Top 10 Registry Items for Couples Just Starting Out

Casual Dinnerware
A good set of everyday tableware can tastefully carry you from breakfast and dinner to casual entertaining. To get maximum use from your dinnerware, choose a style in cream or white that can be easily dressed up or down. A colorful pattern can add brightness to your table, and be accented with a wide range of colors. Attractive microwave- and dishwasher-safe options are available in 20-piece sets, or you can register for individual place settings. A five-piece setting includes a dinner plate, salad plate, soup/pasta bowl, a cup, and a saucer.
20-Piece Flatware Set
Even if you plan to register for silver, every home needs a set of flatware for everyday use. Polished stainless steel is durable, and can be found in a variety of beautiful styles. There are even dishwasher-safe stainless-steel sets that mimic the sheen of silver-plated flatware -- without the risk of tarnish. Register for a complete set of 20 pieces, or for four five-piece place settings. One five-piece place setting should include a dinner fork, a salad fork, a dinner knife, a soupspoon and a teaspoon.
Casual Glassware
You'll use your wedding crystal for special occasions, for daily use you need informal glassware. Sturdy glasses may not be as fine as your formal crystal, but still come in a range of pretty designs, styles, and colors. Goblet-style glasses do double duty, as they're elegant enough for entertaining but casual enough for everyday use. Make sure you register for a wide range for your guests to choose from, such as wineglasses, water glasses, juice glasses, and tumblers.
Mixing Bowls
A set of mixing bowls may not sound like a very festive wedding present, but you'll change your mind fast when you don't have a bowl big enough to mix in. A quality set of glass bowls ensures you have a variety of sizes to meet your needs, and can double as pretty serving bowls as well. Worried you won't have room in your new kitchen for a collection? Register for a set that nests for easy storage.
Mixer
Sure, you can beat batters, mixes, and sauces by hand - for about 200 strokes. But if you want to whip something fast, a mixer is a must. Commercial-quality stand mixers are available to the masses, featuring a wide range of speeds and industrial-size bowls. A high-quality stand mixer can last you for 20 years or more, but if you don't foresee much mixing over the next two decades, hand-held models are powerful and easy to use. If you still aren't sure, you needn't decide between the two -- convertible mixers instantly snap from standing to hand-held for when you just need a quick whirl.
Cookware
You don't have to be a gourmet chef to need a complete set of cookware; a quality set of basics is essential for every kitchen. You can cover most of your cooking needs with a couple of fry pans (8" and 10" are good choices); a covered saucepan; a covered sauté pan; a covered chef's pan; and a covered stockpot. Non-stick surfaces make cleanup a breeze, while stainless steel is perfect for browning and searing.
Toaster Oven
The toaster is a classic wedding gift, and can certainly come in handy; however, a toaster oven goes beyond toasting bread to bake, reheat, defrost, and even roast food. Unlike a microwave, a toaster oven browns your cuisine to a golden crisp and bakes evenly. Modern convection toaster ovens cut back on cooking time, and can even come outfitted with a dehydration timer. A variety of sizes and styles make it easy to find a model that fits your décor - and still makes a mean piece of toast.
Blender
No kitchen is complete without a blender for whipping up smoothies, mixing drinks when you entertain, and swirling up milkshakes on a sweltering day. This wedding-gift classic is not in the same category as the plastic, one-speed experiment you picked up at a discount store when you moved into your first apartment. A good blender has multiple speeds, comes in dazzling stainless steel or chrome, and features a heavy, glass pitcher that frosts to perfection. Register for a top-of-the-line blender, and you could be mixing and crushing in style for decades.
Wine Glasses
Hauling out your formal crystal for a sip of vino with dinner or a relaxing glass of Bordeaux at the end of the day is going to get old really fast (and look a little silly). A high-quality set of casual stems will allow you to enjoy your favorite wine in an elegant glass designed to complement every last drop - and keep you from sipping Merlot out of a water glass. Think you don't drink enough wine to justify a set of stems? Imagine serving the bottle your thoughtful guests hand you at your first married-couple dinner party out of beer steins. Having a classic set of wineglasses on hand for everyday use and casual entertaining is smart and beautiful.
Cutlery
Every kitchen demands a good set of cutlery, but many people cringe at the cost, not realizing that a quality set of knives is designed to last a lifetime. Luckily, you can let someone else invest in your future of slicing and dicing by registering for a gift-quality set. Sets can run from a three-piece starter, to a 22-piece master set that guarantees you can pare, bone, and carve in style for decades to come. Keep an eye out for high-carbon steel blades that stay shiny and sharp, and well-balanced handles for perfect control in the kitchen.

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