How to stock your kitchen

[fuzzybabybunny]

Well, I went to Bed Bath and Beyond to go look at cookware.

The thickness of the Member's Mark stuff as Sam's is exactly the same as tri-ply All Clad, Calphalon, etc.

I absolutely can't stand the thin handles of the Member's Mark, Calphalon Tri-Ply, and All Clad cookware. The cookware is hefty and the narrow handles hurt.

The Calphalon Contemporary (also triple ply) IMO was the best. The handles are very comfortable to hold and the aesthetics are excellent. Unfortunately they're more expensive than regular Calphalon Triply. There are only a few pieces in their line that I can afford:

10-inch "Everyday" Pan - $40

2qt Chef's Pan - $50, perfect size for me

8-inch Omelet Pan - $56 - Kinda small?

After looking at the pans, I think I'm going to need a real 3qt saute pan...

I just wish the pans that I can afford like Calphalon Triply or Cuisinart had better handles :|

 

[Howard]

Make sure you can get your whisk into the corner of the chef's pan. Otherwise, you may as well stick with a regular sauce pan.

 

[nageov3t]

thanks for this awesome thread :thumbsup:

I'm in the midst of moving into a new apartment and I threw all of my cookware out, so some of those links are a huge assist

 

[Geekbabe]

Originally posted by: fuzzybabybunny
Well, I went to Bed Bath and Beyond to go look at cookware.

The thickness of the Member's Mark stuff as Sam's is exactly the same as tri-ply All Clad, Calphalon, etc.

I absolutely can't stand the thin handles of the Member's Mark, Calphalon Tri-Ply, and All Clad cookware. The cookware is hefty and the narrow handles hurt.

The Calphalon Contemporary (also triple ply) IMO was the best. The handles are very comfortable to hold and the aesthetics are excellent. Unfortunately they're more expensive than regular Calphalon Triply. There are only a few pieces in their line that I can afford:

10-inch "Everyday" Pan - $40

2qt Chef's Pan - $50, perfect size for me

8-inch Omelet Pan - $56 - Kinda small?

After looking at the pans, I think I'm going to need a real 3qt saute pan...

I just wish the pans that I can afford like Calphalon Triply or Cuisinart had better handles :|

I also went to Bed,bath and beyond to checkout cookware.I love calphalon but a lot of their commerical line was too heavy for me to lift easily with one hand.

I ended up going with a 10 piece Kitchenade stainless steel set that got really high marks on consumer reports. I did pick up the calphalon hard andonized 8 and 10 inch fry pans and chef's pan.

kitchenade


We had the good fortune of being able to totyally outfit our kitchen with new things when we moved.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Originally posted by: Geekbabe

Originally posted by: fuzzybabybunny
Well, I went to Bed Bath and Beyond to go look at cookware.

The thickness of the Member's Mark stuff as Sam's is exactly the same as tri-ply All Clad, Calphalon, etc.

I absolutely can't stand the thin handles of the Member's Mark, Calphalon Tri-Ply, and All Clad cookware. The cookware is hefty and the narrow handles hurt.

The Calphalon Contemporary (also triple ply) IMO was the best. The handles are very comfortable to hold and the aesthetics are excellent. Unfortunately they're more expensive than regular Calphalon Triply. There are only a few pieces in their line that I can afford:

10-inch "Everyday" Pan - $40

2qt Chef's Pan - $50, perfect size for me

8-inch Omelet Pan - $56 - Kinda small?

After looking at the pans, I think I'm going to need a real 3qt saute pan...

I just wish the pans that I can afford like Calphalon Triply or Cuisinart had better handles :|

I also went to Bed,bath and beyond to checkout cookware.I love calphalon but a lot of their commerical line was too heavy for me to lift easily with one hand.

I ended up going with a 10 piece Kitchenade stainless steel set that got really high marks on consumer reports. I did pick up the calphalon hard andonized 8 and 10 inch fry pans and chef's pan.


We had the good fortune of being able to totyally outfit our kitchen with new things when we moved.

Does the KitchenAid set have comfortable, wide handles?

I've also been looking at Henckels International Classic Clad. They look really comfortable to hold and the price is not bad.

 

[Geekbabe]

fuzzybabybunny

here's the link to the kitchenade set.

