I have a set of Henkels that I love but I do have to sharpen them. I kinda like having to do it. I find it relaxing. I have carried a small cutco pocket knive for the last 20 years though and it is awesome. It's cut seatbelts, my lunch, and almost daily removes change that gets jamed in fareboxes and is as sharp as day one. For pots and pans I have some cast iron and some stainless steel Emeril ones that are nice and heavy. I can't complain about either.
The name on the pans I was referring to is Circulon. I have no idea if they're related to Calphalon, but I like the way they cook.
See if there is a Costco Business Center nearby. they have Awesome food service sections. My wife threatened me with not being able to go there again unescorted because I come home with too many stainless toys.
Jack
Better yet, just go to Costco and pick up a few of their ready made meals. It's much easier than cooking and very, very good.
They are made right there on the premises every day.
As far as bakery goes they have Sam's beat all to pieces. Sam's is dry and tasteless whereas most of Costco's goodies are moist and flavorful. Costco makes a mean apple pie from scratch!
For pans, All Clad and Le Creuset are the best. However, I have neither. I have the "Emeril" line of stainless pans. From All Clad, but imported rather than American made. Macy's usually has a set for around $200. When it comes to enameled cast iron, Lodge is the way to go. American made, and much cheaper than Le Creuset. I picked up a 6 quart Lodge enameled Dutch Oven for around $50 at Kroger--Le Creuset would've been around $200. Just as nice. I can't imagine how I cooked before it.
Bed, Bath and Beyond often have the Emeril sets on sale quite a bit, and most women I know have stacks of coupons that they will give you if your going to venture there. My dutch oven is also a Lodge from Bass Pro Shops but not enameled. We are right down the street from the Culinary Instiute of America and have a shop that sells all kinds of neat chef's tools, Unfortunately the professional pricing has limited my shopping.
My wife thinks it's odd that someone who cooks almost everything on a charcoal grill needs so much support equipment..
As for ready made meals ,since there are only two of us I usually have leftovers that I freeze in single serving containers and take to work for lunch a few days a week.
Salanis wrote: Okay, sit down for a minute. The whole thing, with block will go for a bit over $800. But that's for the last set of knives you'll ever need. Or, buy the main knife set and a pair of sheers (seriously, those sheers rock) and get the rep to throw in the block and steak knives for free. That should run you a bit over $600. Edit: Another popular option, is to get a smaller/cheaper set (the Galley or Essentials) and a big block with extra space. Then add pieces later on. That way you have future gifts lines up to. Your four essential knives are: paring knife, trimmer (small slicing), petite carver (big slicing), and a chef's knife (chopping). Although, every mother who makes sandwiches for kids adores the spatula-spreader.
:omg: Looks like I'll be buying a set of Walmart knives and a laser etching kit. :omg: Seriously though, I'm thinking I'll get her the "chef's knife" and spend the rest on some decent pans. Thanks again for all the advice!
Wally wrote: Bed, Bath and Beyond often have the Emeril sets on sale quite a bit, and most women I know have stacks of coupons that they will give you if your going to venture there.
lol
My wife has a stack of them!!! :grin:
Yup, you get what you pay for, and you pay for what you get. The scary thing is, Henckels and Wusthof are usually about 25%-50% more expensive. If you can find some at a garage sale or on Ebay, the warranty remains the same though.
I paid $150 for a knife once. It was made by Dawson and is a Model "99 Hess."
I'm sure that $800 kitchen knife set is really nice, but... damn.
A nice chef's knife is really what you need.
My essentials are: a good Stainless Steel skillet, an old Cast Iron skillet, Le Creuset dutch oven, Chef's Knife, Cleaver, and a $10 steel Wok. Cheap out on everything else, because you can do most anything with the above.
Everyone above is right on. Circulon and Calphalon are both solid names, but make sure you don't get their "cheap" iterations like "Cooking by Calphalon," as they're no better than any other dept store pans. You really can't get a good complete cookware set for $200, it might last about 5 years but that's it, in my experience.
bastomatic wrote: A nice chef's knife is really what you need.
A Chef's knife is for chopping. Hence the blade extending beyond your hand (protects your fingers).
