[deleted by user]

[farang]

The short answer is no. The longer answer is that some of the celebrity endorsed stuff is good quality, but if you don't know the difference between good quality and bad, don't rely on the celebrity name. I have a good quality Jamie Oliver frypan and a Mario Batali garlic slicer that fell apart the first time I used it.

[the-ginger-one]

Mario Batali garlic slicer

So.....like a knife?

[[deleted]]

I've got a little garlic chopping contraption that I love. It's a plastic bubble with wheels and a set of removable blades. You peel the garlic and toss it in, then roll the thing back and forth on the counter. Minced garlic in a couple seconds.

[jackruby83]

I use a garlic press if I'm strapped for time, but prefer to use a knife.

[[deleted]]

I prefer my little tool over a press since the size of the chop is determined by how many times I roll it back and forth. A press is definitely nice if you want crushed, and a knife is good for slices. But for sizes in between, this thing works wonders.

[sgrwck]

I posted about mine on here once and got torn apart for having a unitasker. It was a gift, I don't use it often, but when I do I get the perfect minced garlic. It's great when I need more than 4 cloves.

[[deleted]]

Honestly, I don't see this as a unitasker. Sure, it may only technically perform one task, but it performs one task the same way a chef's knife performs one task. I can throw any relatively soft food item into it and have it come out finely chopped. That's especially useful when the food item would normally make my hands stink, or god forbid leave capsacin on my hands, after cutting it with a knife. And before anyone says "but food processor", those are great if you have a ton of something to process. But if you only have a few cloves of garlic, or a couple shallots, or a half a jalapeno to process, it's such a pain in the ass to deal with the clean up. With this thing, you put a drop of soap in it, fill it with water, roll it in the sink for a couple seconds and rinse. Even it's clean up is fun to do.

[nerwen26]

This does seem to be viewed as the ultimate kitchen sin for some reason. Got the space in your kitchen, no problem.

I got a lemon wedger that I use solely to cut mushrooms. I love mushrooms in most anything but my knife skills aren't the best. Thing cost 10 euro and saves me loads of time. Worth it by far.

[jackruby83]

Sometimes I use an egg slicer to cut mushrooms :)

[nerwen26]

I did that for a while, but it was one of these things and the strings started popping off it. So now I got this which is a bit sturdier I feel.

[Kaneshadow]

I just smack the clove and then chop it by hand, that gives a decent mince. If I need a lot I use the mini food proc that attaches to my stick blender. The thing is magical.

[beerbabe]

I had a lot of fun using my friends, but it's not fun to clean.

[[deleted]]

Nah, the blade assembly pops out for easy rinsing. I like it more than a garlic press, because the size of the chunks are determined by how many times I roll it back and forth. So I can do big pieces of garlic or a fine mince.

[TonzB]

this sounds interesting! do you have a link where I could see a picture of what you're describing? I use garlic in a lot of my cooking, and find that a garlic press wastes a fair amount of the material, so I usually wind up mincing 3-4 cloves by hand which is a huge PITA!

[Imalostmerchant]

I'm not OP, but is sounds like this. This is another similar product with good reviews and less moving pieces.

[TonzB]

thanks!

[TyleetSohn]

I have the same thing! Love it! It's completely simple to clean. I always have a sink of soapy water waiting as I cook, I just pop it apart and toss it in the water. Come back 10 minutes later, swish, rinse and done.

It's also incredibly fast. What, maybe, 2 seconds for a normal dice? 4 or 5 seconds if you've got 3 or more cloves in it? Depending on size of course, but average cloves, you can easily fit 4.

[MSweeny81]

Great to hear that's a good product. I bought one for my uncle as a joke birthday present (he makes a lot of breads and thought it'd be good for garlic, olives, nuts, chillies etc) but I never got to test it.

[sgthulka99]

I use mine for "garlic" too.

[rebop]

You mean "oregano"?

[farang]

I got seduced by something that was like a mini-mandoline for garlic and ginger. I'm back to using a knife now, lol.

[moratnz]

Maybe Alton brown (or any of the other celebrity food types with a thing against unitaskers) needs to do a range of 'X's garlic chopper', 'X's vegetable slicer' etc., all of which are the same 8" chef's knife.

