24/07/23 - 30/07/23 Big Deals

[AndiK]

I can't, that would be hypocritical as I succummed myself, after thinking about it all day.

You’re not much help either! I’m blaming you and MayML for starting it. Also, having watched the demonstration video, I’m swaying towards it even more because I love Simon. He’s so professional - covers everything, works away on his cooking while telling you all the details, and is just charming. The video’s from last year - does he still appear on Q? I rarely watch.

 

[maymorganlondon]

Having woken up this morning with kitchen and cookware the furthest thing from my mind, I have now almost convinced myself I “need“ this Cook’s Essentials pan set thanks to some of you on here. FOMO no doubt. I would use it but probably not that often. If I could think of a place to store it, however tightly it would have to be squeezed in, I would have bought it already, but I’m hesitating. I don’t need it, do I? Please say “No, you do not!”

Love cooks essentials pans. The grill pan will be great for getting those sear marks on whatever type of thing you might grill - be it meat, fish, veggies or ( one of my faves) squeaky cheese. The deep pan will be great for soups and stews, and I’m keen to see how I can use the trivet thing to steam or whatever.
I stack or nest all my pans and have a lid rack with space for 1 more lid. To stack or nest, I have pot protectors to preserve the non-stick.
Where there’s a will there’s a way! But if you WON’T use it, it’s not a saving.

This forum, and discussions like this, exemplify how you can shop more rationally with Q. By having the time to look into the product and gather information, you can make better decisions.
I was only thinking yesterday how rarely I buy from Q these days... so don’t buy if you won’t use it.

 

[lynnonthelake]

You’re not much help either! I’m blaming you and MayML for starting it. Also, having watched the demonstration video, I’m swaying towards it even more because I love Simon. He’s so professional - covers everything, works away on his cooking while telling you all the details, and is just charming. The video’s from last year - does he still appear on Q? I rarely watch.

Simon has always been one of my favourite guests

 

[stratobuddy]

Simon has always been one of my favourite guests

He is very pleasant and professional, and even when things go wrong he remains very calm. He is the most professional of all QVC people.

 

[AndiK]

Love cooks essentials pans. The grill pan will be great for getting those sear marks on whatever type of thing you might grill - be it meat, fish, veggies or ( one of my faves) squeaky cheese. The deep pan will be great for soups and stews, and I’m keen to see how I can use the trivet thing to steam or whatever.
I stack or nest all my pans and have a lid rack with space for 1 more lid. To stack or nest, I have pot protectors to preserve the non-stick.
Where there’s a will there’s a way! But if you WON’T use it, it’s not a saving.

This forum, and discussions like this, exemplify how you can shop more rationally with Q. By having the time to look into the product and gather information, you can make better decisions.
I was only thinking yesterday how rarely I buy from Q these days... so don’t buy if you won’t use it.

Thanks for this. I will use the griddle pan more than the big pot but have been convinced by Simon that I can use the pot in other interesting ways! I’m going to go and have a proper look in the pan cupboard (which is a cramped corner space with awkward access) to see if I can move it around or re-house anything. There’s quite a bit of stacking going on already so not sure that alone would do it. As usual, instead of identifying a need first, I’ve done this the wrong way round: saw something, talked myself into wanting/needing it, then tried to accommodate it.

Simon has always been one of my favourite guests

He is very pleasant and professional, and even when things go wrong he remains very calm. He is the most professional of all QVC people.

He somehow manages to tell you all the relevant facts, uses and possibilities without sounding like a robot reading a script. There’s no hard sell or shoutiness. In that video, he’s on with Jilly and they work so well together. She does the odd bit with item numbers, savings, etc and lets him demonstrate the product without interruptions. Compare him to that booming headmistress-y woman who is often on now.

 

[maymorganlondon]

I agree: give me Simon Brown every day of the week compared to Gail Samways!

Back to the pots and pans. If you cannot fit it in your allotted storage, is there anything that is in that storage which you don't use?

One of the decluttering people I regularly go to on YouTube is Dana K White and one of her pieces of advice is to make the contsiner the bad guy. If something won't fit, don't expand the container... just review what you have in the container already and ask yourself if the new (potential new) item could be prioritised over any existing stored item/s. It makes the decisions easier and less emotive.