It's also nice to have a separate knife for slicing. The nifty thing about that weird Cutco edge, is that it keeps the slicing edges of the blade from rubbing on a cutting board. Running the sharp edge of a knife along a cutting surface is what dulls it.
Having multiple knives is also really handy to prevent cross-contaminating food. You can cook chicken and slice veggies and not be constantly going to the sink to wash your knife. I constantly use my trimmer, petite carver, and chef's knife.
Yeah, good tools are expensive. But having only one knife is kind of like trying to do all of your car maintenance with only a set of 3/4 sockets (all in standard) and one wrench.
If you go Cutco: Chef's Knife ~$100 Trimmer ~$35 Petite Carver ~$60(?)
You could probably get a rep to give you a Trimmer for free with a Chef's knife.
http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article/129/Chefs-Knives-Rated
Cutco is poo (I only say that because some friends of my sold them.. Very shady company)
Mac or Global
Also My wife and I are switching away from non stick pans... Teflon is in your veins because of it....
ignorant wrote: http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article/129/Chefs-Knives-Rated Also My wife and I are switching away from non stick pans... Teflon is in your veins because of it....
It keeps the cholesterol from sticking.
Wally wrote:ignorant wrote: http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article/129/Chefs-Knives-Rated Also My wife and I are switching away from non stick pans... Teflon is in your veins because of it....It keeps the cholesterol from sticking.
according to my latest cholesterol test.. that is wrong. time for more oatmeal...
You still have it, it just glides through the system.
Salanis wrote: Okay, sit down for a minute. The whole thing, with block will go for a bit over $800. But that's for the last set of knives you'll ever need.
Wow! :omg:
That is a lot of money, but I know knives are expensive. What's interesting is reading the love/hate reviews of their products. Reminds me of the Harley debate! :grin:
garlic + red yeast rice + oatmeal will make sure it goes...
I can chime in for Wusthof knives. Well, [i]a[/i] Wusthof knife. I have an 8" chef's knife, a Gran Prix II, that unfortunately my roommate's friend ruined. How? I don't even know, but the blade, which was perfect, was completely jagged when I got home one day. I need to get it replaced. I have had it for a few years; I find it to be perfectly balanced and weighted for me. I held a lot of knives before I purchased that one.
I'll add my 4 cents. (it would be 2 cents, but with inflation these days...)
All Clad is the shit. Good stuff. If you're not used to cooking with fats, stick with a brand that offers non-stick stuff, but I have never cooked with anything that heats as evenly as All Clad. With a pat of butter and three eggs, I can make a thick fluffy omelette in an 8" pan WITH flipping.
For general non-stick use, one might be tempted to go with Berndes, but I recommend against it. I have never touched my Berndes pans with anything other than nylon tools and it still has started to chip the teflon. It also doesn't seem to like high heat as mine have started to scorch the teflon.
I personally HATE the wolfgang puck line of pans. I found a set at a TJMaxx store and scooped them up. The finish on the cooking surface is a bit too rough and its difficult to keep things from sticking. They don't heat quite as evenly as All Clad (although they do better than most) and the main problem I have is that the handles get screaming hot. If you're going to invest all that money in designing pots, at least make handles that don't require an oven mitt to use.
As far as knives... We have a complete cutco set that is wonderful. The do offer lifetime sharpening, but until you pay the $30 handling fee or whatever to ship the knives to be sharpened, you realize that you could have bought 10 cheapy knives from WalMart. Cutcos are great, but not as great as their purchase price may suggest.
Wusthoff is a great name in knives. Gerber has some of the best metallurgy in knives but they are just starting in the culinary world so it may be a while till they settle in.
i hate non stick.
a very nice stainless clad frying pan goes a long way, as does GOOD cast iron - the O.G. of non stick cookware.
ignorant wrote: Cutco is poo (I only say that because some friends of my sold them.. Very shady company)
Vector Marketing (company that sells the knives) is crap and takes advantage of starving college students. I wouldn't work for them again. I really like the knives though.
I barbeque (smoke) my own meats and a lot of the professionals like Forscher blades. I have not bought one yet, but I have used them. They are sweet and not overly expensive.
jack
Did you build or buy your smoker. I'm thinking that may be my next step.
Wally wrote: Did you build or buy your smoker. I'm thinking that may be my next step.
My dad built one out of an old fridge. I'll hit him up for some details.
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