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Food4Thought
Dec 29, 2006 02:01 AM
I'd also reccomend Kitchen Arts on Newbury, especially for knives as mentioned and again reasonably priced considering the address. I was also taken buy surprise at the Williams & Sonoma outlet store at the Wrentham Outlets. Very large space and some really good deals, not commercial items mind you but worth a trip.
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MichaelB
Dec 28, 2006 06:33 PM
I like a lot of the places already mentioned -- Kitchen Arts for their reconditioned knives, Building 19 and Marshalls for occasional (but not predictable) deals. Except for some good Sitram cookware, I haven't had good luck finding decent stuff at China Fair, but they are fun to look around. I also like the Williams-Sonoma outlet in Wrentham -- sometimes there's nothing but sometimes they have great deals. And I recently had to go to the Concord Shop (in, yes, Concord MA!) for a coffeemaker that only they carried, and I thought it was a great place. Comparable to Kitchen Arts in price and selection -- no bargains, but clearly stocked and staffed by people who love to cook.
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itaunas
Dec 28, 2006 04:26 PM
I buy most of my kitchen stuff from Eastern Bakers, supplementing it with more residential stuff from TJ Maax and Building 19. Building 19 sometimes has some pretty cool stuff -- a 15 qt pressure cooker and sometimes nice china, but its more for browsing than looking for something specific. Since you mentioned Cambridge, I would also recommend stopping by Bowl and Board on Mass Ave for a few unusal things. Not quite the selection of China Fair, but they have things unique to there. I can't remember the last thing I bought from amazon.com, but online I tend to buy from instawares.com -- beware their shipping can be glacial and some specialized places like butcher-packer.com.
Although I have access to Restaurant Depot, I generally do not buy cookware there. Their prices are high and for a similar price at Eastern you can buy a made-in the USA brand. I am, though, coveting after a pasta pan with 4 removable sectionals that they have at RD.
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galleygirl
Dec 28, 2006 03:50 PM
And, of course, don't overlook target for good prices on SOME cooking equipment....
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re: mcel215
mintchip
Dec 29, 2006 02:25 AM
I second Amazon.com - it is is my favorite for calphalon, microplane, tongs - along with other misc. items such as braun immersion blenders and rice cookers. (Especially great if you have their year long Prime membership, which gives you free shipping).
If you visit Amazon on no other day of the week, check them out for their Friday Sale. As mentioned - it is chock full of bargains.
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Try China Fair in Newton. I believe it is at 70 Needham street not too far from the New England book fair. You'll find a good to modest selection of stuff depending on what your looking for.
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re: chef poncho
galleygirl
Dec 28, 2006 02:05 PM
I agree. They are closed MOndays.Things I have bought there include
pizza panz (needed a big round one for a torta-type thingie..)
WOODEN SPOONS!
acrylic martini glasses
pot scrapers (2 for $1 at the counter, make sure you buy some!)
pouring spouts
pizza stones (big, rectangular ones))
best lemon reamer (wooden)For pots and pans, even Le creuset, it's always marshalls, TJMaxx, or Homegoods. Really the best prices.
Interestingly, tho I go to Restaurant depot for disposable paper and plastic stuff, i don't buy any durable goods there.
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re: galleygirl
They are only closed mondays in the summertime. Rest of the year they are open 6days mon-sat. Christmas time they are open 7 days. They also have a website but it only has a small fraction of their items http://chinafairinc.com/
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re: galleygirl
SeaSide Tomato
Dec 28, 2006 03:30 PM
Hi galleygirl-
I had heard that Restaurant Depot (I'mm thinking of the place in Needham by 128) is only open to the trade--can you tell me it's not?? That would be great, I wish to check them out in the worst way.
Thanks!
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re: SeaSide Tomato
galleygirl
Dec 28, 2006 03:49 PM
They are only open to the trade...You can fill out an application on line...
BUT, there's not the hugest amount of stuf there you can't get elsewhere...The resto equipment is very expensive, and unless you need 5 pounds of limes (okay, I sometimes do...;), or 250 2 oz. souffle cups, (anothr of my frequent buys), you may not ned them. I buy vinyl gloves there, can't find them e;lsewhere. But for 1,000 count packages of cocktail napkins? BJ's..When I buy a gallon of milk there, it's about the same price as TJ's..Not saying it's not a fun place, don't get me wrong, but you may not find deals on the things you need...OTOH, you'll understand why there are always New Zealand Greenlip mussels on every Asian buffet...;) -
re: SeaSide Tomato
itaunas
Dec 28, 2006 03:49 PM
RestaurantDepot requires a free membership which is not available to the general public. However, you can borrow a friend's card, get a card if you work for a no-profit, or for any kind of catering gig (eg even an office coffee setup). More info is at http://www.restaurantdepot.com/Member...
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re: chef poncho
BobB
Jan 11, 2007 02:06 PM
They is also a China Fair in Cambridge on Mass Ave a few blocks north of Porter Square. It's the kind of place I like to stop in whenever I pass by because they're always getting new stuff. You can't count on finding a specific item there, but if they do have it, it will be at a very good price. Kind of like Filene's Basement (the original, not the suburban ones).
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MC Slim JB
Dec 28, 2006 03:48 AM
Eastern Bakers Supply on N Washington at the edge of the North End is a great resource, though it's only open M-F 8a-4:30.
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BostonZest
Dec 28, 2006 03:19 AM
Looking back over the past couple of years, I have bought most things on-line (often from Amazon.com) but I have also taken a couple of trips to Sur La Table in Chestnut Hill.
I sometimes go into Crate and Barrel and William Sonoma but seldom buy anything.
If I need something quickly, I'll stop by the Kitchen on Newbury Street. They do have a good selection for a small store.
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re: BostonZest
Second for Kitchen Arts. Like many of the small independent stores on Newbury St., they have a very wide selection in a very small area. It's always been my place for basic kitchen gear, that can't always be reliably found in the chain stores. And surprisingly for Newbury St., their prices are comparable to the chains.
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