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I really do. I have too much time on my hands, and the one activity (if it can be called that) I’ve found to fill my time is researching items for our registry. Yes, yes, I know it’s self-serving, consumerist and kinda lame. But it’s raining, I’m bored, and I can’t drive on the left side of the road. I have fears, like, what if I register for the wrong food processor and it breaks after the warranty and is suddenly possessed then attacks the cat? I think about this, and equally bizarre things fueled by Amazon.com reviews.
Another plus (minus?) to an Amazon.com registry is that you can see what other couples in your area registered for, what couples with similar items registered for, the top registered items, etc. The lists go on and on and on. Do all these couples know something that I don’t know? Why is a Le Creuset Dutch oven considered the Holy Grail? I thought the KitchenAid was it!
Not to mention, this Bed Bath and Beyond registry check list is HUGE, but it only leaves me with more questions! How can we possibly register for bathroom items or towels when we don’t even have a bathroom yet? Does anyone really want to buy us curtains? What pots do I need to have a decent kitchen? Do we really need an ice cream maker? (I’m thinking no…)
In an effort to educate myself I turned to the most reliable of sources (wikipedia) to find out what exactly a Dutch oven is and to find out if we need a slow cooker.
As it turns out, most of the same things can be made in each - do I need a Dutch oven AND a slow cooker? What on earth is a pressure cooker? I’m out of my depth here and my non-existent kitchen is becoming very confused.
What advice can you offer this kitchen novice as far as registry items? Are you overwhelmed by these checklists (and feeling like they’re just trying to get you to register for stuff you don’t actually need)?
If you don’t know what it is, you definately don’t need it!
A slow cooker is just a dutch oven with its own heating element. I like the slow cooker because I can start something and I feel safe walking away from it (unlike the stove). Honestly, no, you don’t need an ice cream maker.
Here is an easy registry tip: for 2 weeks write down EVERYTHING you use in the kitchen, bath, etc. Then just register for nicer versions of those things. If you don’t use a rice cooker on a regular basis, you shouldn’t register for one because you won’t use it.
**One caveat: If you like to entertain or expect to be cooking Thanksgiving dinner every year, you’ll have to factor in those events into your registry. You may not need a 20 inch serving platter for everyday use but it helps for those hors d’oeuvres!
@snmcdowell: LOL! Probably spot on!
We are renting, and won’t be here forever, so we’ve had a hard time picking out bathroom stuff too. We ended up going with a pretty light gray color for our neutral towels, and a blue green for the fun towels. 
I’m with snmcdowell. I think the registry suggestions are useful but I don’t think you need everything on them. I’m having lots of trouble registering!
Throw away that checklist girl. It’s BB&B’s way of getting business and that whole register 3 items per guest is baloney! You guys go there and register for what you use or need to use. Most of the things on the checklist are used day-to-day, but if you have no idea, don’t register for it! LOL
People will give you gift cards too, so if you do forget something later on in the year, you can get it taken care of!
There are a lot of things I feel silly registering for, but the one thing I can’t live without (and didn’t know I wanted until I got one) is a slow cooker/crock pot. It makes cooking so much easier when you can put everything in the crock pot in the morning, turn it on, and voila! Dinner is ready when you get home that evening. I couldn’t imagine life without one (mostly because I don’t particularly like to make anything that consumes a large part of my evening)
Canegirls’ suggestion is great. Also ask your friends who have a similar lifestyle to yours (not a foodie? Don’t ask someone who loves to cook really difficult dishes. Love to cook? Ask someone who loves to cook) what they can’t live without in the kitchen. Upgrade your basics (get a new set of pots and pans, a nicer toaster that didn’t live through the college years, real knives, and a real set of dishtowels and pot holders) and register for a few things that you like but might not necessarily buy yourself.
Good luck!
We didn’t have our own place until recently. We’ve been living with the in-laws. Register for kitchen stuff b/c that’s come in quite handy. Appliances and things that you’ll use - toasters, blenders, hand mixers, pots, utensils, plates, cutlery, drinkware, etc… I registered for bathroom stuff for the heck of it, but once we moved into our home, I returned it all… play it safe - you can register for gift cards too…
Hi guys. A mom here. I find most ‘gadgets’ i.e. appliances specific to one task, to take up more space than they are worth. The way to start the pots and pans in kitchen IMO is this;
1 large, 1 smaller heavy Le Creuset pots. These are for soups and stews and anything braised. They are worth it, very forgiving of weird burners etc.
1 large stainless steel All-Clad saute pan. With a lid.
1 medium/large cast iron frying pan. I don’t like non-stick except where absolutely necessary, and cast iron is a good replacement.
1 Small non-stick (absolutely necessary) omelette sized pan.
1 large and one small Revereware. Yeah, that’s right, what your mom had. Lots of times you want to just boil water or heat something, and the All Clad stuff is HEAVY!
1 wok. If you do high heat sauteing/stir frying you don’t want to wreck your saute pan and woks are made for this.
1 rice cooker. These things are killer. Never mess up your rice again.
Not to mention mixing bowls, baking sheets, pie pans, roasting pans, salad spinners, food processors, knives, spoons, peelers and the like:).
If you haven’t bought a house yet, don’t worry about the curtains or the towels or the rugs or the bedspreads. Go for more common use items in the kitchen. If you’re not much of a cook (and don’t plan to be) then I’d register for other things that you would use (workout equipment, camping/hiking gear etc). I don’t know how to use a pressure cooker and I don’t want to know. I want my gortex multi-functional camping backpack with optional sleeping bag rack, LOL! The great thing about registering with Amazon is you can order almost anything!!
