9 Kitchen Items Everyone Should Add to Their Registry According to Molly Yeh

The food blogger and author shares her kitchen essentials.

molly on the range
Photo: Courtesy of Molly Yeh

Molly Yeh knows her way around a kitchen. She's the creator of the popular food blog My Name is Yeh, chock full of beautiful photography and delicious recipes she creates at her Minnesota farm. Her first book, Molly on the Range: Recipes and Stories from an Unlikely Life on a Farm (Rodale Books) has just been released, and includes a collection of stories and recipes inspired by her Chinese and Jewish heritage, her travels, and country living. In it you'll find inspired ideas for entertaining friends and family, as well as meals for two.

Even if you have kitchen gear, your wedding registry is a great opportunity to upgrade it and take your entertaining ware and food prep tools to the next level. Here are the products Yeh can't live without.

Hand carved wooden spoons and spatulas

"My favorites are the walnut gourmet set from Polders Old World Market. Rather than having piles of cheap splintery wooden spoons and spatulas, consider registering for a few hand carved utensils that will last forever. They'll be functional in the kitchen, beautiful on the serving table, and they'll look great next to the stove peeking out of a nice ceramic crock."

Wine glasses for red and white wine, lowball glasses, and other nice barware

"Okay so now that you're old and married, parties are more about inviting your couple friends over for low-key 'gatherings'. It's so civilized! The best part about it (aside from a decreased amount of hangovers) is how suddenly your couple friends are into nicer wines and whiskeys, so be prepared for this with equally nice glassware."

A cheeseboard and cheese knives

"Party snacks aren't bowls of cheetos anymore, they're crackers and cheese that you get from the fancy cheese section of the grocery store, the one by the deli. Remembering to bring your cheese to room temperature and then arranging it with nuts and crackers takes a little more effort than pouring chips into a bowl but it's so much fun if you have a pretty cheeseboard."

Ceramic dishes

"If going the traditional route and registering for a set of extremely fragile china that you might use once or twice of year stresses you out, go for a set of hand thrown ceramic dishes that will be sturdy enough for everyday use and appropriate for a party. I like Fringe and Fettle and Farmhouse Pottery."

Vitamix

"My Vitamix alone almost would have been worth getting married for. Soups, smoothies, nut milks, and pancake batters are all so much smoother and better after being nearly launched into outer space by the insane power of my Vitamix. It's also really easy to clean."

A pizza peel, pizza stone/Baking Steel, Savora pizza cutter, Savora cheese grater

"Since your date nights in deserve as much of an upgrade as your relationship status, register for fancy pants pizza night gear. A pizza stone will give so much life to homemade crust and smaller accessories like a pizza cutter and cheese grater are great lower budget gifts (even though Savora's feel totally luxurious to use)."

Good knives

"Just like there's life before marriage and life after, there's life before good knives and an amazing kitchen life waiting for you after you get good knives. Sharp quality knives will make chopping up supper so much more enjoyable and accurate, and the chances you'll chop a finger off will be way lower. You just put a ring on that finger, don't chop it off now. I like Shun knives."

Dutch oven

"A dutch oven is so versatile and nice to use. I use mine all the time for soups, braises, cobblers, and even bread, and I love storing them on open shelves or right on the stove since they look good and bring color to the kitchen. Make sure to register for one with an oven safe handle and lid so that you can bake crusty delicious bread with it. I like Staub and Lodge brands."

Cast iron pans

"Cast iron pans are also so versatile since they can go seamlessly from the stove to the oven to the serving table (and, yeah, to your Instagrams). They cook with such a beautiful quality of heat and will last long enough for you to pass them down to future generations."

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