If you haven’t received a hardcover copy ofOh, the Places You'll Goand/orThis Is Waterupon graduating high school or college, then you've never really experienced the thoughtful impracticality ofgraduation gifts. Of course, the gift giver means well, but don't they know you can just listen toThis Is Wateronline?
Graduations are kind of like weddings, only instead of embarking on a new life with another person, you're embarking on a new life with yourself and your fancy new education. (Oh, the places you'll go with that Women's Studies degree!) But unlike many husbands- and brides-to-be, college graduates often have nothing to start their lives with. No hand mixer, no toaster, no cast-iron pan. And we're giving graduates a book of drawings and rhymes?
Enter the graduation registry, which is essentially a wedding registry except you don't have to consult with another person about what you put on it. Heaven.
Because we at Epicurious care about how youscramble your eggsandgrill your steakandmake your coffee, we've compiled the gift registry essentials you need for your first post-grad kitchen. If a wedding registry is the place to ask for things you've always wanted but won't use enough to justify buying for yourself (a tortilla press, perhaps?), then a graduation registry is for the lean, efficient kitchen—one that can easily be packed into a box when your lease is up.
You can create a gift registry at most of the stores where you'd otherwise create a wedding one, excluding nuptials-specific retailers likeZola. We recommend Bed Bath & Beyond because they have a graduation-specific registry option, but you can also create a shareable list on Amazon that functions like a registry.
- To set up a registry at Bed Bath & Beyond,go to this pageand make sure the selection says "college/university."
- To create a list on Amazon, go to theAmazon List pageand name your list (be sure to make it public). When you browse Amazon from now on, you'll see a dropdown bar on the right side of the page to add the product you're viewing to your list.
Below, you'll find our recommendations for what to put on your registry, with links to the products at the two retailers. Another perk to graduation registries? There's no set date to give gifts—you can give and receive them all summer long.
Cast-Iron Pan
Don't let anyone tell you otherwise: you need acast-iron pan. It's incredibly versatile—you can use it toroast chicken,cook a steak,make pizza, and so much more—and if you care for it properly, it'll last forever. We recommend a pre-seasoned one from Victoria, Camp Chef or Lodge that has a natural non-stick coating.
BUY IT:Victoria 10" Cast-Iron Skillet, $18 on Amazon
BUY IT:Camp Chef 8" Cast-Iron Skillet, $13 at Bed Bath & Beyond
BUY IT:Lodge 10.25" Cast-Iron Skillet, $14 on Amazon
Wine Glasses
Rule number one to feeling like an adult when you have people over is serving them wine in actual wine glasses, not plastic tumblers, Solo cups, or coffee mugs. Wine glasses break all the time andare easily replaceable, so there's no need to get anything expensive—any glass stemware will do.
BUY IT:Dailyware Wine Glasses, 12 for $10 at Bed Bath & Beyond
BUY IT:Libbey Wine Glass Party Set, 12 for $32 on Amazon
Hand Mixer
Unless you just graduated from pastry school, you're probably not at the point in your life when you need a stand mixer. Though they require a little cardio on your part,hand mixerscan handle almost all the baking jobs that typically require a stand mixer.Procrastibakeon!
BUY IT:Breville Handy Mix Scraper Hand Mixer, $130 on Amazon
BUY IT:Cuisinart 7-Speed Electric Hand Mixer, $60 at Bed Bath & Beyond
Non-stick Pan
No matter how broke you are, if you have anon-stick panand a carton of eggs, you'll never go hungry. Look for one that's made from any combination of aluminum, granite, or ceramic porcelain—you want to make sure the pan heats quickly and evenly, and that the non-stick coating doesn't leach any cancer-causing chemicals.
BUY IT:Scanpan Classic 11" Fry Pan, $70 on Amazon
BUY IT:Epicurious Hard Anodized Nonstick 2-Piece Fry Pan Set, $60 at Bed Bath & Beyond
Chef's Knife
There are three knives every home cook needs, and we'll get into each of them here. The first, and arguably the most important, is achef's knife. Chefs knives run the gamut from cheap and flimsy to four-digit-costing artifacts. You need one that feels comfortable in your hand and can cut through anything from delicate herbs to hearty potatoes.
