First, read the article at the link. You'll spend maybe 20 minutes doing so, but even if you only retain twenty percent of the data you'll still know more than the vast majority of store clerks trying to convince you that their article is the best. You need to ask yourself what cooking techniques will you be doing. If you're making a lot of temperature sensitive sauces, it might be worth it to get some high end Falk Culinair copper stuff; if you're not anything that fancy, that sort of expense would be a waste of money. I personally advise against a set. Invariably there is some article you'll never use. (I was given a Cuisinart stainless set; I like the saucepans and saute pan, but don't like the skillets. However, if you do want a set, Consumer Reports recently raved about Costco's 'Kirkland' stainless pots.) Go in to the purchase of each item by asking, 'What can this tool do that I need to have done, and does it do it better than other stuff out there?' If I were outfitting a kitchen today, here's what I'd get. Just my opinion, but I've used every one of these items and I like them a lot: A few heavy aluminum nonstick skillets. I got the ones at Sams Club. You can get whatever sizes you need. They'll wear out after a few years, but they're cheap. A couple of enameled cast iron Dutch ovens. Le Creuset and Staub are the high end lines, but I don't know if the premium price is justified compared with their competitors like Lodge enameled. Not knocking LC or Staub--they're great-- it's just that you do pay a fair amount for that label. A good stovetop pressure cooker. I like the Kuhn Rikon line, but it's pricey; something nearly as good is the Fagor brand. (Fagor, in it s 'Splendid' line, makes a multipot set for around $100 which includes an 8 qt stockpot, a 4 qt saute pan, a pressure lid that fits both and a non-pressure lid that fits them both--a bargain.) I never got a pressure cooker till I was in my fifties, and now I couldn't see ever having a kitchen without one. Do a Cooking Forum search on the topic--you'll find a lot of PC enthusiasts here. Some iron skillets for searing steaks. Once seasoned, it's nearly as nonstick as teflon. You can buy a new Lodge cast iron skillet and season it, but for not much more money (and sometimes even less) you can buy a vintage Wagner or Griswold. The older stuff has a smoother finish and takes a seasoning well. An alternative is to buy a carbon steel frypan. I have a couple by deBuyer, and they're good, but I personally prefer a carbon steel pan by Paderno World Cuisine. They come from the factory slick as a whistle and once seasoned, they are nicely nonstick. You'll need a few saucpans for heating stuff up. The Cuisinart ones I have do okay; if you wanted the heat to go up the sides of the pan you'd need to spring for something like All Clad. I have a Tramontina stockpot from Walmart. Works fine. And one item I don't have, but maybe Santa might get for me: a saucier with rounded corners on the bottom so you can get a whisk into the corners. Here is a link that might be useful: stovetop cookware

I like the budget idea, as well as location. I'd definitely separate a "facelift' from a remodel. So, for under $10,000 facelifts and remodels really should be separate, because in THEORY one can do a full remodel for that. I also think a DIY section would be really helpful - for people who did at least 75% of the work themselves (as I am planning to do). Perhaps countertop install, electric and plumbing can be common exceptions. As far as breakdowns, this actually seems to be a common problem - I've seen a few people tell me that they really cannot say the cost of the kitchen because one contractor did the entire house remodel, including kitchen, for one fixed cost. Location: VERY useful! For example I live on Long Island, NY - here and in NYC a "budget" remodel apparently costs $40,000! "Average" is $75,000 plus (and MANY of those look like crap). I'm planning DIY, and PRAYING I don't go over $10,000. This, unfortunately, will exclude plumbing and electric (new space - must be hired out), and my vintage Chambers Stove. I'm also not including the new flooring because the new floors were installed by us and the $3,000 in wood covers both the kitchen/ family room and master bedroom. Also, we need new windows in the kitchen, and there is no way those will fit into the $10,000 limit. Basically, my KITCHEN budget will cover cabinets, counters and appliances. I am planning to take my cabinet specs to a few local cabinet places to get actual quotes (even HD is WAY over $20,000), then I am 99% likely to go out of state for whatever I don't build myself. NY is just WAY more expensive for EVERYTHING compared to other parts of the country. I'm doing this just to prove to my mother (who guessed that CUSTOM solid wood cabs would cost $5,000) that I AM doing this whole kitchen for CHEAP! I think good categories are: Under $10,000 Facelift Under $10,000 Remodel $10,000 - $20,000 $20,000 - $30,000 $30,000 - $50,000 $50,000 - $100,000 Over $100,000 I think most people will fall into the $20,000-$30,000 and $30,000-$50,000 categories, but having them separate is very important for people on a real budget, because lots of people just CANNOT afford more than $30,000 even if $40,000 is a common budget. I'm sure I'll end up in the $10,000-$20,000 category, and if I include the cost of my stove I'll end up in the $20,000-$30,000 range. Now I am very upset :_( Reality Bites!

You can try here, but I don't know the success rate for starting new forums... Here is a link that might be useful: suggestions

I love seeing all these flower pics because it means I get to see all your lovely kitchens again! Love the pics of tulips and roses, clueless, ck squared, nhbaskets and cookncarpenter. My neighbor often brings me cut roses, too. I love walking into my kitchen and smelling their wonderful fragrance (all of her roses, save the ground cover rose I gave her, are fragrant). I designed her garden (starting from scratch, previous owners never did much of anything) and gave her lots of starts from my garden and now she brings me cut flowers on a regular basis. Win-win all around. Hats off to those of you, anitamo and rebunky. Not only do you grow orchids but you get them to rebloom! I grow a native orchid in my garden (grown for its leaves, not its flowers) but that's the extent of my foray in orchid culture. clueless, since I often talk to my plants, doesn't that make them my friends? =) dcedward, that Christmas cactus is stunning. What a wonderful memory of your grandma. Carrie, my late kitty chewed plants, too, including fake ones. He pretty much killed a peace lily that DH had had for years, which is when I moved to fake plants but then he started to eat those, too. Weird, silly kitty. I miss him so very much. Lilyspider, I adore your frog and the reason why you bought it.