Yard Sale, Thrift Store, Junk Heap Shopping (Part 1)

[zoe b]

that's a good find, snowangel--I've bought several electric waffle makers at thrifts and they all made waffles that stick--I guess there is no way to tell if they've been seasoned properly without trying them out.

I've never tried a stove top one--will be on the look out for this.

Edited November 28, 2006 by zoe b (log)

[Reefpimp]

pre-seasoned 15" Lodge cast-iron skillet for six bucks last Saturday.

Also, I buy every full-tang meat cleaver i run across for under ten bucks; I regrind them into single-bevel (left-or right-handed, as the case may be) santokus. The steel is a bit on the soft side but they still take a good edge even if they do have to be resharpened more frequently; the Dexter russels are a good bit better than the off-brands in this regard. With a new cocobolo or birdseye maple handle and a bit of polishing (the last one I gun-blued) they make fantastic stocking stuffers.

Oh and I picked up a new Escoffier at the used section of the local B&N two weeks ago for the can't-miss price of two American dollars.

Edited November 28, 2006 by Reefpimp (log)

[snowangel]

I never score, or so it seems, but Peter scored big for me when we were wandering around HomeGoods (the home stuff only store run by the TJMaxx/Marshall's folks). Peter: "Mom, what is this?" Me: "Shit, grab it."

A french Madeleine pan for $.99! Off to find that topic on potato madeleines.

Edited to add a link to the wonderful Potato Madeleines topic.

[Reefpimp]

I went to Delaney's surplus last week. This is a place where you can find everything form an incomplete Pratt&Whitney radial engine from some obsolete military aircraft to #22 fishhooks. Given an unlimited amount of welding rod, and an unlimited amount of time, a fella could make a career out of making things out of other things found in this place. 27 acres of. . . crap.

But I digress.

Inside the building, I came across two boxes filled with restaurant stainless!!

So I got:

1x20" dia. bowl

2x 5-qt double-boilers

6 hotel pans, 2 each in 2", 4", and 6" depths

6 half-pans, ditto

6 third pans, ditto

6 quarter pans, ditto

3 sixths pans, 1 each in above depths

Perforated inserts for each of the above to use them as steamers

Lids for all the above

3 12" sautee pans, brand new with some kind of odd semi-nonstick

one giant roaster, heavy-gauge aluminum, too big to fit into a standard home oven

skimmer, two ladles, giant spoons slotted and not

A bunch of round bains-marie and cast-aluminum salad dressing containers, to be used as flowerpots and utensil holders

All for two bucks a pound. GO ME!!111!!

[Anna N]

. . .

Inside the building, I came across two boxes filled with restaurant stainless!!

. . .

All for two bucks a pound.  GO ME!!111!!

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Right on! Congratulations!

[CaliPoutine]

I went to Delaney's surplus last week.  This is a place where you can find everything form an incomplete Pratt&Whitney radial engine from some obsolete military aircraft to #22 fishhooks.  Given an unlimited amount of welding rod, and an unlimited amount of time, a fella could make a career out of making things out of other things found in this place.  27 acres of. . . crap.

But I digress.

Inside the building, I came across two boxes filled with restaurant stainless!!

So I got:

1x20" dia. bowl

2x 5-qt double-boilers

6 hotel pans, 2 each in 2", 4", and 6" depths

6 half-pans, ditto

6 third pans, ditto

6 quarter pans, ditto

3 sixths pans, 1 each in above depths

Perforated inserts for each of the above to use them as steamers

Lids for all the above

3 12" sautee pans, brand new with some kind of odd semi-nonstick

one giant roaster, heavy-gauge aluminum, too big to fit into a standard home oven

skimmer, two ladles, giant spoons slotted and not

A bunch of round bains-marie and cast-aluminum salad dressing containers, to be used as flowerpots and utensil holders

All for two bucks a pound.  GO ME!!111!!

←

So what was the total cost?

[racheld]

RP, you're this month's winner!!!

Now, if you'd found a little cut-glass pickle-dish or two, well---we'd be talkin' Thrifter Emeritus, here.

