[INSERT BONG JOKE HERE]

This actually makes a lot of sense. People are starting to cook at home much more than before.

So profits were merely "terrible" instead of the projected "horrible"?

Hipchewy1: This actually makes a lot of sense. People are starting to cook at home much more than before.

Except that you can cook using pots and pans, etc, from Target just as well.

Not sayin' yer wrong, just that this single data point means... well, nothing, really.

Hipchewy1: This actually makes a lot of sense. People are starting to cook at home much more than before.

And they're obviously willing to pay far, far too much for what they could get for half the price just about anywhere else.

Loose wallets.

OTOH Williams Sonoma is one of the best places to test-drive knives. They are always willing to grab the keys to the storage cases because their knife sets are full of delicious profit. I spent an hour testing the various knives until I had decided on the series that fit my hands the best and provided the best control. Once I had found my perfect match, I thanked the lady and left the store.

/Shun Classic
//Global provides amazing balance and speed, but they are made for tiny hands
///Shun Classic can't be beat for paws like mine

Bottom line up based on cost cutting & selling cheaper shiat in the first line of TFA.

Top line was kind of mixed, although higher than estimates. Woohoo, good for them, looks like shutting down stores & going down market didn't hurt them as much as they thought.

Anyone tried the fried chicken mix from there? They get it from Ad Hoc, a restaurant in California.

As someone who used to work in the investor relations field, I'm flabbergasted that this gaming expectations still works to 'beat estimates'.

Here are some clues:

Net revenue fell 3 percent to $729 million, but exceeded the analysts' average estimate of $686.1 million. Sales at stores open at least a year rose 1.7 percent.

To combat weak demand, Williams-Sonoma has shut stores, cut its advertising budget and managed inventory tightly. In August, the company said it saw leaner inventories boosting margins in the back half of the year.

So, lay off people, trim inventories, close stores (which drives remaining traffic to existing stores). All temporary measures, revenue is still declining, and consumers earn less than ever. They've raised their outlook now, but will lower it before the next quarter's reporting is due.

Maybe they're counting on Goldman Sachs employees to do all their Christmas shopping there once they're finished doing God's work.

Knara: Hipchewy1: This actually makes a lot of sense. People are starting to cook at home much more than before.

Except that you can cook using pots and pans, etc, from Target just as well.


The absolute best pan you can get from Target or Wal-Mart:

Hate on williams-sonoma all you like, I do it often, but man do they have some good mustards.

That's all I ever buy there.. kind of a waste, yeah, but man they have good mustard.

dkny: Hate on williams-sonoma all you like, I do it often, but man do they have some good mustards.

That's all I ever buy there.. kind of a waste, yeah, but man they have good mustard.

ELITIST!

Postal Penguin: The absolute best pan you can get from Target or Wal-Mart:

Oh cast iron skillet, what can't you do

The recession is ending? Last I checked, U-6 unemployment was around 17%...

Knara: Except that you can cook using pots and pans, etc, from Target just as well.

Not sayin' yer wrong, just that this single data point means... well, nothing, really.

So you're saying that there is no quality gradient among kitchenware at all? Hmmmm... I'm gonna have to go ahead and disagree with you on this.

The Mount Horeb Mustard Museum has the BEST mustards.

Hipchewy1: This actually makes a lot of sense. People are starting to cook at home much more than before.

Right. And those small indulgences can bring you so much pleasure when you're cutting corners everywhere else.

/wants a Le Creuset honey pot for Xmas

Postal Penguin: Knara: Hipchewy1: This actually makes a lot of sense. People are starting to cook at home much more than before.

Except that you can cook using pots and pans, etc, from Target just as well.


