Now that I'm two years into marriage, I think I made some pretty choices about which items to registry and not register for. So I thought I'd share my "bakers dozen" (ha!) of "must-have" kitchen items that you should (and should not) register for. (Or if you're already married, considering adding these items to your kitchen!).
1. A Crockpot/Slow Cooker
I registered for this Rival crockpot and love it! It's the right size, it's easy to use, and doesn't do "too much." (note: all products shown are my actual products unless otherwise noted.)
2. Oven-to-table CorningWare
I have this Corningware set and it's great. It's functional, versatile, and looks nice.
3. A Kitchen Utensils Set
I hate when people register for each kitchen utensil separately. It's hard for people to piece together a nice gift of random spoons and spatulas and it takes up a lot of visual space on a registry. I like when people register for a set and I'm very happy with my Oxo Good Grips Kitchen Tools set that we registered for.
4. Extra spatulas
It's hard to have too many spatulas. It seems there is always one or two of them in the dishwasher. So after you kitchen tools set you should register for a couple of nice extra metal spatulas (good for grilling out too!). I really like our stainless steel spatula from Crate & Barrel.
5. A good set of mixing bowls
I think three mixing bowls in three sizes is about perfect unless you are a crazy baker. I love this Oxo mixing bowl set that we registered for. They are sturdy, functional, and I love the non-slip bottoms.
6. A Toaster Oven
Our toaster oven is the most-used item in our kitchen. It's SO versatile. You can toast all kinds of bread, heat up food, make nachos and other appetizers, and so much more. It appears that the Oster Toaster Oven that we registered for is discontinued but this one is similar. We love our toaster oven so much that we don't even have a regular toaster.
7. Nice everyday flatware
Most people register for flatware but I seriously love our Couture Flatware from Crate & Barrel. We spent a long time picking this flatware and it was an excellent choice.
8. Little dishes
I have these little dishes from Crate & Barrel and use them SO much. They're good for prepping food, serving sauces with main dishes, and tons of other things.
9. An Espresso Maker
If you're a coffee lover like me, then register for an Espresso Maker. It's such a fun treat to use it and if you're like me it's something you'd never buy for yourself. We like our Krupps Espresso Maker a lot.
Now for things I didn't register for but wish I did...
10. A Rice Cooker
I struggled through cooking rice for a year before I finally broke down and bought this Aroma rice cooker. It has made making healthy meals like chicken, rice, and veggies SO much easier. I wish I'd had this a long time ago!
11. Really good baking sheets
I didn't register and William-Sonoma but I wish I had so I could have gotten a bunch of their goldtouch products. I registered for cheapie cookie sheets and regretted it. I'm obsessed my goldtouch baking sheets that I got for Christmas this year.
Now for things I didn't register for, but got separately as gifts, and I'm glad I did...
12. Stainless Steel Cookware
I was registered for a mishmash of teflon and expensive stainless steel cookware when my mother-in-law told me that I should unregister for that stuff and she'd buy me some good cookware as a shower present. She bought me this surgical stainless steel "waterless" cookware set. These pots and pans really are amazing! It took a bit of time to learn to cook on them but they really are the best pots and pans in the world. And she paid A LOT less than you would have paid for a comparable set at Bed, Bath & Beyond.
13. A Wine Fridge
We really wanted to register for a wine fridge but the options at Bed, Bath, and Beyond and Crate & Barrel all held between 6-18 bottles which really isn't enough if you're at all serious about collecting and storing wine. So we skipped registering for that item and with some of our wedding money bough a 40 bottle Magic Chef wine cellar at Home Depot for the same price as the smaller ones retail for at those other stores! It's a fantastic cellar and we love having our wine properly stored in it.
So that's it for our wedding registry "must haves" for the kitchen! Maybe I'll do a follow up for items for the rest of the house. What kitchen items do you are "must haves" for a wedding registry?
2. Oven-to-table CorningWare
I have this Corningware set and it's great. It's functional, versatile, and looks nice.
3. A Kitchen Utensils Set
I hate when people register for each kitchen utensil separately. It's hard for people to piece together a nice gift of random spoons and spatulas and it takes up a lot of visual space on a registry. I like when people register for a set and I'm very happy with my Oxo Good Grips Kitchen Tools set that we registered for.
4. Extra spatulas
It's hard to have too many spatulas. It seems there is always one or two of them in the dishwasher. So after you kitchen tools set you should register for a couple of nice extra metal spatulas (good for grilling out too!). I really like our stainless steel spatula from Crate & Barrel.
