I've bought over the years a number of vacuum bottles at thrift stores (Thermos, Stanley, Yeti, etc.) only to discover that about half of the ones purchased are good to use. The first thing I'll do is to fill them with boiling water. If the outside gets hot (as opposed to only slightly warm up by the neck) the vacuum jacket has spoiled and is then completely useless for it's intended purpose. No matter how great of condition they may appear they are only good for parts if the vacuum has leaked.
I'm so jealous of your Goodwill store--it's so neat and organized. Here they don't care--it's a jumbled mess and the prices are crazy. Some stores have gone to a same price per type of item which is insane, i.e. all pans would be the same price! I did find a 3 qt. Instant Pot for under $10 and I love it (didn't think I needed one that small, but it's great). I've been thrifting a long time and I don't believe I've ever come across an All-Clad pan. That's a great deal!
Yes, I must admit Southern California Goodwill stores are quite nice. I've been to some in other states and the selection doesn't seem as good. That said, you just never know. That's a great score on the smaller Instant Pot. I have one in that size, too, and it's very convenient. Happy cooking (and thrifting!)
Stumbled on your channel and watched a few videos recently. I recently got back into thrifting vintage and helping my nephew and niece in-law learn about vintage cookware and kitchenware for use and resale. My go-to frying pan is a Wear-Ever all aliminum, go-to pots are Revere Ware copper bottom, and Pyrex and Corning Ware for mixing, serving, storing and baking. And my two can't do withouts are my Rival early 1970s CrockPot and my Rival oval late 80s (?) CrockPot.
Wonderful! Those are all such good pieces! I just used a vintage Wear-Ever last night when cooking beef liver for my dogs. Great stuff. Thanks so much for watching. Happy cooking and thrifting :-)
Well, I found an All-Clad 4 qt. sauté pan today at the thrift store! It's nice and heavy, works on induction and was only $9.99. Although I have a nice set of stainless-steel cookware, I couldn't pass up that deal.
Your Revere Ware pan is from 1993. Revere identified manufacturing location and date of manufacture within the bottom logo on their non-modern products. You have a stainless steel , tri ply disc bottom, 9 inch skillet pan. You also have a mismatched Revere Ware pot lid sitting on the front left pan in the stove shot ,(@ 0:47), in your video.
95 percent of my kitchen stuff is from thrift store- 3 all clads stainless steel skillets, ceramic cups and plates, Emile Henry tagine, rivere copper skillet, all clad soup pot, Lenox China, unique handmade pottery, etc. Im in love with thrift stores❤️
I started thrifting in the past 10 years or so. Nigella Lawson made waffles with a cast iron stove top waffle iron. I vowed to look for one at a thrift store. This past September, after years of casually searching, I was in Waynesville, NC and lo and behold, I found one, for $125! It was vintage but so clunky, unseemly and $125! Haha, I passed.
For years I used a wonderful All-Clad pan that I won from in a YT contest. I still use it a lot, but I also discovered that I could find great pans at Goodwill for, like you said, $3-$5: Woflgang Puck, Emeril Lagasse, Astro-Craft vintage, and lots more. Not only that, but unusual shapes and sizes. Goodwill and other thrift stores will have things donated by people who are from other countries or from cities where they have access to a lot more than you might find in your small town. I should do a video sometime showing some of the stuff I've found. Oh, I recently found a "light weight" cast iron pan, not at a thrift store but at Aldi's, for something like $19. I have enjoyed using that, too.
