Thanks for thinking of me Cathy. I think the ones I have now will be enough to get me by until I find the ones I love... I don't want another intermediate set! I go to Big Lots every 6 months or so... great place for cleaning supplies. Some of my slotted spoons and spatulas came from there as well. Good place to buy them cheap since I always end up melting the handle or the business end of such things. Never paid much attention to the dishes, but I'll have a look next time just for fun. Thanks, Joan. I was wondering if I should just buy a few good knives instead of a whole set. I'm relatively pleased with my Farberware Santoku knife, but I did see a Henckles Chef's knife at Target for 30 dollars last night. How do I know if that would be a good one? I'd like a good chef's knife because I can rock it when I slice. Apparently, Santoku kives are made to be sliced straight down with, I want something I can rock easily. If I got a good chef's knife and a good paring knife, I think I'd be fine as far as knives go. Even though I can buy a whole set of nice knives, I don't want to spend excess money unnecessarily given this economy. I'd rather have the security of longer term savings! I know I wouldn't every knife in a set. I saw the Miracle Blade commercial the other day and was pretty impressed until I read reviews that they rust! I do love a good infomercial gimmick though!

Ok - I have to weigh in on the wonders of a turkey roasted in an old fashioned roaster. The separate 'appliance' that sits on your counter and roasts only the turkey. My mom and my aunt both had one and we had GREAT turkey every time. I never gave it much thought until I had to become the Hostess of Thanksgiving. I struggled for several years with that giant turkey in a too small oven for everything else and the timing and juggling for oven space... About ten years ago I spied one at Home Depot for 29$ it came with an electric carving knife. Done. Best thing I've ever bought. I don't even have a thermometer. Moist, flavorful, with crispy skin. I do not stuff but do a similar prep as the Martha one. Everyone raves. Of course they are probably just being nice but when they ask for turkey leftovers I kinda believe them. And everybody keeps coming to our house... Best part is I have plenty of room in the oven for everything else.

If by "dealt directly" you mean ordered from Thermoworks directly, yes, I have. Since I've never had a problem with any of the tools I've bought from them, I've never had a reason to talk to their customer service. Even if a few of the Thermapens are "refurbished," they still carry the full warranty. For the price, I'd buy one, if I needed one. I've already given them as gifts to everyone I know who might have a use for a Thermapen. Back during turkey cooking season, someone was lamenting the fact that they didn't have an instant read thermometer to check the temp of the turkey. They were reluctant to purchase a Thermapen at full price. I was hopeful they might see this post and plan ahead for the next turkey cooking event.

Link: Thermapen