Do you have some of these items? Do you want them? Do you have questions?

(Is the bamboo set good?)

inkycatz wrote:Do you have some of these items? Do you want them? Do you have questions?

(Is the bamboo set good?)

I purchased the bamboo set a few months ago, and I was very disappointed in the quality of it. Some of the pieces were splintering. There was also some kind of sealant that was used on the wood and you could tell it wasn't evenly distributed. The only pieces that I used are the trivets.

I've been wanting to get one of the Shun Ken Onion knives for a while but I really want to get one of the chef's or santoku knives which always seem to sell out the fastest. Would settling for the pairing knife be worth it?

The Cuisinart 755-26GD Chef's Classic Stainless Steel 5.5-Quart Multi-Purpose Pot with Glass Cover gets good reviews on Amazon.

It's also $9.76 cheaper on Amazon.
With free shipping.

wghj55 wrote:I've been wanting to get one of the Shun Ken Onion knives for a while but I really want to get one of the chef's or santoku knives which always seem to sell out the fastest. Would settling for the pairing knife be worth it?

Well, I don't know about settling, but it's a very nice knife with an incredibly sharp blade. This is the Elite series which uses a harder steel than the Classic line, so it keeps an edge longer (although at the price of being a bit more brittle). I picked one of these up recently, and it's a very nice blade.

However, while everyone should have a good paring knife, it's more of a supplement for a good chef's knife or santoku, not a replacement.

wghj55 wrote:I've been wanting to get one of the Shun Ken Onion knives for a while but I really want to get one of the chef's or santoku knives which always seem to sell out the fastest. Would settling for the pairing knife be worth it?

YES! I was lucky enough to jump on the santoku last time it was up, but neglected to get the paring knife. Since the Elite line was a limited run, they're getting harder to find. Amazon has this one for 50-60 dollars more. There's one on eBay for $99. This one is the best price you're likely to find. Pick it up, and be ready to strike next time the bigger ones come up.

Now, a question of my own:

Is the Shun sharpener worth it? Would you put your expensive knives through it?

EDIT:
Per the Shun website:
Your Shun or Kai knife comes with free lifetime sharpening. Just send the knife to our Tualatin, Oregon facility. We’ll sharpen it for free and return it to you. (If you live in the area, you may drop by our Warranty Department and we'll sharpen up to two knives for you while you wait. More than that and we'll get them to you the next day.)

inkycatz wrote:Do you have some of these items?

Yep. I have both of the Cuisinart pans..the everyday pan and the multi-purpose pot. I use both of them quite frequently. I roast a chicken over butternut squash cubes, onions, potatoes and fresh rosemary in the everyday pan and I use the multi-pot for cooking pasta, potatoes, and making small batches of mozzarella.
I highly recommend both of them.

inkycatz wrote:(Is the bamboo set good?)

I have the bamboo set. The utensils are OK, although one of them seems to be looking ready to splinter (fine tiny pieces). I like the little box the utensils are stored in - there is enough room for the utensils that come with it and a few more. I like the trivets a lot - they seem to be very sturdy and look very nice. The boards are fairly thin, very lightweight and not nearly as good quality as the "Food Network" brand board set I got at Kohl's in the beginning of the summer. Overall, the set is ok, but I'm not sure it's going to last too long.

Wine cellar is tempting - but as a cheese cave... Any reliability reviews?

Cuisinart is cheaper on Ebay with free shipping...

inkycatz wrote:Do you have some of these items? Do you want them? Do you have questions?

(Is the bamboo set good?)

I got the bamboo set back in September and have been using the spatula, spoon, and cutting boards very regularly and haven't noticed and problems with quality. They all seems to be holding up nicely!

I love the small cutting board - it's such a convenient size. I use it almost daily to chop up carrots to give to my dog as a treat with dinner.

All of the pieces seem very sturdy. They are easy to clean and don't seem to be holding in odors or colors from the food I cook. I'm very pleased with this set and I think it's a great deal!

birry wrote:YES! I was lucky enough to jump on the santoku last time it was up, but neglected to get the paring knife. Since the Elite line was a limited run, they're getting harder to find. Amazon has this one for 50-60 dollars more. There's one on eBay for $99. This one is the best price you're likely to find. Pick it up, and be ready to strike next time the bigger ones come up.

I'm about to pull the trigger on the Shun knife, and I'm debating getting the 8" Chef's Knife on Amazon too (http://www.amazon.com/Ken-Onion-10-Inch-Chefs-Knife/dp/B000NLUPNS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1352911620&sr=8-2&keywords=shun+ken+elite) for $170. How much was it last on sale on woot! for? I've basically fallen in love with these knives and want them now now now.

I picked up one of the Fagor 3 quart soup pots last time around. I know some say that it's too small for a soup pot, but that's all a matter of perspective. I've used the pot for soup and for making a cheese sauce. I usually only cook for one or two, so the smaller size is a plus for me! The enamel is nice on it and it's easy to clean up. There was a question before about why it's called lite cast iron. The literature that comes with the pot says that they've found a way to make a lighter weight cast iron that still performs like the traditional stuff. The pot would still make a good weapon if hurled with any kind of force toward a home intruder, however. They may call it light, but it's no featherweight.

Martika's Kitchen is one of the best sophomore records I've heard. Totally worth a listen to just for her duet with Celia Cruz on Mi Tierra.

darklost wrote:I'm about to pull the trigger on the Shun knife, and I'm debating getting the 8" Chef's Knife on Amazon too (http://www.amazon.com/Ken-Onion-10-Inch-Chefs-Knife/dp/B000NLUPNS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1352911620&sr=8-2&keywords=shun+ken+elite) for $170. How much was it last on sale on woot! for? I've basically fallen in love with these knives and want them now now now.

After shipping and state tax, it was like $136 or so.

http://home.woot.com/offers/shun-elite-7-inch-santoku-knife

Dang nabbit my coffee grinder got here yesterday (WOW very quick shipping WOOT) but after grinding 2 scoops of beans it shut down and will not grind anymore. The worst part of this is I was showing the wife how well it was going to work and how much nicer it was compared to our old coffee grinder. When it crapped out I got the old eye roll from her but that was not the worst part. For once in my life I actually read the owners manual before I operated the machine.( I think I will stick to not reading the manual from now on) How embarrassing.