Spending LESS $$ - Dishes, Pots & Pans, Bakeware

 

In my humble opinion very little of what is sold in stores these days is worth me spending money on.  Especially when it comes to items I use each and every day like my cookware and dishes.  I personally love the classics – Corelle, Pyrex, Revere Ware, Le Crueset, Club and cast iron.  They hold up and serve me well.

 

My kitchen is outfitted quite simply.  Over the years I’ve weeded out the cheap crap and things I no longer need, want, use or enjoy.  Anything broken beyond repair or never really worked that well to begin with has hit the road.  What I have kept is old fashioned, charming and built to last.  And it has.

 

I have a pretty good Pyrex collection from the 1940s and 1950s.  I’ve purchased most of them from eBay and some from thrift stores and antique shops.  I love them and I use them to bake with and for food storage.

 

After years of trying various cookware that claimed to be nonstick I got rid of it all.  I am blessed to have inherited a collection of Revere Ware pieces from to grandmothers and a great grandmother as well as some nice cast iron skillets.  My great grandmother’s old aluminum dutch oven remains my favorite and is the one I use most often.

 

At one point in my life I was a Pampered Chef consultant and I find their products are quite a good value for the money.  I still have and use their knives and pizza stones.  The egg slicer and dicer sees action routinely as well as the pizza cutter.  I still have the original set of wooden spoons, the offset spatula and the mini spatula too.  Their garlic press is still going strong after thirty years of use as is the ice cream scoop.

 

I love my Corelle dishes.  They are in the classic Frost White and go with pretty much everything.  I’ve added some patterned items over the years – Christmas Holly bread plates, floral luncheon plates, but for the most part I stick with basic white.  They are lightweight, durable, chip and break resistant and take up far less space that most other dishware.

 

The older stuff has more charm, is durable and it just suits me better.  I invested in some good solid pieces and then I was done.  I’m not wasting money replacing items that wear out or break.  Choosing wisely, I find I don’t need as many things when they can perform double duty.  By making the investment up front I’m saving money down the road as prices tend to increase and quality tends to falter.

 

What are some of you favorites in the kitchen?