Bed, Bath, and Broke

[Callisto in NC]

Oh, I'll have to check the dollar tree. I've been looking for something like that.

 

[wysiwyg]

Check your Home Goods local store (is like a TJMaxx but for house items), the clearance section has nice quality stuff at rock bottom prices. But you must be patient and know exactly what you need if you want to maximize your savings. I remember getting Le Cruiset ramekins (set of 4) for $3, regular price $5 and a 12 piece Pyrex set for $10.
I will check the Salvation Army next time. That is a really good tip.

 

[Rom]

...12 piece Pyrex set for $10.

r u serious...GEE WHIZ...i love my pyrex lol

 

[wysiwyg]

Rom, I am not sure if this is cheap or expensive in Oz.
The set included two measuring jars and eight different containers, I guess it is a 15 piece set including the lids.

 

[Hungry]

Cooking Tools

Thank you for all the suggestions. I'll check a lot of these places out .

No one mentioned "Linens and Things". I like them better than BBB. The 20% off coupon isn't much but, it is better than a "sharp poke in the eye"!

Charlie

 

[VeraBlue]

Most areas have some sort of restaurant supply store. Some require that you actually work in the industry. Some don't You'll have to do the research. If you wanted to, you could actually get a few business cards, which is usually enough proof of being in the industry, to open an account at any of these places.

At these places, you don't pay for the gussying up and all...you get exactly what chefs use in professional kitchens. It's really worth looking into. I've gotten so used to shopping there that my home kitchen pretty much looks exactly like work.

 

[suziquzie]

For anything that you need to cut with, stay away from Wal-Mart. Knives, box graters,cheese slicers, all useless. I suppose they can't screw up wooden spoons.....

 

[Gossie]

For anything that you need to cut with, stay away from Wal-Mart. Knives, box graters,cheese slicers, all useless. I suppose they can't screw up wooden spoons.....

I got one of my BEST knives at a dollar store. Sliced myself twice in the same exact place!!! And I paid a $1 for that. LoL

Seriously tho, I really did/do like that knife. It isn't the knive's fault, it was mine for not kicking other people out of the kitchen while I was cooking. I got distracted and there goes the finger. LoL

 

[Rom]

Rom, I am not sure if this is cheap or expensive in Oz.
The set included two measuring jars and eight different containers, I guess it is a 15 piece set including the lids.

1 small baking dish is over 12$ i made a point to RE-check the prices last nite lol

 

[xmascarol1]

For good pans, I check out sales on line for specific pans that I have my eye on. Watch for when they have free shipping. But for ceramic dishes, you can get great stuff at second hand stores. And I've even gotten LeCreuset in a good thrift store. Knives are not usually a find in a thrift store or even garage sales. Most people have junk knives, and anybody who owns a good knife is not going to get rid of it. Gadgets, though you can always find in practically new condition at thrift stores. Good cast iron can be had that are well-seasoned at estate sales, and antique shops. Such specialty pans like aebleskiver pans or cast iron cornbread pans are sometimes good used finds, as people don't use them and just clear out their kitchen.

 

[DrThunder88]

Home Goods is a great place for gadgetry in my experience. My favorite find there has been an eight inch stainless steel mixing bowl that has to have a two liter capacity for four dollars. It's not one of those chintzy, little, "bendable under finger pressure" bowls like I've seen at Meijers and Big Lots. They've a good selection of cooking tools too. I picked up a couple silicone scoopulas and stainless whisks for under five dollars a piece. They're prices on All-Clad pans is nothing to sneeze at either. My favorite saucepan (I believe they call it a "butter warmer"), was only $20. A 12x18 inch bamboo cutting board was $5 or so. Similar prices and items can be found at Marshalls and TJ Maxx, since all three are owned by the same company.

Dollar Tree stores around here are also good for the little prep bowls though I'm having trouble finding the four-pack of three inch bowls as of late. One of the nearby stores also sells green half pint, wire bail mason jars, which, while not indicated for home canning, might make great gift containers. I've made a project out of the little 6x8 inch bamboo cutting boards by trimming off the edges and gluing four of them together!

I was surprised by my local World Market's cooking gear. I had been looking for a reasonably priced, 1-1.5 quart souffle vessel for several days when I stopped in on a whim. Five dollars cheaper than an almost identical product at Macy's, which, in all fairness, was only ten dollars. I also picked up a Joyce Chen Chinese chef's knife with one of their email club (seems to be spam-free so far!) coupons for 20% off.

And in deference to the bigger stores, I did find some open stock of some hard to find cookware at Linens n Things at a lower price than I'd seen online. Add the 20% coupon from the Sunday paper, and I was a happy camper.

 

[Poppinfresh]

Walmart is also good for better prices on brand names.

This is incredibly dangerous advice, Andy. The stuff you can buy at Wal-Mart is often inferior in quality than if you were to buy it elsewhere.

Let's take KitchenAid stand mixers, for example. Let's say you buy one at Macy's and one at Wal-Mart, and then take them both apart.

You'll find the one from Macy's will have metal fittings and screws and a nice quality metal on the innards.

You'll subsequently find that the one from Wal-Mart will use plastic fittings, screws and gears, and will use pot metal brackets and the like.

It's like this with a lot of things you get from Wal-Mart. Because they dictate what they'll pay to manufacturer's (which often cripples said manufacturer) the manufacturer has to come up with ways to cut costs on the items they sell to Wal-Mart, and 99 out of 100 times that results in using lower quality components.

 

[Andy M.]

This is incredibly dangerous advice, Andy. The stuff you can buy at Wal-Mart is often inferior in quality than if you were to buy it elsewhere.

Let's take KitchenAid stand mixers, for example. Let's say you buy one at Macy's and one at Wal-Mart, and then take them both apart.

You'll find the one from Macy's will have metal fittings and screws and a nice quality metal on the innards.

You'll subsequently find that the one from Wal-Mart will use plastic fittings, screws and gears, and will use pot metal brackets and the like.

It's like this with a lot of things you get from Wal-Mart. Because they dictate what they'll pay to manufacturer's (which often cripples said manufacturer) the manufacturer has to come up with ways to cut costs on the items they sell to Wal-Mart, and 99 out of 100 times that results in using lower quality components.

Man that's quite a leap you made. I post talking about glass mise en place bowls and a cast iron skillet and you take that to Kitchen Aid mixers.

 

[Poppinfresh]

You made a generalized "name brand" comment regarding kitchen products at Wal-Mart (I think, I was kinda woozy when I jumped into this thread yesterday. I only use the KitchenAid analogy because I once did just that for a web site I used to have.

Whether that translates to bowls, I doubt, but a lot of things you find in the kitchen area of Wal-Mart are cheaper for a reason--they're cheaper quality.