I think the set has a nice weight and balance,the handles are rubberized too.

kitchenade

btw,Macy's has been having an awesome clearance sale as well.We got a TON of stuff there
last month.

 

[Howard]

Geekbabe, be careful that you do not keep acidic foods in your hard anodized cookware. Acids can eat away at the coating.

 

[Geekbabe]

Originally posted by: Howard
Geekbabe, be careful that you do not keep acidic foods in your hard anodized cookware. Acids can eat away at the coating.

I picked up the anodized basically to do eggs,most of my sauces will go in my stainless

btw,all your tips in this thread were of GREAT help to me as I shopped for my new kitchen!

 

[zoiks]

Originally posted by: troytime
as far as knives, i REALLY like the two Shun knives that i have

i wish i could afford more

I shun shun knives.

 

[Geekbabe]

Originally posted by: loki8481
thanks for this awesome thread :thumbsup:

I'm in the midst of moving into a new apartment and I threw all of my cookware out, so some of those links are a huge assist

I just moved into a new place with a HUGE kitchen with a nice walk in pantry.

here are some of the things I got to put in my kitchen

pots and pans

sharp microwave

corningware..this stuff rocks,goes from the oven to the table to the fridge and back out to the microwave

french white

bamboo cutting board

OXO good grips rubberized mixing bowls and baking tools as well as slotted spoons,turners,peeler etc, they last forever,have a nice feel in the hand,the rubberized bowls have saved many a spill!

oxo goodies

I also picked up cookie sheets and cake pans..several really nice quality serving bowls and platters.Juice carafe and glasses,placemats.. and a 12 setting bone china set that was so deeply dicounted that it was almost free.

get to Macy's either online or at the brick and mortar store this weekend and do some shopping

 

[silverpig]

Originally posted by: Geekbabe

Originally posted by: loki8481
thanks for this awesome thread :thumbsup:

I'm in the midst of moving into a new apartment and I threw all of my cookware out, so some of those links are a huge assist

I just moved into a new place with a HUGE kitchen with a nice walk in pantry.

here are some of the things I got to put in my kitchen

pots and pans

sharp microwave

bamboo cutting board

OXO good grips rubberized mixing bowls and baking tools as well as slotted spoons,turners,peeler etc, they last forever,have a nice feel in the hand,the rubberized bowls have saved many a spill!

oxo goodies

I was looking for a bamboo board but ended up going with a thick maple board that's almost a chop block.

Also, we blew a bunch of money on a Shun chef's knife... probably won't have to replace it for 25 years.

I just wish we had a big kitchen

 

[Geekbabe]

Silverpig

The size of the kitchen was a strong selling point for me. It's got the walk in pantry,plus another huge,deep built in cupboard/closet as well as a broom closet.

Do checkout macy's kitchen clearance.. some really good values to be had.

 

[Howard]

Originally posted by: Geekbabe

Originally posted by: Howard
Geekbabe, be careful that you do not keep acidic foods in your hard anodized cookware. Acids can eat away at the coating.

I picked up the anodized basically to do eggs,most of my sauces will go in my stainless

btw,all your tips in this thread were of GREAT help to me as I shopped for my new kitchen!

For eggs, you should have gone with the conventional non-stick. It's not as durable, but it's less sticky than anodized aluminum.

 

[Geekbabe]

Originally posted by: Howard

Originally posted by: Geekbabe

Originally posted by: Howard
Geekbabe, be careful that you do not keep acidic foods in your hard anodized cookware. Acids can eat away at the coating.

I picked up the anodized basically to do eggs,most of my sauces will go in my stainless

btw,all your tips in this thread were of GREAT help to me as I shopped for my new kitchen!

For eggs, you should have gone with the conventional non-stick. It's not as durable, but it's less sticky than anodized aluminum.

I'll most likely end up picking up a good non-stick pan for omlets as the weather here gets colder and our brunches more substantial.

 

[Geekbabe]

btw,I'm looking for this corelle set which has now been discontinued. I've bought all the completer pieces but would like the full dinnerware set. This stuff is lovely on the table.

corelle sangria

 

[silverpig]

Originally posted by: Geekbabe
Silverpig

The size of the kitchen was a strong selling point for me. It's got the walk in pantry,plus another huge,deep built in cupboard/closet as well as a broom closet.

