How often do you replace pots and pans?

[Bhumika]

Having the right tools and utensils in the kitchen can make our lives so much easier. Although, pots and pans appear to be a pretty basic requirement in the kitchen , they are super essential to cook delicious meals and delicacies 😉 .

There exists variety of cookware ranging from stainless steel, non-stick pans, cast-iron to ceramic cookware and so on. All of us may consider different factors to choose one that suits best our budget and cooking requirements. However, despite all the initial considerations while buying these , like all tools, they can eventually wear out and may need replacing. 

So, we'd love to hear from our Hosts what factors do you consider while buying these basic tools like pans and pots? Do you use stainless steel, non-stick pans, cast-iron to ceramic cookware? How often do you replace your pots and pans in the kitchen? 

[Bhumika]

Hi @Alejandra999 , it's nice to hear that you take so much care of your listing and change everything from time to time, to ensure everything looks new and standard. Since your guests generally don't cook much , do you provide them with any evening snacks or morning breakfast?

[Mary1523]

non stick mostly, given up on the stainless steel ones - hopeless to keep clean and guests blame me for them not being clean if they aren't perfect...

i go for cheaper side, not cheapest, but  not expensive so i can chuck out without care. and guests don't treat them with care either. well not in my house serving 12 people, looking after things gets a lower priority with group bookings i think.....

i cook there every few months to test everything out otherwise i'll get guest complaints ...its the only way... i think with a large kitchen serving 12 people, everything in the kitchen matters as they rarely eat out being a rural property. so if something lasts a few years, i'm doing well....

(it's one of the things i've noticed, a large rural almost off-grid property looking after more than 8 people requires alot more care (guests don't appreciate this), there's alot more to go wrong (guests dont understand this either), there's a lot more for  guests to complain about too! my next airbnb will be much smaller and then i'll probably be able to average a much higher rating! but i'm going off topic here.....)

[Bhumika]

Hi @Mary1523 , I like how you're proactive in testing your listing's kitchen every few months to ensure all the tools function well! 👏 How do you maintain non-stick cookware? Do you have any recommendations to improve their life span on the shelf? 😉

Within a rural setting, I agree guests would rarely go out to eat (I could relate to it, since we did cook at our Airbnb during our stay as it was a bit isolated from city and restaurants , when we visited Manitoulin Island here in Canada, last year😝. We were really grateful that the Host had all the kitchen amenities in place😍.)

I'm sure despite all these challenges you've mentioned, guests would appreciate you for providing such an amazing stay with all the required amenities in such rural settings.  

Given your experience with a larger property and group of guests, what specific amenities do you think could make the biggest difference in reducing guest complaints ?

[Mary1523]

Hi, with non stick cookware, the idea is i don't have to maintain it. I assume guests put them through the dishwasher...like others, if the non stick starts to peel then its no longer in circulation...and then i use it as a bird bath in the garden. Hate  chucking out pots and pans as they aren't easily recycled here.

...I'm on a mission to replace or get rid of anything that actually requires regular maintenance. My to do list on the property never shortens...

As for guest complaints, well firstly it's always about getting the basics right. It's kinda frustrating that you can go to all this effort and maintenance of gardens (like spend 5 hours weeding the front lawn),  setup new outdoor entertaining areas, freshen up the decor, check all the games & toys for safety and nothing broken that toddlers could hurt themselves on, check that the streaming services logins still are in place etc but if the previous guests didn't wash the cutlery/plates properly, and you don't check them for next booking, you get 4 stars.......sigh. Or, a few cobwebs appear (eve nif on the outside window) between cleans, you get labelled unclean. (Its a farm for chris sakes)

Not all guests appreciate or even understand what you do to make the property welcoming, and they'll slam you on the basics. I get it and its a painful lesson. So in my experience, its not about specific amenities.

Infact, have the least amount of amenities which allows you to focus on the basics and you'll probably find it much easier to get great ratings. The more you have, the more to maintain....or set expectations on....like I provide push bikes for the farm but I have to manage expectations on those that they aren't roadworthy, or for the pool, why don't I provide inflatable pool toys....have to manage expectations on those because such toys last about 5 hrs before they bust....

