Eyeage

Here's another bit of advice: leave "the wife" home when shopping for the kitchen, especially if you do the cooking. Lol... as if that was going to work in this particular instance

Bought Wusthof Classic Knives. They felt the best in my hand, and I was able to get the 20% discount since I had them order it (the register restricts the coupon, but not if they order it). Couldn't get the wife to go for the microplane, had a hard time getting her to go for a scale (but I prevailed). We bought some non-stick, some stainless, a steamer thing, and a cast iron pot. I bought two cast iron skillets off craigslist for $10. Need some rejuvenation, but I'll make 'em work. Got a bunch of utensils. Spatulas, wooden spoons, etc. New cutting board, good storage containers, grater, measuring cups/spoons, tongs etc. (most of this stuff was oxo). Bought a Bosch universal plus off craigslist, came with blender attachment and stainless bowl. Ordered the food processor attachment from amazon. Got new dinnerware seating for 8. Got nice set of cookie sheets/cake pans (those real heavy ones made in Pennsylvania) Got set of pyrex and stainless mixing bowls Overall we saved just over $300 ($750 if you include what I saved on the bosch) on our purchase (total was about $1000), and I think most everything we got will last a long time, a lifetime for some. Still have some things we need, but overall I think we're pretty good for now. We also got curtains and curtain rods for 3 windows (I know its' not cooking, just showing where the money went). Thanks for everyone's suggestions. We appreciate your insight.

Also, I'm neurotic about cleaning the surface of our cooktop. It looks brand new. I wipe it after every cooking session and clean it with the cleaner once a week. So scratching would bug me, OCD perhaps, but it would.

Because cast iron has exposed carbide crystals, which is almost as hard as diamond. dcarch Yeah, I have a wife to worry about (she's definitely not the cook, but she cleans and does laundry, I am happy with this trade, until she tries putting my good stuff in the dishwasher). The enamel coating is smooth. But it's been suggested in multiple places that grabbing a drill with some 90 grit sand paper will get those edges off the bottom. I like the idea of seasoning. I may go to the salvation army/good will today and see if I can find a good old cast iron.

I can only find this , and it's enameled inside and out like the lodge. Looks like I need some sand paper

For those saying "nooooooooo STOP" etc. I have a glass cooktop. So I either have to get enameled or sand the bottom down. I'm not going to risk scratching the stove. Thanks for the Le Creuset nod, as I was looking at lodge and no-names mostly.

Honestly, this is what I did. I used the "Cooks illustrated kitchen essentials list". On this list, it lists two pans that are "essential". They're in the 13 piece calphalon tri-ply stainless set. The ones they recommend are all-clad, but my research shows the tri-ply is along the same quality line. That said, I bought the 13 piece set and got a large non-stick "every day" pan (which will serve as the 12" non-stick with a lid on the list) for less than those two pans cost (Paid $320, and really they were free). So I got 9 extra pieces for less than the three would've cost separately. Seems to make logical and financial sense to me. I'm quite sure I'll use them all at one time or another. I do have a question though. Looking at cast iron skillets, I only find the enameled ones that are completely enameled. Seems to me I'd rather have one that wasn't enameled on the inside of the skillet. Does anyone know if/where I can find one made that way? Or is it all or nothing. I guess I could always file/sand the bottom of a non-enameled one down if it comes to that. I'd think the enamel on the inside defeats some of the purpose/function of the cast iron. Obviously, I could be wrong.

Today I got a great deal. On craigslist I found a bosch universal plus with the stainless bowl (and plastic) and the blender attachment for $350! I can't begin to say how thrilled I am with this find. It's brand new (wedding gift perhaps?). I'll be happy to not have to primarily hand knead anymore. Heading to the dentist then to pick up my new mixer. I think I'll buy the processor attachment for it and call it a day.

I have a purpose-built meat grind, pretty good one (as I process my bounty), and how I'd love to have a stand up mixer for making pizza dough. Alas, can't do without the grinder, and can't justify $300 for stand up mixer (or $700 for the one I'd actually buy). handheld does the job, albeit not real well, but it suffices. Now, if you have the DLX, I'm interested in trading!

