All Over Albany

Whether you cook for an army or you're just a culinary commando, you may have heard about Central Restaurant Equipment on Central Avenue in Albany. They sell new and used restaurant goods -- and they're open to the general public.

A quick walk around the store shows shelves stocked with your basic restaurant essentials, like cast iron skillets, springform pans, knives, blenders, cutting boards, juice glasses, and more. For most of these things, like spatulas and whisks, I wouldn't make a special trip unless I needed a particular size. However if I ever needed a dozen small white teacups for a party, I'd come here first (only $11).

The Winco aluminum pots and pans are less expensive than what you'll find at say, Bed, Bath & Beyond, but my more-culinary-inclined spouse tells me he'd never pass up stainless steel for straight aluminum. On the other hand, if you really need a 60 Qt. stockpot, I'm not sure you can afford to be choosy.

My top picks are the clear frosted plastic juice glasses for $1 (I love these, especially for kids; you can't pour them more than you're easily able to mop up off the floor) and the herringbone dish towels (great for drying just about everything and they're lint-free) in packages of 12 for $16.

In the basement, you'll find the island of misfit restaurant-ware. It's a warren of rooms filled wall-to-wall (literally!) with used prep stations to cappuccino makers, freezers to stoves, coolers, and more. These aren't stickered; if you're interested in something you'll have to ask.

While Central Restaurant Equipment doesn't have traditional sales like other stores, you still might be able to score a deal. You might have to buy in bulk, though.