cheap kitchen ware vs posh

[Pingu]

See i have absolutely no need for an 8 person dinner set including serving dishes........i have odds and sods....nothing matches really and as the majority of the time there is only the two of us (me and eldest) why would i need such stuff ?

If it's what you like and you want to spend money on it fine but don't really think it makes a huge difference to the cooking !

you can just buy 1 plate if thats your desire

you could be really cosmopolitan and have 1 wedgewood and 1 spode plate for a couple of quid.

 

[mrsfran]

My Global knife is worth every penny of the £85 it cost me.

 

[Chester Copperpot]

We got given a set of le crueset pans for a wedding present. I often don't use them as I find them too heavy and impractical for day to day use.

 

[Chairman Meow]

We got given a set of le crueset pans for a wedding present. I often don't use them as I find them too heavy and impractical for day to day use.

My le creuset casserole is in frequent use ( also a wedding present) and is good as new. I do find it heavy though so I've never bought any other le creuset pans.

 

[fuzzy felt]

hmm, maybe my arthritic wrists wouldn't appreciate a le creuset then!

 

[ViolentPanda]

me (working class) and my fella (middle class) are always having arguments about posh vs cheap kitchen wear.

he's always banging on about how Le Creuset stuff is 'the best', insists on only washing up with Fairy, and would think nothing of spending over 50 quid on a bloody knife.

as i'm very clumsy i'm always smashing plates so the other day i was going to go to woolies (before their collapse i hasten to add) to get some 2.99 plates and he banned me saying he wanted to get them from habitat because they were 'better quality'.

For fucks sake, why can't the man admit he's a label whore?!!

your thoughts please!

Le Creuset is fine for some culinary purposes, but absolute gash for others. The casseroles and marmites are great, but the saucepans are often unwieldy unless you're an Olympic weightlifter wearing wrist braces.

As for crockery quality, given that most of it comes from eastern Europe or the Far East nowadays, he's deceiving himself unless he buys extremely expensive Denby or Poole-type dinner services.

Spending good money on a decent knife is the only thing I'd agree with him about, and even then you don't have to spend that much if you know what you're looking for, and treat it well (I hope, by the way, that he doesn't use fairly liquid on his expensive knives, because he'd be an absolute KNOB to do so!!).

 

[mrsfran]

Denby doesn't have to be expensive. All our crockery is Denby, bought from the shop at the factory. It's lovely.

 

[ViolentPanda]

Denby doesn't have to be expensive. All our crockery is Denby, bought from the shop at the factory. It's lovely.

It can be expensive if you can't get to the factory shop, though.

BTW, agree that knives can be worth great expense, especially if you use a particular knife a lot. If it feels right in your hand and does it's job then it's worth what you're willing to pay for it.
Having said that, I've always had a fair amount of luck finding reasonably-priced German carbon-steel knives (pissy to maintain, but worth it, IMO), so I've never felt tempted to even heft a Global.

 

[mrsfran]

It can be expensive if you can't get to the factory shop, though.

BTW, agree that knives can be worth great expense, especially if you use a particular knife a lot. If it feels right in your hand and does it's job then it's worth what you're willing to pay for it.
Having said that, I've always had a fair amount of luck finding reasonably-priced German carbon-steel knives (pissy to maintain, but worth it, IMO), so I've never felt tempted to even heft a Global.

I found the world's greatest knife at the BBC Good Food Show this year. It was a 16cm Kai Shun santoku knife, the sharpest I've ever held and it felt perfect in my hand. I so nearly bought it. But it was £100. I am saving up

 

[5t3IIa]

I buy cheaper stuff but make sure it looks expensive Not putting plates in the dishwasher prolongs their posh looks a bit too. I also don't go for any of your modern cutlery. Old style stuff looks much better and won't go out of fashion, if it's poss for 'silver'ware to do such a thing in the real world.

Pots and pans I have to save up for though And my nephews and neices are buying me a pan for Xmas, poor little things.

Echo what everyone says about it being woirth spending a bitmore on knives, though I have got a lovely one from Sainsbury's that has a heavy handle and is still sharp after ages. It was under a tenner.

 

[zenie]

I got some lovely pans for Christmas last year, set of 3 from Asda, but they've now all gone flakey (ditto the tesco value poans) and the inside stuff is starting to chip off

Can't afford to replace them right now, and I think I'd rather get some decent second hand ones off ebay than buy another cheap set cos it seems like a false economy. My Le Crueset griddle pan is amazing, luckily you don't need to life it as it's a two handed job!

