Buying
Smart
By Pat Volchok
Television consumer reporter,
educator and mom, Pat Volchok
Costco offers cookware sets in
beautiful stainless steel (left). The
roasting pan (right) is perfect for a
Costco-size meal!
Cooking up
cook’s dream (see “Dear Pat”).
value At the show I had a chance to talk with
Robert Rae, president of Meyer Corporation,
whose company is the world’s second-largest
cookware company. I learned that stainless
steel by itself is a poor heat conductor. For
heat retention, disks of aluminum and/or
Costco’s cookware: the perfect recipe copper must be added to the bottom of cookware—the thicker, the better. Without these
for culinary success disks, uneven cooking occurs.
What distinguishes Costco’s stainless
steel cookware from other brands is the addi-
The Chicago International House- of heavy-gauge stainless steel, aluminum or tion of two extra-thick layers of aluminum
wares Show is not for the faint hard-anodized aluminum, as these are the and copper to the base. This “sandwich”
of heart or heavy of foot. The market leaders,” says Leslie Watson, of heat conductors helps cooks create per-three-day extravaganza, show- Costco housewares buyer. “And, of course, fect sauces and evenly sauté foods. (Pat’s
casing the latest in leading-edge all must be of exceptional value.” note: Some sets seem to have a copper
products for the home, is That value comes in the form of a variety disk base, but in reality the copper’s just a
housed in the Windy City’s gargantuan of complete cookware sets at Costco. decorative plating.)
McCormick Place Complex, the country’s I’m particularly impressed with the set’s
largest convention center. The beauty of stainless cookware graceful bell-shape design, which allows
This year’s show in January was filled to To help you make the best decision when rounded spoons and whisks to reach all inte-
capacity with more than 60,000 housewares buying cookware, a little background is help- rior surfaces effortlessly. Other friendly fea-
professionals, 1,700 exhibitors from 34 coun- ful. In stainless steel cookware (so popular tures include flared edges for pouring liquids,
tries, 18,000 wholesale buyers (including today because it’s beautiful, strong and dish- dimple-domed lids that capture steam rising
Costco’s U.S. and worldwide buying divi- washer-safe), quality is determined by the from food and redistribute it evenly and com-
sions) and at least one foot-weary consumer amount of nickel and chromium in the stainless fortable, cool handcrafted handles.
reporter—yours truly. steel. Nickel, which adds brightness, durability Concerning quality control, this set, like
Shadowing Costco’s housewares buying and rust resistance, ranges from 0 to 10 per- all Kirkland Signature cookware, is National
team around the show is like running on a cent. Chromium is an additional rust protector. Sanitary Foundation (NSF) certified. This
treadmill that never stops and has only one Stainless steel cookware is usually labeled means that the product has undergone peri-
speed—fast, very fast. From early morning to indicate the amounts of these two metals. odic, unannounced factory inspections by
till closing, the group aggressively pokes, Among the best (and very popular at Costco) NSF International to ensure continued com-
prods, twists, scrapes, measures and occa- is “18/10,” meaning it is 18 percent chromi- pliance with U.S. regulatory agencies.
sionally smells any and every product from um and 10 percent nickel. New in mirror- Merchandising Testing Laboratories also
candles to cutlery. polish 18/10 stainless steel for Costco and tests all Kirkland Signature cookware for
“We make sure we’re offering our mem-
costco.com is the stunningly handsome quality assurance.
bers an outstanding variety of today’s profes- Kirkland Signature 13-piece commercial- As for value, Rae says, “There’s no ques-
sional-grade pots, pans and roasters made out grade gourmet cookware set. It is any tion that Costco’s cookware is the best value
The Costco Connection • JULY 2006
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