Mario Batali "Italian Kitchen" Cookware

[BigDog]

Anyone with any experience with this stuff? I provide the link below not as advertisement, but as research. I've never used it, and just want to see if anyone has any experience with it.

http://www.italiankitchen.com/

 

[Robo410]

on his show he used to use a mixture of faulk culinair (great cookware) le cruset (also fine stuff) and all clad (nothing wrong there)

I've seen his signature products adviertised and the prices are reasonable. Have not seen them in person. I would be surprised if they weren't good quality. (But I've been surprised before)

 

[Corey123]

I've heard of his cookware, but I never tried any of it.


~Corey123.

 

[Gretchen]

It has just come on the market apparently at Sur Le Table and another place. It was on a TV show this week-end and it is GREAT looking.

 

[Corey123]

I think Cooking.com has it also.


~Corey123.

 

[Crash]

You can see it in person at Marshal Fields.

My 100 lb wife said that if I bought any of that cookware, I'd have to by her a brawny lad to carry it around for her. I personally don't like heavy cast iron enameled or otherwise.

 

[BigDog]

It was on a TV show this week-end and it is GREAT looking.

That's where I saw it, and came up with the topic.

Marshall Fields, eh? I may have to check it out, at least to see it. Don't know if I'd buy it, but that's another issue.

 

[KitchenSally]

I have the Mario Batali 6 qt pot in pesto green. I love it. Great quality. Beautiful 'fit and finish'. It is my most used and most loved pot.

 

[Chopstix]

I have Mario Batali's extra-wide silicone spatula/turner and his silicone pastry brush. Both in brown and orange colors. I've found them very useful.

I also got interested in his cast iron panini grill pan/press in the store but passed on it for now.

 

[CharlieD]

It is as ismple as 1, 2, 3... I fyou have money to spend on all this fancy Brand name stuff, get it. Just like any other stuff. If not get something simple. My grandma had 2 pots and one frying pan. she used to have people over at her house almost on a daily bases. Her food was amasing. Add to it that her oven did not have thermostat, only thermometr.

I have tons of pots and pans. But i doubt I'd ever be as good as she ever was.

It's only money.

 

[Jeekinz]

lol - I like the names of the stainless serving tools:

"Lasagna Turner".....spatula

"Pasta Server"......back scratcher

 

[Corey123]

Martha Stewart has SS cookware out in her name now. Wonder who makes it.

I saw it today at Macy's. I picked up one of the small pots and tried to get a feel of the weight of the pan. Not too bad.

 

[Poppinfresh]

Loathe as I am to ever recommend something a Food Network chef endorses (Emeril's All-Clad is anything but, that crap Giada was hawking for a while was horrible, and don't even get me started on the trash Rachael Ray tries to push--my local Fred Meyer has had what was left of her enamel cast iron stuff on clearance 70% off for the last 2 or 3 months and still can't get anybody to buy it), I have to admit the 2 Batali pieces I've been given are quite nice.

Don't get me wrong--I still prefer my All-Clad (and always will; it's the perfect cookware IMO), but if I've got a lot going on with the stoves or nothing is clean, I wouldn't be ashamed to pull out Mario's stuff.

As for Martha Stewart, I think it's self-produced on her part. I've got quite a bit of her stuff from Macy's--cast iron griddle, chili pot, and gratin pans, a salad spinner, turkey lifters, some bowls, a couple of spatulas and spoons, measuring cups, measuring spoons...I'm impressed with all of it EXCEPT for her pumpkin carving kit. Both the knives snapped within 2 pumpkins.

Her stainless steel stuff I'm not sure about as I don't have any--they didn't feel hefty enough when I picked em up, and her roasting pan felt positively cheap.

(I also would never own her linens due to low thread count issues, but that's another topic entirely)

 

[Corey123]

Wonder if she's still with Kmart. Don't hear much of THAT now. Maybe her contract with them has ended, or is about to end.

 

[Jeekinz]

Martha Stewart has SS cookware out in her name now. Wonder who makes it.

I saw it today at Macy's. I picked up one of the small pots and tried to get a feel of the weight of the pan. Not too bad.

I bought one of her 12 or 14" saute pans about 4 years ago. It was very well made with a copper bottom. Definately a two hander, very similar to my Cuisinart.

 

[Hawkeye16]

Wonder if she's still with Kmart. Don't hear much of THAT now. Maybe her contract with them has ended, or is about to end.

Her stuff is still being sold there, saw it last week!

 

[Corey123]

I didn't know that her SS cookware was out that long ago. The SS cookware that I was looking at had no copper on their bottoms.

It looks pretty stunning though.

I like the Macy's commercial where the Christmas tree is being decorated, and she says; "Jennifer, Jennifer darling." after the lights when out and the cord got unplugged. Haha!!

Jennifer says; "Oops, my bad". P. Diddy and Usher are featured in it as well.

 

[Jeekinz]

Yeah. When I started to really get into cooking I picked up that pan at K-Mart for like $30 or something. It had a thick copper bottom with a Martha Stewart logo in the center. I gave the pan to my Mother who loves the thing. I got a Cuisinart as a gift last year which is identical in constructon and performance.

 

[Corey123]

Maybe it's made by them.

Answers the age-old question; Who makes what and for whom?

 

[Robo410]

I've gotten a look and feel for the enameled cast iron and it is China made and not of the quality of good French enameled cast iron. I've returned two because of defects...cracks and bubbles in the enameling...and won't buy any more. Other items besides the cast iron are great. The pinch bowls are nice because they are also measuring cups.