Cheapest prices for skillets, saute pans...

[Gul_Dekar]

I was wondering where would be a good place to go in Toronto to find good quality skillets & saute pans? Any restaurant supply stores that sell them real cheap (or relatively so)?

[yorkshirepud]

Gul_Dakar,

Are you looking for any particular brand?

You could try Caynes Housewares. Though to be honest, they only name brand they have is Cuisinart. Here's their website - http://www.cayneshousewares.com/. I have a Cuisinart saute pan though (non-stick) which I regret buying. It warped like crazy. May be my fault though as I think I've probably cranked the heat up too much on it.

You're probably better finding a restaurant supply store if you're looking for All-Clad etc. I'm on the lookout for one myself. I do believe their is one out in Missassauga (look in the Yellow Pages under Restaurant Supplys) if you're willing to travel a little further.

YP

[slkinsey]

Although I can't speak to Canadian retailers, I have consistently found that the best deals on cookware are to be had on the Internet.

[Librarian_chef]

My favourite two restaurant supply stores are Dinetz on King Street East, about 4 blocks east of Yonge Street and this restaurant supply store on Queen Street West just East of Bathurst on the South side. You can also check out the Calphalon shop on Spadina. If you are interested in Asian cookery items, there is a great shop on Spadina at Dundas on the North West corner.

Mark

[yorkshirepud]

Just popping back to offer up a link to Golda's Kitchen. It's a CDN site, prices in CDN. They ship or you can pick up items at their retail store.

http://www.goldaskitchen.com/

[Kenk]

My favorite pans are Iron and heavy Carbon steel pans. They are inexpensive, deliver good results, and are easy to maintain. Both these types of pans transfer heat well. When the pans are seasoned well they resist sticking very well.

For really cheap Iron pan you can get good ones from Loblaws in the $10 range. These pans are lighter than Lodge but of a lesser quality. The lightness though will let people who don’t like the weight to use the pans. After seasoning the cheap pan will perform as well as the lodge.

I got a 11” deBuyer heavy steel pan for $30 at a restaurant supply store. It is great and comes in many sizes and styles. http://www.debuyer.com/

Although All Clad and Cuisinart and Kitchen aid make very nice pans I prefer these less expensive pans. I can get my pans really hot and smoky without hurting the pan and not having to worry about discolouration of the stainless steel. I also encourage the baked on grease rather than worrying about figuring out how to scrub it off without scratching the pan.

[jayt90]

There is a large non-stick wok (restaurant grade aluminum) at Costco for $26.

I bought one a year ago, and am going back for a second, as it has not degraded at all.

[Gul_Dekar]

Thanks for the tips! I'll check out those places mentioned.

[Joobu]

A bit late on this one but I'd have to say if you're looking for Lodge cast iron Walmart seemed to have the best prices. If you're looking for stainless or aluminum, go to a restaurant supply store like Nikolau's (629 Queen St. W) or Dinetz (231 King St. E). I was recently at Nikolau's and I saw a lot of aluminum disk, stainless steel cookware by Sitram, Vollrath, Lacor, and Chaudier. The Vollrath and Lacor looked sturdy and were cheaper than the other brands while still having a very thick aluminum disk (1/4").

I've never been down to Dinetz but I'm interested to find out if it has similar items such as Nikolau.

[Pere Hugo]

There is a Paderno outlet in Heartland Mississauga. It is on the north-east corner of Britannia and Mavis. Paderno is Canadian made, solid, smart and will last forever. May be a bit pricy, but the company has periodic sales with selected items over 50% off.

By the way, a lot of restaurant supply places carry Paderno too.

[slkinsey]

Copying this in from another thread:

I bought a large Paderno stock pot (their stock pots are not cheap, being extra-heavy stainless steel with a 7 mm aluminum base) and a Paderno-made insert that fits almost exactly into the inside of the pot.  I don't remember the cost, but it was certainly more than a hundred bucks.

I've been searching Philly for a deeper pasta insert. At Sam's recommendation, I checked the Paderno website. The 5000 series 11-qt. pasta insert is $177 (11.5-qt. stock pot: $214). Does anyone know if there is any effective difference between the 1000 series and the 5000 series?

Some clarification is needed here. What you have referenced is the Canadian company Padinox that makes a line called "Paderno" in Canada. What happened is that the original Italian company at one point sold the Canadian company the right to use the Paderno brand in Canada and make Canadian "Paderno cookware." Padinox uses the name "Paderno" for their lower-end line of cookware and the name "Chaudier" for their higher-end line of cookware in Canada. Outside of Canada, only the original Italian company may use the brand "Paderno" and the two Padonix lines are called "Chaudier 1000" and "Chaudier 5000" respectively.

When I say "Paderno" I am speaking of the Italian company. Bridge Kitchenware is the sole distributor of Paderno Grand Gourmet in the US. It is one of my favorite lines of cookware.

[Joobu]

slkinsey's point is salient. Paderno and Chaudier are made by the same Canadian manufacturer. Chaudier is a good line but a bit overpriced in my opinion. I'd seek out the restaurant supply brands and compare pricing.

[Kenk]

I have always found Paderno to cost a lot of money even when found on sale. They always seem to be on sale.