5. A good set of mixing bowls
I think three mixing bowls in three sizes is about perfect unless you are a crazy baker. I love this Oxo mixing bowl set that we registered for. They are sturdy, functional, and I love the non-slip bottoms.
6. A Toaster Oven
Our toaster oven is the most-used item in our kitchen. It's SO versatile. You can toast all kinds of bread, heat up food, make nachos and other appetizers, and so much more. It appears that the Oster Toaster Oven that we registered for is discontinued but this one is similar. We love our toaster oven so much that we don't even have a regular toaster.
7. Nice everyday flatware
Most people register for flatware but I seriously love our Couture Flatware from Crate & Barrel. We spent a long time picking this flatware and it was an excellent choice.
8. Little dishes
I have these little dishes from Crate & Barrel and use them SO much. They're good for prepping food, serving sauces with main dishes, and tons of other things.
9. An Espresso Maker
If you're a coffee lover like me, then register for an Espresso Maker. It's such a fun treat to use it and if you're like me it's something you'd never buy for yourself. We like our Krupps Espresso Maker a lot.
Now for things I didn't register for but wish I did...
10. A Rice Cooker
I struggled through cooking rice for a year before I finally broke down and bought this Aroma rice cooker. It has made making healthy meals like chicken, rice, and veggies SO much easier. I wish I'd had this a long time ago!
11. Really good baking sheets
I didn't register and William-Sonoma but I wish I had so I could have gotten a bunch of their goldtouch products. I registered for cheapie cookie sheets and regretted it. I'm obsessed my goldtouch baking sheets that I got for Christmas this year.
Now for things I didn't register for, but got separately as gifts, and I'm glad I did...
12. Stainless Steel Cookware
I was registered for a mishmash of teflon and expensive stainless steel cookware when my mother-in-law told me that I should unregister for that stuff and she'd buy me some good cookware as a shower present. She bought me this surgical stainless steel "waterless" cookware set. These pots and pans really are amazing! It took a bit of time to learn to cook on them but they really are the best pots and pans in the world. And she paid A LOT less than you would have paid for a comparable set at Bed, Bath & Beyond.
13. A Wine Fridge
We really wanted to register for a wine fridge but the options at Bed, Bath, and Beyond and Crate & Barrel all held between 6-18 bottles which really isn't enough if you're at all serious about collecting and storing wine. So we skipped registering for that item and with some of our wedding money bough a 40 bottle Magic Chef wine cellar at Home Depot for the same price as the smaller ones retail for at those other stores! It's a fantastic cellar and we love having our wine properly stored in it.
So that's it for our wedding registry "must haves" for the kitchen! Maybe I'll do a follow up for items for the rest of the house. What kitchen items do you are "must haves" for a wedding registry?
29 comments:
I was pretty obsessive about my registry. We registered for a lot of the same things except the expresso maker. I got one for college graduation(I asked for it)..and never used it. Took too much time :(
I spent forever perfecting my registry. My must have was my Le Crueset Dutch Oven. I love that thing.
My 'must-haves' was the OXO Pop-Top food storage containers. I registered for 2 sets and got both of them and could even use more! I love the pop tops since they vacuum seal food in! Also a stove-top cast iron skillet... we use that constantly... for breakfast foods, turkey burgers.. and it has a smooth side and a grill-mark side. We love it! I agree with you on the toaster oven.. we don't have a toaster and I've done everything in that oven, even bake pot pies! It's awesome!
Love this post! We registered at Crate & Barrel this past weekend and I keep looking at the registry wondering if we should add or remove items. Thanks for all the great advice!
I'd also say a Pyrex set...so nice being able to put leftovers in them and not have them stain like plastic does!
I looove my Crockpot and use it all the time - good suggestion!
I second Pyrex - especially smaller ones so you can pack up leftovers for lunch.
I would also suggest serving dishes for entertaining and a really nice Chef's knife. I do 95% of my cutting, chopping, slicing, etc with my Chef's knife.
Great post!
A good non-stick grill pan, a crock pot, a good set of knives, a Keurig and my trusty kitchen-aid mixer!
My must-haves that have served me well include:
-KitchenAid mixer
-Le Creuset bake-ware and cookware
-William Sanoma utensil set
-Chicago Cutlery knife set
XO
Carly
All This Grace and Charm
http://allthisgraceandcharm.blogspot.com
You would have hated my registry. I registered for each kitchen utensil separately :)
Let's see, my Kitchen Aid, my hand mixer and our pots and pans. Not really fancy, but, the most used items in our kitchen for sure. Oh! And, our glassware, I looooove it and it was discontinued last year, so, that makes me sad.
