Wedding Wednesday- The Newlywed Kitchen: What to Register For in Cookware and Bakeware

I'm so excited for today's guest poster, former stationer Dawn Viola, who owned Anna Bella Stationery before turning to a career in food. Dawn switched her writing focus to food when a soy and peanut allergy diagnosis forced her to change the way she purchased, cooked and enjoyed food. She enrolled in culinary school and began teaching others how to cook with creativity, passion and purpose using sustainable, local and organic ingredients whenever possible, with an improvisational approach to cooking.

Dawn has written original recipe articles, food features, cooking instruction documents and commentary for a variety of publications and blogs such as Chef2Chef, Recipe Lion, and Examiner, handling all aspects of research, photo styling and editing. She has also appeared on Food Network, Fox News, Martha Stewart Radio, and was recently featured in Desserts Magazine. Dawn is also the 2009 Crisco National Apple Pie Champion (professional division), and has also placed in the California Table Grape Commission and Faces of Contadina recipe challenges.

Dawn has graciously offered up a (HUGE) list of what engaged couples should consider stocking their kitchens with- the must haves, if you will, of the basic kitchen. This week we'll be focusing on bakeware and cookware, and next week utensils and knives.


Cookware: I recommend a good stainless steel set that can go from stove to oven, preferably with lids for everything, even the skillets. One of each will suffice, but if you love to cook, you'll want to double up on the skillets.
3-quart covered sauce pan
10-quart covered sauce pan
6-quart covered stockpot
8" or 10" skillet
1 large roasting pan

Bakeware: nonstick is a great choice, but watch for grooves and places where food can get stuck -- they're impossible to clean sometimes. Select items that are seamless whenever possible.
2 cookie sheets
1 muffin tin
1 square 9x9" glass baking dish
1 rectangular 5-quart baking dish
Casserole dishes that can also double as serving dishes
1 set of mixing bowls

Small appliances: an up-front investment in quality
appliances will be well worth it. These can sometimes last
20 or more years.None of these are essential, but will make
food prep much faster and easier.
Some possible appliances to consider:
Consider:
hand held mixer
standing mixer
food processor
blender
immersion blender
slow cooker
Dutch oven
And, to serve all of the food the newlyweds will be
cooking, they'll need some snazzy plates, serving
platters, barware and utensils!

After the wedding, I recommend the couple make their own wish list, where once a week or once a month, whatever they can afford, they purchase an "adventure ingredient," such as a spice, or food they've never cooked with before. And also a new kitchen gadget - something they've always wanted. It can be anything from the top of the line food processor, or an inexpensive wooden citrus reemer. By keeping a wish list even after the wedding, it will keep them inspired to learn new cooking techniques and try new recipes.


Keep an eye out for even more posts from Dawn over the coming months, covering all kinds of kitchen and cooking related goodies! You can also follow her cooking journey over at Wicked Good Dinner.