Everyone has a signature dish they whip out when they're trying to impress — whether it's beans on toast or a gourmet beef wellington with all trimmings.

Once you've got a catalogue of tried and tested favourites, you're set up for every culinary occasion — without the stress of hoping the recipe you chose on a whim turns out as planned.

Business Insider asked some of the UK's highest-profile head chefs — with 13 Michelin stars between them — which dishes everyone should be able to whip up by the time their 20s are over.

The list includes recipes that accommodate every level of experience in the kitchen — from simple sauces to show-stopping desserts.

Scroll on to discover 30 dishes everyone should know how to make by the time they turn 30, according to the UK's leading head chefs.

Beer can chicken on the barbecue is a crowd-pleaser.

Steve Smith, head chef at Jersey-based Michelin-starred restaurantBohemia, believes everyone should have a crowd-pleasing recipe up their sleeves. "When you're busy and don't find the time to cook, it's good to have a few staple dishes with you can whip up quickly," Smith said.

"You can't wrong with Beer Can Chicken on the BBQ if the weather's good."

This recipe from Jamie Oliver incorporates a sweet and smoky rub to enhance the flavours from the grill.

A balanced and filling salad.

"Being able to whip up a filling, balanced, and tasty salad using leftover vegetables and salad ingredients in the fridge is a skill," Smith said.

"A salad can be delicious when some real thought has gone into it. Learn what works together and what doesn't — it needs acidity, sweetness, textures, and substance."

Need some inspiration? Check out this list of one food blogger's favourite ever salad combinations.

Avocado and bacon is a brunch staple simple enough for everyone to master.

Whether it counts as an actual recipe or not, Smith said: "For breakfast, you have to be able to make smashed avocado on toast with bacon."

Best topped with lime and chilli flakes, check out this avocado toast run-down from BBC Good Food.

The Harvey Weinstein scandal is one of the biggest controversies to ever hit Hollywood, and its ripples will be felt for a long time to come.

While the storied studio head was fired from his own company after dozens of accusations of sexual harassment and assault came out in the press, the post-Harvey landscape doesn’t simply affect movies that the Weinstein Company planned to distribute.

It will also dominate the press tours of fall films involving actors who had a significant business relationship with Weinstein, while the increased push for accountability could snare stars with scandals of their own that can no longer be brushed aside so easily.

Here are nine movies where the talent may have to navigate some tricky questions this fall.

SEE ALSO: All the women who have accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment or assault

"Suburbicon" (October 27)

Weinstein helped make Matt Damon a superstar with Good Will Hunting, so while promoting Suburbicon and his December dramedy Downsizing, Damon was already sure to be asked about the controversy. He was drawn in further, though, by the Wrap’s Sharon Waxman, who alleged that Damon called her at Weinstein’s behest years ago in an attempt to squash an unfavorable story.

Waxman has since tempered the accusation somewhat — she says Damon likely had no idea what charges he was being leveraged to hush up — but the furor prompted Damon to do a damage-control Deadline interview and will likely spur more questions during the Surburbicon press tour about Weinstein incidents, which both Damon and the film’s director George Clooney claimnot to have known about.

"Daddy's Home 2" (November 10)

When it comes to abhorrent behavior, has Hollywood drawn a line in the sand after the Weinstein scandal? The button-pushing inclusion of Mel Gibson in Daddy’s Home 2 will be an early test. Gibson was considered an industry pariah after his slur-laden 2006 Malibu arrest and the 2010 accusations that he assaulted his ex, but he wormed his way back into Hollywood’s good graces last year by directing the hit Hacksaw Ridge, which earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Director.

The press went awfully easy on Gibson last fall — perhaps Donald Trump’s path to the Oval Office was sucking all the air out of the room — but his attempt to revive a career in front of the camera may not go down as well post-Weinstein.

"Murder on the Orient Express" (November 10)

With an ensemble cast this stacked, you’d expect plenty of ties to Weinstein, and indeed, both Judi Dench and Penelope Cruz have won Oscars in movies the mogul distributed. (Dench has long credited Weinstein with giving her a movie career at all.) I suspect, though, that Orient Express’s most problematic cast member will be Johnny Depp, who was accused of beating ex-wife Amber Heard, and has seen his star wane precipitously in recent years; he may now be more liability than asset when it comes to domestic audiences.

Depp doesn’t do much press, but Heard might be out there talking to reporters for Justice League, which introduces her Aquaman character Mera to the DC Comics cinematic universe. Speaking of which …

Storm Ophelia blasted its way across Ireland yesterday, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.

Roofs were torn off buildings, sea waters breached coastal walls, and trees were uprooted by the hundreds.

Three people were killed and hundreds of thousands left without power.

The storm also made itself felt in coastal areas of England and Wales, where the seas were extremely rough.

As the emergency warnings in Ireland come to an end, images and video of the storm and its aftermath are starting to emerge.

Scroll down for some of the most striking pictures from one of the most powerful weather events to hit the British Isles in years.

Most of Storm Ophelia's power came from the wind — you can see how strong it is here, blowing sand across the beach at Portmarnock, a town just outside of Dublin.

It took the roof off several buildings — here's a school roof in Cork soaring through the air.

The wind knocked down power lines, like here in Ballyvaughan, County Clare.

With its new Pixel 2 smartphone, Google is playing things safe.

