Cookware

[rsx10]

Hi all,

I wondering where around town or online to get decent cookware such as pot and pans and other kitchen utensils.

Are places like Canadian Tire or Homesence any good or should I fork out the big bucks at high end cookware places?

Thanks in advance.

[cho]

its good to pick up pots and pans from CT when they're on sale, other than that they're usually pretty expensive

i would spend a bit more on better quality utensils, ming wo has a good selection of stuff, stay away from gimmick stuff (ie egg slicers)

good quality spatula, wooden spoon, tongs, measuring spoons/cups (i like metal, i tend to stary away from the plastic/rubber stackable ones)

[Culverin]

What's your budget?

Knife first.
Amazon.com: Shun VB0706 Sora Chef's Knife, 8-Inch: Kitchen & Dining

Then dutch oven. Wait until it's 50% off...
KitchenAid 6 Quart Covered Oval Casserole Dish | Canadian Tire

Then bang for buck cookware...
Lagostina 3-Ply 13-Piece Cookware Set | Canadian Tire
This is the best deal on cookware I've seen. Tri-ply.
I have 2 sauciers from the same line, works great.

[Manic!]

Cutlery and More has some good deals sometimes.

[jtrinh]

You can try here.
Cookware Vancouver | Kitchen Utensils Vancouver | Bakeware Vancouver | The Gourmet Warehouse

[sonick]

Culverin's suggestions are solid, and given his cooking skills in other threads can be trusted.

However, if you are on an even tighter budget, I built my kitchen around these items that were well reviewed and high value and have bee pretty satisfied:

If you're willing to go down to the states, WalMart has this 8pc tri-ply set that is very well reviewed and even gives All-Clad a run for the money and got Cook's Illustrated "Best Buy" award: Tramontina 18/10 Stainless Steel TriPly-Clad Dishwasher Safe Cookware Set - Walmart.com

Equipment: The All-Clad vs. Tramontina Skillet Showdown | Serious Eats

For knives, Victorinox' Fibrox 8" Chef's Knife is a good entry level knife and also well reviewed.

[Culverin]

Cost isn't everything.
Consumer retail stuff is crap a lot of the time and they overcharge for it.

I get a lot of tools and stuff from restaurant supply stores.
Cheaper, stronger and sealed so easier to clean.
That is where I suggest you get a non-stick pan.
However, I only use my nonstick for very few things.
Gyoza, scrambled eggs aaaannnnndddd that's about it.


Why I suggest dutch oven > everything else?
Well, it's the 1 piece of cookware I can't live without, it's big, high sided and multi-purpose.
You can do everything in it.
- Stews/Braising
- Soups
- Steaks
- Stirfry
- Deep fry

Because it is made of cast iron, it has really good heat retention allowing you to get some proper browining on your meat.



sonick, that link makes me really want a decent stainless fry pan >.<

[sonick]

Haha, and your posts make me want to get a dutch oven

I didn't realize the Lagostina set doesn't really come with a fry pan; looking closer at it, although it's a 13 pc set there's a few fairly redundant or rarely used items in that kit imho. I think besides a dutch oven, the Tramontina set covers a lot of ground.

And also +1 on the non-stick; I consider non-stick stuff disposable compared to a good stainless steel cookware sets. Just buy a cheap 10" and use it for eggs and particularly sticky items and replace with new ones once the non-stick wears out.

Lastly re: knives, instead of buying a whole knife set, spend that same amount on a good Chef's Knife and paring knife; those two will accomplish 90% of your work.

[lowside67]

For knives, there are often some wicked deals on high quality stuff on eBay. I have had my Wusthof Classic Ikons for about 8 years now and paid less than $300 for a brand new sealed set of 8 with a block to go with it. But I could be totally happy with my current chef's knife and paring knife, a new $9 bread knife (just buy a new one every couple years - they don't tend to dull nearly as much as straight-edged knives as you use them so much less and don't "chop" with them), and a good pair of kitchen scissors.

[Cassijon]

Originally Posted by Culverin

Cost isn't everything.
Consumer retail stuff is crap a lot of the time and they overcharge for it.

I get a lot of tools and stuff from restaurant supply stores.
Cheaper, stronger and sealed so easier to clean.
That is where I suggest you get a non-stick pan.
However, I only use my nonstick for very few things.
Gyoza, scrambled eggs aaaannnnndddd that's about it.


