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Suggestions for high quality modern flatware?


CRUZMISL

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Hi All,

I'm looking for some high quality modern looking flatware to replace my existing Henckels Manhattan set I got for my wedding gift. I like this set because they look reaally good, have held up to everyday use and are heavy. Any suggestions out there for a good replacement?

Thanks,

Joe

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Mikasa makes excellent, well-priced, modern stuff; do you happen to live near one of the factory outlets? You can get some amazing deals there.

Steven A. Shaw aka "Fat Guy"
Co-founder, Society for Culinary Arts & Letters, sshaw@egstaff.org
Proud signatory to the eG Ethics code
Director, New Media Studies, International Culinary Center (take my food-blogging course)

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I was given this set from J.C. Penny catalogue as an early Christmas gift. It is the same as a set sold in Chef's Catalogue only it has serving pieces and a display box. Pretty decent deal - 79 pieces for $119.00!

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I second the WMF recommendation. I've ordered twice from China Fair, who happened to have the discontinued pattern I wanted for--get this--$99 for the 45-pc+hostess set. (It's Action, the first one on the page.) I was very satisfied with their service both times and I love my flatware. The other patterns are closer to normal prices, but still cheap.

(I tracked down the pattern from a single spoon Mr. Babyluck stole from first class on SAS--7 years later we bought the whole set. It's a goddamn perfect spoon.)

Queen of Grilled Cheese

NJ, USA

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I'll weigh in on the side of Mikasa. We use Mikasa china as our everyday stuff and I really like it. Easy and inexpensive to replace and has the look and feel of something that should cost much more. Our flatware that we are currently using is Mikasa as well. I don't know the pattern, but I really like it because it is very simple looking and very attractive and takes a beating pretty well (unlike our fine China-Herend Rosewood which is both stunningly expensive and so delicate that I hate using it because I know that I am going to chip a $150 dinnerplate every damn time I use it and our silverware, which we actually use quite a bit, but I get a bit tired of polishing it every time)

Mikasa

While we are kind of on the subject (or we are now, albeit briefly) I would like to express my happiness at walking into someone's home for dinner and seeing the "good stuff" gracing the table. I believe that even a simple meal can be greatly improved by a swell table setting (oh Lord, I sound like Martha Stewart :wacko: ). But I do think that so many of us have nice things and we just don't haul them out enough to enjoy them. What's the point in having the stuff if it gets no use? While there are many things about entertaining that I can't stand about my parent's generation, I do like the fact that you tend to see them use the nice stuff more often. That being said, I warn all of you thinking about getting into the china thing to think about how the stuff will hold up with use before you unload a boatload of dough on china that is about as study as windowpane, no matter it's expense or beauty. If you break it everytime you use it, dinner can get a bit pricey. :biggrin:

Brooks Hamaker, aka "Mayhaw Man"

There's a train everyday, leaving either way...

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Another thumbs up for WMF! We love our 18/10 stainless set from Crate & Barrel - it's heavy, fits well in the hand, and has stood up to 6 years of abuse (sons pictured at right use them every day), but still looks good enough to use with more formal dishes. It's the Artisan pattern - very simple and streamlined.

Kathy

Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all. - Harriet Van Horne

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I bought Paul Revere pattern in 18/8 stainless that is made by Oneida. It's not modern as in Danish type aesthetic but it is plain with nice clean lines and a great feel. The pistol grip handle on the knives is a bit much for some people but they have an alternate knife handle in that pattern that is much smaller and lighter in weight and feel. I have big hands and like the pistol grip. Prices on this are not chesap but IMHO not outrageous - it's readily available in outlet malls that stock Oneida and replacement pieces are easy to get. I admit to a bias in this matter as Oneida is a local business up where I come from and I like suporting local businesses.