The second generation of the company's flagship phone, which starts at $649 and begins shipping Tuesday, takes most of its cues from its predecessor, the original Pixel. The two phones' designs are similar and their specs are mostly the same. 

But that's a good thing. 

When the original Pixel arrived a year ago, it solved the biggest headache of using Google's smartphone operating system by offering users an unadulterated version of Android. Instead of larding up the phone with messy, unnecessary features, as third-party smartphone makers often do, Google got back to basics. The phone combined Google's leading apps and features — Maps, Search, Photos, Assistant, etc. — with smart, simple hardware. 

Pixel 2 does all that still. It's just a little bit better.

I spent about five days with the Pixel 2, the smaller of Google's two new Pixel phones (for more about the Pixel 2 XL, check out my colleague Tony's review). That wasn't enough time to really put the phone through its paces, and I'll have plenty more thoughts to share in the coming weeks. But I was able to get a good handle on the phone's performance, battery life, camera, and overall design. 

Here are my impressions:

SEE ALSO: Our camera shootout between the new iPhone 8 and the two-year-old iPhone 6s reveals you don't really need to upgrade

Not much has changed

Let's start with the hardware. 

For the Pixel 2 in particular, not much is different from last year's model, design-wise. The Pixel 2, like the original Pixel, has a 5-inch, AMOLED display, rear fingerprint scanner, squared-off edges, and a single camera lens. While it comes in a new shade of light blue, the Pixel 2 is about as nondescript as a smartphone can get. 

That may sound like a put-down, but the fact that Google played it straight with the Pixel 2 is one of the things I like best about it. In an age when the borders around screens are shrinking to the infinitesimal, screens seem to go on forever, and everything is made out of glass, Google opted to stick with what worked in the past.

Now, that's not the most forward-thinking approach, and the Pixel 2 won't win any awards for creativity or futuristic design. But most people don't need or likely even want a $1,000 glass phone. They need a sturdy, reliable phone that can withstand being tossed in a bag, dropped on the ground, or doused in water. That's the Pixel 2. 

The phone is fairly lightweight at 5 ounces, but it feels durable, even with its high-end OLED screen. It has a different feel in the hand than the first-generation Pixel, thanks to a textured, grippy coating on its back. And the Pixel 2 meets the IP67 water resistance standard, which means it can withstand being submerged in about three feet of water for 30 minutes.

It also has sensational battery life. In my tests, the phone lasted nearly two days on a single charge.

Of course, playing videos or using the camera will drain the Pixel's battery, just like on any other smartphone.

"Always on" display

What sets the Pixel 2 apart from the previous Pixel — and Apple's rival iPhone 8 — is its so-called always-on display. The screen always shows the time, even when the device is locked and the rest of the display is turned off. It also shows the date and symbols for any notifications you have. And even when the phone is locked, it should be able to detect what song is playing in the background and show it on the screen.

That always-on feature is a product of the device having an OLED screen. Unlike traditional LCD displays, such screens can light up individual areas or even pixels while keeping the rest off. 

After using the phone for five days, I began to consider the always-on feature a must-have. It's something I loved about the Samsung Galaxy S8 and something I wish I had on my iPhone 6s. While seemingly a minor detail, the feature is incredibly helpful and, just as importantly, doesn't waste battery life. 

In addition to offering the always-on feature, the Pixel 2's screen is just plain stunning. It's sharp, bright, and immersive. It almost make you feel like you're falling into it. Videos are beautiful, photos are crisp and clear, and colors are vibrant. 

In the future, most smartphone makers will likely move to OLED screens and for good reason — they're simply gorgeous.  

Portrait mode, but for selfies

The hallmark feature of the Pixel phones are their cameras. And that's certainly the case with the Pixel 2.

I'll be putting the Pixel's camera through its full paces over the next several weeks, but for now, I can safely say that it's easily on par with the iPhone 8 and Samsung's Galaxy Note 8. 

The photos I took with the device were stunning. They're almost impossibly detailed without looking fake or overwrought. Their colors are beautiful and true-to-life. And the camera has extra controls that make it feel closer to a DSLR.

One great feature is its ability to take portrait photos with blurred backgrounds. It's a capability that's similar to the portrait mode on the iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 8 Plus. But Apple's phones can only take portrait photos using their rear cameras. The Pixel 2 can take such shot with both its front and rear cameras.

Indeed, the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL are the only phones currently on the market that can take portrait-mode selfies, although the iPhone X will have the same feature when it arrives in a few weeks. 

In the photo above, you can see how the Pixel 2's portrait feature can transform an incredibly average selfie with a busy background into a sharp photo that I'd be unashamed to send to friends or post on Instagram. The technology isn't perfect yet — it cut off several strands of my hair — but its flaws aren't glaring. 

This selfie portrait mode is easily my favorite feature of the Pixel 2. What makes it even better is that it comes on a phone that's much cheaper than the upcoming iPhone X. 

And the best part about the Pixel 2's camera is that it's exactly the same as the one in the Pixel 2 XL, which means you don't even have to pay extra to get the bigger phone, like you do with the iPhones 7 and 8 models. Neither of the new Pixel phones relies on a dual-lens camera to work its portrait magic. Instead, both phones use just one camera lens and some software to offer the feature. 

Victoria Swarovski made headlines in June for her extravagant wedding, complete with a million-dollar dress — and it seems every aspect of her life is equally fabulous.

