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Using Your PC Kitchen Tools for Cooking Shows: Is It Really a Bad Idea?

In summary, your recruiter told you that you should never use the same products you use in your kitchen for your cooking shows because they might turn people off. However, you can still bring the tools you use in your kitchen with you to your shows, so that your customers can see how they look and how well they hold up.
emiscookin
312
Hi everyone,

Yes, it's me again. The one with all the questions and concerns. :rolleyes:

Ok, so I got all the stuff I ordered with my $215 in free product value from my first show and am so excited to have more stuff to show off at my shows! :D I am also excited to USE the items!

But something keeps weighing on my mind...

My recruiter told me, that her recruiter told her, that you NEVER want to use the same products you use in your kitchen for your cooking shows. You always want your items to look nice and brand new at your shows and if they are used looking...it might turn people off.

While I agree, I just can't afford to buy doubles of everything so I can use one in my kitchen and one for my shows!!!

Is it really so bad to use your PC kitchen tools for your shows??? :confused:
 
I can't afford it either. I wish I could. But I have never had an issue with using the stuff right from my kitchen. I guess it just all depends on how well you take care of your stuff.

And don't worry about asking so many questions. That is what everyone is here for. That is what is so wonderful about this site.
 
I don't see why that matters, they are tools you can use and should use! I do find it nice to have my car packed at all times so having duplicates does help alot.
 
  • Thread starter
  • #4
Yeah, she also said it's good to have doubles so you don't forget to bring tools with you cause you left them in your kitchen. ;)
 
emiscookin said:
Yeah, she also said it's good to have doubles so you don't forget to bring tools with you cause you left them in your kitchen. ;)

That's why checklists were invented.
 
I am at the point where I have doubles of things I regularly use at shows, but I am 5 years in. For the first 1-2 years, the tools I brought were the same tools I used in my own kitchen.Your recruiter must have a sugar daddy.
 
I'd almost have the opposite opinion. Bring the things you use in your kitchen, so that your customers can see how they look when they've been used, and how well they hold up. It shows them that you really do use your bar pan and chopper every day, and when their stones change colors, they won't panic that something's wrong.

I would ideally like to have duplicates of everything for ease of packing, but I just plain can't afford that.
 
I like touting the fact that the tools I use at my shows are the same ones that I use in my own kitchen. I like how it advertises how you DO NOT have to have duplicates.
 
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  • #9
DebbieJ said:
I am at the point where I have doubles of things I regularly use at shows, but I am 5 years in. For the first 1-2 years, the tools I brought were the same tools I used in my own kitchen.

Your recruiter must have a sugar daddy.

LOL!! :D

NooraK said:
I'd almost have the opposite opinion. Bring the things you use in your kitchen, so that your customers can see how they look when they've been used, and how well they hold up. It shows them that you really do use your bar pan and chopper every day, and when their stones change colors, they won't panic that something's wrong.

I would ideally like to have duplicates of everything for ease of packing, but I just plain can't afford that.

I agree.

Liquid Sky said:
I like touting the fact that the tools I use at my shows are the same ones that I use in my own kitchen. I like how it advertises how you DO NOT have to have duplicates.

Very good point!
I don't feel so afraid to use them now. I mean heck, who DOESN'T want to use our awesome items!?!?
I really worry too much about things.
 
  • #10
NooraK said:
I'd almost have the opposite opinion. Bring the things you use in your kitchen, so that your customers can see how they look when they've been used, and how well they hold up. It shows them that you really do use your bar pan and chopper every day, and when their stones change colors, they won't panic that something's wrong.

I would ideally like to have duplicates of everything for ease of packing, but I just plain can't afford that.

Exactly! I LOVE to show people how I can use something all the time, at shows, and at home, and it still holds up and works great. I have doubles on most things now, just because of the time I've been with PC...I've been able to purchase a new kit, and because I've earned the upgraded versions, so the old versions are in my kitchen. BUT - I still keep my very first set of scrapers in my kit, so people can see how great they look after almost 8 years of use. Same with my stainless whisk.
 
