Hmm, I am not "first owner" of anything too old. A French Press I've had since about 1980, is the oldest thing I suppose. As far as "previously owned" stuff, I use a slicer that my father-in-law used when he was a butcher shortly after WW2. It is about 18" long, slim flexible carbon steel, gets very sharp, I think of him when I take it out.

I missed that thread, but maybe she'll see this one. As I recall, last year I was trying to organize a rolling KF meetup at the tour, namely that each Kitchen Forumarian would wear or carry some distinguishing item by which we'd recognize each other, like Cold War spies. "A folded Financial Times from three days ago until the left arm means it is safe; under the right arm means danger; unfolded means sauve qui peut.. Good luck, Mister Bond.". That sort of thing. If any Forumarians end up coming, we can try the rolling meetup again. I'll be wearing a black "Peugeot" cycling cap and chrome Ray-Ban Wayfarers.

powermuffin, thanks for the caveat on the garbage disposal drain size. I'm not sure that I would put in a disposal, since we're on a septic and therefore quite rarely use the one I have now, though it's ~30 years old and perhaps just gumming anything I put down it anyhow. Since there are drains installed in the sink, I haven't figured out how to measure the diameter--oh no, sounds like real life math! ;) Definitely something to know *before* buying a new disposal! mtnrdredux, I have to take faucet concerns seriously from someone who put a pot filler in a rock wall... ;) Yes, the deck and drain hole sizes and what faucet will fit is now gnawing at me (heh, likely because the design questions don't have a finite answer like this does). the ledge above and behind the current sink (all along the counter and wood-covered in the other rooms) is actually open to the half-basement below with windows for solar gain. It's a hypocaust system where the south-facing windows heat the air and then there are fans that pump the air under the north side of the house. We also use a fireplace insert but the propane furnace runs quite rarely, set at 60, and we're at 8200' with an -18 degree night last winter! Well, that was a loooong answer to your comment! :) I *do* love having the ledge to set hot pans especially, which is why I really want to put tile/something heatproof there. I put all the pizza toppings on the ledge while taking up the whole counter handling the dough--feels like a real pizzaria that way lol! ptamom, I have read good reviews of reglazing for bathtubs but bad reviews for kitchen sinks. This sink is in good enough condition that I won't have to worry about that. Concrete counters sounds like they'd provide that contemporary/industrial edge, but I have concerns about the maintenance required. Also, the counters (well, everything...) has to be DIY which is why I've focused on laminate and lately soapstone if other concerns can be met. thanks for coming back to this thread with your thoughts! cheers

Liz, My DeBuyer pans are "crepe pans", though they also make skillets. You're right that induction brings out the brilliance of these, though they're good all around. They're just thin carbon steel that you season like cast iron, and use them like cast iron, except when you want a quickly reacting pan (because there's so much less mass) rather than one that's meant to hold in steady heat. Unlike the inverted crepe pans that became a fad some time back, these traditional ones (I have three sizes plus a blini size) have a turned up angled edge. This is the shape of pan I learned to make crepes in (though it was aluminum), which is why I bought these. I've used them for crepes, blintz pancakes (thick eggy crepes), fried eggs, omelettes, regular pancakes, etc. Anything small with minimal liquid, where precise heat and instant adjustment are key. You could cook anything that fits, such as a chop, but for a good sear you usually want a pan that will hold heat in the face of cool meat, whereas the chop would cool down the thin carbon steel immediately. These considerations about instant reaction to temperature range are what make carbon steel the favorite choice for woks. But, no, you don't need them if you have pans for the purposes.