Business Insider met the 24-year-old singer, fashion designer, TV star, and heir to the Swarovski crystal fortune on one of her recent visits to London.

From recording at Abbey Road Studios to launching a new fashion line — and constantly flying around the world — she certainly has a lot on her plate.

Scroll down for a look at the fabulous life of Victoria Swarovski.

This is 24-year old Victoria Swarovski, singer, TV star, and heir to the Swarovski crystal fortune.

She was born in Austria to Paul and Alexandra Swarovski, who are now separated. She calls herself "a girl out of the mountains."

A singer/songwriter since the age of 12, Swarovski said she was signed to Sony by the time she was 15.

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She started out recording dance music, but she didn't like it. At the age of 18, she said she told Sony: "Let me finish my EP then let me figure out what direction I want to go."

Now, she calls her music "future pop with a touch of soul and R&B." She sang the theme song for "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader," and also performed at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

She's no longer with Sony, and "trying to do my own record thing," she said. "Sometimes it's good to have the great labels because they have great connections, but sometimes they just sign you to keep you calm," she said.

After spending a few years in LA, love took her back to Germany. That love is now-husband Werner Mürz, who works in real estate in Germany investing in industrial buildings.

"I met him through his father, our parents are very good friends," she said. "His father passed away last year in a car accident, but he’s the person who brought us together."

Even regular users of Microsoft Excel might not be getting as much out of it as they can. Improve your Excel efficiency and proficiency with these basic shortcuts and functions that absolutely everyone needs to know.

SEE ALSO: This is what separates the Excel masters from the wannabes

1. Jump from worksheet to worksheet with Ctrl + PgDn and Ctrl + PgUp

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2. Jump to the end of a data range or the next data range with Ctrl + Arrow

Of course you can move from cell to cell with arrow keys. But if you want to get around faster, hold down the Ctrl key and hit the arrow keys to get farther.
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3. Add the Shift key to select data

Ctrl + Shift +Arrow will extend the current selection to the last nonblank cell in that direction.RAW Embed

Anonymous polling app tbh has been at the top of the App Store's free apps chart for weeks — and Facebook took notice. 

On Monday, Facebook announced it bought the 3-month-old app. Tbh will remain a standalone app, but its founders will move into Facebook's Silicon Valley headquarters.

Tbh, which is an acronym for "To be honest," bills itself as "the only anonymous app with positive vibes."

The app isn't a standard messaging app like Yik Yak or Sarahah, though: Instead, users are presented with a series of prompts about their friends like, "Should DJ every party" or "Hotter than the sun" and four options for friends that best fit that description. 

The name of the app follows a similar trend among teens who use the phrase "tbh" on Instagram to say something nice about their friends. A tbh is used almost like a form of Instagram currency, since you can trade a tbh for a like on one of your photos. Whether or not the app's name was inspired by that, tbh bears a lot of similarities to the trend.

Here's how tbh works:

SEE ALSO: Here's how to use Marco Polo, the video messaging app that could replace Snapchat one day

Tbh is designed for users 13 and up, and allows those who sign up to select their school and grade level. But you can still use tbh if you're in college or have already graduated.

Next, you'll select your gender, which is the only thing about you that's shared with other users. One cool thing about tbh: There's an option for users who don't identify as either male or female.

Tbh sets up the app like a game. You're presented with a series of polls — 12 at a time — then four options of friends to choose from. Tbh says your responses are entirely anonymous.

Basketball is back!

After a busy offseason filled with blockbuster trades sending All-Star players to rival teams, on Tuesday night the 2017-18 season officially tips off with two marquee matchups that will give basketball fans the world over their first look at some of the league's newest lineups of superstars and might even be a preview of the conference finals — Boston Celtics at Cleveland Cavaliers and Houston Rockets at Golden State Warriors.

There's plenty for basketball fans to love about the NBA's return, both on and off the court.

Below we'll take a look at why we are excited to see the NBA back in action.

SEE ALSO: One player from all 30 NBA teams who can break out and become a star this season

No one backed down from the Warriors

Facing perhaps the greatest collection of talent the NBA has ever seen, NBA teams did not bow to Golden State, but instead went to ridiculous lengths to challenge them. The Rockets, Thunder, Wolves, Celtics, and Cavs all made major moves to challenge the Warriors this offseason.

Making it even more fun was the transactions looked as if they were spawned from the minds of over-excited fantasy basketball players. Paul George and Carmelo Anthony to the Thunder for the price for a few role players? Sure. The greatest point guard of his generation in Chris Paul joining a player who had career year as a point guard in James Harden? Why not? Kyrie Irving demanding to leave LeBron James and getting sent to… the Cavs’ biggest challengers? Of course!

It’s possible that none of this changes the outcome of this season, but it's exciting to see NBA teams rise to the challenge in increasingly wild ways. The jelling of these newfound super-team teams and how they measure up to Golden State makes this as exciting a regular season as we've seen in years.

— Scott Davis

Trash talk and subtweets

We've already had three Twitter subplots take over the timelines of NBA fans since the Warriors won their second title in three years back in June. Kevin Durant appeared to get busted using a burner account to respond to fans angry at him for leaving Oklahoma City, Joel Embiid is calling out Hassan Whiteside, and LeBron James called the sitting president of the United States "a bum."