Right on! And that’s such a great point about finding things from other countries secondhand. I have quite a bit from Japan that is decades old and still in service today. Shout if you make that video. Cheers 🙏
Chef Matt, you are in San Diego. Your thrift shops look very well-stocked. I live in Los Angeles. My friends and acquaintances agree that in the last 10-plus years, thrift shops here are hunted the 1st thing in the morning by people who buy all kinds of stuff cheap then resell them online for severalfold their thrift shop prices (i.e.: in ~2016, I talked to a guy at Goodwill in Glendale; he was able to buy an allotment of a particular wine glass @ ~3.00/ea there and immediately resell them @ $26.00/ea online; said wine glasses were donated by the original owner to Goodwill probably because their set was no longer complete - 1 glass in a dozen was broken/missing and therefore only 11 pieces left). At any rate, we almost no longer find anything worth buying at thrift shops in Los Angeles County and Orange County. (...deep sigh)
Yes, that can be so frustrating. I live in SD but still work from time to time in my office in Orange County, so I frequent thrifts in both counties. It’s always a tossup whether I’ll find anything good, but for me that’s part of the thrill. And hopefully this video will help others sift the good from the bad. Cheers! 🙏
My biggest tip is a thrift store and “antique” store are two very different beasts. My husband and I always make the joke that if we pull up to a store with “vintage or antique” in the name, that means they at minimum triple the price for the same thing at the thrift store. Estate sales, yard/garage sales, as well as Craig’s and FB can be excellent places to get a good find. If you are being very specific, and know exactly the piece you want and have some patience- online auctions can be handy and value as well. I had a very specific McCoy mixing bowl I remembered from my youth that had special memories for me in a particular pattern and style, I watched all the auctions with this item they were semi reasonable and if you wait - sellers will start to send an offer and do NOT be afraid to counter that offer- it’s bargaining and that’s your job, to get it at the best value in the best condition. I just scored my biscuit bowl this way, and went thrifting yesterday and got almost new condition Revereware - 3 pots with lids in a set! I saw the exact pots at the “antique” store when we left for 10x the price. I also say, if you are creating a particular collection of something, take your time and remember two things- does it bring you joy? And condition! If you love it, it doesn’t matter if it’s popular and condition sometimes can go both ways- if I plan to use something a lot, I might not want pristine bc I’d worry about messing it up. Just some thoughts.
I meant to add - thrift is great place to find things like 1. Replacement microwave glass 2. The matching plastic rotation device for micro The broken coffee carafe Decent cutlery for packed lunches - so you don’t have your matched set out and about - and lost !
One more category to avoid at thrift shops..... single purpose gadgets. These things sound good, but after you buy them, you realize that you almost never use them, and they are just taking up cabinet space. This is why they are always available at thrift shops. People buy them, or get them as gifts, then realize they didn't need them. So they end up at thrift shops. You can name any food, and someone has invented a special gadget just for that food. And if you bought them all, you would need a second house to keep them all in. Go for quality and versatility and you will end up with things you will use for a lifetime. Of course, if you really need a cherry pitter, then buy one. But it could be something you might only use once in your lifetime. I am not talking about useful things like potato peelers or toasters. I am talking about those highly specialized single purpose gadgets for peeling apples, making egg mcmuffins, chocolate fountains, making crepes, quesadilla makers, and dozens of different devices to chop an onion. All you really need is a good pan and a good knife, and if you start buying all these specialty devices you will end up regretting it and donating them to a local thrift shop so someone else can go through the whole process for themselves.
Sage advice. And that list is spot on: I see quesadilla makers all the time, lol. Yet I must admit to buying some of these unitaskers on the cheap just out of curiosity. Some are duds, like the s’more maker I reviewed recently. Others are amazing. The mochi maker I got a couple months ago is now in constant use. I guess that’s part of the fun. Cheers! ua-cam.com/video/F1u4jEWUJe4/v-deo.html
I bought some Lagostina pans at the thrift store. They are nice looking, sturdy, and cook nicely, but the sauce pan is not balanced nicely. I feel especially sad as it has a steamer. I am still using it, but..... I have wonderful thrift store goods, so many we don't have time to list them.
Wonderful scores! And that’s another nice thing about buying secondhand: If you find it’s not quite perfect, at least you didn’t spend a fortune on it. 😀
Need advice on how to get rid of tarnished/i see rusted on my cast iron work after 1 washed .. rusted /tarnished. I followed instructions on UA-cam tutorial how to get rid , i season it, after 1 washed I see rusted/ tarnished again.
You might want to try steel wool to get rid of the rust. From there I would rinse with water, dry very thoroughly, and then apply a thin coat of vegetable oil, preferably while heating the pan. If it continues to rust, it might be the environment where it’s stored. Make sure it’s not damp or in a place that attracts water or condensation. Hope this helps!
