Weddingbee

I have a confession to make. I returned a lot of the gifts we received off our wedding registry. We had a very small registry (because we didn’t want to appear greedy even though I am) and ended up getting pretty much everything we registered for. But it was too much - I still have presents stacked in our living room closet (that I plan to regift one day haha just kidding).

The reality is that when you live in a small New York apartment, you just don’t have room for all the gifts you receive. So for couples living in New York, I now give gift cards to the store they’re registered at so they can buy what they need/want.

We registered at Bed Bath and Beyond because of their great return policy and because we needed a lot of basic housewares. Other popular places to register include: Macy’s, Bloomingdales, Crate and Barrel, Pottery Barn, Williams and Sonoma, and Target. You might even want to consider specialty stores like the Container Store (which I love), Home Depot, Ikea, or even Amazon.

What everyone needs is going to be different, but I thought I’d share some of the products that I use myself and recommend.

2 Slice Toaster Cover from Bed Bath and Beyond - $5.99. I’m going to buy one of these and a blender cover today actually. It’ll keep your toaster clean because who knows what could fall in there.

Cabinet Shelves from the Container Store in small ($2.99), medium ($3.99), and large ($4.99). Simply indispensable for organizing your kitchen cabinets. I have more than double the space thanks to these nifty organizers. They also come in double stacking but I find the single ones are perfect for shelves.

Corner organizer rack from the Container Store for $7.99. The open front enables you to access dishes easily and maximizes cabinet space.

Lid Organizer from the Container Store for $3.99. Also good for organizing baking pans.

Undersink organizer from the Container Store for $14.99. It’s plastic and kinda ghetto, but the shelves are adjustable so you can make room for pipes. Besides you’re never going to see it and it’s great for organizing all those cleaning products under your kitchen and bathroom sinks.

Oxo Goodgrips Dustpan and Whiskbroom $9.99 everywhere. The best whiskbroom I’ve ever used.

All Clad Stainless Steel cookware. Yes it’s expensive but it’s simply the best and will last you a lifetime. This is what you’ll see all the chefs on the Food Network using. These are the basic pieces I’d recommend:

• 12″ & 10″ nonstick frying pan. Hands down the best nonstick pan I’ve ever used. For a more seasoned cook, you might want to get the regular frying pans in 12″ and 10″ instead of the nonstick.
• 3 quart covered saute pan
• 2 & 3 quart covered sauce pan
• 8 or 16 quart stockpot.

3.5 quart Rival Crockpot. Don’t get the ones with the fancy dials and switches. The old fashioned ones with only three settings - off, low, high - are still the best and will last you a lifetime. Plus it’s only around $20-$30! You’d be surprised how many delicious meals you can make with crock pots from chili (which I make all the time), pot roast, even stuffing! You turn it on when you leave for work, allow to cook for 8 hours and when you come home voila! a hot meal all cooked and waiting for you. I love my crock pot.

Lodge Logic Preseaoned Square Grill Pan - $25.00. Cast iron gets super hot so it really sears the flavors into your food and is great for indoor grilling. Clean-up is kinda hard, but it’s worth it for those delicious burgers, chicken, steaks and veggies with perfect grill marks. I also take it camping because it’s so sturdy and put it right on top of the campfire grill.

Riedel red and white wine tumblers. I can’t count how many wine glasses I’ve broken. These great tumblers are in the shape of wine glasses without that easily breakable stem.

Vacu Vin Wine Saver. I use this ALL the time. It sucks the air out of open wine bottles so the wine retains its taste longer. This is simply indispensable.

Oxo medium silicone spatula. I use the silicone spatula almost every single day. I love this tool! So much so I bought the medium spoon spatula, but the silicone spatula is still my favorite. Silicone can withstand extremely high heats so even if you leave it in your pan, it won’t burn and it won’t scratch your nonstick pans.

Oxo Stainless steel locking tongs. You’d be surprised just how much you use tongs in the kitchen! They’re an absolute kitchen essential especially when it comes to grilling. These lock to close for easy storage.

Oxo Good Grips Smooth Edge Can Opener. This can opener takes lids off under the lid so there are no sharp edges. It also has little tongs for you to lift the lid off so you never even have to touch it at all.

Oxo Good Grips 2 cup angled measuring cup. You can see the measurement looking down into the cup instead of the side.

Silpat Baking Sheets. A must if you bake!

Braun Handheld Blender and Chopper. I use this more often than a blender. Works fabulously!

Corelle Dishes. Just like the ones mom had. I’ve had cute dishes from Pottery Barn and Crate and Barrel made of glass, stoneware, earthenware…. they all chip and they’re heavy. This is a practical set to start out with - super durable, light, and affordable.

Global knives. The Japanese makes the best knives and no kitchen is complete without a set of good knives. The Global line is much lighter than Wusthof or Henckels so it’s great for women to use. I’d recommend the chef’s knife, santoku knife, paring knife, and a set of steak knives to start.

Sonicare Elite 7500. It has a timer so it automatically shuts off after 2 minutes. It also beeps every 30 seconds so you know when to switch to a different section. My teeth have never felt cleaner!

I’ll add more as I think of them…

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