William Sonoma is offering 25% off select All-Clad Tri-Ply Stainless Steel cookware pieces.

One pot that we really like is the All-Clad Tri-Ply Stainless-Steel Soup Pot 4-Qt. - $119.96

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25% Off Select All-Clad Tri-Ply Stainless Steel Cookware at William Sonoma

I saw this deal posted on DealNews.com today and just had to post it on OT to spread the word:
All-Clad Tri-Ply Stainless-Steel Sauté Simmer Pan 4-Qt. - $99 (William Sonoma)

It's one of All-Clad's classic tri-ply stainless steel collection. We have a d5 version of this pan and simply love it and use it for everything - sauteing vegetables, browning meats, making pasta dishes, stews, etc.. I love its large, flat bottom (like a frying pan, great for browning meats), the sloped sides and flared rim (makes scooping and pouring things easy), the tight fitting lid, and the loop handle in addition to the long handle. We had a 6 qt. Tramontina saute pan which used to be my favorite pan, but I like the All-Clad saute simmer pan even more because of its sloped sides and flared rim.

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All-Clad Tri-Ply Stainless-Steel Sauté Simmer Pan 4-Qt. $99 (William Sonoma)

One of my New Year's resolutions is to cook more, and so I've been doing some pantry organization lately. I decided to put a lot of the foods (e.g. flour, sugar, pasta, rice, beans, etc.) into containers rather than leaving them in their bags. I looked at a variety of food storage containers of different materials (e.g. glass, plastic, stainless steel, ceramic, etc.) and of various shapes and sizes. In the end I settled on a combination of these three types of plastic food containers:

Rubbermaid Modular Canisters

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Things We Like: Rubbermaid Food Storage Containers

We have two of these handheld blenders - one for soap making and one for soup making (I still get these two words mixed up sometimes!). I got the first one when I started making soap at home (as a hobby) in the winter of 2007, after I hand whisked a batch of soap mixture for an hour and thought my right arm was going to fall off. The stick blender works wonderfully after many batches of soap. Then we bought a second one when I learned to make dahl soup from an Indian friend, and we've been equally pleased with its performance in the kitchen.

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Things We Like: Cuisinart Smart Stick Handheld Blender

After we moved and settled in, I got one of these laundry sorters with 3 bags and a hanging bar. We used to just throw everything in a laundry basket in one corner of our bedroom, and that was all the space I could afford to allocate to dirty laundry. Now our master closet seems to be as big as our old master bathroom, so I figured why not make laundry easier and be more organized :)? I really like this laundry sorter for several reasons:

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Things We Like: Seville Classics 3-Bag Laundry Sorter with Hanger

One cleaning product that we find indispensable in the kitchen is Bar Keeper's Friend. It's a fine white powder that contains no phosphates, bleach, or abrasive substances. It works wonders on getting stainless steel pots and pans sparkling clean, especially after sauteing vegetables or browning meat which often leaves a thin film and slight discoloration on the inside bottom of the pan after normal washing. Regular use of Bar Keeper's Friend also helps to prevent stain buildup.

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Things We Like: Bar Keeper's Friend Multi-Purpose Household Cleanser and Polish

Being a shorter person (5' 4"), I need a step ladder in the house for reaching things on the shelves in the kitchen and closets, as well as for changing light bulbs and doing household projects. We had a steel framed 2-step step ladder which worked well, then I found this ultra-light aluminum step ladder at Home Depot which quickly became my go to step ladder since it's so easy to use and move around.

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Things We Like: Home Depot Ultra-Light Aluminum Step Ladder/Stool

Over the years, we've bought various bed sheets, but found ourselves using the same set over and over - Wamsutta Comfort Soft cotton sheet set, 400-thread count. We like it the best given its soft, smooth, and silky hand and because it stands up to repeated washing with minimal shrinkage and fading.

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Things We Like: Wamsutta Comfort Soft Cotton Sheet Set, 400-Thread Count

I have very dry skin in the winter and have tried many different brands of lotion (conventional and natural) to relieve the itchiness in my arms and legs. Most of the lotions are ok for providing temporary relieve from the tightness and flakiness of dry skin, but none provided long lasting relief from itchiness. Recently I discovered the Gold Bond Ultimate Healing Skin Therapy Lotion with Aloe. I decided to give it a try after reading many positive reviews on Drugstore.com, and have found it to be the "ultimate" lotion that I've been searching for.

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Things We Like: Gold Bond Ultimate Healing Skin Therapy Lotion with Aloe

After running Cooking For Engineers for almost six years, we've had the opportunity to test a variety of kitchen products, both good and bad. In our daily lives, we approach the stuff we use in a similar manner - trying out several different products, brands, or methods until we find what works best for us.

We thought we should put some of this information to good use and share it with our readership. Recommendations we make are not necessarily the best of what's out there, but is the best of what we've used or what works best for our preferences or lifestyle. We'll try to explain why we like each item and hopefully that will help our readers determine if it's something they'll like as well.