If you mean the portable butane kind, I think most are similar, at least those under the $50 mark. I personally bought one under the Coleman brand a few years ago, and it works well (a.co/d/dBYoVMF). Note I believe these are most intended for outdoors use where the off-gas can be ventilated. I also have a single electric burner from Cuisinart (a.co/d/bq4mhyH) that can be used anywhere and is great for cookware that won’t work on induction. Hope this helps!
Thrift stores are are a random generator And as always what do you want vs need Plastic non stick is 99.9% ruined (a good one is a Unicorn) IMO Black Cast iron, Chefs knives, enameled Cast iron (in good shape) , corningware Electrical ware Instant pots, And Unique items you have never seen My thrift stores get the electrics checked and labeled as such before sale.
That’s helpful of them. I used to frequent the Goodwill electronics store attached to their main campus in Santa Ana, Orange County. They do a similar thing with testing. In fact, I bought a great Brother laser printer there some time ago for $30. Cheers!
I've bought over the years a number of vacuum bottles at thrift stores (Thermos, Stanley, Yeti, etc.) only to discover that about half of the ones purchased are good to use. The first thing I'll do is to fill them with boiling water. If the outside gets hot (as opposed to only slightly warm up by the neck) the vacuum jacket has spoiled and is then completely useless for it's intended purpose. No matter how great of condition they may appear they are only good for parts if the vacuum has leaked.
I'm so jealous of your Goodwill store--it's so neat and organized. Here they don't care--it's a jumbled mess and the prices are crazy. Some stores have gone to a same price per type of item which is insane, i.e. all pans would be the same price! I did find a 3 qt. Instant Pot for under $10 and I love it (didn't think I needed one that small, but it's great). I've been thrifting a long time and I don't believe I've ever come across an All-Clad pan. That's a great deal!
Yes, I must admit Southern California Goodwill stores are quite nice. I've been to some in other states and the selection doesn't seem as good. That said, you just never know. That's a great score on the smaller Instant Pot. I have one in that size, too, and it's very convenient. Happy cooking (and thrifting!)
Sadly, far too many resellers have bombarded our thrift stores and it's difficult to find any treasures now!
Stumbled on your channel and watched a few videos recently. I recently got back into thrifting vintage and helping my nephew and niece in-law learn about vintage cookware and kitchenware for use and resale. My go-to frying pan is a Wear-Ever all aliminum, go-to pots are Revere Ware copper bottom, and Pyrex and Corning Ware for mixing, serving, storing and baking. And my two can't do withouts are my Rival early 1970s CrockPot and my Rival oval late 80s (?) CrockPot.
Wonderful! Those are all such good pieces! I just used a vintage Wear-Ever last night when cooking beef liver for my dogs. Great stuff. Thanks so much for watching. Happy cooking and thrifting :-)
Well, I found an All-Clad 4 qt. sauté pan today at the thrift store! It's nice and heavy, works on induction and was only $9.99. Although I have a nice set of stainless-steel cookware, I couldn't pass up that deal.
Score!! Who could pass up such a gift. Way to go. Happy cooking 🙌
@@IWantToCook thanks!
Your Revere Ware pan is from 1993. Revere identified manufacturing location and date of manufacture within the bottom logo on their non-modern products. You have a stainless steel , tri ply disc bottom, 9 inch skillet pan. You also have a mismatched Revere Ware pot lid sitting on the front left pan in the stove shot ,(@ 0:47), in your video.
Very helpful! Thank you and good eye 🙏
95 percent of my kitchen stuff is from thrift store- 3 all clads stainless steel skillets, ceramic cups and plates, Emile Henry tagine, rivere copper skillet, all clad soup pot, Lenox China, unique handmade pottery, etc. Im in love with thrift stores❤️
Incredible!! Sounds similar to mine 😀 Thanks for watching, and happy cooking and thrifting 🙏
I started thrifting in the past 10 years or so. Nigella Lawson made waffles with a cast iron stove top waffle iron. I vowed to look for one at a thrift store. This past September, after years of casually searching, I was in Waynesville, NC and lo and behold, I found one, for $125! It was vintage but so clunky, unseemly and $125! Haha, I passed.
