Okay, I don’t really keep my sweaters in my oven… but this was a line uttered by Sarah Jessica Parker that made me giggle when I (finally) saw the Sex and The City movie this weekend. I’m not quite as bad as Carrie Bradshaw when it comes to the kitchen, but I’m also not quite a master chef… yet.
Once the wedding is over and a little bit of chaos subsides in our lives, I really want to take a cooking class or two so that I feel more confident in the kitchen. I really want to enjoy cooking, but right now Mr. Cupcake cooks way more often than I do because I just can’t find the time to organize ingredients and actually prepare meals. With everything going on, cooking dinner feels more like another chore on my growing list of to-dos than something I would do to relax and unwind. Luckily, Mr. Cupcake likes to cook and has a knack for throwing together a yummy meal using whatever ingredients we happen to have, but I still want to be able to hold my own in the kitchen someday.
I am hoping that all of the delightful kitchen items on our registry will give me the added motivation to get my act together in the kitchen, since cooking with a hodge-podge of old college cookware and hand-me-down electronics isn’t the most fun at the moment.
I have mentioned my adoration for it before, but let’s just take another moment to appreciate the beauty that is the KitchenAid Stand Mixer:
My color of choice: Ice, from Bed, Bath and Beyond
It will be refreshing and hopefully less frustrating to have some nice, matching, non-stick cookware:
Calphalon Contemporary Non-Stick Cookware from Crate & Barrel
I’m also thrilled to replace my trusty (but too small for two burgers at a time and frankly getting a little gross) college-buddy, my George Foreman Grill, with a nice new replacement:
Cuisinart Griddler with removable plates from Bed, Bath & Beyond
And perhaps I’ll be inspired to blend more things once I have this:
Cuisinart Smart Power Premier Blender from Bed, Bath & Beyond
It will also be nice to eat my culinary creations off of our real, grown-up dishes with our real, grown-up flatware:
Halo Dinnerware from Crate & Barrel
Stanton Mirror Flatware from Crate & Barrel
Is anyone else hoping that their fancy new registry items will inspire them to find their inner Julia Child? Are you planning to take a cooking class to learn how to best make use of your new kitchen gadgets?
We didn’t register, so we received giftcards, but we did get a really nice set of Pampered Chef cookware to add to our collection. I love that stand up mixer but I am out of counter and cabinet space. I love buying/recieving kitchenware….I am so in love with the new professional knife block I got with one of the gift cards, but it doesn’t make me enjoy cooking any more. I do it because we can’t afford to spend money on eating out a lot, and it’s easier for me to cook because my husband leaves the kitchen a mess and he oversalts and sometimes cajunfies the food (I love blackened food, but sometimes not so much. Other than that he’s a really good cook!). I wish I could get into the spirit of cooking but I’ve been doing it so long that it really does feel like just another chore.
We’re thinking about registering for the halo dishes too, but I’m on the fence because it’s only microwavable on low… Anyone know how sturdy/delicate the set is in real life?
I have my fingers-crossed that I will magically want to/will know how/will enjoy cooking once we have real adult dishes and appliances!
Cupcake, I recommend hopping across the bridge to Sur La Table for a class there…you can observe if you prefer, but hands-on (with some awesome tools) is also available!
Miss Cupcake, my mom and I took a great class at the Viking cooking school on the Main Line. It was a ton of fun and we actually learned a lot! I’d recommend it!
Those are my pots and pans! They were our first big gift — and, alas, they’re still in the box. We’re moving soon, so we’ll be ditching our old, falling-apart cooking stuff and starting fresh with the set in the new place. I did, however, cave and set up both the griddler and the stand mixer. I feel like they’ll change my life right now, even if I’m going to have to pack them up again soon!
I once took a bread baking class at Sur La Table and really enjoyed it. I’d love to take a cooking class there that would be slightly more applicable for everyday!
@Mary: My brother and sister-in-law have had the Halo dishes for a year now (today is their one-year wedding anniversary!!!) and they said that they are sturdy and none have broken or chipped yet. I’m not sure if they’ve put them in the microwave, but I will have to ask!
@Miss Tiramisu: Hehe, I have the same dream…. as if it will just come to me magically!
@Mags: That’s a great suggestion…. one of my coworkers has also spoken very highly of the free classes at Williams-Sonoma!
@rebecca: I haven’t heard of the Viking Cooking School, but I will have to look into that since I work on the Main Line. I’m also a big fan of Main Line School Night!
We registered for, and received, the Griddler; Love it!
Once married I realized I didn’t know anything about cooking - why I didn’t realize it before, I have no idea! I travel a lot for work which takes me to my hometown so I stay at my parents house (4 or 5 times per month). The nights I am there my Mom is teaching me how to cook. It’s been a lot of fun and I’m always excited to make a new dinner at home for DH.
Cooking classes could be VERY cool, but never underestimate the power of a good old fashioned cookbook and a determined attitude. 
After college, I realized I didn’t really have too much kitchen know-how, so I flipped through some cookbooks, clipped recipes that sounded good from magazines (and internet is a GREAT resource as well!) and hit the kitchen. I feel like I’ve learned a lot through trial and error, and the fiance’s requests for my cooking tell me it was worth the effort. (And he’s quite a cook himself!)
Watching the Food Network is another great way to pick up some tips and tricks. Good luck in the kitchen!