[judiu]

I went to Delaney's surplus last week.  This is a place where you can find everything form an incomplete Pratt&Whitney radial engine from some obsolete military aircraft to #22 fishhooks.  Given an unlimited amount of welding rod, and an unlimited amount of time, a fella could make a career out of making things out of other things found in this place.  27 acres of. . . crap.

But I digress.

Inside the building, I came across two boxes filled with restaurant stainless!!

So I got:

1x20" dia. bowl

2x 5-qt double-boilers

6 hotel pans, 2 each in 2", 4", and 6" depths

6 half-pans, ditto

6 third pans, ditto

6 quarter pans, ditto

3 sixths pans, 1 each in above depths

Perforated inserts for each of the above to use them as steamers

Lids for all the above

3 12" sautee pans, brand new with some kind of odd semi-nonstick

one giant roaster, heavy-gauge aluminum, too big to fit into a standard home oven

skimmer, two ladles, giant spoons slotted and not

A bunch of round bains-marie and cast-aluminum salad dressing containers, to be used as flowerpots and utensil holders

All for two bucks a pound.  GO ME!!111!!

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And just where, pray tell, is this cave of wonders? Sounds like it might be close to me in Florida; the Pratt & Whitney plant is about 30 miles from me.

[CaliPoutine]

I googled it. Its in Wisconsin.

[judiu]

I googled it.  Its in Wisconsin.

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Oh, POOP!

[Reefpimp]

Yeah, sorry, kids. My whole haul came to about ninety dollars. I went back this morning to see if I could score some more stuff (for my sister) and they were cleaned out. But I did get a little cut glass pickle dish (not really, lol) and a half-dozen stainless Chinese knives with phenolic handles for 8 bucks apiece. Stocking-stuffers.

[sazji]

I was back in Seattle for a couple weeks in late November, and at Value Village I found a nice pasta machine for 9 dollars (which raised lots of eyebrows at airport checkpoints...that much metal makes lots of things whistle!), and a very nice old Turkish coffee pot for a buck. (Not sure where it was made, but it was nice than any I've found here in a long time, and just the size I needed.)

[Anna N]

I was back in Seattle for a couple weeks in late November, and at Value Village I found a nice pasta machine for 9 dollars (which raised lots of eyebrows at airport checkpoints...that much metal makes lots of things whistle!), and a very nice old Turkish coffee pot for a buck. (Not sure where it was made, but it was nice than any I've found here in a long time, and just the size I needed.)

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Now that brought a smile to my fact - from Istanbul to Seattle to find a Turkish coffee pot!

[Reefpimp]

Oh do the hits keep rolling in!!!

Got one of these bad boys at a local antique malle shoppe boutique place on the 23rd Dec...

Thirty bucks with canning rack, but without the weight for the release valve. That's OK, it's a standard NPT thread, so I just plumbed in a 15-pound pressure release valve I bought at Home Depot. Works a treat; the gauge never shows more than 15 pounds or fewer than 14.5. Releases steam in about a two-second burst every fifteen seconds or so.

Oh the stews and chili I shall make.

[leviathan]

I'm really jealous at what everybody's found. I lived, or at least, my parents lived, in a fairly nice area and I never stumbled upon so nice. If anything, people had unrealistic prices for the items I've seen at garage sales. And, it's been my experience, that you'll find better stuff in less desireable areas. Has anybody else noticed how Target is donating all their items to Goodwill. They're brand new, but I might as well have just bought them from Target at the prices Goodwill is selling them for. I would think that with EBay that it would be unlikely that you'd be able to fortiously stumble upon some of the deals people have found.

I did find some brand new, opened wine charms from Pottery Barn for two dollars that I bought for my mom. Personally, I think wine charms are pretty silly and I wouldn't have bought them but I knew my mom wanted some.

For books, I've found James Beard's American Cookery, New York Times Cookbook, LaRousse Gatronimique, Marcella Hazan's The Classic Italian Cookbook, Julia Child's

Mastering the Art of French Cooking together for a good price. They're the older versions so they're not updated, but I don't know how much of a difference that makes. I think Hazan's is a first edition, but I don't really know how to distinguish if something is a first edition or not. Not that it really matters, since that book is only in fair condition.