Yikes! That seems very high. Can’t blame you for passing. Here’s to a lower-cost one coming into your orbit.
For years I used a wonderful All-Clad pan that I won from in a YT contest. I still use it a lot, but I also discovered that I could find great pans at Goodwill for, like you said, $3-$5: Woflgang Puck, Emeril Lagasse, Astro-Craft vintage, and lots more. Not only that, but unusual shapes and sizes. Goodwill and other thrift stores will have things donated by people who are from other countries or from cities where they have access to a lot more than you might find in your small town. I should do a video sometime showing some of the stuff I've found. Oh, I recently found a "light weight" cast iron pan, not at a thrift store but at Aldi's, for something like $19. I have enjoyed using that, too.
Right on! And that’s such a great point about finding things from other countries secondhand. I have quite a bit from Japan that is decades old and still in service today. Shout if you make that video. Cheers 🙏
Chef Matt, you are in San Diego. Your thrift shops look very well-stocked. I live in Los Angeles. My friends and acquaintances agree that in the last 10-plus years, thrift shops here are hunted the 1st thing in the morning by people who buy all kinds of stuff cheap then resell them online for severalfold their thrift shop prices (i.e.: in ~2016, I talked to a guy at Goodwill in Glendale; he was able to buy an allotment of a particular wine glass @ ~3.00/ea there and immediately resell them @ $26.00/ea online; said wine glasses were donated by the original owner to Goodwill probably because their set was no longer complete - 1 glass in a dozen was broken/missing and therefore only 11 pieces left). At any rate, we almost no longer find anything worth buying at thrift shops in Los Angeles County and Orange County. (...deep sigh)
Yes, that can be so frustrating. I live in SD but still work from time to time in my office in Orange County, so I frequent thrifts in both counties. It’s always a tossup whether I’ll find anything good, but for me that’s part of the thrill. And hopefully this video will help others sift the good from the bad. Cheers! 🙏
Really good tips appreciated the video!
Glad it was helpful. Thanks for watching!
Goodwill.com! That's where I've done most of my thrifting these past few years. Nice finds!
Thanks and happy bargain hunting!
My biggest tip is a thrift store and “antique” store are two very different beasts.
My husband and I always make the joke that if we pull up to a store with “vintage or antique” in the name, that means they at minimum triple the price for the same thing at the thrift store.
Estate sales, yard/garage sales, as well as Craig’s and FB can be excellent places to get a good find. If you are being very specific, and know exactly the piece you want and have some patience- online auctions can be handy and value as well.
I had a very specific McCoy mixing bowl I remembered from my youth that had special memories for me in a particular pattern and style, I watched all the auctions with this item they were semi reasonable and if you wait - sellers will start to send an offer and do NOT be afraid to counter that offer- it’s bargaining and that’s your job, to get it at the best value in the best condition.
I just scored my biscuit bowl this way, and went thrifting yesterday and got almost new condition Revereware - 3 pots with lids in a set! I saw the exact pots at the “antique” store when we left for 10x the price.
I also say, if you are creating a particular collection of something, take your time and remember two things- does it bring you joy? And condition!
If you love it, it doesn’t matter if it’s popular and condition sometimes can go both ways- if I plan to use something a lot, I might not want pristine bc I’d worry about messing it up.
Just some thoughts.
Excellent thoughts and advice! And glad you found that RevereWare. I’m also a fan of it 👍
Couple months ago i found 3 all clad pots at goodwill and was losing my mind when i found them
Wow, great score!!
Revere Ware is sooo good!
Indeed! Really stands the test of time, too.
I just bought a cast iron pan, and found out it was made in 1890’s
Whoa!!
I'm guessing it's still usable?
Hi Chef Matt! Thank you! new subscriber here, I like your style and your ideas very cool keep up the good work.
Thank you so much! I appreciate the kind words. All the best to you 🙏
I meant to add - thrift is great place to find things like
1. Replacement microwave glass
2. The matching plastic rotation device for micro
The broken coffee carafe
Decent cutlery for packed lunches - so you don’t have your matched set out and about - and lost !
