Choose the right kind of restaurant cookware for your needs

The type of commercial-grade cookware you buy for your restaurant will depend on the type of food on your menu. If you are offering a lot of pasta dishes and sautéed foods, then you will need to stock up on shallow sauté pans. If you plan to bake all of your own breads, then have plenty of sheet pans handy. Making desserts? Then, you will need mixing bowls, cake pans and custard cups, just to name a few items.

I recommend: Find all the restaurant cookware you need to outfit an entire kitchen at The Restaurant Source and ABestKitchen.com. They carry everything from pots and pans to serving utensils and tablewares.

Know the difference between commercial-grade cookware and everything else

There are many companies that carry cookware which is marketed as "chef's choice" or "restaurant quality." While these pots and pans are more durable (and expensive) than their cheaper counterparts, they are not suited for the heavy-duty wear and tear of a busy restaurant kitchen.

I recommend: BigTray.com carries the real deal. Their commercial cookware and bakeware is made of heavy-duty cast iron and aluminum, guaranteed to stand up to whatever a professional chef might throw at it, or in it.

Buy used commercial-grade cookware with confidence

Commercial pots and pans are pretty hard to break. Therefore, they are an ideal candidate to buy used. You can save hundreds of dollars on used restaurant cookware. The pots, pans and baking sheets may have some scuffs and dings, but they will work just fine.

I recommend: Find plenty of used cookware for restaurants at Business.com. Also check out local auction houses in your area and local restaurant supply houses for used small wares and industrial cookware.