If there's one question that I get asked almost more than any other, it's a question about celebrity cookware. People want to know if this stuff is worth purchasing and it's very hard to answer this question for a number of reasons.
First off, what exactly am I talking about by celebrity cookware? Well, basically I'm talking about any kind of cookware that is produced by a television personality or television chef of any kind. You know the people that I'm talking about, all those cooking shows on television that we all love to watch that are produced by people like:
Cookware Sets
- Rachel Ray
- Martha Stewart
- Jamie Oliver
- Emeril
I'm a big fan of every one of those celebrities...I watch their tv shows whenever I can. Over time, however, you sort of get to notice a pattern that they all fall into. I call this the marketing trap. Basically they start out with the television show, and it becomes wildly popular and their names become an instantly recognizable trademark.
Next, they attempt to cash in on their new fame, usually by creating a cookbook or something small that's easy to produce and easy to manufacture. Of course, the cookbook is usually an instant success which causes them to release another cookbook which is also usually a success...
And then they continue to grow their marketing from there, usually by introducing their own line of celebrity cookware with their name on it. This stuff usually looks absolutely amazing, and that's the trick.
But the fact of the matter remains that these people don't have any experience manufacturing cookware, or anything else that's as complicated as these types of things. Sure a cookbook is easy, but a 12 piece cooking set? They usually team up with a company of some sort who are responsible for actually manufacturing the stuff.
The problem is, in order for the margins to work out they really have to produce questionable products that are as cheap to produce as possible because otherwise the limited production runs won't pay for themselves, no matter how much free advertising they get on the celebrities television show.
Subsequently, this stuff is usually much cheaper than high-quality dishware.
The bottom line is; this stuff will usually hold up pretty well for about a year, or maybe two years at the most and then it starts to warp and breakdown in various different ways, almost always, no matter who the celebrity chef is.
Take my advice and steer clear of this stuff if at all possible. Spend a few extra dollars for some high-quality stuff that will last for years to come.