The absolute best pan you can get from Target or Wal-Mart:

I got the Bobby Flay one from Kohls. My gf told me I had to spend 25 bucks at Kohls and so I bought it. I watched an episode of Alton Brown cooking steak in one and decided to give that a try. It's all I use now.

mmagdalene: /wants a Le Creuset honey pot for Xmas

Wouldn't that require reconstructive surgery?

factoryconnection: So you're saying that there is no quality gradient among kitchenware at all? Hmmmm... I'm gonna have to go ahead and disagree with you on this.

No, I'm saying that if people are eating more at home in order to save money vs eating out, that they're not going to shell out for premium cookware, either.

Knara: factoryconnection: So you're saying that there is no quality gradient among kitchenware at all? Hmmmm... I'm gonna have to go ahead and disagree with you on this.

No, I'm saying that if people are eating more at home in order to save money vs eating out, that they're not going to shell out for premium cookware, either.

Yeah, I'm thinking that if they can't afford a meal out every week, the $800 sets of All-Clad aren't their plan B. Walmart cookery sucks- while their Corelle dishes are great for everyday use, their pots and pans are absolute garbage. Target at least carries lower end Calphalon, and that stuff works fairly well; I have a square skillet from there that works great.

Williams-Sonoma isn't a bad place, but it is spendy. I bought my wife a Nespresso machine there a month or so ago, and she loves the thing (yeah, it isn't the grind it yourself stuff, but she isn't going to bother with that or with being a real coffee snob). The saleswomen were very helpful- had they not been so eager to assist us (even offering a sample to my wife), I'm pretty sure I'd STILL be trying to find something for her.

They stopped sending their catalogs too. That probably saved them a few.

All I want from Williams Sonoma is a jar of veal demi-glace. My gravies would then be unstoppable.

I live a few blocks from one and I sometimes walk by and stare longingly in, wishing I had money, wanting knifes, cast iron pans, baking sheets, demi-glace and kitchenaid attachments.

Sigh...

If you want a nice, quality set of cookware, get the Kirkland brand stuff from Costco. That shiat is way up on the consumer reports scale (well, was; it wasn't reviewed last time) and a new set will only cost you about $150ish (when on sale) for 8 pots/pans + lids + double boiler. Compare that to some of the "high-brand" pans at Sonoma that cost $120 each.

When my bf moved in he brought his Costco set with him, and I love it. Our set has great heat distribution, non-stick, and sturdiness. I don't see why you'd need any more than that. After a certain point, I think you are just buying for the image.

Postal Penguin: Knara: Hipchewy1: This actually makes a lot of sense. People are starting to cook at home much more than before.

Except that you can cook using pots and pans, etc, from Target just as well.


The absolute best pan you can get from Target or Wal-Mart:

Cast-Iron FTW. (Lodge cookware , that is.)

/ took me a long time to season...but it's worth it.

akula: Target at least carries lower end Calphalon, and that stuff works fairly well; I have a square skillet from there that works great.

All my cookware has been from Target, and even though I buy super low end from them, I've yet to toss anything due to its unusability.

mmagdalene: Hipchewy1: This actually makes a lot of sense. People are starting to cook at home much more than before.

Right. And those small indulgences can bring you so much pleasure when you're cutting corners everywhere else.

/wants a Le Creuset honey pot for Xmas


JC Penny has Le Creuset for like 2/3rds the price of W-S.
/my favorite cookign implement is my le creuset dutch oven

Knara: akula: Target at least carries lower end Calphalon, and that stuff works fairly well; I have a square skillet from there that works great.

All my cookware has been from Target, and even though I buy super low end from them, I've yet to toss anything due to its unusability.

If the rest is as good as my skillet, it's perfectly decent stuff. Given how nonstick coating tends to flake off over time, I probably wouldn't buy anything more expensive than that.

For our main pots we have the stainless steel Emeril labeleled stuff by All-Clad- it only has the copper/stainless sandwich on the bottom (not all around like the good stuff), and it works well too; it's tougher to clean than the nonstick, but it's easier to keep looking good for long periods- some Barkeeper's Friend and you're good to go. No worries about metal implements either, but finding plastic utensils is a piece of cake.

