Stone Shopping at Lowes: Researching a Claim

[abrahamlaur]

i had a show on saturday and one of the girls there was mentioning how the host shouldnt buy a stone because she could go to lowes (in the lawn and garden center) and get one of the stones there meant for the yard (like stepping stones kinda i guess). she said it was made out of the same material, she told me to do my research (kinda rude) but it was made out of the same thing and she wouldnt pay 30 bucks for a stone from us when she could get one for 2 bucks at lowes ... anyone know if this true and how i can refute (spelling?) her claims?

 

[pamperedbecky]

So, it's a stone used in gardening? I'm not a gardener, so I don't know much about those. Since that's not used in cooking, I'd be concerned that it could possibly be made with lead? That's my first reaction. Our stones are completely lead-free. Has this person actually tried cooking with these types of stones? Any garden-related stone I've seen seems pretty porous, so I can't imagine it would work. I'd go at it from the lead perspective because if it's not MADE for cooking food on, I wouldn't consider it safe.

That has to be about the weirdest arguement I've heard for someone wanting to save money on something!!!!

 

[Geekgirl69]

I just looked on Lowe's online, I didn't see anything in the garden section that would even come close. They do have a pizza stone for 15 dollars though. I agree with Becky, first thought I had was about the lead.

 

[chefann]

Alton Brown uses gardening stones (and flowerpots) on Good Eats fairly frequently. BUT - if the food will be actually touching the stone, he lines it with foil. More frequently, he uses stone tiles in the oven as thermal mass, independent of the baking vessel. (Although he's also built a very cool smoker out of a huge flower pot, a grill grate, and a hotplate.)

Personally, I wouldn't trust any stone that's not food approved, unless I lined it. Lots of the gardening stones seem to be not only porous, but crumblier, like they're not fired to the same temp as our stones. The only way to be sure, though, would be to research them.

 

[abrahamlaur]

no she said it was like the stepping stones or pavers ...

i was thinking that also, about how porous it is, and it wouldnt "season" liek our stones would.

no she hasnt cooked with them and said she wouldnt buy one for that much. whatever LOL

 

[abrahamlaur]

ann it makes sence that she said that then, becuase the whole night she was talking about alton brown and how great he was. she was going to buy the measure all just because he uses one, but she didnt like the 9 dollar cost ... whatever, i hate (okay not HATE), people that get all pissy about the cost of it. this girl loves to cook s i dont understand what shes thinking. i dont know

 

[bethsbiz]

Sounds like a "know-it-all-cheapskate-person-who-likes-to-sound-important". A real pain, especially if she negates things you are saying.

When I have a person who is rude and opinionated like that, I try to say something like "ok, so Nickie-no-it-all isn't ready to buy our stone, that's fine, we have a lot of other products, and not everything will be for everyone. However, can someone in the room share why they do like their Pampered Chef stone"...

There is almost always someone who will be able to help you out. If it is REALLY a negative and the group seems to buy into her comments, then I'd move on to something EZ to get a positive response to...our scraper collection, the food chopper, the batter bowls, etc . Even if they are lower priced, you need to get control back and away from the rude gal.

And, I think that most folks would seriously hesitate to compare a Lowe's stepping stone to an actual cooking stone. I love Alton Brown also but what he is doing sounds like a way to get SOME of the benefits of a cooking stone, without using one. Doubtful that a stepping stone could go in the microwave, etc. and the crispness would be negated by food not having actual contact with the food. It is a compromise to make a point and that is what Alton Brown does. Rachel Ray uses bricks -- lined with foil -- instead of a grill press. We all do work arounds....that doesn't mean our products have less value.

 

[chefheidi2003]

Ok so is Lowes going to return the stepping stone that you have food caked on because you have been cooking with it for 2 years and give you a brand new one when it breaks?? Also I would like for her to try to make a great lasagna on a stepping stone.

 

[feather18]

I just cant believe the lady would have said that, without even cooking on it herself!! What a goober!! man.. Oh and Beth,. I love how "nicely" you put it to those rudytootys!! HAHA! See me, If that happened i would probally hide in a shell, but man i will have to remember that one! Oh and just venting, but if the chick was so adament about how exspensive it was, why did she go?? TO ruin it for you??? MAN!
But yeah, I havent had it yet, but some people can throw out some far fetched stuff!!

 

[chefheidi2003]

All I want to add is that whenever people comment on the price I usually bring up our guarentee. I had someone tell me the other day that she needed a new can opener because hers keeps rusting. When she went to order one from me she saw the price and commented on it...I asked her how often she buys a new one and she said once a year and then I said ok how much do you spend on one she said $4. I said well I have had mine for 4 years so you figure $4x4 years = $16 and mine still has a lot of life on it and I use it all the time. She bought one.