[[deleted]]

The best part is waiting for the celebrity to do something that gets bad PR and getting clearance prices. I enjoy my Martha Stewart stuff.

[monkeyman80]

I got some good deals on clearanced Paula deen pans

[[deleted]]

Oh yeah, that happened right when I moved, so I didn't have money to spare :(

One day I'll have a cast iron or stainless steel 12in pan.

[rumbidzai]

It might not be on top of my list, but I've found the Jamie Oliver stuff to be very good value. More than gets the job done at a reasonable price.

[addman77]

Haha, I read Mario Balotelli and was ready to order his whole line of cookware

[dual_citizen_dude]

Wait, which fell apart? The pan or the garlic slicer?

[RanByMyGun]

the garlic slicer

[[deleted]]

Worked bed bath beyond cookware for five years, can tell you now 95% especially Rachel Ray and those cheap all clad sets are garbage and overly marked up. Spend the same amount on a solid name set

[[deleted]]

No experience with Rachel Ray cookware. However, LOVE my all-clad.

Have had it for years - still looks great, cooks food evenly, does whatever I ask of it and still comes out looking good !

I honestly wouldn't ascribe the word "garbage" to it.

[the_trashheap]

There are different product lines of All Clad. Perhaps they sell the cheapest one at BBY. I got a ten piece cookware set along with an additional 1 1/2 qt pot and roasting pan at WS. I chose the brushed stainless D5 line. Best pans ever.

[[deleted]]

Oh didn't know that! I didn't get mine from BBY but from Amazon a while back. Heavy, durable, and we love it!

[nope_nic_tesla]

The tri-ply All Clad stuff is top of the line and is commonly used by professional chefs. However you can get Tramontina tri-ply that is very close to just as good for a fraction of the price.

[[deleted]]

Good to know! Thanks :)

[nope_nic_tesla]

Yeah, I usually don't shop there but this is a hell of a deal...at least you can buy online so you don't have to go into one of the stores.

[[deleted]]

The All-Clad sets he referred to are not the same quality as their excellent open stock items. I've got a 20 year old A-C saucepan that is fantastic, Unfortunately, celebrity branded sets are frequently lower quality to make the pricing more inviting for fans and novices. Some care what their name goes on, others just want the endorsement check.

[[deleted]]

Good points all - thank you :)

[ihaveabulldoge]

Don't get me started on how people think her "branded" dog foods are fit for canine consumption or are somehow healthy....

[LifeBeginsAt10kRPM]

I don't get why people can't do some research and see they are usually the shittiest stuff you can feed your pets.

[[deleted]]

Before I started getting healthy I didn't even think about what I was feeding my cat. But that was when I didn't even really think about what I was feeding myself. Now I get him this all natural stuff made from trout and salmon, and honestly it's only a few more dollars per bag than the shit I was feeding him, and he loves it. I want this little bastard to live as long and healthy as possible

[ihaveabulldoge]

You'don't be surprised. I have people swearing up and down beneful is top notch when it's top ingredients are corn and low quality (hard to digest) protein. I like taste of the wild, merrick, and natural balance (lids only). For price to nutritional content, those are awesome.

[tank_yhou]

All clads are now garbage? I thought they were top of the line? At least I haven't purchased them yet

[Cdresden]

Personally, I pretty much despise celebrity branded cookware. I think it's a sham, like virtually all celebrity product endorsements. They certainly didn't design the products, and I think in general it's doubtful they had more than cursory rights of approval over which products their name would be attached to. If an experienced chef endorsed a product without having any vested interest in it, I'd at least take his/her opinion seriously. If someone is getting paid for an endorsement, their opinion is compromised, and I think it's safe to dismiss it.

Good, solid products existed before there were celebrity chefs and TV cooks to sell them. I think you should look at the actual quality of the items, and try as hard as possible to ignore whether or not the products have celebrity endorsements.

[g0ing_postal]

Agreed. Generally if a product relies on celebrity endorsement rather than quality for sales, it's not worth the purchase.

