I think you were in dire need of bakeware.

I saw these- right next to the massive Paula Deen section.

Yuck. Anything to put a couple more bucks in their pockets I guess. Growing up in an Italian family, her over-pronunciation of everything just goes to my core. So having stuff in my kitchen with her name scrawled on it? No thanks.

Personal things aside, I don't typically raid Target for baking dishes and these, even though cheaply priced, I think are generic and pretty bland to be honest.

Good grief. I don't want to be negative, but this post is very poorly written.

Why does the bakeware set include a mug?

i went to check out this new line after seeing the adverts in a magazine. the ceramic bakeware is really light when picking them up, but visually stunning. really simple lines and clean glaze. the utensils & cookware looked cheaply made. i think the only thing i would spend money on would be a ceramic piece.

I'm not a big fan of Giada (it's her on-screen persona that I can't deal with, her recipes seem fine to me though) but I've seen these pieces at Target and some of the pieces are quite attractive. The pie and gratin dishes in particular are nice and sleek and I find the palette very appealing. The price point is decent too. I would spend the extra dough on some Emile Henri but these might be a nice option for a tighter budget.

she's so freaking hot

clampers - I agree!

Thank you, Heather77. I thought I was just being an anal retentive English teacher. Two sentences in a row that start with "We immediately..." Now that Im done cringing, I can think about the content of the actual post. I've never been a fan of celebrity chefs creating their own products. I prefer looking at which products they use themselves BEFORE they're famous enough to design their own. They tend to use the standard brands (KitchenAid, Le Crueset, etc.), and I'd much prefer to spend my money on tried and true products than something that is in a trendy color and has Rachel Ray's face on the box.

I saw Paula Deen even "designs" furniture now. I didn't know what to think...

What's with the cup?

Clamper and alllebasii, those are lame comments that you should keep to yourself. No one cares.

But she is hot...

I agree with everyone else, I'd rather get better bakeware, but I'm happy you found something you like.

I wonder what Global thinks of her stealing their knife designs since she uses REAL Global knives on her show...

That aside, the mug is actually a measuring cup. I think the bakeware set is really pretty and the buttercup yellow should complement many kitchen colors. I am also strangely drawn to the red/steel spatulas... thankfully they don't have Giada's scary face plastered all over it.

I usually try to stay as far away from any celebrity chef branded products as possible. They seem to be cheaply made and overpriced. There are a couple of exceptions I'm sure (a lot of the Mario Batali stuff is nice). Haven't seen the Giada stuff, but if the cookware is truly tri-ply it might be decent.

Eh. Giada's show is among the FN's standard offerings: watered down, non-useful, and focused more on her figure than on the food coming out of her kitchen. I guess it was a no-brainer that she's merchandising her fame into more bakeware, but I'm rolling my eyes. I'd rather buy bakeware that's good instead of buying the stuff with Giada's name all over it.

@ JessMess -

Why such a negative nelly? Lame comments? No one cares? Last I checked people generally like to voice their opinion on here, regardless if others care or not.

Certainly you like to voice your NEGATIVITY, but I see nothing inappropriate about the comments you found offensive enough to mention.

I think if you're writing a blog and using pictures and you want variety, these would be great. They're inexpensive and eye pleasing.

I actually purchased the lidded casserole dish they had there, since I needed something of the sort quickly, and didn't feel like driving all over town to find the BEST DEAL. It is little, which is good for me living alone and cooking for two at most, and I haven't had any issues with it being cheaply made or anything. And I think it looks nice, very plain and clean, and it will compliment any bigger "statement" pieces I eventually get.

I agree that these are rather plain and boring, but really I am questioning why a mug is included with bakeware??

I think she is okay, I would take Giada over Rachel any day, and her food at least looks good. Unfortunately every recipe I have tried of hers doesn't end with half as much flavor as I had hoped for when she made it.

I don't really care for the style of this bakeware, what some might call simplicity, I just call boring. Not my thing, but if you like it then I think could be a great product for you, regardless of whose name is on the box.

The gadgets though are ridiculous, they are kind of oddly shaped and don't look like the would be as functional as their standard counterparts. Also, $9.99 for a silcone and steel spoon? IT'S A SPOON! Do you need a silcone and steel spoon? Most people seem to be able to do just fine with just plain steel, not $10 spoons.

I got the oval baking dish a few weeks ago, but I haven't used it yet. I've been pleasantly surprised by the cooking equipment with Emeril and Mario's names on it. And the Giada stuff seems much better quality than Paula Deen's - some of which has been recalled due to problems like cast iron pans cracking. The oval baking dish is the only piece I'll buy, though.

As for the quality of Giada's shows compared to the rest of what's on the food network, at least it's an actual educational cooking show! There is so much on now that is just competitions. When Fine Living becomes the Cooking Network, I wonder if Giada, Ina, Alton, etc. will move over there and the Food Network will be left with Chopped, Unwrapped, Guy Fiere, "The Best Thing so and so ever ate", FN Competition: Disney Cake, and all the rest of the crap.