Do checkout macy's kitchen clearance.. some really good values to be had.

We're still both finishing up school and just got married. We decided to register for some great kitchen stuff that would last us decades and went with the Calphalon One anodized stuff which we found a great deal on. When we settle down and buy a place the kitchen is going to be the lynch pin for us too.

Oh, and the anodized stuff is kind of non-stick... better than most other surfaces, but still not as non stick as the conventional. It's a good thing that our set came with one conventional nonstick pan.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

I think your "F-809/810 chef's knife" link doesn't work anymore.

 

[Howard]

Indeed it doesn't. Thanks for reminding me; I'd found that the site no longer carried Tojiro stuff but I forgot to update it.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Originally posted by: Howard
Indeed it doesn't. Thanks for reminding me; I'd found that the site no longer carried Tojiro stuff but I forgot to update it.

So what kind of knives would you recommend? I've looked at Henckels, Wusthof, and others that are available at Bed Bath and Beyond.

I think the Calphalon Katana series are absolutely beautiful.

Calphalon Katana

I've always wondered about knives. What exactly is the benefit to buying an expensive knife if one knows how to maintain and sharpen knives properly? I've got a cheap stamped Farberware chef's knife that was literally $5. Straight out of the packaging it is very sharp and cuts everything very easily and smoothly. Obviously this edge will not hold, but if I knew how to sharpen properly, couldn't I always just sharpen it back to factory-sharpness and save myself from buying a more expensive knife?

 

[Howard]

You could, but you would have to sharpen more often and it's just a lesser-quality knife in general.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

I think I've figured out what I want to get. My size requirements are probably a lot smaller than other people with families:

Henckels International Classic Clad 1-Quart Saucier - $30

Henckels International Classic Clad 4-Piece Starter Set - $67, NOT BAD for two all clad peices.

Gordon Ramsay by Royal Doulton Stainless-Steel 8-Quart Pot with Pasta Insert, Steamer Basket, and Lid - $80, $20 more from the above mentioned Calphalon set for a fully clad stockpot

So about $180 for a 9-piece fully clad set. I'm holding out temporarily on the non-stick pan. I wanna see how well my cast iron skillet can replace a non-stick aluminum pan for eggs and stuff.

I went with the Henckels stuff because they get great reviews and have comfortable handles, not to mention they are priced pretty well. In addition, the outsides are magnetic, so they'll work with induction tops if I choose to buy one in the distant future. Calphalon ones are not magnetic and do not work with induction. All Clad does though.

What do you think?

 

[Howard]

1 quart is pathetically small. I can't recommend that.

Also, you're paying $80 for an 8-quart stock pot. You don't need a pasta insert and steamer inserts are damned cheap.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Originally posted by: Howard
1 quart is pathetically small. I can't recommend that.

Also, you're paying $80 for an 8-quart stock pot. You don't need a pasta insert and steamer inserts are damned cheap.

I have a cheap 1 quart saucepan that I do use from time to time to heat things like pasta sauce and frozen veggies. Since I'm cooking for myself and only for one meal, it's more than enough for these purposes.

I currently use a plastic pasta strainer. While it's light and it works just fine, it takes up space and doesn't really fit anywhere. Right now it's just sitting on the floor. I like the pasta strainer in the set because it stores into the stockpot (and the steamer stores into the strainer).

I currently use a fold-out steamer like this. All I can say is that it is damn awkward to use for things like wide-ish fish filets because the "handle" sticks out of the middle of the dang thing.. The actual pot-shaped steamer inserts are all $30+.

 

[NTB]

FYI: There's a "25% off 1 item" coupon code for Linens'n'Things floating around that's good until the end of the year. Used it myself a few weeks ago and got the KitchenAid mixer listed on the first page of this thread for $165 out the door :thumbsup:

Nathan

 

[NTB]

Originally posted by: Geekbabe
btw,I'm looking for this corelle set which has now been discontinued. I've bought all the completer pieces but would like the full dinnerware set. This stuff is lovely on the table.

corelle sangria

Have you looked at Kohls? They sell all sorts of stuff like that.

Nathan