Guests will forgive 1 thing I find, but when there's more than 1, it's not recoverable. And the problem with larger properties and larger numbers of guests is there is more room to go "wrong", or just more people to complain because there's a whole group. eg Person who booked super happy, but the mother in law complained about something trivial, and then another guest thought it also a problem, never mind it was made clear up front to the booker. Plus, then eg there is a heat lamp (of 4) not working in the bathroom, and all of a sudden you get 4 stars because guests start from 5, collected all thoughts and in their mind, thought it wasn't perfect therefore you didn't deserve 4 stars. So it's not about amenities per say, it's just bigger houses have more to go wrong cause you tend to offer, plus more people to complain, more chance you won't gt 5 stars is my experience. And throw in when the basics don't work, it doesn't matter what you offer....

But then having said that, when everything works, then guests have a great time and give a great rating! That makes it all worthwhile....Those that appreciate the thought, care and time you put into making the property.... There's many from metro areas who don't understand though and hold you to some standard as if comparing some apartment in the city where it takes 30 mins to clean. It takes 5-6 hours to clean our place between bookings and that's not even the deep cleans we do periodically for mould killing, rodent baiting, insect spraying, outside window cleaning (like 30+ windows), leaf blowing off all the outdoor entertaining areas, outdoor furniture cleaing etc.

Sorry long answer but you asked! 

Kind regs

Mary

M

[Bhumika]

Wow @Mary1523 ! Thanks so much for sharing your experiences and how you spend so much efforts into creating a comfortable stay for your guests 😊 It's definitely insightful for many new Hosts who would be reading this topic.

On reading your response, it seems like you like to be a sustainable Host and try your best to recycle items where possible. I'm so much intrigued about the "bird-bath in the garden" you've just mentioned. Would you like to share a picture of it with us? 😍 

[Nina210]

For quirky properties i find to best to articulate and explain the nuances. Also the vetting of the guest some people are just not as adaptable. Good luck

[Bhumika]

That's a good point @Nina210 , Hosts in our Community always mention this aspect of having clear descriptions to their listing. I'll also tag @Mary1523 to your comment so that she gets notified of your response.

Is their any quirky feature in your listing that you have to ensure is described in detail in your listing's description?

Community Tip : If you'd like to tag members in your comments, simply press on @ in your keyboard, and the name of the person you are trying to comment to should pop up 😊  (In this case, Mary). Hope it helps! 🌻

[Adrian1909]

Inreppace as soon as I see any scratch or damage as often as is necessary,to keep everything in good condition.

[Bhumika]

Hi @Adrian1909 , That's an interesting strategy to ensure cookware appear to be new and fresh. When was the last time you had to replace them? 🌻

[Alessandra1323]

Ciao 

Non appena vedo che sono consumate o con graffi sostituisco subito..voglio che tutti gli accessori in cucina siano sempre al top 

[Translation added by Community Manager] 

HI

As soon as I see that they are worn or have scratches I replace them immediately... I want all the accessories in the kitchen to always be at the top

[Bhumika]

Ciao @Alessandra1323 ! Seems like you follow same strategy as @Adrian1909 ! So I was curious to know when was the last time you had to replace them? I like how you think of ensuring that the kitchen accessories remain up-to-date 😉

[Alison881]

Our guests usually cook at least once or twice, including Christmas dinners!

We use good quality stainless steel pans, not had to replace one in 5 years. They come out like new from the dishwasher. However we do provide non stick frying pans, no other choice really, and I think we've replaced one once 

[Bhumika]

What!!! @Alison881 , you haven't had to replace one in 5 years? That's quite a feat! How do you maintain the longevity of steel pans? We'd really love to hear your tips 😍 

[Adrian3515]

We use good quality Berghoff or Pro cook stainless steel pans that always scrub up like new, I think the quality and standard of a listing should be carried all the way through to the little details like that. 

[Bhumika]

Hi @Adrian3515 ,  Thanks so much for sharing your recommendations with us! Do you have any specific cleaning tips or products or scrubs you use to keep your stainless steel pans looking like new? 

I guess many Hosts would agree that all the little details and amenities matter when you set up a quality listing 😍