I'm sorry to hear that. What have been your issues?

I have one and really, really love it. I received a couple of dinged up burners when we got it and they quickly replaced them. The oven door was also a little off and the local rep came over and tweaked it and took a lot of time showing me tricks and tips with it.

I hope that they make right for you. I have really and truly enjoyed mine and hope that you'll be able to enjoy yours as well.

Here's a secondary thought - could you threaten to seek recourse with your credit card company, presuming you paid with a card, and then do it if there's no movement on their end? Most credit card companies have great purchase protection policies these days.

I don't think so at all. I've got the 5 and cook for 2 (sometimes with leftovers). I really love it and find it to be very versitile. It's my favorite for risotto and usually it's just for 2-4 servings. I tend to love huge surface area though and usually go larger if it's an option. I also adore my All Clad 6 qt saute even though I'm usually only cooking for two.

Gosh, this is a hard one. I don't know that I've paid full price for much of anything!

Some of my best deals - a set of two shun paring knives that were $40 used a 10% off coupon and a $25 off coupon. Made for a pretty sweet deal.

Two descoware skillets from a garage sale for $1 (both not each!).

I jumped on the carbon steel crepe pan bandwagon and was one of the throngs who got it for about $12.

I got really good deals on my vitamix and kitchenaid by pricematching/using coupons/getting cashback etc.

Recently, my best deal was about $1k off my bluestar. Still not sure how I pulled that one off...

I'm not sure why I didn't turn to CH first but please help me make some important decisions!

First, a little about my kitchen: I guess I'd describe it as a fat galley style. It's actually rather square but essentially all the work spaces and appliances/sink are along the perimeter.

The first things we've done have been to remove slate and limestone windowsils and blacksplash, remove the bulkhead above the cabinets, move the appliance configurations (moving the gas lines, water lines and electrical outlets!) and blow out a wall between the kitchen and dining room. I'll add a bar top here (looking for a cool slab of live edge wood for this). The side with the bar has the range - I splurged (for me) and ordered a 36" 6 burner BlueStar range and a Zephyr hood (man, hoods are much more expensive than I had anticipated). I'm thrilled with these decisions even if it has meant living in a construction zone!

Things yet to be decided that I could use some help on:

1. Wine rack - the previous owner had a wine rack. We're not huge wine drinkers and the hanging rack for the glasses doesn't accommodate all of our glasses due to the width of the bases. It is storage though and I suppose if we put it back up we could always take it down later. My better half happens to like it too. I was considering leaving it open though to have it feel a little more airy. This is an upper cabinet.

2. Pot storage - I don't have a great place for a ceiling rack. I did consider getting an enclume rack to hang where the wine rack had been. Another option which i had in our apartment was the Ikea rungs that are a bit like towel racks. I do have an open wall where I could have two levels of these.

3. Counter tops - this might not be a right now thing but an down the line thing. My current counter tops are limestone tiles (!) with a slate border. I find them to be pretty hideous however they seem to be nearly indestructible. I have dreams of marble but I feel like we're just not careful enough for marble. I have thought of temporarily using ikea wood butcherblock countertops but I'm not too sure that we're careful enough for that either! There is a gap where the previous backsplash was removed (since it was thick tile) so I'm concerned about finding a solution. It's not really in the budget to do much with the countertops - that's why I'm thinking temporary solution or out of the box solutions, remnants, etc.

4. Paint - what finish paint do you recommend? I'm not wanting it to be too shiny but I do want it to be washable?

Thanks!!

That's awesome - congrats to you! I've loved my D5! I also adore my copper (matfer bourgeat) too. As for Staub vs. LC. I've decided I'm a lover not a fighter so I just love both ;) Seriously. I've got pieces of but and I love them both - I think you will too! Years of happy cooking to you!

The All Clad set is great as are the measuring cups. My favorites are my set from King Arthur Flour:
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/i...

Includes ⅛-, ¼-, ½-, ¾-, 1-, 1½-teaspoon (½-tablespoon), and 1-tablespoon measure

What are the pieces in the set? Do you really need a whole set of cast iron? I'd probably go with the red because it will not be discontinued. I'm also OCD and all my pieces are black. I found a good deal once and I brought home the same piece in flame and red and stared at them for a month. At the end of the month I took them both back. I'm very non-committal when it comes to color though. I do have a teal staub oven that I've added to the mix and I really live it too.

check slickdeals.net first, there are always good deals. pricematching at kohl's is great too.

That sounds heavenly. I'd love the recipe if it's something you could share!

Please search on slickdeals dot net. There are deals frequently that are below $200. Sometimes even that low for the professional. I got mine through Kohl's with a price match and coupon and paid about 40% below retail.

Things I really appreciate that weren't on my first list of must haves:
Pressure cooker
Vitamix
Sauciers
Saute pans
Cast iron pans
Grill pan
Roasting pans
Microplane
Good knives (have a great Shun collection and can't believe I used junk for so long)
Good dish towels
Wall pot rack!!