 

[boffy]

I like Simon to!

 

[stratobuddy]

Just received my blue pan set.

I didn't want black (too boring). I was tempted by the plain stainless but I've found it marks very easily. So I went for the pastel blue (now sold out).

It looks very good quality, although the griddle is not as heavy as I expected. I will use the griddle tonight to cook frozen cod in batter, instead of my normal frying pan, to see how it turns out. It will no longer be sitting in its own grease because of the grooves in the pan.

And I've found room to store it too, after some rearrangements.

 

[AndiK]

I agree: give me Simon Brown every day of the week compared to Gail Samways!

Back to the pots and pans. If you cannot fit it in your allotted storage, is there anything that is in that storage which you don't use?

One of the decluttering people I regularly go to on YouTube is Dana K White and one of her pieces of advice is to make the contsiner the bad guy. If something won't fit, don't expand the container... just review what you have in the container already and ask yourself if the new (potential new) item could be prioritised over any existing stored item/s. It makes the decisions easier and less emotive.

Thanks for this, May. Good common sense. I haven’t bought the set but am not out of the woods yet, especially as it hasn’t sold out. I wasn’t bothered about the blue as I stick to mirrored steel pans. Has your order arrived yet as strato’s has?

 

[maymorganlondon]

Thanks for this, May. Good common sense. I haven’t bought the set but am not out of the woods yet, especially as it hasn’t sold out. I wasn’t bothered about the blue as I stick to mirrored steel pans. Has your order arrived yet as strato’s has?

Yes! Shiny stainless steel. It’s BIG. the whole thing stacks together very well. I do need a re-jig of my pan storage, like Strato… but I’m really pleased with it, and doubtless will report back when I’ve actually cooked in it!

 

[AndiK]

Yes! Shiny stainless steel. It’s BIG. the whole thing stacks together very well. I do need a re-jig of my pan storage, like Strato… but I’m really pleased with it, and doubtless will report back when I’ve actually cooked in it!

Great news! I’d love to hear what you both find when used.

If you get a moment, could you measure the height and width of the “stack” (with the glass lid inverted on the pot and griddle, also inverted, on top of them)?

 

[maymorganlondon]

Great news! I’d love to hear what you both find when used.

If you get a moment, could you measure the height and width of the “stack” (with the glass lid inverted on the pot and griddle, also inverted, on top of them)?

I got out my trusty tape measure.
One thing to bear in mind is that the handle on the glass lid is deeper than the grill pan so the lid wobbles.
Across side to side including handles: 34.5 cm
Across side to side without handles: 20.75 cm
Height with all parts stacked together: 11 cm

Strato may have a different method of measuring. I didn’t bother with imperial measurements. The pans can go in the oven up to 200C but the glass lid only to 160C.
Hope this helps!

 

[merryone]

I ordered this I like the CE cookwear.

The Helene Berman dress is ghastly! I'm actually shocked at how cheap it looks. The full horror is revealed in the red, as it can't disguise it the way the eyeball-bleeding patterned ones do.

I agree with you on both counts. I've still got a couple of CE kitchen items that I've had some years. A mini wok, ok it's on it's last legs now but I've had it for 15 years at least and a mini slow cooker which is still going strong!
The dress is terrible especially in the red - to me looks like something a student has knocked up for their needlework O level (showing my age there)! Don't get me wrong I'm not knocking the efforts of our needlework students out there, but there's a big difference between a high school exam piece which tests a student's ability to do the basic requirements to make a garment and haute couture!

 

[AndiK]

I got out my trusty tape measure.
One thing to bear in mind is that the handle on the glass lid is deeper than the grill pan so the lid wobbles.
Across side to side including handles: 34.5 cm
Across side to side without handles: 20.75 cm
Height with all parts stacked together: 11 cm

Strato may have a different method of measuring. I didn’t bother with imperial measurements. The pans can go in the oven up to 200C but the glass lid only to 160C.
Hope this helps!

You’re so kind. The 11cm height is a lot less than I expected so that’s something to sway me as the thing I am thinking of taking out of the cupboard to make room is quite a bit taller. Also, the handles stick out more than I appreciated but they are not all the way round so it probably doesn’t matter. I wish I didn’t have to worry about space but in my kitchen, size really does matter!

