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Value Prices Have a Price
A KitchenBoy follower onTwitter asked my opinion of the Technique cookware on QVC. I had toanswer in two tweets because, let's face it, I can't say anything in 140 characters! :-) Here on the blog, Iwant to expand on the thoughts I tweeted to more fully develop the explanation.While I have never held the QVC cookware in my hands, I have researched it online. What I see is avalue priced cookware line. The Technique name from QVC encompasses many different types of cookware and I don't intend to address each one specifically nor do I intend to speak directly to theQVC cookware. Instead, I want to talk generally about how value priced cookware can achieve suchlow prices.When one sees extraordinarily good prices on cookware, doubt arises concerning its quality, becausehow can this stuff be so inexpensive and still be good? The fact of the matter is that for amazing pricesto happen, corners need to be cut somewhere. These cost cutting measures do not necessarily mean thatvery good cookware cannot result, but there are limits.To understand how low prices are achieved, we need to look at some of the key areas where costsavings can occur.
First, where the cookware is manufactured.
This is one of the key areas where cost savings can bederived. It is here that labor and craftsmanship, as well as currency conversion, are accounted for.Think about some of the top manufacturers of quality cookware.Le Creuset, StaubandMauvielin France.Demeyerein Belgium and AllCladin the United States. Labor costs in these three countries are high and in France and Belgium, taxes are also very high. Factor in the Euro to Dollar conversion and Ithink you can see why costs would be higher than things made in China, India, Taiwan or Vietnam. Infact, the biggest, but not only, difference between AllClad and saySur La Table's triply cookware iswhere it is manufactured. Sur La Table has its cookware made in Taiwan, whereas AllClad ismanufactured in the USA (except for certain pieces).
Second, manufacturing process.
Costs can be saved by modifying the assembly processes. Take for example, Le Creuset and Staub enamel coated cast iron pans. Both companies pour the pig iron intosand molds and each mold is used only once, meaning no two pieces are exactly the same. Thisexacting process creates high quality cookware pieces, but is costly. If a company were to use different processes, i.e. use the molds over and over, then costs can be saved.
Third, materials used.
The type of materials used can greatly affect the price of cookware. For instance, not all 18/10 stainless steel is the same. Stainless steel is an amalgamation of elements whichcan be tweaked to derive the proper price goal. One example where cost savings occur is the magnetic property of the stainless steel. It costs more money to produce magnetic stainless steel. If you forgo thiselement, you save money but it means your cookware cannot be used on induction cook tops. Materialscan differ in other ways also, such as, thinner layers of core metals, cheaper handle types (wood or cheap metal coated in rubber), lesser grades of non-stick coatings and so on. Returning to our cast ironexample, maybe the company uses a less qualitative enamel coating process, which results in moresavings. With non-stick, not all Teflon is the same, let alone other nonstick materials and the qualityhere affects temperature tolerance and durability. The savings pile up quickly in this category.
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