Things I thought I needed but haven't proven that useful:
Nonstick pans
Sauce pans (much prefer the sauciers I have)
Food processor (very embarrassed that it's still in its box unused after more than a year)
Air cookie sheets (granted, I'm trying to use them for roasting which is the wrong use)

Things I could probably live without but appreciate having:
Ice cream maker
Immersion blender
Crepe pan

Stuff I returned or wish I hadn't bought:
Fry pan (returned, constantly flipped food out of it!)
Deep sauce pans
Orange squeezer, handheld

Stuff I still need:
End grain cutting board
Roasting rack
Thermapen

On the fence about:
Copper bowl
Nakiri
2-2.5 qt ECI french oven
Breville Smart Oven

*phew*

Sometimes I regret not getting the 9 for my first dutch/french oven. I think you're right that you are the best judge of your own cooking. I also like to make leftovers and the bigger sizes are great for that.

I just lost my shizz reading this. Too hilarious!!!

Somehow I thought you were a Fiesta man! Maybe just because it's come up before.

That's too bad about the 4.5. What is the local outlet for you? I've not been outlet shopping in the area for a while but used to frequent Grove City (not even sure if there's a LC outlet there). Do indigo pieces ever show up on Amazon? It seems there are sometimes some random pieces on there.

Do you have any small pieces? I'm hoping I come up with some good uses for the 2.5 qt Staub. I'm still very sad there's not a black LC doufeu in the 2.25 (or is it 2.5?) easily found here in the states. That small doufeu is just adorable. I wish I could live with more colors in my life!

Let us know how you like cooking with them too! :)

Are you so excited with SLT getting it? I think I recall you wanting a 4.5 (?)

I was in love with the Staub teal and got the 5.5 for the holidays and just ordered the 2.5. It matches Fiesta turquoise. Have you ever been to the Fiesta factory? (aren't you in the Pittsburgh area?)

If I were in your shoes I'd definitely get the 9 qt. For the smaller I think 5.5 would probably be good. I've got a 5 qt braiser (have you considered one of these?), a 5.5 qt (Staub) and a 7.25 qt. I was making soup last weekend and pretty much filled the 5.5 to the rim. I got the 5.5 because I was in love with the color (SO silly, I know). I think for me - I cook for two with leftovers - the 7.25 is my favorite. I suppose at some point I might like a 9 qt but probably not for a while. I'm currently looking at a 2.25 for sides.

So exciting! Congratulations!

Sorry I'm of no help in identifying them - do let us know what you find out!

You said it!

;)

I've never had anything tarnish either. I have had burnt on oil that was very difficult to remove but that's about it.

Well, I'd probably get a couple of copper pieces rather than the AC CC. I've got several D5 pieces that I really love. One thing I wish I'd known earlier on is that I prefer sauciers to sauce pans. It's good to think about what you're going to be doing with the pans. This is a great resource to learn more about pans and their functions as well as the best materials:
http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?/...

I've got copper, clad stainless, cast iron, enameled cast iron, carbon steel and really enjoy them all. It took me some trial and error as well as a bunch of research to build my ideal collection! One thing you don't have listed but I'd recommend is a pressure cooker. I love mine and got a big size so I could use it in place of a (smaller) stock pot. Also, on the staub grill pan, I seem to remember that Staub and LC grill pans don't have great reviews on here. I've got a Lodge grill pan and it's been really great for me. I got the oversized square verson (and I keep meaning to get a press).

Good luck, we'll be excited to hear what you settle on!

I should look for those. The ones I bought came with covers - that's why I'm considering just getting them replaced. I'm open though, might as well try to do it once and not have to replace down the road.

Wow, I'm sorry to hear that! I'm contemplating a new AmEx card with return protection. If you have a problem in 90 days and the company won't help AmEx will take it and credit you. I never want to get stuck with something defective. So sorry to hear that SLT was so awful. I've had great experiences but only with smaller items (had a victorinox knife that I thought was junk, had silicone potholders melt, etc. and they issued credits with no problem), If I had the same experience as you, I'd write them off too! Service is just about the only distinguishing factor between retailers these days. (One other plus about SLT is they price match!)

Forgive me for butting in but it's always been my experience that you could return anything at any time with no receipt, packaging, etc. at SLT. I've always felt like they've stood behind whatever I've purchased and returned/exchanged/replaced with no problem. I know that their policy reads as such but they might not all honor it in the same way.

I love my 7 spoon measuring spoons - I'll recommend that!

I don't have regular sheets just the ones for circulating air. I think they're a pain and just about impossible to roast on. So, I don't really have any proper ones!

I think they're like $12 at the local place.

Oh yeah, the details! I think I want Aluminum or possibly Steel. I don't think I want Aluminized steel but I'm open to hearing more about it. I would like to avoid nonstick, silicone coated, air circulating or anything else fancy!

Aw, that's too bad. Don Shipman was really great to deal with. I was a little displease about some of the cosmetic blemishes on the pans and he was great to help. I hope he's on to some new adventure!

I've read about the Lincoln pan that was chosen by CI but I've also read reviews that say it's disappointing. I had ordered pans by Nordicware but they arrived dented. I'm trying to decide if I should have replacements sent or take the opportunity to order something different.

Thanks!