Okay, I’m game. I want to begin saving money on food and eating better. What now?
Ask yourself:
Do you have the right utensils for cooking from scratch?
Do not be duped into buying more gadgets and doohickey’s than you really need.
Useful kitchen tools are simple and you only really need a few of them.
They will last you a lifetime!
Avoid buying appliances on late night television. Some may work, but many are of poor quality, or aren’t useful at all. Slap Chop, Magic Bullet and others take up space in your kitchen, but don’t really pull their weight – often winding up in the garbage.
Listed below are all that you need to cook exceptional meals from scratch.
Learn to buy them from bankrupt restaurants and restaurant suppliers for a savings of 50 to 90 per cent! Imagine, NINETY PER CENT CHEAPER!!!
With the financial crisis and weakening economy, restaurants have become even more vulnerable than ever. Beyond this, the food boom and the food network helped to misguide a generation and more people than ever before engaged in one of the riskiest businesses on the planet; the restaurant business.
Restaurant suppliers and restaurant auction houses are going to have their backs against the wall. If a restaurant goes broke, their equipment sells for anywhere between 10 and 25 per cent of what they paid for it. Again, that’s 90 per cent less than the wholesale price.
Now I’m going to tell you what kitchen tools you need to cook wholesome meals at home. You will be surprised at how few you actually need:
1 large rubber spatula (Rubbermaid commercial grade)
1 mini spatula for getting every last morsel from every jar or bottle
1 wooden spoon
1 stainless steel ladle (6 ounce restaurant grade)
1 whisk
1 8” chefs knife (go for a light-weight model)
1 4” paring knife (stainless steel)
1 vegetable peeler (commercial quality)
1 plastic or wooden cutting board (12” by 18” rectangle)
2 stainless steel mixing bowls (10” diameter)
1 stainless steel strainer (commercial)
1 steel WOK
1 3 qt sauce pot (commercial stainless)
1 5 qt sauce pot (commercial stainless)
1 8 – 10 qt pot (commercial stainless)
1 20 qt pot, thin and cheap stainless steel (department store)
1 good quality Teflon frying pan (for eggs, fish and spatula only)
1 12” cast iron frying pan
2 1” deep cookie sheets
2 4 qt plastic Tupperware containers (commercial grade Cambro Brand)
2 6 qt plastic Tupperware containers (commercial grade Cambro Brand)
1 stainless steel cheese grater
1 digital scale (lbs, ounce, grams, kilograms)
1 calculator
1 diary/log/home recipe book
1 gritty individual
The above list can easily be scaled back for an individual, couple, or smaller family. I feel that this list is a bit liberal, but it’s a hell of a lot more conservative than what a catalogue or retail kitchen supply shop would try to sell you. To cook well, one does not need decorative 'stuff,' of little or no use, strewn about their kitchen. People want to be Martha Stewart, and I think the gal can cook, but all the kitchen bling is just useless junk. Stainless Steel is where it’s at!
Okay, well that’s great, where’s a person like me going to find these killer deals you speak of? These wild and incredible 90% off deals are only available for restaurant operators, right? Who says? A buyer is a buyer and if a restaurant is going down, the people losing their shirts will sell. Further, fewer people are lining up to join this industry.
Get onto the internet or open up your local yellow pages and seek out these key words in your area:
Restaurant supplies
Food service equipment
Food service supplies
Food equipment
Restaurant equipment supplier
Restaurant auctions
Food service auctions
Chef’s supplies
Chef’s equipment
Google or look for these key words in your phone book and telephone these businesses and find out what they’re selling.
But what do I ask them?
Ask them where they’re located, what their hours of operations are, and if they carry a wide variety of ‘small wares’ (the STUFF you want: kitchen tools), both new and used. If they reply “yes” to carrying a wide variety of small wares then proceed with the above list and ask them their prices for each. Tell them that you have a small foodservice operation (you do, it’s your kitchen) and that you need the best price possible for that list and that you will pay cash.
But, what are these ‘small wares’ worth?
I’ll tell you, but I’ll give you a spread between what you’ll pay for a brand new item at a restaurant supplier, and what you could pay for a used one at an auction:
1 large rubber spatula (Rubbermaid commercial grade will last a life time): $23 new - $5 used
1 mini spatula for getting every last morsel from every jar or bottle: $7new - $2 used
1 wooden spoon: $2 new - $0.10 used
1 stainless steel ladle (6 ounce restaurant grade): $3new-$1used
1 whisk (8” whip style stainless steel): $6 new-$2 used
1 8” chef’s knife (MAC light weight): $40 new-$15 used
1 4” paring knife (stainless steel): $7new-$2 used
1 vegetable peeler (commercial quality): $4 new -$1used
1 plastic or wooden cutting board (12” by 18” rectangle): $12 new -$5 used
2 stainless steel mixing bowls (10” diameter):$3 new-$0.5 used
1 stainless steel strainer (commercial): $10 new-$2used
1 steel WOK: $30 new -$10 used
1 3 qt sauce pot (commercial stainless steel): $29 new-$10 used
1 5 qt sauce pot (commercial stainless steel): $32 new-$10 used
1 8 – 10 qt pot (commercial stainless steel): $60 new-$18 used
1 20 qt pot, thin and cheap stainless steel (department store): $30 new-$5 used
1 good quality Teflon frying pan (for eggs and fish and spatula only): $25 new -$7 used
1 12” cast iron frying pan: $15 new -$5 used
2 1” deep cookie sheets: $5 new-$0.5 used
2 4 qt plastic Tupperware containers (commercial grade Cambro brand): $6 new-$1used
2 6 qt plastic Tupperware containers (commercial grade Cambro brand): $ 10 new -$2 used
1 stainless steel cheese grater: $5 new-$0.5 used
1 digital scale (lbs, ounce, grams, and kilograms): $30 new-$10 used
1 calculator: $2 new
1 diary/log/home recipe note book: $1
1 gritty individual: FREE!
Now that you know the range of prices and you have communicated with a representative regarding what you want, have him email you the price list for all of the items. Take that list and perform the exact same routine with all of the other local suppliers. Have your lists in front of you, and when one of the suppliers is way off on a price compared to another, tell them. Smash their ego. Hurt their feelings a little bit. Say something like, “Joe’s Small Wares is kicking your butt on the price of pots,” or “Sam’s is way, way cheaper for whisks, what’s that all about?” Grind them all on price and shop around for the best option.
We would love to hear about your experiences with this. Please let us know how much you paid for some of your kitchen items, and your success and failures in this new and fun endeavor. Happy hunting!
Share this article...
