may never look so good," he said.

He also happily tested the tape. The review revealed that Kendall "has an unusually strong affinity for tape since he was a child."

After choosing the best products, Kate Ellsworth's team started looking for the best prices. 

"So our favorite robot vacuum cleaner is on sale. Great. We will tell our readers," said Ellsworth, executive editor of commercial content. "After completing all product tests, we have what we like and what our experts recommend, we will accept it and teach people how to shop at a discount...how to shop at different retailers at different price points. "

On the occasion of holiday shopping, Reviewed collected reviews from the past year and created the Best of the Year awards, naming top products into 10 categories, from pets to technology to cooking.

Kendre unveiled their veil at a video awards ceremony, complete with tuxedos, exquisite envelopes and canned applause. 

What is their personal favorite? 

Ellsworth likes what she calls a big blanket, a 10 foot x 10 foot "favorite."

“After living with Big Blanket for a whole year, I used it to rest on the sofa, sleep underneath, and build a blanket fortress almost every day in the cold months. I can say that I am now a proud member of Big’s adoration blanket, even though My husband tore a muscle on the first day," Ellsworth wrote in her comment. 

Given the supply and transportation challenges in certain regions, she also recommends any products that can be delivered digitally. She pointed to Black Friday deals in streaming services, online courses, or things delivered throughout the year. 

"Bouqs is a flower delivery service, you can receive flowers every month," she said. "So I bought this for my mother on Mother's Day, and she forbade me to cancel it."

Kend said he was "fascinated with toys because I have a 7-year-old child."

"The Advent calendar for Harry Potter and Star Wars Lego is great," he said. "But they move so fast, I will try very hard not to buy myself anything I absolutely don't need this year." 

Wait, I thought those were for 7 year olds?

"We will share," he said with a smile. "Half of the joy of being a parent is that you can play with toys again."

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Nicole Carroll is the editor-in-chief of USA Today. Contact her at EIC@usatoday.com or follow her on Twitter here. Support journalism-subscribe to USA Today here. (Black Friday offer: 52 weeks, $1 per week.)