Oh those are great tips, and can save lots of money vs. replacing with a new part or seeking out a used replacement on an auction site.
One more category to avoid at thrift shops..... single purpose gadgets. These things sound good, but after you buy them, you realize that you almost never use them, and they are just taking up cabinet space. This is why they are always available at thrift shops. People buy them, or get them as gifts, then realize they didn't need them. So they end up at thrift shops.
You can name any food, and someone has invented a special gadget just for that food. And if you bought them all, you would need a second house to keep them all in. Go for quality and versatility and you will end up with things you will use for a lifetime. Of course, if you really need a cherry pitter, then buy one. But it could be something you might only use once in your lifetime.
I am not talking about useful things like potato peelers or toasters. I am talking about those highly specialized single purpose gadgets for peeling apples, making egg mcmuffins, chocolate fountains, making crepes, quesadilla makers, and dozens of different devices to chop an onion. All you really need is a good pan and a good knife, and if you start buying all these specialty devices you will end up regretting it and donating them to a local thrift shop so someone else can go through the whole process for themselves.
Sage advice. And that list is spot on: I see quesadilla makers all the time, lol. Yet I must admit to buying some of these unitaskers on the cheap just out of curiosity. Some are duds, like the s’more maker I reviewed recently. Others are amazing. The mochi maker I got a couple months ago is now in constant use. I guess that’s part of the fun. Cheers! ua-cam.com/video/F1u4jEWUJe4/v-deo.html
I bought some Lagostina pans at the thrift store. They are nice looking, sturdy, and cook nicely, but the sauce pan is not balanced nicely. I feel especially sad as it has a steamer. I am still using it, but..... I have wonderful thrift store goods, so many we don't have time to list them.
Wonderful scores! And that’s another nice thing about buying secondhand: If you find it’s not quite perfect, at least you didn’t spend a fortune on it. 😀
I have few the pans that looking rough on inside
Guess need get different ones huh
Just not in my budget right now. Times is tough 😢
Indeed. New, quality cookware costs so much! So off to the thrift or discount stores I go…
hELPFUL ADVICE
Thank you! 🙏
So cute
Need advice on how to get rid of tarnished/i see rusted on my cast iron work after 1 washed .. rusted /tarnished. I followed instructions on UA-cam tutorial how to get rid , i season it, after 1 washed I see rusted/ tarnished again.
You might want to try steel wool to get rid of the rust. From there I would rinse with water, dry very thoroughly, and then apply a thin coat of vegetable oil, preferably while heating the pan. If it continues to rust, it might be the environment where it’s stored. Make sure it’s not damp or in a place that attracts water or condensation. Hope this helps!
I have a induction stove but want to get a single burner gas stove. Which one should I get.
If you mean the portable butane kind, I think most are similar, at least those under the $50 mark. I personally bought one under the Coleman brand a few years ago, and it works well (a.co/d/dBYoVMF). Note I believe these are most intended for outdoors use where the off-gas can be ventilated. I also have a single electric burner from Cuisinart (a.co/d/bq4mhyH) that can be used anywhere and is great for cookware that won’t work on induction. Hope this helps!
Warped pans = no
Aluminum pans = no
Generally speaking, non-stick = no
Wooden spoons etc = no
Plastic anything = no
Thrift stores are are a random generator And as always what do you want vs need
Plastic non stick is 99.9% ruined (a good one is a Unicorn) IMO
Black Cast iron, Chefs knives, enameled Cast iron (in good shape) , corningware
Electrical ware Instant pots, And Unique items you have never seen
My thrift stores get the electrics checked and labeled as such before sale.
That’s helpful of them. I used to frequent the Goodwill electronics store attached to their main campus in Santa Ana, Orange County. They do a similar thing with testing. In fact, I bought a great Brother laser printer there some time ago for $30. Cheers!
@@IWantToCook Brother seems to be a go to brand. HP not so much
I am just junking HP so not to be on selling the trouble
👁👁 👋 7:49
No way an all clad sells for $5. The store appraiser should be fired.
Happens more than one might think. I’ve scored many All-Clad pans at the thrift for less than $10. They are quite the find. Cheers!