Thanks for your comments, Kaleo. This is very helpful. I've gotten very used to the way my HA pans perform, but they've also suffered a ton of abuse (from myself in my early years of cooking and not understanding how to properly care for my pans and also my various roommates over the years). They've been in the dishwasher for periods of time over the years, the coating on the outside of the pan has worn off . . . they look terrible! I'm used to not using metal utensils, so that's not really much of a factor and as you've mentioned, I've habitualized to cooking with HA. The convenience of the dishwasher is probably the only thing that I'm now considering heavily.

Sounds like I just need to mull it over and make a decision. Thanks again for all of your input! Much appreciated.

Thanks for your comments. I guess I just need to mull over the pros and cons for a bit. Your comments are helpful in making my decision though.

ugh, that sounds like an awful experience! well, that definitely makes me think twice about giving my business to a company with such poor customer service. at the very least, if i decide to buy anything made by Cuisinart, i'll have to buy from somewhere like Costco where I know I can return it without problems. thanks for sharing your experience.

Thank you everyone for all of this helpful info!

Does anyone have any thoughts on hard anodized aluminum vs. fully clad pans? (Thanks Kaleo and Chemicalkinetics for bringing up some of the differences.) I hadn't really give a lot of thought to how these types might differ in cooking performance. My parents had stainless steel pans growing up (albeit a cheap set) and food stuck to the pan more. I wasn't thinking this would be a big deal, since I'd get better fond for things like pan sauces. Are there any other significant considerations in deciding between fully clad SS pans vs hard anodized aluminum?

Thanks again!

I am looking to replace my 10+ year old set of Kirkland hard-anodized aluminum cookware with something new. My old set has been a steady friend, but has definitely seen better days. Also, I recently got a new Blue Star range, so I'd like to get some new pots and pans to get the max potential out of my cooking. I love to cook and hope to have this new set for a long time.

That said, I'm not the type of person to just buy the brand name if there's something else that works just as well for less money. I know All-Clad seems to be the brand to buy, but am also wondering about the two sets available at Costco: Kirkland 18/10 SS cookware and Cuisinart Professional Tri-Ply. The Cuisinart Professional looks suspiciously similar to the Cuisinart Multiclad, which seems to get good reviews on Amazon. I've also read plenty of good reviews for Tramontina Tri-Ply, but I'm trying to avoid giving my business to Wal-Mart. (I have family members in unions that would not be very excited to see me shop there.) Cost is not a huge issue, but something to consider given the price differences between All-Clad and these alternatives.

http://www.costco.com/Kirkland-Signature%E2%84%A2-1810-Stainless-Steel-13-piece-Cookware-Set.product.100025036.html

http://www.costco.com/Cuisinart%C2%AE...

Any help/guidance you have to share would be appreciated. Thanks!

Thanks for all the leads. Appreciate it!

is there a website you usually order from? i just noticed that shipping is quite a bit when you order online, so i thought maybe a local store would be the way to go.

thanks for the thread

Just wondering if anyone knows where I can buy Weck canning jars locally (near Berkeley).

Thanks!

Thanks to all the replies. Appreciate the help!

I am planning to install a 36" Blue Star range in our kitchen; however, we only have room above for a 36" hood. It seems like just about all 36" hoods have a depth of 24". Is this big enough for a 36" Blue Star? The few 27" deep hoods that I found appear to be for outdoors.

Thanks!

No, the price is just for delivery to your door. We have contractors at our house that will be doing the installation for us, but that's a good point. If you go with an online retailer, you would probably need to have your own installation person.

Thanks everyone for all the helpful responses. It definitely helped to go into a store and to see/touch the range in person and talk to a sales person. I'm still shopping around a bit, but I did want to mention (for anyone else that might be looking) that there are a couple online retailers that ship to CA with better pricing - up to $1000 less when you consider free shipping and no tax. (appliance connection and aj madison are two online retailers that provided quotes.)

yeah, i was hoping to get some personal experience with the stores. for example, i saw that airport appliance is listed as a local retailer, but then i've heard some pretty bad reviews about their service after the purchase. i guess I should have specified this in my post! :)

looking for local stores on online retailers will good prices and service!

Hi, I'm looking to buy a Blue Star Range. It's hard to find pricing listed anywhere, so does anyone have suggestions for local stores (East Bay or SF) or online retailers?

Thanks!

Just wondering if anyone knows of a discount for the Lamb Jamb coming up.

Thanks!

Hi Everyone,

I've read through a lot of the links that discuss the pastry program at Tante Marie Cooking School, CCA, CCSFand CIA, but I haven't seen too much posted about SFBI. Has anyone attended the program through SFBI? How was your experience? Did you work at a bakery or as a pastry chef afterward?

This is a career change for me, and I don't think I'm interested in attending either CCA or CIA because of the cost. I am also ruling out City College in SF just because I do want to go to a pastry specific program. So, it seems that in SF that I am left with either the San Francisco Baking Institute or Tante Marie.

If anyone has any advice on either school or has attended either school, I would love to hear your thoughts!

Thanks!