 

[chefann]

All I want to add is that whenever people comment on the price I usually bring up our guarentee. I had someone tell me the other day that she needed a new can opener because hers keeps rusting. When she went to order one from me she saw the price and commented on it...I asked her how often she buys a new one and she said once a year and then I said ok how much do you spend on one she said $4. I said well I have had mine for 4 years so you figure $4x4 years = $16 and mine still has a lot of life on it and I use it all the time. She bought one.

My AD does that same thing with the scrapers.

 

[chefheidi2003]

My AD does that same thing with the scrapers.

I think that it really gets people thinking...the first thing that they think of is the price they don't take into account the quality, and how many times you would need to repurchase.

 

[dwyerkim]

I'm sorry, I'm just laughing at the idea of cooking on something you buy out of the garden center at Lowe's. Hello--anyone been there lately? Dirty, just a teeny tiny bit? Lead, paint, fertilizer that leaked in the garden center... um, no thank you. I prefer my food without poison added to it. And have fun cleaning shattered bits of garden paver out of your oven when it falls apart from temperature changes. I'm all for saving a dime but what's the expression... penny wise and pound foolish? I think if someone suggested at one of my shows to cook on a garden paver I would just die laughing and then challenge them to a bake off.

 

[chefheidi2003]

I'm sorry, I'm just laughing at the idea of cooking on something you buy out of the garden center at Lowe's. Hello--anyone been there lately? Dirty, just a teeny tiny bit? Lead, paint, fertilizer that leaked in the garden center... um, no thank you. I prefer my food without poison added to it. And have fun cleaning shattered bits of garden paver out of your oven when it falls apart from temperature changes. I'm all for saving a dime but what's the expression... penny wise and pound foolish? I think if someone suggested at one of my shows to cook on a garden paver I would just die laughing and then challenge them to a bake off.

Very well put.

 

[feather18]

LOL! YEs VERY WELL PUT!! haha!

 

[cmdtrgd]

Another thing to think about is that ours are fired at 4000 degrees and are really hard to break!

 

[DebbieSAChef]

StonewareStoneware is much more complicated than she thinks and good quality stoneware is not cheap. It is by far not expensive considering the delicious even baking, versatile uses of the pieces (microwave) and now our glazed stones which can go right to the table without a basket to make it look prettier!

Here is a good website to check out to get some ammo to give answers to this woman and many others who might have believed her naive comments.

Alton Brown is my second favorite Food Network chef, second to Paula Deen, and he usually rigs up some wacky homemade inventions (he's a man) but he is a professional and knows exactly what he is doing. I really wouldn't recommend someone using a garden stone to bake!! LOL That's hilarious, especially since garden stones are usually made with cement and molds.

http://www.seedsofknowledge.com/stoneware.html

Debbie

 

[bethsbiz]

In regards to my "method" to redirect conversation back with help of cooperative guests....I learned the hard way, about 2 years into my PC biz. The very first person I asked to "share a favorite product" was a gal who immeditately went into a tizzy, loud, rude, non-factual, YOU NAME IT, about our cookware. After she was going for a bit, she said she thought it was "ridiculous that a person can't use a metal tool on our cookware (non-stick) and that she hated hers cause those were the only tools she used." I think she used the word ridiculous at least 3 times. Geez.

Anyhow, I had a deer-in-headlights look -- mostly because the gal went on and on and on and on AND she was the first person to share so I'm FREAKING OUT -- when I had a customer who took pity on me. The good customer said that no non-stick cookware that she knew of was to be used with metal tools and then she went on to say how she had pieces of our cookware and loved them because of how evenly they cooked and how nicely they cleaned up. I was able to get my marbles all back in place, muttered my now traditional phrase of "not all our products are for every person". I now use this situation, and one involving a person who hated teh mix-n-chip (how could she!) as training tools for my team. I should also mention that the "not all our products are for every person" can be turned into a good discussion about the warranty as well.

(At the end of this party, a few people came up to me and said how they felt bad for me being attacked by this gal about the cookware. Apparantly, she is well known for being a pain at parties and she is only invited because she raises heck if she finds out someone had a show without her." Learned to shrug it off, use the warranty and customers for support and move on!


That is really how I "discovered" the turn-to-the-crowd-to-get-out-of-a-jam method.

 

[sfdavis918]

OK, not to mention, has anyone tried to lift a big round paver lately? Those things are super heavy!

 

[chefheidi2003]

OK, not to mention, has anyone tried to lift a big round paver lately? Those things are super heavy!

LOL...I didn't even think of that but you are right they are really heavy.

 

[ChefNic]

Also I would like for her to try to make a great lasagna on a stepping stone.

ROTF LOL!!!
THAT"S perfect!!

 

[lockhartkitchen]

Sometimes you will have the "heal" in a crowd. I agree about making a difficult situation into a funny. I would have said, "Though I would be concerned about lead in a non-cooking surface, It sounds like you've come up with a fun theme. We could use trowels to put on the pizza toppings, hedge clippers to cut the olives, and a bird bath to serve the beverage."

 

[sfdavis918]

Very cute idea Julie! That's something I would have thought of saying 2 days after the show! I'm not quite that quick on my feet.