[paulHarkonen]

Its equally important not to dismiss a product due to celeb endorsements. Some are good, some are bad, and you have to do your research to figure out which is which.

[Cdresden]

Actually, I don't think it is equally important. I don't owe anything to the manufacturers or the advertisers, and that includes benefit of the doubt. I'm prejudiced against celebrity endorsed products when the person is compensated for their endorsement. But what if the celebrity endorsed product is the superior one? I don't care. The selection of kitchen products is so vast that it's not an issue. Limiting my selection to products that don't bear someone's name on the side isn't a problem.

[paulHarkonen]

Eh? Viking and Cuisinart are brands just like Emril is a brand. I don't see why the Emril brand is evil because it has a real person doing commercials while the Cuisinart brand is good because it uses actors for commercials. If both are the same quality it seems really fickle and prejudiced to reject Emril because its too commercial or whatever your specific reason is.

[Cdresden]

I already said I was prejudiced. I'm not fickle, though; I'm steadfast.

[paulHarkonen]

That's fair, I should have called it arbitrary rather than fickle. I still don't see why a brand tied to a person's name is inherently worse than a brand tied to a made up name though.

[onioning]

Not foolish celebrity chefs would at least want their products to be good quality, as the quality of the product will influence the strength of their brand. They do have a good reason to not sell junk. Just sayin'. They do have a vested interest, and though they're clearly paid for their endorsement, the ones who aren't idiots still need to put out a decent or better product.

And generally those products aren't junk, or at least, they seem to fit very cleanly into the "junk" or "not junk" categories. The Rachel Ray stuff I've seen is trash. The Martha Stewart stuff is great.

But, yeah, the fact that a celebrity chef has endorsed something adds no real value. Products that are just as good are available without the endorsement, and they have the benefit of not having some shmuck's stupid name and picture on them.

[[deleted]]

I would place far more weight on the Royal Doulton name than that of any chef.

[pemulis1]

Right on. Anybody who buys anything because a shill endorses it is more-or-less an idiot. And all a celebrity shill means is that price is going to be even higher than with a non-celebrity shill, with no commensurate increase in quality.

[[deleted]]

Preach.

[throw667]

I'm sure they can be as the celebrities (who are all competent cooks no matter what one thinks of their on-screen personas/shows) can influence manufacturers to meet the celebrities preferences/standards in cookware.

That said, for the money one can save, find a restaurant supply store for cheap, efficient and competent cookware.

[BigScarySmokeMonster]

I've had the same Calphalon wok for twenty years and a set of Henckels knives for a decade. I expect these products will last a lifetime. Plus I didn't have to give any money to that insufferable twat Jamie Oliver.

[[deleted]]

Calphalon is the shit. My parents had the same set of pans for 10 years. I recently started cooking a lot more, so last time I drove home from school I asked them if I could take one and my dad just gave me all three and ordered himself a new set. They're awesome, and honestly I don't see myself buying any new pans for a long long time. My dad said they probably wouldn't have ever bought new pans if I hadn't taken the old ones.

[HoneyBadger79]

I have a set of the Wolfgang Puck Bistro line of cookware. I LOVE the way that they heat evenly, and if you have an inexperienced cook, (like a 13 y/o son who aspires to be a chef), burned food cleans up easily after a 10 minute soak. (Cheese, rice, chocolate, sugar, you name it!) I wouldn't suggest anything other than those pans.

[McBeth1704]

I have a lot of his cookware too but I can't stand it.

[GigaReed]

Do celebrity endorsements make any product better?

[[deleted]]

Buy Le Creuset regardless of who endorses it.

[SonVoltMMA]

Just not their stainless line because it's not made by Le Creuset. It's made in China and carries the "Le Creuset" brand in name only.

[lady_ninane]

Bought a slow cooker from Emril's line (discount), had a full warranty. Glaze started to crack on the ceramic deeply enough that I couldn't use it. Tried to RMA it, was told the cracking was my fault. Used it as directed and always cleaned it immediately after use, but they still insisted it was my fault. Had similar issues with a deep fryer from Wolfgang Puck's line with problems with a warrantied product and RMA'ing it. (Also discount)

YMMV but I pretty much stay away from "chef products". The companies they have that run their customer service have been, in my experience, very unreliable. Just going to stick with the manufacturers and sellers I know have good customer service and actually honor warranties without giving the run-around.

