Shopping like a professional (chef): Where to find the best “BAM” for your buck on cookware

Think that your Emeril Lagasse cookware set will give you an edge in the kitchen? Or that if you drop a grand on that fancy cookware set the TV chef uses, you’ll cook like them?

Hopefully you still have your receipts.

If you want to cook like a professional at home, start by shopping where the pros do. Odds are the most delicious restaurant meals you’ve ever had were not cooked on All-Clad, but on inexpensive, commercial grade cookware from a restaurant supply company.

These businesses cater mostly to professional kitchens but are also open to the general public, and are the best choice for stocking your kitchen with great equipment — without breaking the bank.

This article appears in Aug 12-18, 2010.