our favorite kitchen tools.

Wedding registry almost ended our engagement.

A girlfriend who'd been through the process warned me and suggested I take my mom, mother-in-law or a girlfriend, but no - I just knew registering was going to be such a fun step in our engagement process. I envisioned a champagne brunch followed by an afternoon scanning items, choosing stemware and talking about all the future dinner parties we'd host with our wedding china.

WRONG. Men. Hate. Shopping. Especially a practical man like Danny.

The man didn't even want to register... "we don't need anything." To which I'd reply, "yes we do, and we need to upgrade from your wonderful college gear." "Fine." Once I finally got him to agree to register I thought the battle was over. Little did I know it had just started.

Him, "why on earth would we register for that item at Pottery Barn when I know I can get something similar for a third of the price at Costco?" "Because Danny, you can't register at Costco." Or, "can I register for a watch or a new laptop because I actually want those things."

Exhausting.

The worst part was I picked the most gorgeous spring day to register. On our way to the mall, we passed oodles of young couples beach cruising, day drinking and enjoying the sun. He was not pleased. The day ended with me in tears and him sitting on the bench outside Crate & Barrel. How romantic!

A year and a half later my husband has finally admitted - multiple times - that he's so glad we registered and all our new stuff is actually really nice. The divine sheets... the plush towels... but mostly all of the kitchen tools we regularly use and LOVE and never would have had. These items aren't sexy but once you start cooking a lot, they really get your excited. Who knew.

All your brides-to-be out there, I know the wine decanter looks pretty, but consider adding some of these not so sexy items to you list. You'll quickly see what you actually use. And p.s. - I hope your registry experience is better than mine.

some of our favorites

{oxo salad chopper and bowl}
d is obsessed with this thing. fantastic for chopped salads & shredding lettuce.

{salad spinner from crate & barrel}

tip: wash & spin lettuce, save in the bowl in the fridge so it's clean & ready to go!

{four piece glassware set with lids from crate & barrel}

use for everything! mixing, serving, storing - they're so versatile. plus, unlike some other mixing bowls we had, they're dishwasher safe - huge bonus. They weren't on my list - non-dishwasher safe ones were - but Grandma Peggy insisted on these. I'm so glad she did!

{kitchen shears}

Fantastic for everything from clipping herbs to cutting up your meat.

{good knives}

Be sure to get at least a few really good knives. They make your life a lot easier. This is a good thing for the boys to research and pick out.

{collapsible colander}

I love that this pops together and lays flat. Great space saver in the cabinets. Also, I highly suggest getting a tiny "berry" colander - we use it for everything.

what are some of your must-have kitchen tools? what am i missing?

comment below and let me know. i'd love to hear!