A few years ago a good friend and I were asked to put together a cooking magazine for the same company that makes the Cri-Cut tool (you avid scrapbookers know what I’m referring to). They wanted to see if departing from their norm of crafting magazines would make sense for them. So, they hired Jeanne and I to create recipes, write, and edit the magazine. They got permission from Dan to call the magazine “Cook’n,” and they put us up in a test kitchen for a year.

The first thing we needed to do was outfit this terrific space. And thus was born our love affair with restaurant supply stores. Oh what a mecca! Now I seldom shop anywhere else for my kitchen/cooking/baking needs.

Did you know these treasure troves aren’t just for professional chefs and commercial kitchens? If you have a kitchen, this is the store for you. And if you love to cook and/or bake, this will become your new home-away-from-home.

They’re usually located somewhere in the industrial district of your city, hidden between warehouses and bathroom fixture showrooms. Maybe you’ve seen their signs and wondered what a restaurant supply store might contain—or thought, can I, a civilian, go inside? Well, you sure can.

And don’t let the commercial deep fryers and three-compartment sinks displayed in the window put you off. Go on in. PLEASE, go in. You’ll be pleasantly surprised. These stores sell restaurant-grade (i.e. incredibly durable) equipment at lower price points. Sure, you won’t find most of the name brands carried at a home cooking store, but you’ll find kitchen items that will last a lifetime in unbranded glory.

Even on a skinny-tight budget, you can outfit your kitchen. You’ll find whisks, bench scrapers, and spatulas that ring in for less than $5 each. Stuff that’s meant to stand up to hours and hours of non-stop, heavy-duty use is what fills the shelves in a restaurant supply store.

There are just a couple things you need to know before you go:

1. You likely won’t get the same level of customer service as you would at your local kitchen store (restaurant supply employees tend to assume you know what you’re doing). That said, the staff are also very knowledgeable, so don’t feel like you can’t ask them questions.


2. While they will have a large variety of kitchen gear available, it often won’t come in multiple colors, and the colors they do offer tend be one of the two primary colors, black or white. No pretty pinks or mint green like KitchenAid makes.

Aside from a chef knife and paring knives, I get most everything is at the supply store. Here are my favorites:

UTENSILS: For rubber spatulas you aren’t afraid to stain, or tongs and spoons you’ll feel no guilt chucking into the dishwasher, this is your store. Since these tools are made to go through commercial restaurant dishwashers, they’re super durable (I keep hammering this point because it’s such a big deal), but typically cost less than their counterparts made for home cooks at regular stores. They also sell the best cookie dough scoops in every size imaginable.

STORAGE CONTAINERS: Time to replace your random assortment of plastic kitchen storage containers? At a restaurant supply store you can build a customizable collection of clear or opaque containers with interchangeable lids. They come in a wide array of sizes, and commercial brands like Cambro are prized among chefs for how they neatly stack in fridges.

CUTTING BOARDS: Cutting boards are food prep workhorses and tend to get destroyed. So for ultra durability, consider durable plastic boards that are easy to sanitize and don't cost a fortune. They’re typically sold in a variety of sizes (including larger than average ones that are great for meal prep), and in a few primary colors too, so you can designate one just for meat. You can clean them with bleach or throw them in the dishwasher. You can also hack at them with a cleaver; they’re survivors.

SHEET PANS: Also kitchen workhorses, here they not only retail for less, but come in more sizes (including cute mini sizes) than you’ll typically find at a department or kitchen store. Same goes for pizza pans, lasagna pans…pans galore!

Here’s one more personal experience by way of restaurant supply testimonial. I teach cooking classes with my friend, Chrisann. When we started these classes a few years ago, we turned to the restaurant supply store for all our demonstration needs. We found tiny stainless tasting spoons and pretty small ceramic tasting cups. Class members love the idea of eco-friendly non-disposables for their sampling, and we don’t mind the dishwashing that comes after class. We’d never find this type of gear at a typical kitchen or department store, and the prices were amazing.

I’ll close with a final tip: If you don’t live near a restaurant supply store, you can always go to one online. The best-of-the-best is www.webstaurantstore.com. They offer great sales and over 420,000+ products, including food and beverage items. I shop with them often, especially for my favorite apron, the Acopa Asheville Bib crossover ($13.95 in 5 different colors).

If you’ve had a restaurant supply shopping experience, please take a minute to leave a comment. We’d love to hear about it!