My boning knife is old (at least the one I use for deer), but it's old like 50 years old, and it's a great knife. Old riveted wooden handle and all. I went and held a few knives today, have to say the Wusthof classic felt the best in my hands of the bunch. I liked the way the calphalon katana felt also. There was a limited selection, but I felt the zwillings I held were too large for my hand. A "host" sent me a great article for kitchen basics. Was from CI from a few years ago "Essential kitchen" etc etc. 39 items that are a must have. While I have several, it was a great resource.

Actually cast iron has been suggested several times. It's on my list

I have nice processing knives too, rather, they're sharp. They aren't pretty. Definitely not something I would use in my kitchen for several reasons. Wanted to address that question before it was posed.

We have a food saver. I hunt, and do most of the processing myself.

I make soups, chili, etc. I make stir-fry. I make eggs. I make sauces. I make pizza (I am very particular about pizza). I make chicken, pork, beef, fish, etc in a number of ways, and I'm always looking for new recipes to try. I bake a lot (and our bake ware is adequate). I have 3 different sizes of burners on my stove. small, medium, large, and Large/small combo. What I use now, skillets, stockpot, sauce pans. I have about 15 different pieces cookware for the stove, and use all of them at one time or another. Depending on what I'm making and the size of what I'm making (I cook for 1-8 people depending on the day). That said, I'd love to have cookware I can take from the stove and plop in the oven. This is something that is a must from my new items (at least one or two of them). I'd like an attractive set of pans too, we have a really nice kitchen, with wal-mart tools (half my handles wobble, etc). I hate cooking when guests are over because of this.

I'm trying to get to the bottom of what I "need". I have a large kitchen, things won't get cluttered. I cook primarily for two, but we have friends over for dinner. Again, I've made due with what I have for years, and rarely is there a complaint about my food. I'm just trying to see what people think the most important items to upgrade are. That seems to have been lost in the ramble. At this point I'm about to let the wife go crazy with the terrible window treatments BBB has and wave goodbye to the idea of upgrading the kitchen. Seems like my question has gone awry.

I assumed this was done by the system. Thank you for this! The brick and mortar only have wusthof, zwilling, and calphalon knives to test. The rest are online. I'll have to go to another store to "feel" these knives, but I'm willing to do some legwork.

Also, let me ask another question. A couple have suggested the smart oven. What advantage does a toaster oven have that I'm not aware of? Thanks.

Thanks, this is what I was looking for.

I understand what people are saying. Trust me, I do hear you. Our budget is finite, but not destitute. My "job" is to get the most bang for the buck with our store credit. I am interested in maximizing our store credit WHILE equipping our kitchen. As a previous poster said, $1000 isn't enough to furnish our kitchen, but maybe I can make it livable. That said, maximizing the savings is the only prudent thing to do at a store where 90% of everything is overpriced. There are much cheaper outlets to buy things for our kitchen, and thus we have arrived to our predicament: Get the best stuff that we'll use at the best price with our credit. I'm probably asking too much of this forum, as I'm the "new guy". That said, I find people with knowledge generally like to share it, hence my posting here. So far I've gotten a lot of good information. Dutch oven, cast iron, 1 good knife, spatulas, wooden spoons, etc. I'm listening to what people are saying, and incorporating it into our shopping list. This may seem like a no-brainer to experienced cooks, but I need to ask it anyway. It's regarding the cookware set. Out of: 8-in. Omelette Pan 10-in. Omelette Pan 12-in. Omelette Pan 1.5-qt. Covered Sauce Pan 2.5-qt. Covered Sauce Pan 3-qt. Covered Saute Pan 3-qt. Covered Chef's Pan 6-qt. Covered Stockpot Feature 12-in Covered Everyday pan What of those would I use? What wouldn't I? What of those pieces should be replaced with something else? The reason I ask is a fairly simple one, and based on a post above "if you get the set for the same price as the pieces you need, then it's a good idea". I know the prices of each of the items in the set. So this is my, litmus test of sorts. Based on previous responses, I need: CI skillet Dutch Oven 1 non-stick pan What else along the lines of pans? I can understand the idea of foregoing the "coupon", a little. I like the idea of holding the knives, as it seems to be a good judge of what I'll like, I just can't justify buying anything at BBB without a coupon because I can go elsewhere and get it cheaper. Again, a BIG thank you to everyone posting on here. I know I'm asking a lot and your information is golden to me. Let me also restate something: I'm neurotic about research and getting the best deal possible, frugality is my middle name. Forgive me for that.