[hjshorter]

One of the second hand stores in my town has loads of vintage table linens. I recently picked up two dozen linen cocktail napkins, a dozen oversized white linen napkins, and a linen table runner with ten matching placemats for $50. The napkins are monogrammed with someone else's initials, but who cares?

Same store sold me a wood "gentleman's armoire" for $40. It has drawers up one side, and a hanging bar on the other. It's in my dining room with all the tablecloths hanging up and napkins, placemats, serving utensils and trivets in the drawers.

[Sony]

Driving back on business travel, I saw a simple sign on the side of the road- "Thrift Shop Bag Sale". Checked rear-view mirror, braked hard, and turned into the parking lot of a thrift shop. Thought I might be able to find a new coffee table.....

Store was closing in 15 minutes, but the staff welcomed me in. After a 5-minute scan of the furniture section, I knew my new coffee table wasn't there. But passing through the kitchenware section, my eyes landed on a Zojirushi rice cooker. 10-cup model. $4.75.

Is it sad that this little dust-covered machine made my heart jump? That I felt absolutely elated when I plugged it in and I felt the warmth emanating from the bottom?

It ain't fuzzy logic. The lid isn't clear. The measuring cup is missing. Definitely an older model.

For $4.75, I don't care! Yay! What a lucky day.....

[lovebenton0]

having a good time exploring the 'hood. we [quinn, my service dog and myself] are living in a new state, new town and so much is suddenly within walking distance. and we have to walk. the ''collectible'' store downtown is a few blocks from me and st. vincent de paul thrift store is about a mile away. what great cheap entertainment to paw through looking for hidden treasures.

i've found some goodies at both places. highlights... st vince recently gave up a romertopf [bay w-germany 110, the one with the handles on top and bottom] for five bucks, a krups sandwich maker for 2 bucks and stoneware baguette baker for six. also from both places i've snatched up an assortment of big measuring cups, pitchers, cool old silverware/serveware, pasta bowl and the ever present baskets. oh, and several cookbooks from st. vince and the local library sale, for 50 cents to a dollar each.

spring should be fun in the new 'hood for yard sales too.

[Anna N]

Where is everybody? It's spring and the sales are in full swing. This is just part of my haul this last Saturday:

That's a never-used 7 litre Lagostina pressure cooker (I can't remember if I paid $15 or $20 for it!), a kettle in mint condition ($3), a strainer/colander ($1), a small pizza stone that will actually fit in my small oven, a glass platter, a small frying pan for my number 2 son and the great (non-food) treasure for hubby: the Avro Arrow Scrap Book.

Not shown are about 10 cookbooks in mint condition for less than $8 and 3 squarish, green glass condiment containers!

I am one happy camper.

[viva]

Recent scores:

10" cast iron skillet, nicely seasoned ($20)

big-ass stock pot ($5) - put to use immediately for chicken stock (with chicken feet!! I love it when I get chicken feet for stock)

wooden rolling pin with green painted handles ($3)

flour sifter, cream colored with little red painted apples ($5 - overpriced but I liked the apples)

blue glass Ball jars ($1 each) - one of which is currently holding my dill pickles-in-progress

I love weekend flea markets. (Non-food related but still a huge score was the teal velvet armchair I got for $30!!!)

Edited June 17, 2007 by viva (log)

[teagal]

It seems like a lot of the local antique stores are now including lots of books too. Not that I mind- my cookbook collection has increased dramatically lately. Latest treasures include: The Joy of Cooking, The Complete Book of Herbs and Spices, Dione Lucas Natural French Cooking, plus others. The prices are too good to pass up. It seems everyone raised pricing on china and linens but books, not yet thankfully!

[CaliPoutine]

My spouse picked this up today. She paid 1 dollar. Its a Mr. Dudley pepper grinder.

Edited June 18, 2007 by CaliPoutine (log)

[Kerry Beal]

My spouse picked this up today. She paid 1 dollar.  Its a Mr. Dudley pepper grinder.

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Hey, I've got one of those. It was in the house when I moved in.

[CaliPoutine]

Kerry,

Do you like it? Does it grind well?

[Kerry Beal]

Kerry,

Do you like it?  Does it grind well?

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It's OK, but my favorite grinder is my Unicorn magnum. This one is useful when I want one on the table for dinner, but I want the really efficient one next to the stove.