The gourmet food posts on the site are probably going to grow exponentially over the coming years. I’d publicly debated various cookware as far back as last year and finally decided to take the plunge as part of the six-month May Day project. Yesterday evening, I bought a set of copper Ruffoni pots and pans, which were going to be delivered at the end of January. This was to take advantage of the huge Williams-Sonoma sale, which offered 30% off purchases $1,000 or more.
[mainbodyad]Then, serendipitously, a letter landed in the blog inbox from reader Kansas Kate, who deserves a huge shout-out thanks to her willingness to offer tons of great information about various cookware providers, explaining her findings in linings, manufacturers, and choices. After researching what she said, I decided to go with a different set of “core” copper pans, the 2.5 mm thick Mauviel Professional grade package from Williams-Sonoma, and then we went down to the Leawood, Kansas store and bought some of the stainless steel Ruffoni cookware, a copper steaming set, and a few other items.
The plan is to build a collection of copper, stainless steel, and other cookware over the next few years, with pieces such as Ruffoni serving as table-side or on-table decor as well as functional tools, the Mauviel copper cookware serving as the main copper line, and then additional augments from other brands based upon need and purpose (e.g., trying out the All Clad line as well as some of the French competitors to Mauviel). As we learn more and more about how this all works, individual pieces from different lines will be introduced. One of these days, I’d like to try my hand at candy making and chocolate confectionary arts, which would mean getting into molds and other specialty extensions. I’m excited about this, not to mention the savings are huge, too, due to the sale! Plus, I get the American Express points, and my sales tax dollars went into my local community.
This is the Mauviel professional cookware set of 2.5 mm thick copper pots and pans we went with after learning about differences in copper thickness and heat conductivity. The Ruffoni copper cookware set was switched out for some stainless steel pots and pans that will augment this collection. The Mauviel set is scheduled for shipment in late December.
Two of the Ruffoni stainless steel pots and pans we bought at Williams-Sonoma tonight … the fact these are handmade by artisans in Italy working for a third or fourth generation family business makes me happy.
A side view of one of the Ruffoni pieces …
The catalog image may be easier to see than my picture (above). This is one of the Ruffoni pieces we bought tonight from the Leawood, Kansas Williams-Sonoma store. . It is a Ruffoni Hammered Stainless Steel Shallow Braiser. Our handle is different than the one shown, since they are custom built by the artisans that craft the cookware.
We also bought one of the 7 quart Ruffoni Hammered Stainless Steel Braisers, which will be used for cooking and presentation at the table during family dinners and holidays.
This three-piece copper couscoussier was also a great addition. It is a type of pot that is two-pots-in-one and originated in Northern Africa. It’s akin to an ancient double boiler. You could, for example, be cooking rice in the bottom pot, and have the steam simultaneously steam cooking vegetables in the top pot. We’ll use it mostly for preparing Chinese food.
One more thing off the checklist. The kitchen is coming together. There is nothing more enjoyable than buying something you want, with money earned honestly, fairly, and from your own ideas and work, and then using that purchase to make your family’s life better. This cookware has so much more utility to me than a comparable value worth of shares of some great company would.
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