Cheap Kitchen Supplies?
I just finished a major kitchen renovation (Yay!) and am looking to buy some new pots and pans, glasses silverware, baking tins (pretty much everything), I want some decent quality items but i don't want to shell out the big bucks. I was thinking of going down to some restaurant supply stores in the Bowery but i've never been to one.
Where do you guys get your cookware on the cheap?
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16 Comments:
Yup, restaurant supply stores. 7" skillets for 15 bucks, 10" for 20 bucks, matching pots for 25 bucks ... and it stands up to rugged use. I could never find a reason to buy that high-falutin' stuff as, from what I've seen in working high-end kitchens, the real pros rarely use it anyway.
LunaPierCook at 12:35PM on 05/24/08
Ikea has cheap kitchen stuff. Their potato peeler is a winner. Cheap wine glasses and glass kitchen things. I think the martha collection at macys is cheap. Look for sales. Restaurant supply is good for pizza pans etc.
Outlet stores like Williams Sonoma and kitchen outlet are good too.
JerzeeTomato at 1:16PM on 05/24/08
Garage/yard/tag sales & auctions. You can find real quality for next to nothing. Takes a little time, but it's fun and who knows what treasures a discerning eye can find!
PerkyMac at 1:41PM on 05/24/08
Check out Target for some of the Kitchen Essentials line from Calphalon. My wife and I have been very happy with their products. The non-stick skillets won't last forever but we've gotten about 5 years of hard use out of them. The stainless pots with glass lids are great. All of it is comparatively much less expensive than many other options.
ccbweb at 1:42PM on 05/24/08
p.s. I meant to add estate sales, too. People moving or disposing of estates are hoping to get rid of everything and as quickly as possible. The bargains are unbelievable.
PerkyMac at 1:43PM on 05/24/08
Jerzee's got a great point about IKEA. I love their 18" magnet strips, which are 6 bucks and have a lot of available accessories. Their 1/2" wall-mount rods are good too (12" to 48" lengths"), and I hang all kinds of things from them ... cutting boards, paper towel holder, tenderizer, spice racks, etc.
LunaPierCook at 2:10PM on 05/24/08
I'll chime in with another nod for IKEA. I bought a bunch of stainless utensils and gadgets, super cheap: colanders, seives, measuring spoons, spatulas, ladles, whisks(!!). I also have 30 dinner plates and shallow soup bowl/salad plate/pasta bowl, fifty cents apiece!!! We use them everyday and for when we're having a large group. I bought them about 3-4 years ago, so I don't know if they still carry them, but they always seem to have something for that price.
I've also found super deals on stock pots and saucepans at TJMaxx/HomeGoods and Marshalls. I bought two Cuisinard stockpots for about $20 each. They've been great for super liquidy applications (stocks, boiling pasta, simmering a mess o' greens, making soups). They still look amazing to boot. Of course it's always hit or miss with these stores and sometimes you have to make sure the correct lid is with your pot.
wookie at 2:50PM on 05/24/08
Oh, and congratulations on finishing your kitchen. I can't wait to renovate ours!
wookie at 2:51PM on 05/24/08
I had the good fortune of finding a restaurant online. Much of the stuff is dirt cheap and I shop there often. Here's the address if you're interested:
http://www.webstaurantstore.com/index.html
PumpkinBear at 3:50PM on 05/24/08
Cost Plus World Market has some awesome dishware, silverware, and glasses. TJMaxx is good for cookware and gadgets, but you can't go in looking for anything specific.
beth1 at 6:29PM on 05/24/08
i've gotten some really great things, very well priced, at zabar's upstairs. also, if you catch macy's cellar during a sale and you have a discount coupon, you can get some amazing prices on things. ditto williams sonoma. they have fantastic sales.
i also encourage you to haunt the tj maxx on sixth avenue. they do have some wonderful bargains.
cybercita at 7:15PM on 05/24/08
I don't know how much iron skillets run these days (mine were a gift years ago from my mother), but if they're in your price range, definitely go for it. I find that Oxo and Calphalon utensils are of decent quality and not outrageously priced, but that also depends on your budget.
joyyy at 8:40PM on 05/24/08
Amazon.com runs a Calphalon sale semi-annually, and you can get items for ridiculous cheap.
Also, check out a cookware brand called Meyer - they make KitchenAid cookware as well as several other big brand names. I have a stainless steel/copper core set of theirs that I bought nearly 10 years ago for half the price of comparable sets, and it's held up extremely well. I also have several of their anodized aluminum fry pans, and they're every bit as good as Calphalon (and dishwasher safe, which you can't say for Calphalon).
jenilowrance at 9:09PM on 05/24/08
Yepper for Ikea they have glasses that stack nicely and even coffee mugs that stack in my coffee cup cupboard quite well, don't forget to check out the stemless wine glasses if you like them.
joanpieroni2 at 8:36AM on 05/25/08
chinatown/bowery is the place to go. they have everything you could possibly need, all for very cheap and typically good quality. just walk from houston all the way down bowery and you'll pass a ton of places. then when you're finished, have a great meal in chinatown.
Soup_Dumpling at 10:37AM on 05/27/08
Hey Avryan,
You just did a "Major" kitchen remodel and you want to ruin it by getting cheap stuff just to fill the shelves????
Doesn't make sense man!
On a recent visit to Ikea I marveled at how the quality of their already poor quality stuff plunged.
As for Home Goods type of stores, be really discriminating about what you purchase. Make sure to inspect pots, pans, baking sheets for solid weight and, no cracks in their Le Creuset or wannabe knockoffs.
As for the restaurant supply houses in the Bowery, go into anyone! It's lots of fun and there's a lot to choose from as well as in Chinatown.
I agree that estate sales are a great source for the basics and maybe you will find an older model Kitchenaid stand mixer (which I prefer to the newer cheaply made Kitchenaids). BTW, Electrolux (not just for vacuums) makes a great work horse stand mixer and, amazing kitchen appliances.
As far as Cuisinart pots and pans are concerned, IMHO, they're now very cheaply made too.
Invest in good quality pots and pans. Al Clad will last you a long time.
Good luck outfitting your kitchen makeover. It will be lots of fun.
cher128 at 7:10PM on 05/29/08