No carpet in my house, only area rugs, and not spending $500 on a vacuum for those Shun restricted on coupon Restricted on coupon Thanks for the information thus far. Some of the posters really got what I was asking. Janeer especially got it, I think. I'm looking for bare bones "what does a newbie need to have when buying quality items". Thanks for the information thus far. I will also look into some of the books/websites suggested. Also, in reference to the knives, I latched on to global because they seem to be the highest quality that is not restricted by the coupon. Maybe you're saying "forget the $50 savings", but hard for us to do. It's also not a "set" of knives as I would describe them. They're 3 knives, and seemingly ones that people say I need. Good chef, pairing, etc. The cookware set was an idea because none of my pans are very good, and I'd get the set for approximately $300 and a free pan. So, 15 pieces of cookware for $300 seems like a really good deal to me. Even if I don't use every one of them all the time. Also, let me add another question. I have a smooth top electric oven. I know it's not optimal, but converting to a gas stove isn't an option for us at this time (though will be a point when we build our next house). That said, I've been reading a lot about the dutch ovens/cast iron cookware being too heavy and cracking, or scratching the surface. Can anyone chime in about this? I know the coated seems to decrease the likelihood of scratching, but what about the weight? Thanks in advance.

Waiting a year isn't going to go over too well with the Mrs.... She wants the "presents" we got.. ie the "credit". I never blamed my cooking on anything. I said I'm not sure what I'm doing, and we're going to upgrade some stuff in our kitchen, and asked what people thought of my choices or if they'd recommend something else. Not sure where you're getting the idea I blamed my cooking on our utensils.

Hello Everyone! Please forgive me, as I really haven't started digging through the site yet. I have a few questions and google hasn't been able to solve my issues (at least not directly, it did lead me here). So, here's a little background and I'll dive right into it. I'm a novice cook. I do like cooking, and I do it fairly okay (people eat my food and say yum). That said, I couldn't tell you what "cuts" are what, and I couldn't tell you when to use them. I can't really tell you what types of pans you're supposed to use when, etc. As you can see I need a LOT of help. However, I am working to improve myself, and have tossed around the idea of taking some classes. So, on to the issue at hand. My wife and I just got married 2 weeks ago. We have pretty much crap in our kitchen. We have some old T-fal pots and pans (wal-mart style), Farberware knife set (wal-mart), cheap plates (wal-mart, seeing a trend?), cheap utensils (yep, you guessed it). The list goes on. Basically everything we have is from wal-mart or target. I have one decent knife: This. With that said, we have decent amount of money to spend at Bed Bath and Beyond (I understand there are better places to shop, but it's where our "credit" is). We have about $1000 worth of a store credit from our wedding. I would like to see how people think we should spend it. I have a few ideas, but I have no clue as to what I'm doing. I hate being an uneducated consumer, and so I turn to you and ask for your help. Let me make this even harder for you by saying that we plan to use a "20% off entire purchase" coupon. A few important brands are excluded from the coupon. Wusthof, Zwilling, La Creuset, and Shun. All-clad and Henckels international are not restricted. So..... Thanks for reading to this point, let me ask the "direct" questions now. We could use the money on a lot of different things, as BBB is a large store with many items. That said, I thought cookware, knives, plates, and kitchen gadgets would work well. We plan to spend a little on some window treatments, but not sure BBB is the place we want to do that. Here are the items I've been looking at, please give me your opinions, and please include suggestions as well. Knives: http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=14178520 or http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=18589290 (remember I have a santoku already, just not very high quality) Cookware: http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=17467808 (this purchase would give me a $50 gift card to BBB, and an additional "everyday pan with lid" ) - http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=132355 This set is pushing the amount we want to spend, and there's no gift card, you do get a "lasagna pan" with it, however. I won't bore you with china selections. We're looking at noritake and denby, leaning towards noritake. Also, we plan to buy other stuff with our money as well (gadgets and such), so what are some items that are a "must have" for a newbie in the kitchen. I need to know what everyone thinks about those selections, and hear any suggestions. I'm a neurotic researcher who is extremely indecisive. My wife probably wants to kill me at this point I thank you for your time and suggestions/feedback!