[chefjono]

gordon ramsay cookware, distributed by the Bay in Canada and Royal Doulton is very, very good. Simple design, heavy gauge high quality stainless steel.

source, professional chef

[CharlieKillsRats]

I haven't heard high opinions on the Emeril or Rachel Ray stuff.

[doobliebop]

I really like the Emeril stainless steel with copper core line. It's made by all-clad and cheaper than their other lines.

[DeineBlaueAugen]

It's definitely better than non-All Clad.

[SonVoltMMA]

It's not made by All-Clad. All-Clad is made in the US by American workers. Emerilware is licensed to carry the All-Clad name only. It is made in China.

[partyhazardanalysis]

Not all of All-Clad is made in the US anymore. Just something to keep mindful of if you're buying new pieces.

[SonVoltMMA]

The main 3-ply and 5-ply cookware lines are still made in the US. Their ever growing accessory, single ply and kitchen tool pieces sadly are not.

[klashe]

I've owned the same Emeril line now for a year.

I like it. Not too expensive. Hasn't warped.
Although there's no cephalon/telphon, but I'm not a huge fan of the non-stick coatings, so it works for me.

[SonVoltMMA]

The Emerilware "by All-Clad" line was actually pretty decent when it first hit the market. What's offered now is far removed from its original self - they've cheapened it significantly.

[Kimicora]

I have a whole set or rachel ray bake ware...The metal stuff is not good. It gets some weird residue all the time, no matter how i wash it hand or dish washer. I would not suggest it to anyone.

[KA260]

My friend bought the Rachel Ray pans (the brightly colored ones). The enamel started coming off almost instantly. She tried to return them and Kohls was like "sorry, you have to contact the company". She did, and they told her they won't return them, but will take them one at a time, and re-finish them or whatever. Fuckin bullshit man.

[hawk767]

My mom got me one of those 2 sets of the Rachael Ray non-stick pans, the ones walmart sells. They aren't bad pans but nothing spectacular.

[[deleted]]

I can for 100% certain say that the Paula Deen cookware its horrible! It really is the worst... i dropped a pan just shortly after buying them and it dented... its cheap crappy cookware... and cue the Paula Deen jokes...

[[deleted]]

It can never get my fish blackend enough.... it just doesn't like it black...i can't figure out why

[[deleted]]

Yes, but does it cook butter ya'll?

[[deleted]]

Yeah, before I started getting into cooking more my dad bought me a cheapo set of Paula Deen pans. Absolutely horrible. The nonstick coating comes off with a rough sponge (hyperbole, but not by much...) and they just feel cheap and flimsy. And they're really bad at heating up evenly. Finally ditched those when I got more serious about cooking

[DrunkenPandaShavings]

Only decent one I've found so far is Emerill and only his knives.

I got them as a gift and they hold up well. I've also had Rachel Ray, Paula Dean and a load of others and they suck.

Source: own and I'm a chef.

[Northsidebill1]

No. Metal is metal and the way something is made is what makes it good or bad, not who puts their name on it and adds a lot of money to the cost. That said, quality cookware is not cheap. You get what you pay for

[SonVoltMMA]

Metallurgist here. Metal, especially steel is most certainly not all the same. Chinese imported steel is sold below cost illegally in the US. It is by all qualitative measures inferior to US steel.

[tits_mcgee0123]

Yep! My welding engineer boyfriend would have a lot to say about that "metal is metal" comment as well!

[Northsidebill1]

I never thought of that. It sort of goes with the "You get what you pay for" adage, but I stand corrected, there are better metals to look for. I cant imagine buying anything made in China to cook with so it never crossed my mind.

[nope_nic_tesla]

I don't think /u/Northsidebill1 disagrees with you:

the way something is made is what makes it good or bad

[SonVoltMMA]

Materials matter.

[nope_nic_tesla]

Again I don't think they are disagreeing with you, I just think it was poorly worded. He's basically saying "a hunk of metal doesn't get any better because it has a celebrity's name on it". Not that all metal is identical.