Why I suggest dutch oven > everything else?
Well, it's the 1 piece of cookware I can't live without, it's big, high sided and multi-purpose.
You can do everything in it.
- Stews/Braising
- Soups
- Steaks
- Stirfry
- Deep fry

Because it is made of cast iron, it has really good heat retention allowing you to get some proper browining on your meat.



sonick, that link makes me really want a decent stainless fry pan >.<

have you ever been dutch oven'd in bed?

[gars]

Originally Posted by Culverin

Cost isn't everything.
Consumer retail stuff is crap a lot of the time and they overcharge for it.

I get a lot of tools and stuff from restaurant supply stores.
Cheaper, stronger and sealed so easier to clean.
That is where I suggest you get a non-stick pan.
However, I only use my nonstick for very few things.
Gyoza, scrambled eggs aaaannnnndddd that's about it.


Why I suggest dutch oven > everything else?
Well, it's the 1 piece of cookware I can't live without, it's big, high sided and multi-purpose.
You can do everything in it.
- Stews/Braising
- Soups
- Steaks
- Stirfry
- Deep fry

Because it is made of cast iron, it has really good heat retention allowing you to get some proper browining on your meat.



sonick, that link makes me really want a decent stainless fry pan >.<

Would you say the KitchenAid one is better than a Le Creuset? I'm down in the states often and I see their outlets, their prices seem similar to this kitchenaid one when it's 50% off...

[skiiipi]

Williams Sonoma on Granville has some good kitchen stuff if you dont mind spending a bit more, really good customer service too

[Culverin]

The kitchenaid goes on sale for $50ish all the time.
At that price, there's no way I can justify buying a Le Creuset.

Williams Sonoma is like a housewife showroom.
I'm too poor to shop there

[Xu.Vi]

For knives, I'd suggest you go into a retail store to try the knife its self. One knife may be perfect for me but may not be for another person.
I usually go down to Seattle Premium to pick up cookware and get some shopping down too!

[pintoBC_3sgte]

great suggestions by everyone. For pots/pans, just make sure they have a nice thick heavy bottom for even heat transfer.

Other kitchen utensils? Like spatulas, wooden spoons, tongs? pretty cheap everywhere. Just make sure that they're of good quality and not flimsy.

Knives, something basic? if ya then all you pretty much need is a chef knife, bread knife, and maybe a paring or utility knife for smaller jobs.
Side note, Don't get a glass or bamboo cutting board (too hard and will pre-maturly dull your knives). Look for a good wood board or plastic synthetic.

I agree with ss6o4, go into a house of knives or any other knife store and try / hold a few different brands/ styles to see what you like first. From there you can search the net for the best deal.

[Culverin]

Originally Posted by pintoBC_5sfte

great suggestions by everyone. For pots/pans, just make sure they have a nice thick heavy bottom for even heat transfer.

Thick = Good even heat

Seamless = Better construction.
Disc bottoms are found on cheaper cookware.

Originally Posted by pintoBC_5sfte

Other kitchen utensils? Like spatulas, wooden spoons, tongs? pretty cheap everywhere. Just make sure that they're of good quality and not flimsy.

I get these from a kitchen supply store.
They are stronger, easier to clean and most of all cheaper than retail.
Except for the tongs, I don't like the industry ones, they aren't that sturdy.
Oxo good grips is one of the best ones out there. At $15ish, it's worth every penny.

Originally Posted by pintoBC_5sfte

Knives, something basic? if ya then all you pretty much need is a chef knife, bread knife, and maybe a paring or utility knife for smaller jobs.
Side note, Don't get a glass or bamboo cutting board (too hard and will pre-maturly dull your knives). Look for a good wood board or plastic synthetic.

Yep.
You don't need a lot of knives.
Chef, paring, and bread. That's all you really need.
Heck, I only got a bread knife this year.

Originally Posted by pintoBC_5sfte

I agree with ss6o4, go into a house of knives or any other knife store and try / hold a few different brands/ styles to see what you like first. From there you can search the net for the best deal.

Go to Granville 12th area.
Williams Sonoma, Ming Wo, House of Knives, Cookworks, all within walking distance of each other.

[rsx10]

Thanks everyone for your input. I don't have a budget as I don't mind forking out the cash for good products.

Any other suggestions would be great.

Thanks

[DaFonz]

For dutch ovens, the Tramontina is a great buy too

Also, http://japanesechefsknife.com/ for the best deals on japanese knives.

