Best Catalog and Online Sources for Cooks and Bakers
Shopping Guide for Cooks
Here is my overview of the some of the best sources for cooks and bakers.
General Tips
When you're buying large appliances or heavy stoneware, especially, the shipping prices are what can do you in with some retailers, easily adding at least $30 to your order. So I comparison shop and the companies that offer free shipping will always get my order.
The other helpful tool to look for when selecting products to buy is the customer product review. More and more retailers are now offering customer-written reviews which will often give you the real scoop on a product and any negatives that the manufacturer won't provide.
Williams-Sonoma-"The Catalog for Cooks," this grand daddy of all catalogs is full of top quality products and the unique finds that the company is well-known for. The inviting catalog and site layout is top notch and a feast for the eyes. Both feature beautiful photography with appetizing recipes and helpful sidebars alongside the products. I especially like the company's specialty chocolates, cheeses and other artisan food products and seasonal merchandise and greenery. The main problem I have with the catalog and site is their high prices, especially for shipping. You can generally find the exact same items at other retailers for a lower price and almost always better shipping. They also don't use environmentally friendly packing materials and pack most everything with mounds of peanuts which I find extremely annoying. And, the website doesn't feature product reviews, which I find helpful especially when selecting deciding among appliances.
Product Reviews/Ratings: NO
Free Shipping: Select items, but generally high shipping costs
Recipes/Tips: YES
Registry: YES
Chef's Catalog-"The Best Kitchen Starts Here" says it all. This catalog and website is my favorite in terms of product selection and price. They carry just about everything you will ever need and usually have free shipping for orders over $99 which is a big bonus. Catalog is straight forward and website is easy to navigate.
Product Reviews/Ratings: YES
Free Shipping: Over $99
Recipes/Tips: YES
Registry: YES
Crate & Barrel-I really love this catalog which is full of affordable and attractive products that you'll want for your kitchen. The catalog and site features a lot of stock-up basics such as stemware, dishes and serving pieces. I love their colorful mixing bowls, fish-shaped seafood platters and cute ice cream dishes. As in their stores, they also offer bedding, furniture and patio items, but don't tend to have a lot of appliances and electrics. They have an outlet section of the website which contains great values and I especially like that they keep items from seasons past on the site all year long.
Product Reviews/Ratings: NO
Free Shipping: No, but recently lowered shipping costs
Recipes/Tips: NO
Registry: YES
Cooking Enthusiast-"The Passionate Cook's Resource," offers a lot of basic kitchen necessities, cutlery, unique items and kitchen helpers, such as folding cutting boards, mango slicers, mushroom brushers, etc. Some of my favorite items include handmade pewter measuring cups and spoons sets and retro salt and pepper shakers. This site and catalog is a great resource for gifts for the cooking enthusiast who likes distinctive items for his or her kitchen.
Product Reviews/Ratings: NO
Free Shipping: NO
Recipes/Tips: YES
Registry: NO
Sur La Table-A resource for cooks since 1972, the company has 65 stores nationwide and offers one of the most extensive array of cooking classes. So they have "The Art and Soul of Cooking" down both on their site and in the catalog. The company offers a good selection of bakeware, barware, books, cleaning products, cookware, cutlery, electrics, furnishings, gadgets, glassware, grilling tools, linens, serving pieces and table décor. Some of my favorite items are their fresh wreaths, fruit pitchers and French bee bistro glasses. The only thing missing is customer product reviews.
Product Reviews/Ratings: NO
Free Shipping: Select Items
Recipes/Tips: YES
Registry: YES
JC Penney/Cook's Catalog-If you're looking for affordable products, JC Penney's Cook's Catalog and website is a good source. They carry a variety of appliance brands, including their own "Cook's" brand, which isn't the same quality as KitchenAid, Cuisinart, etc., but is fine if you are just starting out and are budget conscious. They usually have good shipping rates and often free shipping over $49.
Product Reviews/Ratings: YES
Free Shipping: Often on orders above $49
Recipes/Tips: NO
Registry: YES
Kitchen Krafts-This catalog and site is great for home and commercial bakers, as they carry all things baking and a ton of specialty items that other retailers don't offer. Their selection includes unusual shaped cookie cutters and baking pans, cardboard cake rounds, cake carriers, a large selection of decorating sugars, gels, fondants, even canning supplies and cake and cookie making/decorating books. I love their wide selection of cup cake items such as cartoon liners, giant cupcake pans, cupcakes stands and pedestals. In terms of shipping, they don't really offer a rush shipping option and orders can take a while to receive and they hold an entire order if something is out of stock and won't ship items separately unless you pay extra.
