Several years ago I attended a local rummage sale and walked away with a box full of copper and Commercial pans for twelve dollars. At the time I had no idea what I had just bought. I knew nothing about pots and pans outside of the collection of cast iron and Revere Ware goods I had been using for years. I had no concept of the variety of types and styles of industrial kitchen goods outside of the occasional stainless steel utensil I would find second hand. I didn't know NSF from a hole in Swiss cheese. I just knew that those pans looked solid, were nicely built and reasonably priced. I had to have something to use along with the oodles of cookbooks I had been accumulating. No sense getting into a new recipe with all my old pots and pans when heavy duty "new" stuff would serve me even better.
Needless to say I haven't gone out and bought anything new lately, as the price of a new pot or pan can be somewhat prohibitive on a librarian's salary. I do like to look and see what's new on the market, though. And I never tire of lessons and such that make me a more savvy person in the kitchen. It would be great, I suppose, to see a brand new set of heavy stainless steel goods hanging and sparkling from my kitchen pot rack, but whenever I cook I employ those beat old masters of mine and manage to pull off some fabulous dishes. I've found that new isn't always necessary, nice as it can be.
I must say, though, that I look at purchasing cooking gear the same way I look at buying any kind of tool for the house: buy cheap and you'll replace it many times over, buy quality and you'll own it for life. And as much as I would like to own, say, a nice French ceramic cast iron casserole, I'll read up about them first and know what I'm looking for when I come across them at the next rummage sale I attend. Knowledge is power, indeed, and a nice way to save a few bucks as well!
Cooks Talk!
Great NY Times article on what to look for in a pan:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/08/dining/08curi.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Nice LA Times article on gadgets and gizmos to buy and pass up:
http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-worthitornot8-2008oct08,0,4672867.htmlstory
Needless to say I haven't gone out and bought anything new lately, as the price of a new pot or pan can be somewhat prohibitive on a librarian's salary. I do like to look and see what's new on the market, though. And I never tire of lessons and such that make me a more savvy person in the kitchen. It would be great, I suppose, to see a brand new set of heavy stainless steel goods hanging and sparkling from my kitchen pot rack, but whenever I cook I employ those beat old masters of mine and manage to pull off some fabulous dishes. I've found that new isn't always necessary, nice as it can be.
I must say, though, that I look at purchasing cooking gear the same way I look at buying any kind of tool for the house: buy cheap and you'll replace it many times over, buy quality and you'll own it for life. And as much as I would like to own, say, a nice French ceramic cast iron casserole, I'll read up about them first and know what I'm looking for when I come across them at the next rummage sale I attend. Knowledge is power, indeed, and a nice way to save a few bucks as well!
Cooks Talk!
Great NY Times article on what to look for in a pan:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/08/dining/08curi.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Nice LA Times article on gadgets and gizmos to buy and pass up:
http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-worthitornot8-2008oct08,0,4672867.htmlstory
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