How to choose....

guamibear

My fiance and I are looking to put together our registry. Were there any websites you used to help guide your choice of items? I know what sort of things we need, but I don't know what makes some items better quality than others. For example, we're in need of a good set of knives, but have no idea how to tell a good set of knives from a rip off. Are there sites out there that give good reviews of these sorts of items?

Thanks!

NillaWafer10

I heart consumer reports.  We check it before we buy anything.  Henkles and Wusthoff are always good for knives. Any set is going to be really sharp and last a long time.  They have various sets and price ranges to accommodate most budgets.  Make sure you get a knife block to keep them in pristine condition.  I bake and cook a lot, and here are my brand favs

Stand Mixer:  None other than a kitchen aid.  Spring for it on the registry!  You can pick a fun color, and it will last for years.  They are really high quality, and do a great job.  They also have some great attachments to grind meats and make ice cream.  It's also much easier to clean than the Cuisinart brands.

Food Processor:  Cuisinart is probably your best bet.

Blender:  To me, a blender is a blender haha!

Pans:  All Clad is supposed to be the absolute best.  They are not non-stick, so be weary if you aren't a diligent pan watcher.  They are about $600, and only worth it if you are making fancy dishes that need even heating.  We bought pans from Costco for $200, and I think they are perfect.  Make sure that you have various sizes to fit all of your needs.  (I absolutely love the new designs with colanders that fit inside the pan.  Very nifty!)

Unless you have a convection oven microwave, be sure to invest in a toaster oven.  They are great when you just want to heat a leftovers, but don't want to waste the energy on the oven.

guamibear

Thank you! This is great feedback. Do you have to pay to use Consumer Reports?

NillaWafer10

Yeah, but I'm not sure how much a subscription is.  FI's family subscribes to it, and we use their account.

Gogalina

I ran into this same issue when I was preparing to register for gifts. I read the reviews on Amazon & found them to be extremely helpful (& free!). I'd narrow it down to a few models/choices & then I'd decide based on how they rated on Amazon. Be careful though because some reviews are off the wall so I found it helpful to look for patterns. Once I saw patterns on particular models, I scrapped those & chose others. GL!