I agree with all who enjoy eating their daily meals on a spiffy table setting with decent plates and flatware - it really enhances the dining experience. I remain baffled by friends who are great cooks, serve wonderful meals on beautiful china and continue to use flimsy feeling flatware that is overly ornamented and noy comfortable to hold. I, OTOH, am only a fair cook and serve all my meals on plain white oval plates from the restaurant supply house but my flatware is great. No wonder I eat out more than at home :wacko:

The Oneida product is not cheap - Amazon sells the five piece place setting at $29.95 but I have seen it elsewhere online for as low as $21.75 for the five piece and about $250 for the service for eight that includes the extra serving spoons etc.

Paul Revere at Amazon

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We have (and love) the Earl series from Henckel. We bought it at Bed, Bath and Beyond for $108 for a 45 piece set. But Amazon has it for $89.99 - here's a link.

Edited for typo and to add - good, heavy weight, simple lines. Longer than standard Amerian flatware, a quality I really appreciate. I'm ultra picky about how flatware feels in my hands so mostly shop by touch, and these meet all my criteria. Now if I could only find a place selling them by the piece - I've lost a couple tea spoons over the years.

Edited by tammylc (log)

Tammy's Tastings

Creating unique food and drink experiences

eGullet Foodblogs #1 and #2
Dinner for 40

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Hi All,

I'm looking for some high quality modern looking flatware to replace my existing Henckels Manhattan set I got for my wedding gift. I like this set because they look reaally good, have held up to everyday use and are heavy. Any suggestions out there for a good replacement?

Thanks,

Joe

What price range are you looking at? Robyn

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When we got married, my wife and I selected flatware and

dishes. For the flatware, she selected Oneida Frostfire and

for the dishes I selected Corning Platinum Scroll. Used both

everyday.

Decades later the Oneida still looks nearly new except for a

"patina that can only be achieved by decades of cutting,

eating, and washing".

Frostfire looks modern, and Platinum Scroll looks Rococo.

Eventually she agreed with me that the Platinum Scroll did

look better than the Frostfire and that she would have done

better selecting a more traditional pattern for the flatware.

Either way, the Oneida has lasted beautifully.

The Corning dishes were soon withdrawn from the market. The

basic ceramic technology was terrific, but the applied metal

decorations did not last really well, especially on the edges.

The scroll decorations, however, are still mostly in good

condition.

I would recommend Oneida in whatever pattern you prefer.

What would be the right food and wine to go with

R. Strauss's 'Ein Heldenleben'?

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Actually.... the Oneida pattern I chose is longer than much of the other flatware I looked at, European or otherwise. One of the things I really appreciate is being able to get replacement pieces quite easily. On occasion I've had friends or kids of friends who apparently tossed out a spoon or fork when emptying their late (or so it would seem). I appreciate the fact that it's made right here in NY state but rumour around here has it that Oneida production will move offshore soner than later - probably within the next year.

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I second the WMF recommendation. I've ordered twice from China Fair, who happened to have the discontinued pattern I wanted for--get this--$99 for the 45-pc+hostess set. (It's Action, the first one on the page.) I was very satisfied with their service both times and I love my flatware. The other patterns are closer to normal prices, but still cheap.

(I tracked down the pattern from a single spoon Mr. Babyluck stole from first class on SAS--7 years later we bought the whole set. It's a goddamn perfect spoon.)

This site is a bad influence on me!!! I was perfectly happy w/ my flatware (from a restaurant supply store, I think it is Oneida) until I looked at the stuff at the site you posted. :blink: I now see the error of my ways, I must upgrade immediately.

So, is this correct: if I go look at the flatware at a Crate & Barrel, it will be a WFM pattern that I can choose and then order more cheaply at China Fair?

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I love WMF too. We've had ours for over 20 years, purchased from Crate and Barrel, and now discontinued unfortunately, but I really really love it. Ours has a brushed surface and still looks great. WMF is good quality - it feels good in your hand. It's really important to hold the silverware and feel it. I think C&B sells other brands, but just turn it over and see how it;s marked.

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This is slightly off topic, but still along the cutlery line..........

I purchased Oneida's stainless steel Puccini pattern about a year ago. I love the shape and weight. However, the knives (and only the knives) have developed darkish spots on them. The only way I can get this off is polishing with Silvo silver polish. :rolleyes:

I don't think it is the dishwasher - I use liquid detergent. Also none of the forks or spoons have developed this problem.