Basketball offers Twitter users something of a respite to those looking to escape the constant deluge of hot takes and crippling self-doubt that the site can induce. While it's a complete mystery as to what social subplots will takeover this season, there will undoubtedly be plenty of them, ranging from who liked whose Instagram post to Embiid finally getting that date with Rihanna he's been pushing for for years.

— Tyler Lauletta

Game-changing rookies

This year’s rookie class has been called one of the most compelling in history, and no, that’s not just because of Lonzo Ball. The Lakers’ new point guard has already captured the attention of the league with his highlight reel passes (and his outspoken father, LaVar Ball), but he’s far from the only first-year player to keep an eye on this season.

The No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft, Markelle Fultz, will be fighting to get a fascinating 76ers team back to the playoffs. The Celtics, widely considered the main threat to unseat the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference, have a star rookie of their own in Jayson Tatum, who has drawn comparisons to Carmelo Anthony.

Across the country, point guards De’Aaron Fox and Dennis Smith Jr. will try to continue the terrific talent they have showed as freshmen in Sacramento and Dallas, respectively. Even Milos Teodosic, an international star with a Steve Nash-like passing touch, will be making his NBA debut for the Clippers. Expectations for this class are high, and I’m ready to watch them play in games that actually count.

— Sam Belden

The mid-size crossover section is red-hot and has been for years. And it's particularly important for luxury automakers, as they've seen their stalwart sedan lineups fade in the face of the ute assault.

Volvo has never been a proper luxury brand, like BMW or Mercedes, and it's also traditionally occupied a less snazzy sub-luxury niche than Land Rover or Jaguar. Volvos used to be unpretentious cars unpretentious people who would drive their cars until the wheels fell off and then they'd put some new wheels on them and drive some more.

But after the financial crisis, the Swedish legend so beloved by thrifty Northeastern college professors was acquired by China's Geely and out on a more overtly luxurious path. Initial results have been more than encouraging: the large XC90 SUV was Business Insider's Car of the Year for 2015. 

Since then, we've sampled a few additional new Volvos, and we've been impressed. But with the mid-size, five-passenger XC60, Volvo really has something to prove. Competition in the heart of the SUV segment for these versatile neo-wagons, favored chariots of affluent suburbanites, is intense.

We borrowed a 2018 XC60 T8 E-AWD Inscription — nicely optioned, stickering at $71,590 — and spent a few days driving around the New Jersey suburbs, and we also made a weekend jaunt into New York City. How did the most important vehicle in Volvo's lineup perform? Read on to find out.

Photos by Hollis Johnson.

SEE ALSO: We drove Audi's new high-performance SUV that's loaded with modern tech — here's what it was like

FOLLOW US: on Facebook for more car and transportation content!

The Volvo XC60 is a pretty nice-looking SUV. Scandinavian values of restraint govern the aesthetic, for the most part. And the XC60 looks very good in "Crystal White."

The front fascia is, in classic Volvo fashion, subdued, but it isn't boxy. It is a tad more svelte than the first-generation XC60 that the 2018 model year it replaces.

This is the first XC60 built under the watchful eyes of Geely, and it makes use of an engineering platform shared with the XC90.

Before your produce reaches your fridge, it goes through a chain of suppliers: a farm, a truck, a packing, washing, and sorting facility, another truck, until it finally reaches your local grocery store.

A new solar-powered home that grows leafy greens indoors skips most of those steps. The home, created by a team of graduate students from the University of Maryland, features a wall that uses an agricultural technique called hydroponic farming. That means that produce grows in nutrient-rich water rather than traditional soil.

Called ReACT, the home also features an enclosed patio, which can be turned into a climate-controlled greenhouse that can grow more crops, including veggies, fruits, and herbs.

ReACT won second place in this years Solar Decathlon, a biannual competition organized by the US Department of Energy that searches for eco-friendly housing prototypes from college students around the world. There were 12 university teams in this year's competition.

Though the Maryland team doesn't have any immediate plans to produce more homes, the team told Business Insider that the ReACt would likely sell for between $250,000 and $300,000.

Take a tour below.

SEE ALSO: An ex-Tesla executive is teaming up with a little-known vertical farming startup

The ReACT is a solar-powered home that measures 1,190 square feet.

The name stands for "resilient adaptive climate technology," because it is completely off-the-grid and prioritizes energy efficiency. Its shape and design can also be customized.

The living room and kitchen features an open layout.

Down the hall, there is a living wall, which can grow leafy greens in nutrient-rich water. The plants are automatically watered through the bottom of the pot, using weather predictions and soil moisture as a guide. Any unused water is automatically filtered and then fed through the system again.

Inhabitants can control the growing trays, which are 3D-printed from recycled plastics, using a touchscreen panel on the wall.

"Conveniently located in the kitchen, residents can quickly harvest fresh garnishes and vegetables for whatever dish they may be preparing that night," the team wrote in an email.

An Ivy League education is often thought to be a ticket to future successes. The most recent admissions numbers— with acceptance rates in the single digits — shows just how sought after a degree from their campuses can be.

So what do undergraduates at the eight Ivy League schools like to study? Turns out, it's surprisingly similar no matter which school they attend.

At six of the eight schools, economics is the most popular major among students who graduated in 2016. The most popular major at the two outliers, Cornell University and the University of Pennsylvania, were engineering and finance, respectively.