  • #11
The items in my kitchen look just as good as the newer stuff. In fact, there have been a few times when I washed them at the same time in the DW, and couldn't figure out which was the 1 yr old item and which was the 10 yr old item!! (I KID YOU NOT!)So do what works for YOU and add to your kit as you can. Your recruiter is full of it and she's been outvoted ;)
 
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  • #12
ChefBeckyD said:
BUT - I still keep my very first set of scrapers in my kit, so people can see how great they look after almost 8 years of use. Same with my stainless whisk.

That's awesome Becky! :)

Something I learned the hard way...never use your scrapers on a stone that ISN'T seasoned!

:(
 
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  • #13
esavvymom said:
The items in my kitchen look just as good as the newer stuff. In fact, there have been a few times when I washed them at the same time in the DW, and couldn't figure out which was the 1 yr old item and which was the 10 yr old item!! (I KID YOU NOT!)

Awesome!! :D

So do what works for YOU and add to your kit as you can. Your recruiter is full of it and she's been outvoted ;)

LOL! :D It appears she has!!
Thanks everyone!
 
  • #14
NooraK said:
I'd almost have the opposite opinion. Bring the things you use in your kitchen, so that your customers can see how they look when they've been used, and how well they hold up. It shows them that you really do use your bar pan and chopper every day, and when their stones change colors, they won't panic that something's wrong.

I would ideally like to have duplicates of everything for ease of packing, but I just plain can't afford that.

I agree that you want to use the stuff from your own kitchen. This is the beauty of our business. We don't have to have an inventory or extras of things but rather get to share the items we love from our kitchen with others.
 
  • #15
After 6 years I have lots of duplicates. I admit that there is the occasional new item that I'll get a second of just because I don't want to have to mess with taking it in and out of my kit all the time (the Easy Read Measuring Cups, for example). But, usually I take stuff I use.
 
  • #16
I also take stuff that I use in my kitchen. Just make sure it's clean! Nothing says YICK like finding gunk on the tools! I actually had a host tell me that her guest would not agree to come to the show until she learned the name of the consultant. When I wasn't the "nasty" consultant who's show she'd been to in the past, she was happy to attend! The story I got was that the other girls stuff wasn't clean. And it wasn't just a "dark stone" misconception, it was actual food remnants on the tools in the tool turn about, oil inside the measuring cup, grunge in the measuring spoons, etc. (((shudders))) The point is, make sure you actually RAN the dishwasher before you pull stuff out & pack it for your show. ;)
 
  • #17
And if I forget something.. I tell them.. oops, it is still in the dishwasher because i just used it at home! That way they KNOW I use my products and don't just sell them :)
 
  • #18
Definitely use your products in your home. I tell my new consultants to be using their new tools so they can get used to them and have stories to tell about their use at their shows. You don't need to spend the extra money to buy duplicates, believe me eventually you'll acquire them. When you have a show choose your host benefits first to enhance your kit and then to get those things that you need a second of like the quick stir pitcher that always seems to have juice in it when you are needing to pack it for a show or the pizza cutter that your DH will need for the pizza he's serving the kids while you are at the show...

It's a recruiting line too. We carry tools that every kitchen needs and we don't have to buy anything we wouldn't use in our personal kitchens. That being said we can earn all the new tools and I have found that even things I didn't think I needed have become go to tools.

Over the years of doing this I have found that I needed duplicates of some tools because DH needed them while I was out (some things he even suggested I get a second of) and when I have earned a second I have kept it in my kit. I have a few things that rotate in and out of the kit/kitchen depending on the demo I'm doing but for the most part my kit is now separate.
 
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  • #19
Sheila said:
I also take stuff that I use in my kitchen. Just make sure it's clean! Nothing says YICK like finding gunk on the tools! I actually had a host tell me that her guest would not agree to come to the show until she learned the name of the consultant. When I wasn't the "nasty" consultant who's show she'd been to in the past, she was happy to attend! The story I got was that the other girls stuff wasn't clean. And it wasn't just a "dark stone" misconception, it was actual food remnants on the tools in the tool turn about, oil inside the measuring cup, grunge in the measuring spoons, etc. (((shudders))) The point is, make sure you actually RAN the dishwasher before you pull stuff out & pack it for your show. ;)

Oh wow! :yuck: Yeah, that's pretty nasty!!

No worries, I always clean my dishes right after I use them anyway! I don't like stuck on grime!!
 