Suggestions?

Life is short, eat dessert first

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Have you tried using boiling hot water with an oxygenated cleaner in it ? (e.g. Oxyclean). I suppose something like Tarn-X might work although theoretically it is designed for silver. If neither for these solutions work it may actually be some sort of impurity in the steel that has surfaced with age and can't be fixed.

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I think C&B sells other brands, but just turn it over and see how it;s marked.

I got married last year and we got a pattern for everyday from Crate & Barrel that was made by Dansk. We got 12 settings, plus the serving pieces. They subsequently stopped carrying that pattern at C&B, but they still carry it at Fortunoff.

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We just got a large set of Dansk's Variation V. It's gorgeous and of very high quality. We bought it from Western Silver:

http://www.westernsilver.com/dansk_stainle...ns_v_dansk.html

It was backordered, however, and took about a month to reach us. Sandy McLendon, an expert on Dansk and many other midcentury modern matters, told me that the backorder situation is common, and feels that Lenox (who owns Dansk) is ruining the Dansk name by making it difficult to obtain easily.

"Save Donald Duck and Fuck Wolfgang Puck."

-- State Senator John Burton, joking about

how the bill to ban production of foie gras in

California was summarized for signing by

Gov. Schwarzenegger.

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This is slightly off topic, but still along the cutlery line..........

I purchased Oneida's stainless steel Puccini pattern about a year ago. I love the shape and weight. However, the knives (and only the knives) have developed darkish spots on them. The only way I can get this off is polishing with Silvo silver polish. :rolleyes:

I don't think it is the dishwasher - I use liquid detergent. Also none of the forks or spoons have developed this problem.

Suggestions?

Perhaps Simichrome would work.

http://www.autofanatics.com/simichrome.html

"Save Donald Duck and Fuck Wolfgang Puck."

-- State Senator John Burton, joking about

how the bill to ban production of foie gras in

California was summarized for signing by

Gov. Schwarzenegger.

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We just got a large set of Dansk's Variation V. It's gorgeous and of very high quality. We bought it from Western Silver:

http://www.westernsilver.com/dansk_stainle...ns_v_dansk.html

It was backordered, however, and took about a month to reach us. Sandy McLendon, an expert on Dansk and many other midcentury modern matters, told me that the backorder situation is common, and feels that Lenox (who owns Dansk) is ruining the Dansk name by making it difficult to obtain easily.

We have a Dansk factory outlet store where we live. They carry both firsts and seconds. Just about everything is in stock all the time. Robyn

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We have a Dansk factory outlet store where we live. They carry both firsts and seconds. Just about everything is in stock all the time. Robyn

So I assume you're familiar with everything they make. I doubt they have Odin flatware in stock, for example. If they do, I'll be right over. Lenox has not maintained the design concepts of Dansk days of yore. It's a different type of company now, putting out a lot more cutesy crap.

"Save Donald Duck and Fuck Wolfgang Puck."

-- State Senator John Burton, joking about

how the bill to ban production of foie gras in

California was summarized for signing by

Gov. Schwarzenegger.

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So I assume you're familiar with everything they make. I doubt they have Odin flatware in stock, for example. If they do, I'll be right over. Lenox has not maintained the design concepts of Dansk days of yore. It's a different type of company now, putting out a lot more cutesy crap.

I'm not familiar with everything they make - don't make shopping a full time job <smile>. I stop by the factory outlet shops once in a while to buy glassware. Our water wrecks glasses pretty quickly - so I don't like to spend a lot of money on them. Can't say that the store has Odin in stock - but I recall seeing Variation V and Torun and perhaps half a dozen others there last time I was there. The store's in St. Augustine FL - so if you're looking for something in particular - you can call. Note that I have an older set of Variation V - and although the new stuff looks like the old stuff - it doesn't have the same "heft". So I wouldn't try to match new stuff to my older stuff (don't know what the story is with Odin). Robyn

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