You don't need to drop $800 for a perfectly good set of pans. I'd spend more than $100, but much more than $300 and the law of diminishing returns bites you on the ass pretty quickly.

Forbidden Doughnut: Postal Penguin: Knara: Hipchewy1: This actually makes a lot of sense. People are starting to cook at home much more than before.

Except that you can cook using pots and pans, etc, from Target just as well.


The absolute best pan you can get from Target or Wal-Mart:

Cast-Iron FTW. (Lodge cookware , that is.)

/ took me a long time to season...but it's worth it.

They come pre-seasoned these days and while it definitely gets better with time they are acceptable right off the shelf. I seasoned my by giving it a sheen of vegetable oil after every time I used it for the first few months of use. After a particularly harsh session, I gave it a sheen and cooked it in a 500F oven. Seemed perfectly seasoned after that.

It was their new catalogs that did the trick. (new window)

Knara: factoryconnection: So you're saying that there is no quality gradient among kitchenware at all? Hmmmm... I'm gonna have to go ahead and disagree with you on this.

No, I'm saying that if people are eating more at home in order to save money vs eating out, that they're not going to shell out for premium cookware, either.

For the average cook the differences between one iron pan and another are too marginal to matter what cookware they use and it's hard for a manufacturer to screw up cast iron. Well maybe Walmart could...

Heck, even the better cook most of the time couldn't give a crap - a well-seasoned pan beats a 'quality gradient' any day.

akula: For our main pots we have the stainless steel Emeril labeleled stuff by All-Clad- it only has the copper/stainless sandwich on the bottom (not all around like the good stuff), and it works well too; it's tougher to clean than the nonstick, but it's easier to keep looking good for long periods- some Barkeeper's Friend and you're good to go. No worries about metal implements either, but finding plastic utensils is a piece of cake.

I have a rack full of All-Clad stuff. It's bomb proof. I use plastic on it only, no metal unless I have to.

The W-S here is usually packed. I think some of the people have more money than sense.

akula: Knara: akula: Target at least carries lower end Calphalon, and that stuff works fairly well; I have a square skillet from there that works great.

All my cookware has been from Target, and even though I buy super low end from them, I've yet to toss anything due to its unusability.

If the rest is as good as my skillet, it's perfectly decent stuff. Given how nonstick coating tends to flake off over time, I probably wouldn't buy anything more expensive than that.

For our main pots we have the stainless steel Emeril labeleled stuff by All-Clad- it only has the copper/stainless sandwich on the bottom (not all around like the good stuff), and it works well too; it's tougher to clean than the nonstick, but it's easier to keep looking good for long periods- some Barkeeper's Friend and you're good to go. No worries about metal implements either, but finding plastic utensils is a piece of cake.

You don't need to drop $800 for a perfectly good set of pans. I'd spend more than $100, but much more than $300 and the law of diminishing returns bites you on the ass pretty quickly.

we have that all-clad emeril set as well. A chef friend of a friend recomended that set and said it gave you the most bang for the buck....its still going strong for four years now.

We did splurge on a set of shun classics....best investment ever for us.

wilde_at_heart: For the average cook the differences between one iron pan and another are too marginal to matter what cookware they use and it's hard for a manufacturer to screw up cast iron. Well maybe Walmart could...

Heck, even the better cook most of the time couldn't give a crap - a well-seasoned pan beats a 'quality gradient' any day.

I just know that I've cooked, back-to-back on good cookware vice bargain stuff and there is an easily discernible difference.

I have however, neglected to account for the fact that nobody on here seems to be able to shop for deals at high-price stores. Comparing the set you got on sale at JC Penney to MSRP at Williams Sonoma is a bit disingenuous, no?

Realistically, I buy everything from the outlets anyhow. I have some W-S towels and measuring cups and they're all very nice, but that's it.