  • #20
I always get ooo's and aaaaa's when I pull out my food shopper and open it to show how to break it down and it's still got water inside and I point out because I just pulled it out of the dishwasher so it's defiantly dishwasher safe. They always really love that fact.
 
  • #21
My kit is 11.5 years old. I have been eligible to get the 5 kits over the years. The first time I took the offer to get doubles for a few items (chopper, BB)...this was long before the newer items were introduced.

I prefer to take my older chopper to shows. I love saying how long these products last...it has the old log so I know it's 11 year old! Then I let people know how we get huge discounts, but I want them to see how these products hold up over time. Anyone can have a new kit and show you how pretty something is out of the box. I have a kit that is used daily at home and abused when I slam on the brakes driving to my shows(said with a smile).

Not having to buy duplicates and stock is one of the main reasons I sell these products. This is your business. As long as your products are clean, you wrap them so they won't break or scratch when you are driving then using the products at home(with a checklist) is smart!
 
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  • #22
Thanks SO much everyone! {Hugs}

I have moved all of my tools into my kitchen. :)
 
  • #23
I mean seriously? Does she live in the Taj Mahal as well? I love using my OLD WORN OUT STUFF! BECAUSE IT NEVER LOOKS LIKE IT!!! When you can honestly say that yours is 5years old, man they sell! Especially my stones! It is great when they see the patina then take the Mini-Serving Spatula to what ever is being served in it, and out it comes without a hitch! To me it is those subtle nuances that make a product great! How do you do that if yours are all rarely used? If they stand the test of time, that sells a product better than any infomercial you will ever see!
 
  • #24
Add me to the list of people who love to demonstrate the tools I really use. I take several items to shows I owned before signing so show how great they last. I have a mix 'n scraper that has a manufacturing date of 1994 but when I hold it up to a new 2009 one you can't tell which is which with out checking the date. My apple PCS, scoops, bamboo utensils and several other items are also very old. Not all have manufacturing dates so I don't know for sure, but they are several years old and still get used almost daily in my kitchen.In the right crowd I joke that it is the PC consultants curse that our products last forever, it's bad for my repeat sales-LOL! Then explain how I am proud to stand behind a product that will serve for years to come.My director made a point before that she likes to use the used items at shows for all the great reasons mentioned in this thread, but prefers to have a new kit for use at vendor booths to show off. She sometimes brings only the items in the kit to booths to show what guests will receive when they sign. My director has been in PC for 16 years though too, so she has it all and then some by now. =)
 
  • #25
If I could afford to buy 2 of everything....then I wouldn't be selling PC as a second job. lol
 
  • #26
I use my tools in my kitchen as well. I have a list of the kits products and that is what I take. I have dups of some items, but I use those, too.

I think your director/recruitor missed the best part of this business: Its YOURS to do what YOU want.

Funny story: I got a call in the middle of a show from my husband. I excused myself and explained that it MUST be an emergecy for him to call while I'm working (never had before). He said to me: "Ummm... I can't find the chopper and I can't make dinner without it." I said, "I have it with me. Use a knife". :rolleyes: So, I went back into the room held up my chopper and told them, "Well, I am sorry to say it was an emergency. My husband can't find the chopper and can't make dinner without it." That got some laughs.
 
  • #27
why can't you use a scraper on a stone that isn't seasoned? And there's no way I can afford to have duplicates to use at shows, I just make sure everything is spotless before I pack up, plus I need to learn about all the products I have to use them and I love them!!
 
  • #28
donnathepamperedchef said:
why can't you use a scraper on a stone that isn't seasoned? And there's no way I can afford to have duplicates to use at shows, I just make sure everything is spotless before I pack up, plus I need to learn about all the products I have to use them and I love them!!

I am not sure. I don't usually use my scrapers on my stoneware anyway.
 
  • #29
My original stone is about 13 years old, and I have used it so much it's almost black. SO I was thinking I'd use the pretty new one, until I overheard a friend saying she bought a stone but it was "no good, it turned brown the first time she used it, and just kept getting darker."(LOL) So I plan to use my old, clean but not pretty, stone and do some education about taking care of it. By the way, I made cookies the other day and really noticed how much easier they came off the old super-seasoned pan than the relatively new one
Marghi
 

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