What's your pick of Pots, Pans and Dishes?

Agencies and other headaches, keys and cleaners, running costs and contracts...in short, all the things we spend so much of our time doing behind the scenes.<br>
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vrooje
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What's your pick of Pots, Pans and Dishes?

Post by vrooje »

When we first started our rental business, it was with a partner.

We thought it would be perfectly fine to stock the kitchen with nice, but not super-upscale, pots, pans, and dishes. We didn't want to get anything really cheap, naturally, but we also didn't want to spend tons of money on dishes that would inevitably get broken and pans that would inevitably get damaged.

Our partner, though, insisted on buying some (admittedly beautiful) Le Creuset pans -- very expensive. They are now gone, as she took them when we purchased the rest of the house from her.

We have only ever had one comment on our kitchen supplies, and it was that the client wished there had been more inexpensive non-stick pans and fewer uppity dishes which require one to use loads of oil!

I know that the idea is that you should stock your house with what you would want there if you yourself lived there. But, my parents never cook! so that criterion doesn't work for them. I myself am a fan of hand-thrown ceramic dishes, extremely high-quality knives, and the highest-quality non-stick or stainless steel cookware I can afford. I'm not sure that those are reasonable to expect in a vacation/holiday rental, especially since we don't live near our property and so can't always check for breakages or theft between each client.

What do you all do?
Brooke
PeeJay
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Post by PeeJay »

Cheep and Cheerful and replace when broken or damaged to maintain full inventory.
Fraise
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Re: What's your pick of Pots, Pans and Dishes?

Post by Fraise »

"client wished there had been more inexpensive non-stick pans and fewer uppity dishes which require one to use loads of oil!

What do you all do?
"

Hi, I'm new to all this but we went out and bought decent quality mid range non- stick pans, cutlery and crockery. I bought the pans 'cos I knew I wouldn't want to have to faff about oiling pans etc on holiday.Also because they can be easily dishwashed. My reasoning was also that it would be fairly easy to replace them regularly without too much expense.The same goes for glasses etc- nothing too precious that I'd be upset ( or financially crippled!) if and when they got broken.

www.thepetitmanoir.com
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Sue Dyer
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Post by Sue Dyer »

I'm with cheap but not cheap enough to look like they're cheap if that makes sense!!

For dinner set I bought this Raywear stuff which looks okay and you can get lots of matching bits and pieces, salt & pepper, tea pot, sugar bowl. A shop called "No Frills" here sells it and I know I can always get replacements. Friends who have stayed say it is lovely how everything matches. Even though the cottage sleeps 4 I bought 12 cups so I've extra on hand for breakages. In the UK TJ Hughes is a great source of bargains for brand names too.

Glasses are a big box from IKEA for the same reason. Nothing worse than having a breakage, not being able to replace that item and rendering the set unusable. I have lots of sets of 3 crystal glasses at home!!
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tansy
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Post by tansy »

Brooke


Le Clerc, Michigan. Auchan, Intermarches...all the places you want to be.

Pans..I'm a cook - I love lightweight non stick...the French have fabulous cooking gear....so if you go into the above supermarkets/hypermarkets you will find all you need in their variuos promotions...as Soodyer descibes cheap & cheerful withour looking nasty.

I take a view that things have to be thrown out.

I have put in the houses both non stick cheap & cheerful plus your famous Le Creuset casserole..this has been used once in 3 years the others all look...shall we say used!

China - I bought 20 plates (sleeps 10) 20 of everything else all in white with a tiny logo on of seaside theme...this set is being continued in the hypermarkets so I can constantly replace...I check every now & then that it is still on going.

The other house is plain white.

Glasses - I've just bought today in Auchan 24 wine glasses for 3,75 Euros...all Paris goblet..it doesn't matter if they get broken...I first had it all with different pretty glasses etc but now it's very much it all matches and no stress!

I make it as attractive as possible - using the seasde theme - so if I see a serving dish with a boat/ anchor whatever I'm inclined to buy it...perhaps you could adopt a theme as well - it's amazing how you can jazz up a plain white dinner service!

But pans - I certainly would be very hacked off if I came on holiday to be confronted with Le Creuset...my wrists aren't strong enough also they don't go in the dishwasher...no thank you!...that's why I'm an Aga girl! I would actually go out if I was there and buy some cheap & cheerful non sticks to use whlst on holiday!

So it was rather good your partner took them with her/him.
Christine Kenyon
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Post by Christine Kenyon »

We tend to go for middle of the range for pans, plates, etc, but for glasses we buy en bulk from our Cash and Carry on the basis that you don't have a good holiday unless you break at least one glass. Or least that's our experience.

And having recently had friends round for a 40th shin-dig (not my own!!) I can confirm that. Morning after : a thumping headache, forgot to set the alarm clock and 4 broken glasses.

Ooooooops
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enid
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What's your pick of Pots, Pans and Dishes?

Post by enid »

I agree that it is very easy to find good quality pots pans and dishes in the supermarkets in France on promotion. In fact this has become one of my responsibilities and I get a thrill when guests comment on the quality of the kitchen equipment and I know it was a supermarché find.We have also gone for the good quality at great price line - I don't want to be desolate if anything gets broken and I don't want guests worrying because they've broken something obviously unreplaceable. All plates are in white so that they can be readily replaced. We are with Gites de France and they liked the white crockery They advise that if you buy 3 times the amount of everything - stock the property with twice the number of covers for the number of guests and have the third set as replacement.
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tansy
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Near a Michegan?

Post by tansy »

For any of you near a Michegan in France...get down there tout Suite....they have 2 promotions....one glassware 3,50 per kilo....I have just bought a vase, 21 luminarc cut glass look champagne glasses and 36 big proper job wine glasses for the princely total of 44 Euros

The other promotion is bedding and towels 9 Euros a kg....so 10 bath sheets and 10 bath towels cost 89 Euros...very good quality - not at all small and thin!

So hurry - our local shop has already sold out of towels...I didn't help matters! :lol:
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rich_sipe
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Post by rich_sipe »

We went with a nice quality but we got them at a great deal. The first set we bought was too cheap when we were able to look carefully at them so we returned them and got a better set. I would tell you where we got them but it would be quite a drive to Oregon.
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Alan Knighting
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Post by Alan Knighting »

Rich,

I've got visitors coming over from Eugene, Oregon for May next year. Maybe they could bring pots and pans in their luggage; Maybe not, the excess baggage charges would be out of all proportion to the possible savings.

Alan
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