Wedding Registry: Which knife set?

[Bevo04]

My fiance and I are getting married next summer and have registered at Bed, Bath & Beyond for most of our kitchen appliances, gadgets, etc. I still have not decided which knife set to ask for. I figure if we ask for any set over about $200, we probably wont receive it.

Here is the link to the sets:

The Sets



Right now, I kind of like these two:

Henckels Set

Wustof Set


Thanks for your advice

 

[Anastasis]

We picked up a Henkels Pro S set when we got married a couple years ago. They have held up well, despite my inability to get my wife to practice basic knife care and maintenance.

 

[l00p]

I used to run kitchens and always preferred Wustof.

 

[Napoleon]

I love to see someone register for "THROWING KNIVES". I'm sure that would make people wonder about the volatility of their relationship.

 

[Luke Duke]

You can't go wrong with either. I like my Henckel Pro S knives. I'm not sure if Bed Bath and Beyond would carry anything more than the entry level knives of either of those brands.

 

[MustangOrange]

We have the Henckel Twin Cuisine line and like them alot.

 

[Gate_of_Horn]

I'm in the same situation as you are exactly. The salesman recommended that we scan the knives individually instead of as a set. He explained that it's often more likely for 10 people to buy 1 knife at 20-50 dollars than it is to get 1 person to buy a set of 10 knives and a storage block at 200-300 dollars.

The idea is that you're sure to have some people like parents or a rich uncle that will buy bigger ticket items costing a few to several hundred dollars, but most people will buy a couple of smaller items or a single middle range gift. If you set up your registry as more of an a la carte menu, people can put together gifts up to the sum they are comfortable with.

He said that this is one of the few times where you can unashamedly focus on getting people to buy you stuff, so you should do what you can to maximize their buying power and your chance of getting the items you want. Pick out some big ticket items that you want to take a chance on, and then split everything else up into smaller increments. Knives, flatware, china, cookware, and even linen sets are good examples of where to apply the idea.

As for the knives, I picked the Wustofs after holding them in my hand to judge the comfort and balance. But Henckels and Wustof are widely recognized as some of the best knives around, so it's hard to go wrong with either set. Pick the ones that feel right in your grip.

 

[Luke Duke]

I second the idea of registering for individual knives. For example the knife sets in question run $200. Let's say that the knives would cost $300 individually and all of the knives get bought for you. Then you can return them, use the store credit to buy the set and have $100 left over to buy more stuff.

 

[MirrOlure]

Knives? As a wedding gift? Don't you know they will "cut the bonds of marriage"?

Well, that's what my folks told me nearly 15 years ago, but despite my best efforts, my wife hasn't gotten rid of me yet.

BTW, during said 15 years, I've come to swear by any piece of cutlery with the name "Wusthof" on it.

 

[scottsins]

forego the big set. get a few essentials. do not waste gift $ on forged german steak knives, for instance, since they aren't really that important.

 

[THEU]

I will echo the sentiments of getting individual knives. I use 3 with any type of regularity. A nice large Chef's knife, a paring knife, and a serrated bread knife

 

[Gate_of_Horn]

That was another thing the sales guy said. He was a major foodie, and said that the 10 piece standard is a creation of marketing folk. It's convenient shopping of course, but he claimed to use only 4 knives regularly. His 8 inch chef, a santoku style knife, bread knife, and something else that I forget.

I included a set of kitchen shears in the items I scanned since I know that my dad has found his so useful. He opens food packages, cuts tendons, and opens lids or caps as well.

The foodie sales guy's cookware did have about 14 pieces, but they were not remotely a nice matching set sold together. He chose functional pieces from different manufacturers. Copper for one type of cooking, a stainless pan for something else, something for sauces, an all-clad stock pot for soups and chili etc., and a cast iron skillet as well. He had a non-matching rainbow of stuff that works well for cooking anything from a quick meal to a full Thanksgiving spread.

He understood that some people like the aesthetic of matching pots and pans, and that there were some sets that matched well and were still versatile enough to do most types of cooking with. Still, he convinced us that we should get a little bit of copper and a good cast iron skillet to go with some individually picked pieces from an all-clad set of pots and pans.

 

[longyak]

As a chef I get asked this all the time. They are both of good quality. Have them pull them out of the case and let you guys handle them. Buy/register whichever feels better in your hands as that is most important. Also, register 2 or 3 paring knives.

 

[S197HQQKEM]

HOOO BOY them prices are rediculous, so register and get them knives and then when you get them take them back and get a refund and go to the restaurant supply and get some proffessional knives for less money, hint, search for knife or knives on here there are several threads with good info. Me, I like the Mercer Genesis line, reasonable price, german steel forged in Tiawan, non slip handle, them whostof and henkie guys have copied it (that whostouff grand prix II is a clone of the mercer genesis line, mercer oughta sue 'em), their bakelite handles are tooooo slick for my tastes, get a chefs, I have a 10" chefs, a 7" santouku, a stiff boner (does double duty as a utility knife), a flexible boner, and a couple of paring knives and a carving knife and a meat fork all Mercers, and a 12" Dick steel, they didn't have a Mercer steel in stock and the Dick one wasn't very expensive which is surprising considering that Dick knives are very expensive. I already had a block so I didn't need one and I didn't pay as much for all of my knives as what that cheapie cuisinart set costs at BB&B.