Whats something that is only worth getting the expensive version of?
Whats something that is only worth getting the expensive version of?
I grew up with $20 walmart blenders, and hated anything that required a blender.
Recently bought a ninja and there is no going back. I'll never use a crappy blender again.
Anything else like that?
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Lots of kitchen tools are like that. Expensive probably isn't the right word, more like minimum acceptable quality. Restaurant supply stores are great for this: a restaurant owner won't buy the fancy brands, but they also won't get something that won't do the job right. When you get something more expensive than the restaurant supply store, you are mainly paying for cosmetics.
Food processors and mandolins come to mind: they are a pain to clean, so unless they work really well, you're better off using a knife.
Stock pots you can get thin, crappy ones from Walmart that will never let a large volume of liquid get up to temp without scorching whatever is touching the bottom. Better to save your money for something with thicker material.
Also,
- Cookie dough and ice cream scoops
- Instant read thermometers
- kitchen scissors
- cutting boards
- enameled cast iron (cheap stuff flakes off)
- measuring cups (do everything you can by weight, but when necessary, you want them made from steel, and with markings embossed on them, not painted)
- charcoal (and probably propane) grills. Poor quality craps out so quick
- probably a lot more things
For non-kitchen stuff, one that immediately comes to mind cause I just bought one is plant grow lights. Even with LEDs, you need a pretty high power output for it to be worth anything, and power output isn't even the right metric. I'm far from an expert at it, but a couple of things to look out for is if it uses a USB port, it's junk. USB (specifically type a) cannot produce enough power to be remotely useful for plants, so all those weird no-name brands you see are just annoying purple lights. Good brands will tell you the wattage, the PAR, the brand of LED used, and so on.
charcoal (and probably propane) grills. Poor quality craps out so quick
Weber kettles are fantastic in this regard. They're not super expensive brand new and can be downright cheap secondhand, but if you take care of them they'll last decades. Also, Weber is pretty good about their warranty, and replacement parts can be found in most bog box hardware stores
Lol, that's exactly who I was thinking of. I have had several cheap kettle grills, and they only last a couple years, even taken care of decently. I got a weber, and it still looks new after a few years, plus the metal is way thicker so it holds steady temperature way better.
Cookie dough and ice cream scoops
I always just use a spoon (or sometimes two, in the case of portioning cookies) without issue. I never saw the appeal of these. Then again, there are probably people who eat more ice cream and make more cookies than I do.
Definitely agree on the rest. For measuring cups, also pay close attention to how the handle is connected to the body; I've had some that look like a single tack weld was done and they break off in now time.