You Shouldn't Buy Cookware From A Retail Store. Here's Why
Have you ever wondered where professional chefs go to buy cookware for their restaurant kitchens? Considering the heavy-duty use that their cookware needs to be able to endure, it seems highly unlikely that you'll find them shopping next to you at Target or some other neighborhood retail store on your usual grocery run. Chefs aren't looking for cutesy, aesthetic-looking pots and pans. They need reliable and durable cookware that's going to get them through rush hours every day.
It turns out that chefs shop at restaurant supply stores, and so should you. For one, these supply stores will have pretty much any and all kitchen gadgets that you can think of. Second, the equipment they sell is either dirt cheap due to wholesale prices, or its commercial-grade quality is so good that it will last you a lifetime and will be totally worth the hefty price tag.
You might think that restaurant supply stores must be reserved only for chefs and restaurant owners, sealed away from the eyes of common people. According to Lifehacker, however, certain restaurant supply stores like the Chef'Store chain, are open to the general public. Restaurant supply stores sell kitchen gadgets that are meant to be used in a commercial kitchen, and so the stuff you find there won't necessarily be the prettiest in terms of aesthetics, but it will be extremely durable and far cheaper than what you would find at a retail store.
What should you buy from a restaurant supply store?
According to Taste Of Home, you should most certainly go to a restaurant supply store if you're looking for cutting boards, chef's knives, baking equipment, frying pans, and specialty tools that often aren't otherwise available at general retail stores. In addition to this, Lifehacker adds that restaurant supply stores usually have kitchen equipment in lots of sizes, so they are great places to shop for different-sized sheet pans and baking molds. Certain stores also sell wholesale quantities of foods like cheese and hash brown patties at wholesale prices.
Some Reddit users warn that while you should buy most of your cookware from a restaurant supply store instead of a retail store, there are a few gadgets that are better bought from a retail store instead. 2sly says that a commercial-grade muffin tin at a local restaurant supply store costs $50, adding that: "I make muffins once a year at most so the basic grocery store tin works for me." Redditor kda949 agreed that you shouldn't be buying everything from a restaurant supply store, explaining that "some of the stuff (like the muffin tins mentioned) will last longer than ones bought at Target, but I'm ok going through 3 or 4 $10 muffin tins in my lifetime."