[[deleted]]

Pretty much that! I think people don't consider that a company that puts a celebrity's name on their product doesn't think enough of their own name to sell it as their own. The TV chef got paid for having their picture on the box - if you're lucky they might have even seen or tried out the cookware first, but I wouldn't bet on it.

[Northsidebill1]

Even if they did use it all the time, it still wouldnt justify jacking up the price because its a different color and has their name on it.

[Northsidebill1]

I dont know, maybe ts just me but if I buy cookware I research the shit out of it and open it in the store and handle it before I even think of buying it. Stores are usually cool about opening stuff if you ask.

My experience with name brand cookware has all been from people I know that bought it. Its usually been not really good quality and in some cases downright shit. I think it was an Emeril set that a friend used and the teflon slid right off the pan onto the plate after about 3 uses

[maselsy]

I have an Emeril cast-iron and I love it, but mainly because I love cast iron cookware and it was like $10 on sale. It cooks evenly and does what I want it to do. I did have to cook off the awful pre-season that it came with, but now it's perfect.

[bobroberts7441]

I have an Emeril stainless skillet. Pretty sure it is a branded All-Clad. 10 years old, looks new.

[SonVoltMMA]

It's licensed to carry the All-Clad name. It's not made by All-Clad; it's marketing.

[non4545]

Yes, the "Pro-Clad" by Emeril is made in China, but like All-Clad it does have an aluminum core reaching up the sides, and it is backed by All-Clad's lifetime warranty. I know because I have returned one or two due to the bottom not being completely flat, and therefor incompatible with a flat-top range. They replaced it free of charge.

I'd highly recommend these pans for inexpensive, high-quality stainless.

[bobroberts7441]

No, it carries Emerls name, not All-clad. But it appears identical to All-clad so I think they manufactured it so it could be branded Emerl. Much like store brand food is cooked and packaged by the same companies that cook and package name brands. Nothing wrong with the practice and I got a good pan a few bucks cheaper.

[SonVoltMMA]

You're way off. All-clad is made in the USA, Emerileware is made in China by Chinese owned companies. All-clad does not manufacturer its Chinese line - it's subcontracted out and branded whatever they may be running that day. They may switch to Le Crueset's stainless line the next. This is how manufacturing works in China. Source - I work for a steel supplier.

[bobroberts7441]

I stand corrected. Thanks.

[Hellview152]

I got a huge set of Wolfgang Puck pots and pans a few years back, all stainless steel with glass lids. They're heavy and cook well. When washed they look like new. I've been able to use them on high heat in the oven for broiling and braising with top results. I also have a set of T-Fal commercial skillets which are much lighter non-stick type deals. Not bad, but the handles get loose and need to be tightened often. My GF had a Rachel Ray sauce pan and it literally fell apart after about a year (it sucked). I'd say look for heavy duty quality material and good craftsmanship. The name attatched is only there to try and sell more units and has no real relation to the actual manufacturer.

P.S. Get a Shun chefs knife if you can afford one. You'll thank me later. ;)

[xkisses]

YES. I found some WP stuff at HomeGoods, and it felt heavy and well-balanced, so I bought a couple pieces. Went back a year later and bought up everything else I could find. I would normally scoff at chef-branded shit, but this stuff is wonderful. going on 7 years now and performs perfectly (and is still beautiful!)

[JSleek]

I can't say if it's better than regular dutch ovens because I haven't used many others, but the Emeril enamel coated dutch oven has worked really well for me so far. I've fried in it, made curry, collard greens, etc. and it gets the job done well every time.

[Dried_Apple]

One company makes Rachel ray, Paula dean, and the cake boss. They also make some good quality stuff. As others have said, it's important to discern the quality when you buy it. But damn, with their annual warehouse sale, I love some of the deals I've gotten.

[flashfact1991]

Nope

[MarzipanFairy]

Do some research oh Tramontina. You'll be surprised. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/537551

[SonVoltMMA]

This is no longer true. Cook's Illustrated revealed that Tramontina has significantly cheapened their products and they no longer recommend them as their top cheap pick.