I’m a huge fan of this book:
http://www.amazon.com/How-Cook-Everything-Simple-Recipes/dp/0471789186/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1213658769&sr=8-1
There are some great recipes in it, but even better are the really basic how-to sections. How to steam chicken, clean leeks, braid bread, set a custard… and then fancy ways to dress up just about anything. I also have the vegetarian version, which is enlightening and so far, not redundant at all.
Sorry for the shameless plug. I’m also a big fan of trying new recipes from epicurious.com. You can search by key ingredient, so it’s sort of a shortcut to throwing together a great meal with whatever is lying around the house.
My fiance and I received a cuisinart stand mixer for our engagement shower this weekend….
It’s the best present I have ever received… my eyes lit up like a christmas tree.
This morning I had to use it, it was actually killing me… so I used it to beat up some eggs and milk from my scrambled eggs. I feel much better now.
Watch out Betty Crocker…
This is a great post- I definitely became more chef-like after our wedding! I absolutely love my stand mixer & we use that griddler pretty often.
We’ve taken a class at the Viking store too (great experience!) & I hope we can get to take some more (they are pretty pricey!)
I recently started a subscription to Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food and it is a godsend!!! There are so many easy, delicious recipes- you’ll be a pro in no time. (also check out the what’s cooking message board on the nest- lots of help & inspiration there)
I’m still learning about cooking, but this site & their publications have been a HUGE help to me. I liken it to the Consumer Reports of cooking. They have product reviews (food, gadgets, knives, cookware, etc) and they address common issues or problems with a particular recipe. You should check them out.
Our new kitchen stuff paired with watching a ton of Food Network shows and Top Chef Chicago all season have really got me pumped up to cook. The All-Clad pots and pans make me want to cook, but the Shun knives are really actually fun to use! I feel like a professional using them! I can’t wait to get into our new apartment (with more counter space) to have access to the KitchenAid stand mixer! I hope it makes me want to bake like the cooking stuff makes me want to cook. Also, I think that wearing an apron makes me want to cook because I don’t have to change my outfit after work or worry about getting dirty…I just tie on a cute apron and I feel like a professional chef…or like June Cleaver! hahaha
We received the ice color Kitchen Aid and the Contemporary Calphalon set for our wedding last year. I love both the mixer and the cooking set but I have a couple suggestions…
Don’t get the cookware in the pre-made set. There are a bunch of other great pots they don’t have on there. We were able to customize what we got and we’re really glad we did. We got:
2 saucepans
2 omelette pans (but unlike the ones in the set we got them with lids which come in very handy)
1 5 qt. saucier
1 4.5 qt saucepan with steamer insert (very useful for vegetables)
1 stir fry pan
1 griddle
I don’t know about you but I’d never use a 8 qt stock pot like they have in the set plus it’s so huge it would be hard to store. We use the omelette pan lids, the steamer, and the stir fry pan all the time.
HTH!
We registered for the Staton from C&B (brushed finish)! We used the set for the 1st time last night now that we’re back from the honeymoon and we have received enough place settings to pack up the random other silverware that was in the drawer.
Best wishes in your cooking goals. Mr. Arivechi has always been more comfortable in the kitchen too. It’s motivating for me. We’ve also found that searching for a few recipes on-line to get inspired then leads us to just jump in and COOK!
I have two great cookbooks to recommend: How to cook Everything and How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman from the New York Times. The recipes are really simple, easy to prepare, and tons of quick variations are listed with each recipe. I don’t usually make it very far into a cookbook, but I am going through these cover to cover! It takes the stress out of wondering what to make for dinner when I’m super busy.
I’m looking forward to cooking more too after the wedding. My life has been so hectic lately, there just hasn’t been time to cook much - plus I don’t like cooking just for me! I’d much rather cook for someone else too. But he’s a little apprehensive about my healthy cooking (not tasting as good as a lot of the food he likes), so I found a fun cookbook recently that I can’t wait to try cooking from:
The Sneaky Chef: How to Cheat on Your Man (In the Kitchen!): Hiding Healthy Foods in Hearty Meals Any Guy Will Love
by Missy Chase Lapine
It sounds like it has a lot of great guy-friendly recipes that are healthy enough for me too! Just thought I’d let you all know about it in case you’re interested.
I just had my shower last weekend and received all sorts of fun gadgets that I can’t wait to use. The only problem is that we have less and less free time for shopping/cooking lately!
Mrs. Cupcake, Philadelphia
Age and Occupation: 27, Graphic Designer
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Construction Project Manager
Engagement Date: February 10, 2007
Wedding Date: September, 2008
Blogging Since: December 7, 2007
Venue: The Desmond Hotel in Malvern, PA
About Me: Mr. Cupcake and I hit it off at a Halloween party and immediately began a long-distance relationship. After two years, he moved to my neck of the woods, and a year and a half after that, he proposed at the “place we fell in love.” I am a true perfectionist who enjoys designing and creating more work for myself, so wedding planning is my perfect outlet. Mr. Cupcake and I are both old souls, and we hope to weave that aspect of our personalities into our wedding day.
I just have to say I’m IN LOVE with the 10 piece set of Contemporary Non-Stick Calphalon cookware! It will change your life! It truly is awesome, and we received the ENTIRE SET as our first wedding gift VERY early, right after we registered from some very, very generous unexpected givers!