Tips for the Thrifty Cook

I thought it might be useful to start a series of posts pertaining to a particular subject, so that if you're in the market for such things, I can help by sharing my experience of what's (generally) out there to save you time. :)

The trouble with thrifting is, of course, that most items are 'one of a kind', and if someone comes in and buys everything in that section, the section disappears - sometimes temporarily, sometimes practically permanently! Take, for example, my experience at Brockiland last week: I went to the downtown location thinking I'd find the perfect King-size flat sheet for a project... and the shelves were bare with 2 (TWO!) sheets on them only! Not 82, not even 52, but 2 sheets!

I'm choosing to believe that some kind person bought them all and shipped them to Syria. :) Then it's okay if I came up empty-handed!

Here are some of my tips for the thrifty cook. Note that 'best places' = best chance to find, in my experience in the past year and a half. ;)

Best Places to buy Kitchen Utensils:

• Brockiland (both locations)
• Brockito
• Heils Armee Geroldstrasse
• basement of CARITAS K&K, Birmensdorferstrasse

All utensils (except masher) were thrifted. So were the plant pots. :)

 Best Places to buy table linens (tablecloths, placemats, napkin sets, tea towels, etc.):

• Brockiland (both locations)
• Heils Armee Geroldstrasse (can be quite cheap here, depending on tagged price)

Best Places to buy functional electrical items:

• Arche Brockenhaus - they come with WARRANTIES, and do on-site repairs!!!
• Brockito (not sure of policies, but many looked new-in-box)

Best Places to buy stemware and glasses:

• Brockiland (both locations)
• CARITAS K&K, Birmensdorferstrasse (for the fancier 'sets' and pairs)

Best Places to buy glass decanters, pitchers:

• Brockiland (both locations)
• CARITAS K&K for upscale, pricier options (but still very nice and affordable)

Best Place to buy cookie cutters:

• Brockiland (both locations) - bins and bins of them, but especially downtown

All are thrifted - even the jump ring they hang from. Any takers on whether the middle one is a pear or a penis?! No one knows! XD

Best Place to buy full tea sets:

• Heils Armee Geroldstrasse
• Zurcher Brockenhaus
• CARITAS K&K (fancier ones - will be more expensive)

Best Place to buy pots and pans (this one varies widely):

• Brockiland (both locations), for sheer volume and price
• Heils Armee Geroldstrasse
• Zurcher Brockenhaus

Best Places to buy casseroles and bakeware:

• Brockiland (both locations) - saw an Emile Henry deep-blue oven/serving dish yesterday! And some great vintage pyrex, too!
• Heils Armee Geroldstrasse

For cutlery, knives, peelers, wooden spoons, ladles, ice cube trays, plates (sets or otherwise), tea cups, teapots, bamboo steamers and VIRTUALLY anything else you're looking for:

• Brockiland (both locations)

Things I ALWAYS see for sale in second stores (so don't buy them new!):

• fondue plates with the little divisions, often in really funky 60's and 70's colours
• fondue caquelons (see above for colour schemes!)
• fondue forks (heck, it's Switzerland after all!)
• glass jugs and pitchers
• wine decanters (it wouldn't take very long or very many trips to find a nice one you like)
• zopf-shaped bread boards, and round cheese boards (often hand-painted, traditionally)
• wire fruit baskets
• novelty cake moulds
• tongs (and the small ones for tea bags)
• strainer-spoons (not sure what to call them - skimmers?) and slotted spoons
• small strainers, and often bigger colanders
• cutlery trays

Things I NEVER see for sale in secondhand stores (so don't invest a lot of time seeking them!):

• baking sheets (best to buy new)
• Moroccan tagines
• Sushi mats (probably best to buy new, too)
• grapefruit knives (curved tips) and pastry cutters* (both I found recently, but it took ages! More than a year!)
• pots I want to buy that still have a matching lid (I'm sure it's possible, but it's improbable. Might be one of those 'get there early and go straight for the relevant section' situations!)

Remember my thrifting secrets to success: GO OFTEN. Yes, it's dangerous in that you'll likely find more things to buy, but with a little restraint exercised, you'll also manage to snag a lot more of the 'good stuff' if you're present more often! GO EARLY is another key, though for places like Brockiland (where they restock all day long), this tactic becomes less important.

Questions, queries, general thoughts? Post below! :)

All the best, Thrifters who Cook!

- TiZ