Plates I couldn't care less, but decent pans and knives are a must, get as expensive as you can afford.

 

[ViolentPanda]

I found the world's greatest knife at the BBC Good Food Show this year. It was a 16cm Kai Shun santoku knife, the sharpest I've ever held and it felt perfect in my hand. I so nearly bought it. But it was £100. I am saving up

Beautiful to look at, too.

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

...Oh and a quality potato peeler is a real energy saver and worth spending on if you peel potatoes at least a couple of times a week, I got a very good quality one with a lifetime guarantee - cost me about £20 iirc but it is worth every penny, far more comfortable and far easier/quicker to use than the cheap ones.

And a decent sturdy stainless steel potato masher saves a heck of a lot of time and effort (but probably not a good idea if you have non-stick pans).

 

[mrsfran]

Beautiful to look at, too.

It honestly makes me go a wobbly at the knees. I think I'm developing a knife fetish

I am setting myself a challenge, here and now: Lose 10lbs in January, and I'll buy it for myself. Yes. That is what I shall do.

 

[ViolentPanda]

It honestly makes me go a wobbly at the knees. I think I'm developing a knife fetish

Nah.
A knife fetish is where you buy loads of useless but good-looking bits of cutlery and dress like Rambo (complete with headband/bandanna).
Your "addiction" is more utilitarian than that!

I am setting myself a challenge, here and now: Lose 10lbs in January, and I'll buy it for myself. Yes. That is what I shall do.

Lose ten pounds to spend a hundred pounds. Sounds like a fair exchange rate!!
Mind you, it'll probably end up more than £100, what with the various "knife care" stuff you'll need too.

 

[mrsfran]

Nah.
A knife fetish is where you buy loads of useless but good-looking bits of cutlery and dress like Rambo (complete with headband/bandanna).
Your "addiction" is more utilitarian than that!


Lose ten pounds to spend a hundred pounds. Sounds like a fair exchange rate!!
Mind you, it'll probably end up more than £100, what with the various "knife care" stuff you'll need too.

I already have a Japanese whetstone, what else would I need?

 

[ViolentPanda]

I already have a Japanese whetstone, what else would I need?

Do you mean "water stone"?

Possibly a bottle of camellia oil (it's food safe) and an applicator would be handy. I use it for my Japanese saws, plane blades and chisels, just wipe on after use to prevent corrosion.

 

[Y_I_Otter]

Can't disagree with what everyone else has said about knives and pans. As for crockery, consider shopping at a restaurant supply store, where you're able to buy plates that are designed specifically to withstand the rigours of frequent use, commercial dishwashers, and butterfingered kitchen staff.

I'd avoid any dishes with a painted pattern. There's a serious issue with lead in the paint used on them, especially those from China, Portugal and Eastern Bloc countries.

 

[mrsfran]

Do you mean "water stone"?

Possibly a bottle of camellia oil (it's food safe) and an applicator would be handy. I use it for my Japanese saws, plane blades and chisels, just wipe on after use to prevent corrosion.

I mean this: http://www.richmondcookshop.co.uk/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=21&products_id=856

 

[zenie]

It's the same thing - water stone and wet stone/whetstone, global just use a funny name!

 

[mrsfran]

I called it a whetstone. Global call it a whetstone. I'd never heard it called a water stone before.

 

[zenie]

I called it a whetstone. Global call it a whetstone. I'd never heard it called a water stone before.

Don't you think that just might be cos you bought it from Global though?

 

[Santino]

A whetstone whets things, i.e. sharpens them.

 

[mrsfran]

Don't you think that just might be cos you bought it from Global though?

No, I was aware of whetstones before I bought one!

 

[Santino]

Everything you wanted to know, and more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharpening_stone

 

[mrsfran]

Ah. I see the confusion now. A Japanese whetstone is indeed a water stone. I do have to soak mine before I use it.

 

[zenie]

It becomes clear

Bloody archaic spellings ey?

 

[ViolentPanda]

question answered

 

[DRINK?]

I have global knives and le creuset caserole dishes / griddle pan...day to day we use marks and sparks crockery and stolen glasses....not got a clue why the wife bought M&S plates as they weren't cheap....

The knives were a birthday present and the le creuset stuff wedding gifts...we also have a villeroy and boch dinner service that has never been opened as we haven't got the space to store it another wrdding gift thing

 

[ViolentPanda]

It's the same thing - water stone and wet stone/whetstone, global just use a funny name!

a wet-stone/whetstone can be an oil-stone or a water stone.