Essential Cooking Utensils - your favorite?

[choclatechef]

I am putting together a care package for my friend who just bought the Kitchenaid mixer. She does not have much in the way of cookware, utensils, or small appliances.

I have an extra Cuisinart 8 cup food processor I am sending her [one of my thrift shop finds], and I was going through my utensil holders for things to send to her along with it.

I am sending her a few good quality carbon steel kitchen knives I got in a bunch of other things [I use Sabatier carbon steel knives mostly, and have Dexter carbon steel knives for heavy work]. I decided to purge things I did not need any longer and send them to her, because I have replaced them with my now favorite brands:

Dexter Russell for metal spatulas, turners, bench knives, & cook's forks
Vollrath for ladles, tongs, and plastic handled cooking spoons
Oxo Good Grips for everything else [those rubber handles feel good in arthritic hands]

This has gotten me to thinking [dangerous I know]. What is your favorite brand/brands of kitchen utensils?

 

[Otter]

Of late, I have gravitated toward KitchenAid and Oxo.

 

[mudbug]

Oxo fan here.

 

[Audeo]

I really like a lot of the Oxo products, especially their scraper and their vegetable "Y" peeler. Their mandolin looks pretty nice, too, but I haven't invested in one of those yet. In my opinion, they are quality products at modest prices.

For wooden spoons, I like H.A. Mack spoons, especially the olivewood, which tends not to absorb as much as traditional beechwood spoons do.

For cooking thermometers, I really like Poulders...and I'm waiting patiently for their dual-probe model to come out soon!

 

[choclatechef]

Wow! It looks like Oxo has a lot of fans!

Anybody else have some favorite brands of utensils?

 

[marmalady]

I don't really buy utensils by brand names - more just like what I need, or looks 'handy' to have.

Professional cutlery direct - www.pdc.com - has some very cool tools!

 

[pst1can]

I'm like Marmalady...I do not buy a utensil by brand but rather how it "feels"....I think it is alot like what knife you use...if it is comfortable you buy iy and then will use it!

 

[Michael in FtW]

Well, choclatechef, I don't really buy much based on "brand name" - like most others I buy based on form, function. and price ... but I just realized I do have some favorites.

For canisters - I like the square polycarbonate made by Cambro. Not as airtight as Tupperware - but they don't stain and are cheaper. Rubbermade makes some that are about the same price (usually 25-cents more) the Cambro seems thicker.

For bun pans and such (my favorite roasting pan is a steam-table pan) I'll have to toss it up between Lincoln and Vollrath.

Now - for vegi-peeler and a salad-spinner - that would be OXO hands down.

 

[Charlotte]

@@ Marmalady

You said:

Professional cutlery direct - www.pdc.com - has some very cool tools!

I was wondering how to get into that site please? It comes up requiring a password to access it...

Thanks
Jocelyne