I had a very charming encounter the other day at Broadway Panhandler, a gourmet kitchen store on 8th St. near Broadway. I was in the market for a large round casserole that I will be using in an upcoming shoot. I have several pieces by Le Creuset and was seeking another. As I was pondering my choices, many that were on considerable markdown, an older woman who looked really confused stepped over to me and opened with, “you look like you know what you are doing here, can you help me”? I, of course, obliged and asked her how I could help.
Judy, as I have come to know her, has recently begun to explore cooking again after a long absence from serious culinary pursuits. She recently donated her exquisite classic french copper cookware and several Le Creuset casseroles to a local thrift store charity. She explained that they had all become too heavy for her to manage and she needed some advice as to what she should replace them with. As I began explaining to her the virtues of All-Clad cookware the sales staff was initially pleased with my pitch. The daggers started to shoot from the eyes of one particular salesperson as I explained to Judy that there was little need to pay full price for All-Clad as there are always excellent pieces available at stores like Home Goods, Marshall’s and TJ Maxx at considerable discounts. She was obviously a life-long city dweller and had no idea what those stores were or where to find them. I explained that they were located in the outer boroughs and I got a chuckle from her expression that said to me that I was suggesting that she travel to Mars for cookware bargains.
The reason the closeout stores have these discounts is that the items may have some very minor cosmetic defects (like a scratch on the bottom of a pot) that prevents them from being sold at full price. I have obtained the equivalent of 3 full sets of All-Clad cookware and several cast iron enamelled casseroles by companies like Le Creuset and Staub at these stores. I also purchased 2 full sets of J.A Henkels Professional “S” knives, as well as other kitchen goodies there.
Let’s be honest, if you are a serious cook and really use your cookware, the first time you are frying the onions and garlic the pan is no longer out of the box new. Cookware is not for show, so take the pan with the scratch at a 20%-30% discount and feel really good about it. I know I do.
While we strolled and discussed cookware and TV cook shows and celebrity chefs from bygone years, Judy told me where she donated the cookware. I will unfortunately have to keep this place a secret as I tend to procure many of my props there and don’t want any foodie competition. I helped Judy with her purchase, paid for my own, and hustled over to the thrift store to see of I could secure some of Judy’s cookware. I was too late. It was all gone and sold at ridiculously low prices. I was disappointed to say the least.
My advice to Judy was to keep it simple. Get a good non-stick skillet, maybe in a few sizes. Get one four-quart and one eight-quart pot and a few smaller sauce pans. These basic items are the staples in my kitchen and as you try new dishes and experiment with various cooking styles then add pieces as you go.
Some other basic items you should have are a good roasting pan with handles, maybe 24×12, a few flat cookie sheets in various sizes and some cooling racks. These items will certainly be enough to cook most of your basic dishes. You can also venture over to Bowery and visit the plethora of chef supplies stores for some of these items.
With our economy on life support and most of us spending much more time at home and in our kitchen, finding some affordable, quality supplies is something we can all benefit from. Judy was happy to purchase at the discounts that Broadway Panhandler was offering that day. They were indeed great but if you have the patience (and the spaceship to travel to Mars) check out those other stores too and find yourself a gem.