Scroll down to see the top three most popular majors across the Ivy League.

SEE ALSO: Here's the study schedule of a student who spent about 100 hours applying to colleges — and got into all 8 Ivy Leagues

Brown University

1. Economics 
2. Computer Science 
3. Biology 

Columbia University

1. Economics 
2. Political Science
3. Psychology 

Cornell University

1. Engineering 
2. Business, Management & Marketing
3. Biological and Biomedical Sciences 

On Tuesday, Forbes released its 2017 list of the richest people in America.

The Forbes 400 list features the wealthiest billionaires in the US, but not every American with three commas in their net worth made the cut.

A record 169 billionaires, including Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg and Under Armour's Kevin Plank, fell short of the minimum net worth required to land them among the richest of the rich in the US. All members of the 2017 Forbes 400 have a net worth of at least $2 billion, which is 18% higher than the $1.7 billion minimum required in 2016.

To determine the ranking, Forbes took into account stakes in public and private companies, real estate holdings, and other assets including art, jewelry, cars, and planes. All net worth estimates are current as of October 17, 2017.

Scroll through to see America's richest people, and how much their fortune is worth.

SEE ALSO: Meet the world's 10 richest black billionaires

DON'T MISS: Donald Trump is not America's richest real estate tycoon — it's another Donald who's worth almost $17 billion

9. Larry Page: $44.6 billion

Source of wealth: Google

Age: 44

Residence: Palo Alto, California

Read more on Forbes.

8. Michael Bloomberg: $46.8 billion

Source of wealth: Bloomberg LP

Age: 75

Residence: New York, New York

Read more on Forbes. 

6. David Koch: $48.5 billion

Source of wealth: Diversified

Age: 77

Residence: New York, New York

Read more on Forbes. 

The INSIDER Summary:

• Acid, not sugar,  is the root cause of cavities. So candy and chocolates are not the worst offenders for teeth problems.
• Dr. Mark Burhenne of AsktheDentist.com gave us a list of 8 foods and drinks that are just as bad — or worse — for your teeth than candy.
• Crackers, especially Saltines and Goldfish, should be avoided.

We've had it drilled into our heads since we were kids: If you eat too much candy, you will have a mouth full of cavities the next time you go to the dentist. It turns out that's not quite true. 

INSIDER spoke to Dr. Mark Burhenne of AsktheDentist.com to learn the truth about what causes cavities and which foods and drinks to avoid. Surprisingly, they're not all sweets. 

"Sugar isn't the cause of tooth decay; acid is," Dr. Burhenne said, explaining that when you eat something with sugar, bacteria that naturally reside in your mouth consume this sugar as well.

"Bacteria's waste product is acid, so after [the bacteria] have a meal, they excrete acid. Acid is what causes problems for teeth. Acid decalcifies or demineralizes tooth enamel by taking away its structure, creating decay."

Read on to learn about the surprising foods and drinks that may be ruining your teeth.

Saltines

"Saltine crackers are worse than candy for your teeth because they’re a fermentable and highly processed starch," Dr. Burhenne said. "Many people don’t realize that most crackers are highly processed and contain genetically engineered ingredients, essentially increasing the glycemic index and making the food more cariogenic (cavity-causing)." 

Goldfish

"Ever notice how saltine crackers or Goldfish become sticky in your mouth as you're chewing them?" he asked. "Even better for the bacteria, that sticky goo gets stuck between your teeth and the bacteria can feast for even longer," he said, adding that he doesn't recommend any kind of white cracker as a healthy snack for kids.

Instead, Dr. Burhenne suggests serving kids healthy fruits and vegetables, almonds, or squares of dark chocolate.

Dried fruit

Dr. Burhenne explained that when fruit is dried, all of its water is removed, causing the naturally present sugars to become "extremely concentrated."

"This means that dried fruits act like a sticky caramel in your mouth. Their gumminess clings to teeth just like candy, and traps cavity causing bacteria and sugars on the teeth," he said.

Piper Jaffray's semiannual survey of teen spending habits found that younger consumers are spending more online and opting for smaller, boutique brands at the expense of larger brands like Nike and Target.

While teen spending decreased by 2% in the past year, fashion remained a priority, accounting for 38% of their shopping budgets. They also exhibited a greater preference for online shopping options, with 17% of respondents reporting that they shopped online — a 2% increase from last year.

The survey also indicated that teens are rejecting large, legacy brands in favor of smaller, more specialized options.

Here are the 10 most popular apparel brands among teens, according to Piper Jaffray's survey.

SEE ALSO: Teens say that Under Armour isn't cool anymore — and it's a huge crisis

10. Supreme

The streetwear brand has exploded in popularity over the past five years, collaborating with popular artists like Gucci Mane and designers like Louis Vuitton. It was recently valued at $1 billion and cracked the top 10 of Piper Jaffray's list for the first time. 

9. Urban Outfitters

As the brand has grown, it has struggled to maintain its edgy reputation, and sales have sagged. Urban Outfitters has fallen four spots in the survey in the past year.

8. H&M

The retailer has faced criticism for its inconsistent sizing, confusing and frustrating customers with clothes that are much smaller than their printed size indicates. It claimed 3% of market share among the teens who were surveyed by Piper Jaffray. 