Thanks for taking the time to do that and for your other observations about the set and the CE range. It is really helpful in my decision process (unlike MrM‘s blunt “Buy it!”).

 

[maymorganlondon]

You’re so kind. The 11cm height is a lot less than I expected so that’s something to sway me as the thing I am thinking of taking out of the cupboard to make room is quite a bit taller. Also, the handles stick out more than I appreciated but they are not all the way round so it probably doesn’t matter. I wish I didn’t have to worry about space but in my kitchen, size really does matter!

Thanks for taking the time to do that and for your other observations about the set and the CE range. It is really helpful in my decision process (unlike MrM‘s blunt “Buy it!”).

 

[AndiK]

I decided to go for it and added it to my basket but when I try to edit the checkout option to one payment and not the default Easy Pays, it just hangs - the dreaded spinning wheel! I have tried four times and on different devices but can’t progress to confirm the order. I could just accept Easy Pays but it has annoyed me so much (and I need to go out), I have given up. Maybe it’s fate. I’ll try again later but I’m a stubborn old bag sometimes so I’m not accepting the EPs now!!

 

[stratobuddy]

I decided to go for it and added it to my basket but when I try to edit the checkout option to one payment and not the default Easy Pays, it just hangs - the dreaded spinning wheel! I have tried four times and on different devices but can’t progress to confirm the order. I could just accept Easy Pays but it has annoyed me so much (and I need to go out), I have given up. Maybe it’s fate. I’ll try again later but I’m a stubborn old bag sometimes so I’m not accepting the EPs now!!

Ylou could phone their "Award winning CS"

PS I couldn't answer your Q about size, been tied up all day with a boiler fault, man has been but needs a new part. And also a power cut to deal with.

 

[AndiK]

After midnight, I went back on to the website and when I added the pan set to my basket for the umpteenth time, it was automatically on one payment, not EPs, as if it knew that was what I wanted after my 500 attempts. (I know, I know, the Q website would never be that intuitive!) Anyway, oh dear, the set’s coming. I hope my latest Evri man doesn’t drop the box over the side gate without knocking as he has been doing.

Hope you got the boiler fixed, strato.

 

[Totally Loopy Lou]

Hiya!

I’m using my carer to type for me because I spotted this pan set by chance last week, as my mum’s just had her kitchen done….

She now has an induction hob on which none of her previous pans work.

This would be ideal for her I think and I wanted to get her a present bc she’s not been well and has had 3/4 months of building work.

Then this thread popped up - which is lucky bc too ill to read much anything! - so I wondered if I could pick your brains please…

You mentioned above a demo video with the lovely Simon but I can’t find one on the website?!

Just 7 still photos?

Am I being thick or missing a link please?!

Also is it definitely induction safe?

And lastly would those of you who have succumbed say they’re heavy? Or light or average? (Mum has a few issues and def can’t lift a Le Creuset pan for example!

Oh and really lastly, can you use the griddle pan as a normal frying pan or is it really to griddle veg or fish etc?

Thanks so much for any help/advice!

 

[AndiK]

Hi TLL. Hope you’re ok.

First of all, I’m pleased to see the price of the set is still what is was, even though it was last week’s big deal. Sadly, it looks like the video presentation has been removed.

Both the griddle pan and the stock pot are definitely induction suitable - it’s actually engraved on the bases. I’m not sure I will use my griddle for everything but I don’t see why you shouldn’t. I can’t remember if Simon commented or demonstrated this.

As for weight, I don’t find the pans too heavy (and definitely not like Le Creuset). If it helps, I’ve put the weight of each below. In use, you don’t really have to lift them, of course, unless you use them in the oven. Also, don’t forget you distribute the weight when you lift them as they have two side handles, as opposed to just one long handle on the typical frying pan, for example.

griddle pan 1042g
casserole pot 1255g
lid 617g

Having said they don’t seem too heavy, I just weighed my other (aluminium) frying pan of a similar size and it’s only 527g, so half the weight of the Cook’s Essentials griddle pan. I don’t know if that’s a typical frying pan, though, so maybe weigh one of your own for a better comparison with the above.

I must say, the set looks very classy! I’ve only washed but not used mine yet - I just like admiring it on the cooker top! It would make a lovely present. Very thoughtful of you.