My first Pampered Chef party

[kima]

Last night I went to my first PC party. I must say I was very impressed with the quality of the products- I could have order one of almost everything. Instead:mad: I ordered the pizza stone, the loaf pan and the food chopper. I can't wait to get them! I have already been invited to another one in October. Any suggestions on what my next order should include?

[lhall]

I really like the ice cream scoop and the deluxe cheese grater. I now keep parmesan and romano cheese all the time. I use this several times a week and my 3 year old loves to grate "white" onto her food!

BTW, any white food is called "white", ranch dressing, cheese, sour cream, whipped cream, mayo.
I think she likes them all.:)

Leigh

[tammy/MN]

the garlic press & pastry brush. you don't have to peel the garlic cloves first, just pop them in!

[funnybone]

Kima, you should host your own party. You can get all kinds of products, just for being a host. I had one last year, and with what I got for free and with my points, and discount, I got over $300 worth for about $150. You really can't go wrong with any of their products.

This time of year, I love the "corn butterer".

[Lynne1975]

The PC spatulas are a must. They are shaped like a big spoon and tough enough for even the thickest cookie batter. I can't live without mine. I threw away all my old wimpy spatulas after I got the PC ones!!

[kima]

I was eyeing those spatulas ansd will probably buy one next time. I am going to host a party some time this fall Funnybone- I just need to scrounge up about 12 people to come!!
Consider this an open invitation- anyone who can get to beautiful Victoria this October is welcome. I can guarantee no snow and flowers still in blossom!!:)

[LynnSC]

I love all the products mentioned above and own most of them! :o I would also suggest the apple peeler corer slicer. It will probably be on special during the fall. I love mine and my kids love it too! It makes apple pies sooooooooooooo easy!

[BosunsWife]

Ditto the deluxe cheese grater - its wonderful.

I also have both the pouring/mixing bowls with lids (two different sizes) and use them ALOT.

[kima]

This is just what I was afraid of- everything is worth owning!!:)

[LaraW]

Of all of the Pampered Chef stuff I own, I think my most definite can't-do-without items are my garlic press, the batter bowl, and the rubber scrapers. I have a lot of other things, the Measure-all cup is good if you do a lot of baking and need to measure things like shortening and peanut butter. I have a food chopper and have not used it as much as I thought I would. It was a fairly expensive item, and I think that's why I never bought the Apple Corer-Slicer-Peeler, which is also a fairly expensive item.

The stones are great! I have a pizza stone, and a 9-inch square, and a bread loaf pan. They are all really good and I use them a lot.

I also have one of the smaller quick-stir pitchers, and someday I think I will probably get one of the gallon-sized ones. Those are really nice! Actually, now that I think about it, DH melted the quick-stir pitcher in the dishwasher, so I think I'll have to get a new one of those too. :(

Lara

[heatherfeather]

Did you not buy the metal rack for your pizza stone? It only costs around $5 and is very necessary when taking the hot stone out of the oven. Also, the metal rack can be flipped upside so you can set a hot stone on top of it on your table without melting a burn spot through your finish. If you can still add one to your order, I highly recommend it. You won't need a rack for the loaf pans - then sell racks that fit all their stones, but really they are only necessary for the flat stones.

I have almost everything in the PC catalog (I've been shopping at PC parties for the past 8 years!) My absolute favorites are my pizza stone/rack which I use very often, my huge mixing bowl with lid, my cheese grater, and my chopper. The cheesegrater and chopper are both made by Zyliss and can also be purchased in gourmet food shops - sometimes for the same price, sometimes for a higher price than PC. Also - I love their cookbooks.

[SusanPC]

After buying tons and tons of stuff at parties my husband convinced me to sign up, so I just started. I love most of the products but have some favorites. For the reasons mentioned above, I love the scrapers....you can use them with heat as well so I use mine when doing stiry fry, etc. I love the batter bowls, esp with the lid feature so I can pop them in the fridge (if I have meat marinating, cookie batter, etc.). I also love the Food Chopper, my first PC product. It is so fast and easy to clean....much less time than cleaning the Cuisenart for small items like chopping an onion or green pepper etc. Although I love all of my stones, my favorite is the barpan which is so versatile. I make cookies, rolls, pizza, etc. on mine. FYI--if you like the stoneware contact your consultant. Classic Stoneware is 15% off in Sept and that is before host discounts. What a great deal! Hope you enjoy your PC stuff as much as I love mine.

[RobinC]

Count me as another PC spatula lover. I love them because they are sturdy and they dont' stain. They can also take fairly high heat, so I use them a lot with my non-stick pans.

I love the 2-Quart batter bowl too. I have two of them. I also love my food chopper.

[luv2cook]

Kima, I want snow! Haven't seen it in 13 years! I'll come. I love PC stuff. Don't need any more but still like to ogle the magazine. Haven't gotten one lately, tho.

I, too, like the bar pan. Use it the most. I hated the cheese thing. Sent it back. I also sent back 2x the soap thing for the sink. Great idea but broke so I haven't gotten another.

I need to get another bowl with the lid - I think it's the 2qt.

[SueK]

Count me in as another PC fanatic!I have all of the items mentioned above. I use my garlic press and batter bowls constantly and find them indespensable!The spatulas are also great!