Product Reviews/Ratings: NO
Free Shipping: YES
Recipes/Tips: YES
Registry: NO
Neiman Marcus-When you think of this retailer, you think expensive, but when I was looking to buy my KitchenAid stand mixer, believe it or not, NeimanMarcus.com had the best price and free shipping. Their product selection isn't huge, but they have a nice selection of basics and some higher-end canisters and dishes which are really lovely. And they offer a real-time customer service chat. And if you have a NM charge card, you'll accumulate points for purchases.
Product Reviews/Ratings: NO
Free Shipping: Often
Recipes/Tips: NO
Registry: YES
Baker's (King Arthur Flour)-As the name implies, this catalog and site offers quality products, recipes and information for bakers. The mainstay of the product offerings are the company's own baked goods, baking mixes, flours, jams, syrups, gift baskets and more, but they also carry a selection of baking tools and appliances. Their gift clubs are a great way to enjoy or give a variety of the company's products each month.
Product Reviews/Ratings: NO
Free Shipping: NO
Recipes/Tips: YES
Registry: NO
A Cook's Wares-"Serving the Cooks of America Since 1981," this catalog carries a small but comprehensive selection of products that the company says they have studied and tested. The catalog lists items that have received high ratings in respected magazines like Fine Cooking and Cook's Illustrated. In addition to pans, cutlery, bakeware, appliances and more, they also feature gourmet olive oils, vinegars, teas, salts, chocolate, spices and extracts.
Product Reviews/Ratings: NO
Free Shipping: Often on orders over $99
Recipes/Tips: YES
Registry: NO
NapaStyle-This catalog and site from Food Network chef and restaurateur Michael Chiarello is full of lovely, rustic, one-of-a kind items featured in photos set in the gorgeous Napa Valley, California countryside. I particularly like the wire egg baskets, earthenware bakers, vintage signs, wood dining tables and butcher blocks. He also carries a small selection of appliances and cutlery and his own line of gourmet food products. I especially love his pantry sets which include salts, spices, rubs, oils, vinegars and dressings. Wine enthusiasts may enjoy receiving his hand-picked wines by joining his NapaStyle Wine Club.
Product Reviews/Ratings: NO
Free Shipping: NO
Recipes/Tips: YES
Registry: NO
Cooking.com-You'd think with a name like this, this site would be the be-all, end-all source at for cooking, but it's not. Although they have everything under the sun, and claim to offer more than 90,000 products, I don't care for the site layout-nothing wrong with it, but it's just a bit boring. But they do have competitive prices, good shipping costs and a lot of helpful product reviews from customers. They also have a forum section for sharing ideas, recipes and tips.
Product Reviews/Ratings: YES
Free Shipping: Often coupons for $5.99
Recipes/Tips: YES
Registry: YES
Food Network Store-Although I get recipes regularly from this site, I rarely go here to purchase anything. The site mostly carries products by the network's own show chefs, Emeril Lagasse, Rachael Ray, Alton Brown, Ina Garden, Nigella Lawson, Michael Chiarello and others. They don't have a very large product selection, perhaps because the shop feature appears to be more to try and make some money off of their own chefs or because of a partnership with Cooking.com.
Product Reviews/Ratings: YES
Free Shipping: NO
Recipes/Tips: YES
Registry: NO
Macy's.com-A good place to shop when they have their "Home" sales and free shipping offers. The site offer helpful customer reviews and a comparison shop feature.
Product Reviews/Ratings: YES
Free Shipping: Often on orders over $100
Recipes/Tips: NO
Registry: YES
Overstock.com-If you know exactly what you are looking for, Overstock can be a good option-low prices and low shipping, and a helpful comparison shop feature. When shopping, review items and product descriptions carefully--sometimes items are refurbished or discontinued models.
Product Reviews/Ratings: YES
Free Shipping: Standard $2.95
Recipes/Tips: NO
Registry: NO
Wal-Mart-I list Wal-Mart mainly because you can save on shipping by using their "Order online and Pick up at the Store" option. They carry a good selection of kitchen basics at reasonable prices and if you are looking to buy additional items other than kitchen, Wal-Mart is a good option with a lot of stores.
Product Reviews/Ratings: YES
Free Shipping: NO
Recipes/Tips: NO
Registry: YES
Published by Lisa Henry
Lisa is a San Francisco-based writer who writes about food, lifestyle, music, pets, humor and whatever suits her fancy. She is also known as the PR Diva. View profile