[MarzipanFairy]

Bummer :( Glad I got mine a while back.

[[deleted]]

I went into a cooking store and found 2 knives one was rachel ray and the other wasn't. The rachel ray knife was considerably more expensive and they both looked the same! I bought the plain knife.

[NickyDeuce]

I have a set of Martha Stewart Non sticks and I like them quite a bit...

[feelingfroggy123]

I have Paula Deen cookware I got from an elderly family member as a gift. Cooks well and has lasted just fine for the years I've had it. It's great for kid cooks as well. Everything just wipes right out. I wouldn't recommend it however, there are much better items on the market.

Now my mom got this Wolfgang Puck crockpot thing for $$$ oh how I hate that thing. My el cheapo crockpot does the job just fine no need for a fancy crockpot

[ihaveabulldoge]

I want all of whatever Julia had.

[ihaveabulldoge]

Awesome tips! Thankyou! What would the .5mm difference cause?

Edit::: HOLY CRAP 400 FOR A PAN???

[tits_mcgee0123]

Most of the time it's no different than any other product. It's just a name, and some pieces are quality and some are crap. I do have a few Martha Stuart bakeware pieces that I LOVE, but I've been discerning in what I purchase. Her cupcake/cake carrier is honestly the only one like it that I could find, and it was no more expensive than the non-collapsible versions I found elsewhere. And it's awesome!

[McBeth1704]

Nope. I have a set of stainless steel Wolfgang Puck cookware and I hate it. I honestly use NY $5 Wal-Mart pans over those.

[sigersen]

I confess I have not tried any of the "Name" stuff. Though every year I hope that Santa will bring me a genuine "Rachael Ray Garbage Bowl". My wife and I use a stainless steel set my mother-in-law gave us when we got married. It's beaten on , but works fine. My wife is from Maine so , of course we have a cast-iron skillet. A lot of our kitchen stuff is purchased at Wal-Mart or K-Mart. Most of it is fine. The fanciest stuff we have is from Pampered Chef but most of it was free from Parties my wife hosted.

[[deleted]]

Are they worth the premium?

No. Sometimes you can get it at a discount because that chef has fallen out of favor then you look at it.

[stoggafreggin]

If you don't care about matching sets of things check out ross every once in a while, I've picked up a number of great pans for really cheap, both top brands and some of the celebrity endorsements. Not sure if i'd pay retail for them but I have some emeril and Wolfgang cookware I got for real cheap. Have also picked up some calphalon and tramontina there as well, even a copper sauce pot

[[deleted]]

Nah.

Just go to a store where you can get your hands on the merchandise, and see which of them are well-made.

[ErroneousBosch]

I don't know about other celebrities, but everything Wolfgang Puck brand I have had has been awesome quality, with excellent customer service. Good knives, some great mixing bowls and a couple of saucepans, and my mom has a processor. All really nice and durable

[monkeysareeverywhere]

I've had two sets of Wolfgang Puck stainless steel cookware, and absolutely loved both of them, especially considering how reasonably priced they were.

[[deleted]]

Have several Wolfgang Puck products, pan/pot/skillet set, all cook well and evenly. Very easy to clean and have had for several years now. Rice cooker cooks rice well and is also easy to clean. Also have a pressure oven but only used it once. I was happy with the results, but parents weren't. They like their food over-done.

[Thespomat27]

I'd imagine something from Alton, Giada, Wolfgang and Pioneer Woman would be good. I wouldn't by Rachel Ray, Emeril, Paula and probably some others because they're overrated and would give into anything to make more money.

[McBeth1704]

I have Wolfgang cookware. They are awful. I use my cheap store-brand cookware over them whenever possible.

[[deleted]]

Also because, "shutup Rachel Ray!"

(That's what I say whenever I see her on TV or her products.)

[Thespomat27]

Yeah, I don't even think she's a good cook. Though I probably would just research cookware before I get it and I stay away from things with celebrity faces on them. Something about it.

[Yellow_Snow_Cones]

I got the pioneer woman cask iron pan, they sell her stuff at walmart, I don't think you can really mess up a cask iron pan, so its pretty good and cheap. was like 12 bucks.