[Culverin]

Originally Posted by rsx10

Thanks everyone for your input. I don't have a budget as I don't mind forking out the cash for good products.

Any other suggestions would be great.

Thanks

buwhahahahaha
That is so dangerous!


In that case, work out a "worst case scenario" budget for yourself over the next 2 years.
In order to save some money, I would suggest you start slow and build your collection based on your cooking skill and style.
Buy items that will allow you to cook what you want to cook.

Doing a steaks a lot? Carbon steel pan.
Omelette and scrambled eggs? Non-stick.
What if you're into Chinese style cooking? Wok burner, propane tank and carbonsteel wok.

If you want to see how deep the rabbit hole goes, you should see my ever growing toy collection.....

Originally Posted by DaFonz

Also, JapaneseChefsKnife.Com Top Page Japanese Knife,Japanese Kitchen Knife,Japanese Cutlery,Japanese Chef's Knives.Com for the best deals on japanese knives.

I have made a few knife purchases there for wedding gifts.

I think my personal favorite right know are the Shiki knives.
SHIKI Japanese Knife,Japanese Kitchen Knife,Japanese Cutlery,Japanese Chef's Knives.Com

Razor thin, very good build quality and gorgeous.
But it's the same metal as the Shun Sora I posted up earlier at almost double the price....


If you want to talk knives...
Then the rabbit hole goes even deeper

[DaFonz]

Originally Posted by Culverin

I have made a few knife purchases there for wedding gifts.

I think my personal favorite right know are the Shiki knives.
SHIKI Japanese Knife,Japanese Kitchen Knife,Japanese Cutlery,Japanese Chef's Knives.Com

Razor thin, very good build quality and gorgeous.
But it's the same metal as the Shun Sora I posted up earlier at almost double the price....

If you want to talk knives...
Then the rabbit hole goes even deeper

But the Shiki's are so much nicer! If we were smart people, we would all get the cheapo victorinox knives and call it a day....

I'm happy I managed to get a full set of these many years ago (it's gotta be close to 7 now):
HD Series Japanese Knife,Japanese Kitchen Knife,Japanese Cutlery,Japanese Chef's Knives.Com

[Nlkko]

You guys got me tempting... thinking of buying a 210mm Shiki Gyuto.
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[unit]

personally i dont find a dutch oven to be as useful as a stainless steel pot.

i have one and for the price, its great, but nothing beats stainless steel when it comes to convenience for everyday cooking. i'd say get a heavy bottomed (or full clad if you can afford it) 5-6qt stainless pot, as well as a 10" stainless skillet.

the cleanup on stainless steel is effortless and you dont really have to care about it, you can just toss it in the machine or let it soak in the sink and everything just comes off. you can cook in it and store the leftovers in the fridge in the pot, you can boil water in it, it heats up quick...also, you cant cook highly acidic foods in a cast iron pot. no chilis, no stews with tomatoes or wine, no stocks with lemons, etc...

i wont go over the pros of cast iron because many have been stated already. cast iron is a great addition to a kitchen but if you had to choose cast iron or stainless, and just one, i'd have to say stainless every time.

[willystyle]

Culverin, what's a good non-stick pan?

[westopher]

For knives, if you are a bit of a knife dork, like me and culverin, check knifewear.com or santoku in yaletown for good quality japanese knives. Be prepared to take really good care of them or don't bother though. If you want something that can handle a beating any of the mass produced, good quality ones will do like global, shun, wusthof, etc.

[Culverin]

unit is spot on. Stainless is the most bomb-proof and easy to maintain.
I have a Costco branding stockpot (from the states). I use it all the time and beat the crap out of it. Still in perfect condition.


I haven't done full research into non-stick pans yet, but I'm pretty much just getting commercial stuff from here on out.
I've been using this one for years, but it has served me well, but it's time for a new one.
Tramontina 12" Non Stick Fry Pan - Walmart.com
Maybe the industry pros here can speak to this topic?


As for knives...
My current go-to is a cheap Tojiro because it's small and light.
My Yoshikane is much sharper, but because if it's size and weight mostly just sits in the corner now.
Westopher's Masakage (mizu?) is like a razor. But it's carbon so it's highly rustable.
I hear knife nuts rave about Takedas all the time, I have yet to play with one myself.
All seem to be available at knifeware.

I have really expensive hobbies