[kima]

Thanks for your all your input Guys. Now who will foot the bill? I am waiting......:D
Okay- the spatulas are a must along with the batter bowl and I want more of the stoneware (haven't even got my order yet!) Not quite sure what the quick stir pitcher is- I think you have a few different products in the States. I want the pots too (I think- any reviews) but will wait until I host my own party and try and get them half price. BTW the set is 285.00 Cdn- about 140.oo US- is thatabout what you all would pay?

[kirkbyky]

Thanks for all the posts, everyone!! I have been invited to my first PC party in mid-september, and am already looking forward to it after hearing of their great products!
It seems i'll have to be VERY good.....:p
Kyle

[Peeps]

Originally posted by LaraW
...the Measure-all cup is good if you do a lot of baking and need to measure things like shortening and peanut butter.

I'd been wanting one of these Measure-all cups for ages (it looks like a push-pop, you set it to the amount you need and its got a plunger bottom that pushes out the peanut butter, honey, whatever cleanly so you're not scraping goo out of measuring cups). Not knowing a PC consultant, I finally found one at The Container Store - and it was only about $2! I LOVE it - great gadget.

[tammy/MN]

BTW-i saw the exact same garlic press that i got from PC at williams-sonoma! i didn't notice the price, but i was surprised to see it there.

[SusanPC]

A lot of our products are not manufactured exclusively for The Pampered Chef®. However, most of the products you can find out there that resemble those in the PC catalog have slight modifications from ours. For instance, the food choppers that you can find on mall carts, etc. are virtually the same except the PC version comes completely apart (you can take off the protective piece and then the sides fan out so you can put in the dishwasher or rinse clean). I am not sure if there have been changes to the garlic press-- now you have me wondering. I have one from WS as well but it is not like the PC version. It is one of big plastic grip ones and I love it because the handle flips around with prongs to clean out the holes. I need to get the PC one as everyone seems to love it so!

[chefbec]

Ooh, I'm loving this thread! As a PC Director and Consultant for 5-1/5 years, I started as a customer. I hosted a show and got well over $100 worth of free products, plus saved another hundred. Kima, absolutely host a show. Our new fall products are amazing, and you should definitely get the entire Professional Cookware as a half-price item.

Of all the products, my favorite is our Food Chopper. I do love our cookware, stones, Garlic Press (which is definitely exclusive; if a similar one was seen, it's not the same), Batter Bowl (a must-have!) and since I own everything and got most of it free, I do love my job!

I know the Canadian line is slightly different than the American line, but I'm sure most of the products mentioned in this thread are available.

And to SusanPC, welcome to our PC family!

Bec

[michelern]

I love the rubber scraper/spatula things. I have 3 different sizes and I use them all of the time. I also have the food chopper, 2 stones, loaf pans, ice cream scoop, egg slicer, measure all cup, garlic press, deep dish pie plate....I'm sure I'm leaving something out....Definitley host a party, I received lots of free stuff from that...Not to mention I have also obtained things from going to several others. They are so much fun!

[breadmama]

I am a PC fan, too, and especially love the stones and the sliding measuring scoops/spoons (the white ones, not the push-up one.) My PC friend told me about using the 1 qt batter bowl to make a dress cake - you just bake the batter in the bowl, then cool it and invert it and stick in a Barbie, frost her dress, and voila! A small and cool cake for little girls.

We also like the bread tubes for neat sandwiches. We do a lot of tea parties over here.

I use the cheese grater more for chocolate shavings - on desserts, and whipped cream on special mugs of cocoa. We also like the garnisher, which my kids can use safely to help make "party cheese" or "fancy carrots."

[lorilei]

Have none of you had problems with your pizza stones breaking? I've been through two of them already... and don't plan on bothering to return the third if it breaks.

They seem too THIN compared to other stones... and definitely not the quality they were years ago...

[Cookie_Mom]

I too, strongly suggest you have a party of your own. I had one last month and I was able to buy the 10-pc. cookware set for 1/2 price. I also got the new oval stoneware baker, cooling rack, and large spreader, medium scoop (great for cookie dough), tool turnabout, and dessert cookbook for free! I also got the ice shaver and pizza cutter for 1/2 price. I also own two of the 13-inch round stones. Their products are wonderful!

Amy:)

[KDHeuer]

Lorilei-

Haven't had that problem myself yet, but at the last party I was at, the consultant mentioned that they'll break if you preheat them before putting the food on it (especially if it's frozen, I think she said) or if you put a hot stone on a wet surface. I think it has to do with a drastic temperature change...

Kathleen

[chefbec]

Originally posted by lorilei
Have none of you had problems with your pizza stones breaking? I've been through two of them already... and don't plan on bothering to return the third if it breaks.

They seem too THIN compared to other stones... and definitely not the quality they were years ago...

Out of the hundreds of stones I've sold, I've had very few complaints of breakage. In general, a stone will break because it has a hairline fracture (from being dropped during shipping), and if that's the case, it will crack within the first few uses. All stones have a three-year guarantee.

If you follow the directions that come with the stone, there should be no problems. You want to avoid thermal shock, created when cold meets hot or visa versa, or if you reheat say one or two pieces of pizza on a large stone.

If you've broken two stones, I'd love to know what you were making when they broke. Then I might be able to help you better.

I have noticed some changes in our stones in the past 6 years, but none that would affect the quality. I don't notice any major difference in thickness. And if something isn't right, the company will take it back. You have 30 days from shipping to return a product free of charge.

I own at least one (or two) or every single stone we sell (all twenty, plus four retired stones). I've never broken a stone in the almost 6 years I've used them.