The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

The Insider Pick:

• In a world where kids are constantly exposed to electronics, tech toys for kids need to be fun to play, provide a bit of a challenge, encourage problem-solving skills, and do something cool to grab their attention. The Osmo Genius Kit does just that by merging the best features of an iPad with physical game pieces and drawing tools.

If one of your favorite sayings is, “Youth is wasted on the young,” first, it’s time to update your lingo. Even though there’s plenty of truth in that saying, using it means you’re going to be labeled a “get off my lawn” type of person for the rest of your days. Nobody needs that.

Second, we’re willing to cut you some slack based on the context of how you’re using that saying. If you were the kid who received socks, sweaters, and Slinkys for the holidays, you may use that saying because you’re jealous of the cool tech toys the kids receive these days. In other words, kids don’t know how great they have it today. (Ugh, now I’m doing it.)

The best tech toys for kids can do some pretty amazing things. They also have an educational aspect to them, but they’re so much fun to use, kids may not even realize they’re learning. Best of all, you can feel young again by playing with these toys yourself. The best tech toys also entertain adults.

Benefits of tech toys

If you only think of a tech toy as something the child sits and stares at all afternoon, think again, writes Consumer Reports. Tech toys can motivate your kids to learn and develop new skills.

Some tech toys will require your child to follow a specific set of directions to accomplish the finished product. Others will give your child plenty of freedom in how the toy is enjoyed to spark your child’s creativity. Don’t automatically dismiss a tech toy because it fits in one category or the other. Both the ability to follow directions to reach a goal and to explore a problem creatively are important skills to have.

There’s often an educational aspect to kids tech toys as well, according to BBC News. When you’re looking for a tech toy that will enhance the educational experience for children, a couple of buzz-worthy acronyms to know are as follows.

• STEM: Tech toy manufacturers often will highlight their toys as promoting STEM skills, which is short for science, technology, engineering, and math.
• STEAM: If a toy manufacturer adds an art aspect to a STEM toy, it becomes a STEAM toy.

Ultimately, though, finding a good educational tech toy requires the toy to properly merge the education with fun and entertainment, explains The Genius of Play. Kids have to love the time they’re spending with the educational tech toy, or they’ll just choose to spend their time elsewhere.

Features of tech toys

When looking for a great tech toy, you need to pay attention to a few different features, as WikiHow explains. Sure, you will be tempted to challenge your child as much as possible. But if the tech toy is too challenging, your child will become frustrated and not enjoy the toy.

• Age appropriate: Manufacturers tend to give an estimated age of children who will have success with their toys, so pay attention to this recommendation. But also think about your child’s skills, as every kid is different. If your child has shown an aptitude for building kits, he or she may be ready for a kit that’s aimed at slightly older children, for example. On the other hand, if your child becomes frustrated easily, you may want to stick to the recommended age until he or she becomes more confident.
• Encouraging movement: If you don’t like the idea of your child sitting still in front of a tech toy’s display screen for hours at a time, look for a tech toy that encourages physical movement along with the high-tech fun.
• Lights and sounds: Sometimes, a tech toy will flash with bright lights and use loud noises, and that can be cool for the kid (even if it’s annoying for the parent). Whatever it takes to motivate a child to have an interest in science and technology is well worth it.
• Reading level: Some tech toys require a lot of reading to understand the instructions or concepts. If you pick a toy that is beyond your child’s reading level, you’ll probably have to help.
• Safety: Many tech toys have small parts or run from electrical or battery power. Be sure your child understands the importance of being careful with these toys. Set up rules regarding where and when the child may use the toy and how the child must clean up after using the toy. For example, if your 9-year-old isn’t careful with the little parts in his or her tech toy kit, his baby brother or sister could choke on a part. Tech toys can also help kids learn about responsibility.

With all that in mind, read on to see which of our tech toy picks is best for your child. We've included several different types of toys to satisfy various age levels and interests.

Although the Osmo Genius Kit is our top pick, for various reasons laid out in the slides below, you should also consider the LeapFrog LeapBand Activity Tracker, the Kano Computer Kit, the Anki Cozmo, and the ThinkFun Circuit Maze Board Game.

SEE ALSO: The best educational toys for kids

The best tech toy for kids overall

Why you'll love it: The Osmo Genius Kit brings together the best of virtual gaming and physical play, giving your kids a fun tech toy that involves more than staring at a screen.

You’ll need an iPad to make use of the Osmo Genius Kit, but this tech toy does an excellent job of merging on-screen activities with physical world activities. This tech toy works well for children ages 5 to 12, and the game content is adjustable to the age of the child with three skill level settings.

The Osmo Genius Kit consists of five different games, and it’s easy to set up and use. You can strengthen your kid's math, spelling, visual thinking, problem-solving, and creative drawing skills with the different games. You get the pieces for the Numbers, Words, Tangram, Newton, and Masterpiece games. Osmo also has a number of other game kits you can buy to supplement the kit.

In its review, Pocket Lint says the game collection in this kit provides a clever way of using the iPad. One Amazon customer speaks for many others with the comment that Osmo is perfect for kids who like puzzles because it allows the child to move back and forth between the pieces and the screen.

Tech Advisor says it's an interesting idea to merge physical objects with the on-screen activities to keep kids learning and entertained in a multitude of ways.

Even though you must use an iPad that you already own with this toy, the Osmo Genius kit does a good job of encouraging your kids to use the iPad in an educational way with well-designed games, according to the Digital Trends.