I usually get my bakeware from an overstock & last year's model's (outlet) store. The quality is there without the high price tag. As for purchasing something simply because a celebrity (admittedly a Food TV one) is endorsing it, I would never admit that to myself let alone anyone else. With regards to her pasta, I noticed this as well at Target. I buy the same orzo (it's plain orza after all...not some vintage or exclusive variety) from the grocery store. I can get organic orzo for the price Target wants for an endorsed brand. If you're looking for quality - look elsewhere. If you like the cookware because it's cheap, good cookware...then more power to you.

Using the cookware before writing a "review" of it might be useful...

@allebasii

The post is about her line of bakeware. This isn't Men.com where we rate how 'hottt' she is. Do we talk about how hot Mario Batali or Paula Deen or Rachel Ray is when there's a post about their line of stuff? No. It shouldn't be about their looks, it should be about their ability and how good/bad their product is.
Way to reduce a wonderful cook to just her looks.

jessmess - she is not THAT great of a cook, and i doubt stating the obvious is hardly "reducing" her. when did it become "wrong" to appreciate the way someone looks? you act as if we started taking about her "t&a"...

you seem like type of serious person who doesn't allow their kid cake at the party because it is "bad" for them. take a chill pill and get over yourself. your drama is better off at TMZ or something. done with this.

also, i failed to mention that you are being a tad hypocritical. here you are going on about talking about how people need to stay on topic of how good/bad something is, ect ect... meanwhile you are being a comment nazi, moderating and calling out what you don't like.

/end rant.

... no where near as hot as Nigella ...

Wow, are your lives so dreadful that you have to post such negative comments? I'm by no means a professionally trained chef, but there are those Target customers out there that can barely boil water who could use a moderately priced product line like this. So it's white? So there's a random mug included? If it encourages a recent college grad or buget-minded family to cook a healthy meal, is it really that terrible? There will always be better (more expensive) bakeware out there, but in case you've been living under a rock lately, not everyone can afford those lines. And Giada, shmiada... she's no different Isaac Mizrahi, Liz Lange, or any other celebrity that Target contacted to help brand a few items. Chill your Cuisinart and give something new a chance.

It never occurred to me to buy a consumer line because I like a TV chef, so I was surprised to read that--still not sure what you think the quality is, but as other people have said, many people need bakeware at a reasonable price. Just not why I come to Kitchn.

It's a measuring cup!

I honestly registered just to comment here, but have to agree with @Heather77 and @LitNerd. The abuse of the royal 'we' on this site is ridiculous. The author clearly indicates she is only speaking for herself when she states: "...recipes were floating around in our head."

A little editing please?

That said, I appreciate the reviews of celebrity-branded products, as they are counting on name recognition(and sometimes not much else) to sell.

The funny thing about Giada's show is that people hate her because she's too pretty and they think that she's just another model they hired to stick behind the stove, when she's one of the few FN personalities left who actually has serious training in culinary arts and ran her own catering business before getting into showbiz.

If you honestly think Giada's cooking is no better than Rachel Ray or Sandra lee, then you're letting the boobies blind you just as much as the fellas who are going on about how hot she is.

@Kaete - I agree!

Personally, I like Giada. I think her personality is far more likeable than other FN hosts. I think she gets hated on simply for being pretty and thin a lot of the time. People assume she has no skill or that her recipes aren't good, which simply isn't true. All the recipes of hers that I've tried have turned out well.

And as for people hating her marketing herself, well isn't that just like America? We'll build you up and then tear you right back down! I don't see anything wrong with her doing a cookware line for Target. It only makes sense for her to expand her image and I'm sure if given a chance a lot of people would do the same if they were in her shoes.

I very quickly browsed her line the last time I was at Target and I found it to be what I expected it to be. The ceramic bakeware is nice and reasonably priced. She also had a good sized bamboo cutting board that seemed reasonably priced as well.

You take things for what they're worth - obviously it's stuff made for Target, not Williams Sonoma so you can surmise what the quality will be.

Late to the party...

I just saw Giada's cookware at Target this week. Until I saw it I had no idea who she was. I think she looks like Anjolina with a roman nose. I know nothing about her show because I don't have access to it.

What caught my attention is the enameled cast iron. Aside from Mrs. Child and beef bourguignon, what is the reason one would want enameled cast iron? I understand why you want seasoned cast iron for things like certain cakes/breads, biscuits, fried foods. So why enameled?

Compared to Le Creuset, the cost is amazingly low.

I'd pass on the stainless cookware. It is amazingly thin. Quite a contrast to the weight of the ceramic and enameled ware. It does not appear to me that the lids seal (very important for sealing in flavor, nutrition and using less power to cook). It's also so thin I wonder about the thickness and effectiveness of the lining ~ is it lined? With copper?

Someone told me about a ceramic bakeware she saw while stationed in Europe. How is baking with ceramic different? Do you use the same heat? Does it cook faster or slower than metal? How do adjust recipes for it? Do you coat the pan or is it naturally non-stick?

What are the real concerns you have about it being cheaply made? What's the fear? How will it affect the cooking?

I'd consider myself the audience for some of these products. I have a fantastic 18/8 SS cookware set, some Revere square & rectangle and could use some other pieces, like maybe the enameled cast iron dutch oven. Would it work better for beef stew than my SS dutch oven?

With a growing family and care of a parent, cost is important. How often I would use it is another consideration.

Someone would have to explain why Le Creuset is worth the extra money.

ML