Cooking.com

Full review
My husband Bill and I are both amateur foodies who like to cook. That makes Cooking.com a natural choice in online stores when we're looking for new equipment or gadgets. But I also shop at Cooking.com because of an added bonus. I am a member of MyPoints.com and Cooking.com participates. For every dollar I spend on Cooking.com before shipping and handling, I get four MyPoints, which can later be used to purchase gift cards.

Cooking.com's selection

Cooking.com is a large Web site that offers a huge array of cooking equipment made by well known manufacturers. Consumers can find everything from oven mitts to double wall ovens on this Web site. It's also a great place to go if you need a special gadget that isn't available in your favorite brick and mortar store. A couple of months ago, Bill and I took a cooking class at an Italian B&B. One of the things we made in the class was a fruit tart, which included cherries. We used a cherry pitter to remove the stones from the cherries. A cherry pitter is something that we didn't have in our own kitchen arsenal. We've looked locally for one with no luck. I tried to buy one from Amazon.com, only to find out that it couldn't be shipped to my location. I went to Cooking.com and solved that problem quickly and fairly painlessly.

Last month, I purchased a very nice oven mitt for my husband's birthday. He was tired of burning his hands with the crappy ones we had purchased at AAFES (military discount store). This mitt is not your everyday oven mitt, as it's made with Nomex, a fabric that's used in firefighter apparel. It was a bit expensive, but I no longer hear Bill complaining about burning his hands.

Over the years, I have also purchased an ice cream maker, smoker/grill, and a beer making kit from Cooking.com. All have been reasonably priced and have gotten to me quickly.

Prices and shipping

I find Cooking.com's prices to be competitive with those on other Web sites, like Amazon.com. The one difference is that Cooking.com usually charges shipping and handling. However, there are four different levels of delivery service, ranging from Super Saver to Next Day. Naturally, the four delivery service levels come at different cost levels. Yesterday, I purchased about $40 worth of goods and my Super Saver shipping charge was $8.99. For that level, Cooking.com charges $4.99 for the first pound and .55 for each additional pound. For the most expensive shipping option, Cooking.com charges $22 for the first pound and $2 for each additional pound. Consumers cannot choose which carrier will handle their order; most orders are delivered by the post office, DHL, or UPS.

Naturally, there may also be some limitations and extra expenses included with shipping to foreign countries, Alaska and Hawaii, and APO/FPO addresses. There have been a few products that I couldn't buy because I have an APO/FPO address. But overall, I haven't had any trouble getting most of the things I've wanted to buy while I've been in Germany.

Return Policy

Items purchased directly from Cooking.com can be returned directly to Cooking.com for exchange or refund of the purchase price. Gifts can be returned for store credit. All packages that come from Cooking.com include a return form, which also has a label that can be used to ship the item back to Cooking.com. I have never had to return or exchange an item from this site, so I don't know how easy this process is.

Cooking.com does not handle returns on items purchased from their merchant partners. Each partner has its own return policy.

Web site layout

Cooking.com is probably not the most attractive Web site I've ever seen, but it is pretty functional. I am usually able to find most products I'm interested in purchasing by using their search engine. I created an account, which stores my shipping and billing information. Cooking.com accepts all major credit cards. I can even pay by PayPal or store a credit card number on their secure site. I can also find and save recipes, maintain a wish list, and set up an address book for when I want to send gifts to people. Cooking.com also gives Web site users the chance to review their purchases or read reviews written by other patrons.

When I place an order, I get an immediate confirmation. When the order ships, I get another email letting me know it's on its way. Likewise, I can also refer to my account to see the status of my Cooking.com orders.

Overall

I'm glad Cooking.com is around to help me when I need new cooking equipment. I would definitely recommend it to professional and amateur cooks everywhere!

www.cooking.com