My stand mixer and Dyson vacuum. These are two pretty expensive items - and items I use ALL THE TIME. I, too, read tons of reviews and worked hard to create a registery that encapsulated all we needed and gave people many price points. It is an art!
We already have several of those items, but most of the ones we don't have are on our registry. I love that the crockpot you posted has a rack in the bottom. I haven't seen that before.
We have the exact same utensils!
Other items that I absolutely looove from our registry:
- wine decanter
- matching serving utensils
- a variety of plain white serving dishes/bowls
Smartstick Hand Blender. PERFECTION.
http://www.cuisinart.com/products/hand_blenders/csb-78.html
Hahaha brilliant. You know I love me a slow cooker :).
I looooove my everyday dishes that we registered for. I don't think we would have been able to afford all of them otherwise, but it's so nice to have a set!
I should get a toaster oven- it would be really useful! What about a food processor? We don't use ours too often but when we do it's a dream!
This is a great list! We have most of the items you listed. We ended up with a lot of stuff we don't use, but I hope I'll use it one day!
I have to say I'm so excited to register. For so long I've been putting off buying things because we could register for it in the future. But we do have a crockpot and a toaster oven, so that's 2 things down off your list!
I love my crockpot. I always recommend buying one. A friend bought me a set of mixing bowls (5 in a set) and I use the huge one all the time. Not just for baking but salads especially for potlucks.
I don't know what I'd do without all my prep bowls. They are a necessity to me!
I'd add my KitchenAid Stand Mixer to the list. I don't know how I ever cooked or baked without it. They're pricey, but it is now my favorite appliance in the kitchen!
Ha we are just starting to put away the remaining items we got from our registry (just finished a kitchen renovation that included adding more cabinets to store our gorgeous kitchen items!) and I am amazed with how many cool things we actually received! So far my favorite has been the KitchenAid stand mixer, I love to cook and even used it today to make blueberry muffins, and the pyrex dishes - both a round bowl set and a shallow pan set.
kerryandscott.blogspot.com
I love your list!! I completely agree about the CorningWare. I only have a few but I love those pieces.
We have a rice cooker (cause my hubs is Chinese and it's a staple for him). I've never used it for anything else though. I'll have to look into that!
And I agree with the girls who said Pyrex! You can never have enough!! =)
Those are all really great suggestions! If I ever get married, I'll remember this list!
I love your list! Our wine fridge is one of our favorite things, and I think our cookware is a close second. We don't have a toaster oven, but you make me want one!
I am tardy to the party on this one but had to say that you're list was great! I didn't register for a crock pot and I find my husband wanting one now.
I did love getting serving pieces, Some I registered for and other were just general gifts, but we actually use them and remember who gave them to us at each special occasion we have.
I'm also late to the party and I can appreciate your love of a nice, well planned list but mine wouldn't look much like yours!
We do agree on the crockpot (I have that exact one!). I use it all of the time. We also have that exact toaster oven (the one pictured) but it sits in the garage. I've never understood the need for a toaster oven!!! It takes up WAY too much counter space and I just plain never use it.
I don't agree about the utensils either. But, I may just be too picky about my kitchen tools. I've never found a set that I would use everything of and found it more useful to register for the three or four things I would actually use. I'm not a spatula user either. Hmmm... I wonder why? I just prefer tongs, my Pampered Chef scrapers and wooden spoons. Oh, and when I see utensils on a registry I love to put them together in a fun basket of misc. things. I suppose that's just how I roll!!! :) My husband wouldn't let me register for anything expensive, so my splurge on ours was really nice towels and sheets! I did have a friend buy me a food processor that she knew I would love.
I find it interesting the difference in traditions that are wedding gift giving. Not only does it vary by generation but by region and lifestyle too. Who knew people would be setting up websites for people to "donate" to their honeymoon fund!? Hey, whatever floats your boat, I suppose!
Thanks for this, I enjoyed reading everyone else's favorite things too!!!
This post helped me a little! I was looking for similar lists on google before I started registering. I laughed when you said people who register for each utensil seperately is annoying! bahahaha... I totally did that. I took your advice though, and registered for the same OXO set. I left the seperate utensils on our registry though in case anyone feels the need to get them seperately. I need them so bad so I'm hoping someone gets us some! :)
Thanks for your suggestions! We're getting married next weekend, 4/30... FINALLY! :)
Some great comments there! I wish I had registered for a few of the items you had listed, also. We just discussed the rice cooker on someone's list for a wedding in a few weeks. May have to change my opinion on that!
this is awesome as theirs a requirements on what to have during the wedding day. how i wish i have this kind of preparation also during my wedding day.
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