BUY IT:Mac Professional Hollow Edge 8" Chef's Knife, $145 on Amazon
BUY IT:Victorinox Swiss Army Fibrox Pro 8” Chef Knife, $40 at Bed Bath & Beyond
BUY IT:Epicurious 3-Piece Cutlery Set, $20 at Bed Bath & Beyond
Paring Knife
Anyone who enjoys a mid-afternoon snack of an apple and peanut butter knows thevalue of a paring knife. Aside from yielding crisp, even slices of an apple, paring knives are essential for hulling strawberries, slicing cheese, and cutting citrus. (The little things in life!) Like wine glasses, paring knives are easily replaceable, so no need to get anything fancy here.
BUY IT:Kuhn Rikon 4" Paring Knife, $10 on Amazon
BUY IT:Victorinox Swiss Army 3.25" Paring Knives, 4 for $33 at Bed Bath & Beyond
Serrated Knife
Last but not least, serrated knives are a niche but necessary kitchen knife—you literally cannot cut bread without one. A world without bread is a world without sandwiches and that's no world at all (that's hell!). Similar to a chef's knife, a serrated knife should feel comfortable in your hand and be able to slice both soft, airy loaves and crusty boules.
BUY IT:Shun Classic 9" Bread Knife, $150 on Amazon
BUY IT:Bob Kramer by Zwilling J.A. Henckels Essential 10" Bread Knife, $200 at Bed Bath & Beyond
Nesting Bowls
Few things are as satisfying as stacking a complete set of nesting bowls in your cabinet. Most standard sets come with three bowl sizes, but if you want more flexibility (and less time washing dishes while cooking), go for a larger set with nine.
BUY IT:Mosser Glass 3-Piece Nesting Bowl Set, $70 on Amazon
BUY IT:万博官网Epicurious三碗里,在床上蝙蝠40美元h & Beyond
BUY IT:Joseph Joseph 9-Piece Stainless Steel Nesting Mixing Bowl Set, $100 at Bed Bath & Beyond
Electric Kettle
Thenew wave of electric kettlesincludes ones that can heat four cups of water in less than 5 minutes, keep said water warm, and adjust the temperature based on what kind of tea you're brewing. Of course, you don't need to be a tea-drinker to use an electric kettle daily—they're useful for making pour-over coffee, getting a head start on making spaghetti, and bringing eggs to room temperature for baking.
BUY IT:OXO On Cordless Glass Adjustable Temperature Electric Kettle, $100 on Amazon
BUY IT:Smeg 50年代复古风格7-Cup水壶,英航130美元在床上th & Beyond
Sheet Pan
Sheet pans aren't cool per se, but they're insanely useful. When you come home from work and have zero energy to stand at the stove and make dinner, just throwyour ingredients on a sheet pan, put it in the oven for 30 minutes, and voilà: a company-worthy dinner. A quality sheet pan—one that's roughly 18"x13" in size, extra-thick, and has a rolled rim—will last a long time.
BUY IT:Chicago Metallic Professional 17" x 12" Pan, $15 at Bed Bath & Beyond
BUY IT:Nordic Ware Natural Aluminum Commercial Baker's Half Sheet, 2 for $24 on Amazon
Dutch Oven
Similar to cast-iron skillets, Dutch ovens are versatile, long-lasting, and can easily go from oven to table. You don't have to reserve your Dutch oven to make Julia Child'sbeef bourguignon—use it tobake bread,fry chicken, and simmer seasonal stews.
BUY IT:Le Creuset Signature 5.5-Quart Round Dutch Oven, $330 at Bed Bath and Beyond
BUY IT:Lodge 6-Quart Enameled Cast-Iron Dutch Oven, $46 on Amazon
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