Knife set and general registry ?

Caitlynmk

Hey ladies- FI and I are in desperate need of a good knife set but don't want something that's like $700!! Anyone have any recs?

Also, we are getting married next month and have very little left on our registry after the bridal showers. FI says don't put anything else on because he'd prefer money at the reception but people keep mentioning it and I don't even know what else to put on there! Everyone has been so generous! Now if only a few amazing people would go together and get the Stand mixer, I would be so excited! Haha!

Kristin789

You don't want to put a knife set on your wedding registry - or anything else that cuts, like scissors or a can opener.  You can Google this to learn more:
knife sett wedding penny

or

you can click here to learn more:
http://thebridesguide.marthastewartweddings.com/2010/09/etiquette-when-you-receive-a-present-that-cuts.html

hoffse

Don't listen to Kristin - that's an old superstition.  Just know that some people (obviously) believe it, and so not all guests would be willing to get that for you.

We registered for Calphalon Katana in separate pieces, and we plan to return any we get to buy the whole set.  The set is $450 but the pieces indivisually are all under $100.  FI really liked them because they made him "feel manly..."  they have the damascus steel thing going on, and they get great reviews.  Bonus points: you can use BBB's 20% off coupons on calphalon, and for ages they've had a deal where you get a $50 BBB gift card if you spend $300 on calphalon products there in one fell swoop.  With the 20% off coupon you're still over $300 on those knives, but only barely.  It's sort of perfect.  BBB will take back anything from other stores that they carry - so while we did not register there, if we get any knives we can return them there to use the coupon on that entire set.

I would register for more.  People on these boards always say register only for what you need because then people will start to give cash, but seriously southerners love giving boxed gifts regardless of any hints for cash you may be giving, and they will purchase off a registry if you have stuff available on there.  I would suspect that if your guests are asking, they will be buying you a boxed gift regardless, and unless you want 10,000 picture frames I would expand it.  People were incredibly generous at my shower too, and we are having to watch it because certain price points are going to be gone sooner rather than we expected.  We will add more if it drops too much in the upcoming weeks.

flojo973

We registered for the JA Henckels Twin Signature 11-Piece.  I looked at the ratings for knife sets on Consumer Reports and it received good ratings.  We also felt the knives when we registered at BBB and they felt really comfortable.  I also liked that it wasn't too expensive - $269.

Caitlynmk

Thank you so much ladies!! I've never even heard of that superstition, but I'm not worried... haha its so silly! I will look into the knives you all mentioned and I think registering for them individually is a good idea, that way we can add some things to our guest list and make a few of the people happy. Like Sleeper said, in the North we don't get a lot of actual gifts at the weddings themselves, but adding a few things is a good idea just in case!

gymbugmj2k

henckles and wustoff are GREAT brands. can't go wrong with either of them.  i'd look at what you USE before you buy them.  there are so many different block sets...

hubby and i typically use a large chef knife, small chef knife, small santoku knife, and OCCASIONALLY a paring knife.  90% of the time i stick with the smaller chef knife.  you could probably easily get away with a 5-7 piece set that includes most that you know you'll use, and then buy individual knives after the fact if you want something else specifically.

personally i LOVE having kitchen scissors too (did you know it works better for cutting pizza? , we use it to cut open packages and snip herbs sometimes too)


somethign like this would be perfect to start with:
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/zwilling-j-a-henckels-professional-s-8-piece-knife-block-set/
(its 299 on amazon)

B2Z728

I agree with gymbug that a 5-7 piece set is really all that most cooks need. I mainly use my 8 inch chefs knife (Henckel Twin Select <--click) for almost everything - even on small things because I've gotten very used to the knife and have gained quite a bit precision with it. Occasionally I'll use a pairing knife. A serrated knife is also useful for breads, meat, and vegetables/fruit with soft juicy skin like a tomato. I've been given other knives over the years that now have a home in our knife block, but I mostly stick my 3 main favorites.

Viczaesar

I'm a huge Wusthof fan (forged, not stamped).

Cackle6

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_registering-gifts_knife-set-and-general-registry?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:34Discussion:cae7195c-7d47-4abe-966d-4819584fb2afPost:a4427fa3-f5dc-46b0-b6c0-795311e99760">Re: Knife set and general registry ?</a>:
[QUOTE]I'm a huge Wusthof fan (forged, not stamped).
Posted by Viczaesar[/QUOTE]

<div>
</div><div>This is hitting the nail on the head. You want to stick with knives that are forged, as they will be forged out of one piece of steel, as opposed to pressed out of layers of thin sheet metal. From there, the higher in price, generally the better quality steel the knives are. We also registered for the Calphalon Katana because we both liked the handles. A good friend of mine is a chef and he swears by the Henckles Twin Man Pro Series. I think between Calphalon, Henckles and Wustoff, you really can't go wrong - it's all going to depend on which ones feel best in your hand, IMO.</div>

Caitlynmk

Thank you ladies!! That is very goof to know about the forged vs. stamped. Somehow we missed all this info on cutlery when researching pots and pans and everything else! I personally like santoku knives but our current knives are pretty low quality so I may end up using other knives once I get a good set!

Fancypantsamy

I love the set of Calphalon Contemporary knives that we got for our wedding 

http://www1.macys.com/shop/product/calphalon-contemporary-17-piece-cutlery-set?ID=286886

I'm mentioning the set because they are forged, less expensive than the Katana sets (thought I'm sure the Katana sets are lovely, I liked the feel of the Contemporary ones in my hand better) and they include a really great Santoku knife that I can't believe I lived without. Just another option, good luck!

gypsylynn2005

Williams and Sonoma has a great set of Wusthof knives for under $300. Also you can register for individual staple pieces if you would rather cut the cost. Santoku, Chef, bread, and steak knives are good starters IMO but it all depends on how you cook!