The only downside is the high price tag. One Amazon buyer was disappointed in the overall cost for the kit and said the physical pieces in the kit weren't well made. Most reviewers were happy with the kit's quality and value, though many acknowledge that it's pricey.

Pros: Combines best features of iPad with physical puzzle challenges, clever games and challenges, entertaining and fun for pre-teens, can select from three skill levels for different ages, easy to use

Cons: Price is a little high, only works with Apple iPad

Buy the Osmo Genius Kit on Amazon for $98.99

The best tech toy to promote physical activity

Why you'll love it: The LeapFrog LeapBand Activity Tracker inspires your kid to stay active with fun animations and a cute interface.

If you own a Fitbit or other type of activity tracker, you know how persistent (and occasionally annoying) these devices can be in trying to encourage you to stand up and move. The LeapFrog LeapBand Activity Tracker extends this encouragement to your kids, but in a fun way.

This cute little fitness tracker has a screen to show encouraging animations and several buttons so your kid can interact with it. It'll inspire your kid to do all kinds of funny exercises by making it all seem like a game.

In its review, Tech Advisor liked the crazy movements the LeapFrog tracker suggests for children, such as spinning like a helicopter or popping like popcorn. Kids can play 10 pre-loaded challenges initially, but another 40 are available to be unlocked. Pop Sugar says the large number of games and activities will keep kids stay entertained and fit for month after month.

It's important to keep in mind that this is for younger kids. Children who are using a Fitbit-type tracker already probably will find the LeapBand too simplistic, according to New Atlas' review. The LeapBand Activity Tracker is aimed at ages 4-7, but younger kids tend to love the activities and animations, according to one Amazon customer.

A few Amazon reviewers were disappointed in the bulky size of the LeapFrog device, especially since it’s aimed at young children with small wrists.

Pros: Fun challenges and animations to keep kids moving, three body colors available, kids who love it will play with it over and over, up to 50 different challenges available to keep kids entertained

Cons: Bulky wristwatch face, mainly for young kids as pre-teens won’t find much to like

Buy the LeapFrog LeapBand Activity Tracker on Amazon for $32.65 to $44.99

The best tech toy building kit

Why you'll love it: If you miss the days of popping open your computer and performing upgrades, the Kano Computer Kit lets you introduce your kids to DIY computing.

Sure, it’s fun to build a model car or a LEGO set with your kids, but if you want to build some higher level tech, consider the build-it-yourself Kano Computer Kit.

The kit ships with all of the parts you need to complete the tiny computer, which runs on the Raspberry Pi 3 processor. It can be completed by pre-teen children with little to no help from mom and dad. Kano recommends the kit for ages 6 and up. One Amazon reviewer says kids will learn to appreciate the multitude of parts required to make a computer run, something youngsters – and some parents – may take for granted.

The Guardian says kids will love the ability to see inside a computer, and they’ll be fascinated by all of the different parts. The Kano Computer Kit ships with memory, an HDMI port, a speaker, a wireless keyboard, a case, a power cable, and a Raspberry Pi 3 processor. After assembly, you just need to connect the computer to an HDMI-compatible display, such as a large screen television.

In its review, PC & Tech Authority says you shouldn’t expect to spend hours putting the machine together, as it can be assembled in several minutes. It also says the kit is too expensive compared to just buying a Raspberry Pi computer or buying individual parts yourself. However, you get a kid-friendly set with this kit that has instructions, and that's worth something.

When it’s time to do some programming with the Kano Computer Kit, the Raspberry Pi Starter Kits review says the kit and the online resources offer plenty of learning tools and programming ideas for kids. One Amazon buyer says kids won’t become bored with the computer because they can use it for so many different activities after building it.

Pros: Many children will love the ability to see inside a computer, kids will be able to figure out how a computer works while putting together the kit, nice set of programming tools and resources

Cons: More expensive than ordering individual parts yourself, too easy to complete for some kids

Buy the Kano Computer Kit on Amazon for $124.37 (originally $149.99)

Microsoft just unveiled the Surface Book 2, a premium laptop that will go head-to-head with Apple's MacBook Pro this holiday shopping season. 

The Surface Book 2 comes with some big claims: Microsoft says it gets 17 hours battery life (at least, if you're watching streaming video in the Microsoft Edge browser), and that it's twice as powerful as the most recent model MacBook Pro. 

I got to go hands-on with the Surface Book 2 at a preview event in San Francisco last week. And while it's hard to assess the reality of those lofty claims in just a few minutes, I can say that the Surface Book 2 is an impressive machine. 

Here's the short version: The Surface Book 2 is evolution rather than revolution, bringing a few key tweaks to the original model, first released in 2015. That's actually excellent news, considering that I thought the original Surface Book was just shy of perfect when I reviewed it last year. 

Now, here's the more detailed look at why it's such a nice device:

SEE ALSO: Microsoft's hardware boss explains the master plan to make you want a Surface as much as a MacBook

Meet the Microsoft Surface Book 2, the company's most powerful laptop to date, in a premium shell. Microsoft says it gets 17 hours of battery life.

The Surface Book 2 laptop comes in two different screen sizes: A 13.5-inch model, which starts at $1,499, and a 15-inch model, starting at $2,499.

This new model also sports its predecessors' most eye-catching feature: The screen actually detaches to become a standalone tablet!