I am having a hard time with the crystal and china. Part of me thinks it is a royal waste (and we could use cash since we don’t even have a house yet….) but part of me knows I won’t be running out to buy any china or crystal for the next 15 years. So, I should probably get it now? Some people get really jazzed about this stuff, but, I get more jazzed about kitchen gagets (and having a kitchen that has actual space to cook, which we don’t have!)
Here’s something I did…. ask yourself, “what would I make all the time *if it were easy*?” Right now I do a lot of stirfry & pasta b/c it’s what I can make with my equipment, but I wish I could make more bread, and more soups - so I registered for what I needed for that (a Kitchenaid mixer, an immersion blender, a big soup pot, etc.)
My mom had a pressure cooker and used it all the time - pressure makes things cook faster, so it’s especially good for cooking dry beans. That’s not something I could imagine using, so I’m skipping it.
I registered for a Le Creuset dutch oven - I like it because it’s beautiful, lasts for decades (apparently), and can go from stovetop to oven to table.
I know this is totally an faux pas, but we took my mom to register for all of our kitchen things. I’m finishing college and fiance is just out, so we want to start fresh. (Not the 15 year old hand-me-down boilers that we have). However, we’ll be in a (very) tiny apartment in DC, and we didn’t want a bunch of “stuff.” She was able to tell us the things she uses on a daily basis, to make my favorite meals, etc., and it was very helpful. Plus, in this economy we felt very guilty about registering for a lot of things. She encouraged us to register for a few things that we probably wouldn’t buy for ourselves, to provide a large price range, and to forgo a few of the things we could pick up anytime (like measuring spoons). It was nice to have a veteran in wedding gift purchasing to help out!
I had trouble too! It’s nice to see I wasn’t alone.
I registered mostly for kitchen stuff (with some nice new sheets, picture frames and towels added in the mix).
We choose nice pots and pans because I LOVE to cook, I just don’t have a lot of room 
We also chose some gadgets- such as a rice cooker, deep fryer and Kitchen Aid mixer.
We didn’t go for a ton of random stuff. We looked at what we used, what we normal ate, and what we knew we needed (like lots more spatulas and serving/stirring spoons and stuff.
Honestly, if you don’t know what it is, or don’t think you’ll need it- don’t register for it!
I LOVE my slow cooker. I use it at least once a week, if not more, especially during the cold months of the year. It helps for all the times no one is going to be home during the day, it’s so lovely to come home at 6pm to an already cooked meal. I have a three quart slow cooker, which is a good size for the two of us, gives us 2-3 meals each time. I would totally recommend it!
My mother thinks I’m crazy (most of all for not wanting to change my horribly complicated last name) because I do not want to register for china or crystal. PLEASE! We need furniture, a car that is less than 12 years old, a grill, …even a new wok (not the one that came in the $19.99 Target package with 20 other pieces when I was in college) before we need luxury items.
However, I know the exact china and the crystal I would register for…
I totally agree with the first comment - if you don’t know what it is you don’t need it!
It’s hard when you don’t know how much space you will have and appliances take up a heck of a lot of room! If you don’t know how much cooking.baking you will do you definitely don’t need a slow cooker plus a pressure cooker plus a dutch over. And most of the time a good knife or blender will do what a food processor does (I love my food processor, but rarely use it - and I cook a lot!).
If you’re concerned about too many big ticket items, a hand mixer works just find and costs a heck of a lot less than a stand mixer.
And don’t forget things that are typical everyday items - coffee maker/tea pot, toaster, microwave!
Making a list of your favorite things to make is a great idea - what tools do you need to make them? Don’t register for something just because it’s the hot item - it’ll likely just end up taking valuable space in your kitchen!
Forget the checklist!!! It is designed sell items.
I love my slowcooker. It really helps simplify life!
Items I reallllllly recommend: If you love to bake, then a Kitchenaid mixer is a MUST. I love love love mine! Also good bakeware pans (I found a cute tea cake pan from BBB - it makes many little mini bundt cakes). I also recommend the Cuisinart Griddler. I find it to be much better than the Foreman Grills and it cooks really fast, but doesn’t dry out meat and clean up is easy as the plates are removable.
Good knives are important wherever you live. Whichever you prefer, Henckels, Wusthof, Shun or other good quality knives (I personally have Henckels Professional knives and I have had them several years)
Don’t forget to register for some stuff for your fiance. He may not be psyched for bed sheets, but maybe he likes to grill and some nice grilling tools would be good or electronics that you could both use and enjoy.
Nothing, I mean NOTHING, beats Le Creuset. It’s the most amazing cookware ever. It’s very heavy but it’s just got the best materials which make your food taste better than any other cookware.
I think if you don’t know what it is, its pretty safe that you don’t need it, unless you aren’t the cook then ask your fi, if they cook. But for most part get the things you know you will use. We didn’t register for china because we won’t use it and we just don’t have the space for it. But we did get things like the Kitchen Aid mixer because if I had it I would be able to bake more. If you can’t see yourself using it then just put down the scanner and step away.
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Mrs. D'orsay, Baltimore/Lancaster UK Age and Occupation: 24, nonprofit communications Fiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Web site developer and designer; co-owner of men's skincare shop Engagement Date: August 10, 2008 Wedding Date: August, 2009 Venue: Oakland Manor About Me: I'm a Maryland raised environmental policy wonk/activist/organizer and communications aficionado. In the past year I've lived in Baltimore, MD, Tucson, AZ, Miami, FL and Lancaster, England. In my not so spare time I enjoy planning trips with Mr. D' Orsay, visiting friends and family and crafting like a mo-fo. I also enjoy modern dance classes, rugby and soccer but have been banned by my mother, MOHs, and Mr. D' Orsay from playing till after the wedding. I have an unnatural addiction to cheese and shoes, but love Mr. D' Orsay more than either and can't wait to become Mrs. D' Orsay!
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