LONDON — Brexit has had a profound effect on the economy.

The pound has slumped, inflation has shot upwards — hitting its highest level in over five years last month — while real wage growth has stagnated, and GDP growth has slowed significantly. 

All of these negatives, if not solely caused by the vote to leave, have certainly been exacerbated by Britain's impending exit from the bloc.

But just how bad is it?

Earlier this week the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) released its latest economic survey of the UK, looking at the progress being made across all sectors of the economy. The report was largely damning about Brexit, warning that leaving the EU could knock as much as £40 billion off the UK's GDP growth by the end of 2019 in the case of a "no deal" scenario.

The report also contained a whole heap of data and charts on the state of the economy, many of which do not make for pleasant reading. Business Insider pulled out six charts from the OECD's presentation that we feel illustrate best the economic impacts Brexit is having, and will have in future, on Britain's economy.

Check them out below.

First up, GDP growth. Prior to the Brexit referendum, Britain was ahead, or at least in line with OECD averages. Since the vote however, Britain has fallen well behind the curve.

While the FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 — Britain's two main share indexes — have hit record highs since the Brexit vote, they have done so because of the large proportion of overseas firms in the index. Roughly 70% of revenues in the FTSE 100, for example, are derived from overseas. UK focused stocks have underperformed massively since the vote, as the chart shows.

Britain's labour productivity has lagged behind many of the world's other major economies for a long time, but Brexit has made things even worse, as evidenced by the divergence that can be seen at the far right of the chart below.

As more people turn to on-demand TV and online-exclusive series instead of one-episode-a-week shows on mainstream channels, it's becoming increasingly difficult to resist watching back-to-back episodes of your favourite show for hours straight.

There's one group of online streamers who take this to the next level: "binge-racers."

Accomplishing in just 24 hours what it takes the average person weeks to achieve, these speedy individuals rush through an entire series in just a single day — and according to Netflix, there are some series they're more likely to power through than others.

Although it may sound like a past-time reserved for students, the ill, and the unemployed, over 8.4 million Netflix users have "binge-raced" a series in their lifetime. And this figure is only set to rise — the number of "binge-racers" has increased 20 times over since Netflix launched in 2013, according to the company.

Scroll on to discover the 20 most "binge-raced" shows on UK Netflix, ranked in ascending order.

20. Marvel's "Daredevil"

Watch the Season One trailer here.

19. "Grace and Frankie"

Watch the Season One trailer here.

18. "GLOW"

Watch the trailer here.

Lego announced on Wednesday that it would release a "Women of NASA" set.

The $25 kit goes on sale November 1 — just in time for the holiday gift-giving season — and builds on a laudable trend of selling toys that are more inclusive of women.

"Women of NASA" features four mini figurines of pioneering women from the space agency: the astronauts Sally Ride and Mae Jemison, the astronomer Nancy Grace Roman, and the computer scientist Margaret Hamilton.

Each figurine will also come with a backdrop related to their work at NASA, including the space shuttle Challenger and the Hubble Space Telescope.

Maia Weinstock, a deputy editor at MIT News, submitted her idea for the kit in July 2016 to Lego's Ideas community, where members create and vote on new set plans. If Lego picks an idea from the site, submitters get a 1% cut of sales and licensing revenue.

Weinstock's submission got more than 10,000 votes, triggering an automatic review by Lego staff, which decided to manufacture and sell it. (Lego's giant Saturn V moon rocket set, released in June, came about the same way.)

Here's a close-up look at the kit and what it includes — and one very important piece it's missing.

SEE ALSO: Lego launched a giant Apollo Saturn V moon rocket set — and it comes with 1,969 pieces

DON'T MISS: Saturn ruled this scientist's life for 40 years — here's why she needs NASA to go back after Cassini's death

The four figurines are molded in the likenesses of the woman they represent.

Each set will come with 231 pieces and some brand-new parts.

The astronaut, physicist, and entrepreneur Sally Ride will come in a 1980s training flight suit.

When moving to another country, there are dozens of things to consider, from visas to shipping your belongings.

Then there's adapting to the local customs.

A number of members of the Business Insider team have made the move to the UK from all over the world.

Along with the opinions of people on Reddit who have done the same, we've collated a list of customs that caused the biggest culture shock — or took a bit of time to adapt to — when people made the big leap.

Including everything from high street banks to "Great British Bake Off" hysteria, scroll on to discover 19 things we wish we'd known before moving to the UK.

Social class means more in the UK than elsewhere.

"Moving to the UK was a bit of a shock for me as an American," said Reddit user meiyoumayo. "It was never big huge 'oh wow everything is different' changes, but little things that trip you up a lot.

"I think the biggest one was how much more class-conscious people were. At the very least, people don't hear my accent and instantly make a snap judgment about my tax bracket."

Social drinking is a huge British past-time.

"You'll get used to drinking a whole lot more," said Business Insider UK's Lifestyle Editor Ali Millington, who's Canadian. "A drink after work on most days won't become uncommon, and few social situations don't involve booze."

It's common for children to walk to school without an adult.

"In Italy, kids are dropped to school by their parents, babysitters, or caretakers. It's super rare to see a school bus picking kids up from home," said Business Insider's video producer Claudia Romeo.

"However, what strikes me the most is seeing children walk to school or taking public transport all by themselves, sometimes some of them no older than 10!"