A small kitchen scale is a definite necessity! Not just for baking, I use a lot of European recipes and it saves time having to calculate measurement, also it allows you to not have to portion food out easier.

While the bigger pans and serving bowl could double for a mixing bowl in a pinch, I would want a separate mixing bowl added to the list.

A cast iron skillet, spatula, mixing bowl, cutting board, and quality chef's knife can get you pretty far. Or a crockpot.

Think about which things you can pick up cheap when you get there and which ones you really want to haul with you or ship. You can pick up a perfectly serviceable set of basic dishes at a thrift shop for less than $10 but a cheap knife might drive you crazy.

@ellabynight good point! I added a note about this to the glassware item.

We're currently living overseas and had to stock our tiny kitchen ourselves (for just 5 months' use), so I can say from experience to go with the bare essentials until you get acclimated to your new cooking lifestyle. Before we moved, I would have said I needed a few pieces of baking equipment, but we decided to forgo that here and I'm glad we did.

The list above is good; I'd add a waiter's corkscrew and can opener.

I lived using one wok with a lid for a couple of years. Its good for sauteing, braising, stewing, and any task you can think of. If you get one with a metal handle, it can also double as a dutch oven. The best thing is that it can also double as a mixing bowl.

First off, see what your husband wants - if he's not a huge cook, let him pick items he's going to be comfortable using.

I'll second Sur's recommendation for a wok. There is no pan that is more versatile.

For the spatula, I'd recommend the heat-resistant ones you could use on the stove.
A can opener! (good call, beatrix!)

What about kitchen shears that can also open bottles? (seems the beer I drink doesn't come with screw caps) For that matter, a can opener might be useful - I don't use many cans, but when you need an opener, not much else is a substitute. (and corkscrew, as I see someone mentioned both these items)

No clean up items?

Corkscrew - another good call for betrix!

A baking sheet and a roasting pan. I don't like to cook sweets on the same pan I've roasted many a chicken.

Faith's list is great, and I second most of the above comments. beatrix is right - it totally depends on your cooking style. I've never used a scale and mostly only measure for baking.

My bare-bones list:

-big pot with lid, little pot with lid, frying pan/iron skillet, mixing bowl, cookie sheet, cutting board, pie pan, crock pot
-wooden spoons, knives, turning spatula, big spoon/ladle, kitchen shears, can opener, pyrex/tupperware/glass storage containers
-salad plates, bowls, mugs, flatware
-coffee pot :-)

Really-really-nice-to-have list:
-microwave, Kitchen-Aid with grater attachment, stick blender (or real blender!), coffee grinder
-dinner plates, tiny bowls, serving bowls, drinking glasses
-scraping spatula, whisk, tongs, measuring cups, liquid measuring cup, measuring spoons, peeler
-wok, muffin tin, colander

AND if you pad the dishes with cloth napkins, you'll have real napkins when you get there. :-) The dollar store is another good source for cheap utensils like wooden spoons.

Essential is a pretty relative term, but I thought I'd share what I got by with when I was living in a dorm and had to haul all of my equipment with me to use in dorm kitchens.

A good 2 qt. saucepan (I used a plate when I needed a lid)
A good chef's knife (8 in. ish)
A bar-sized cutting board
A bamboo spoon
A set of measuring devices (cups and spoons)
A baking sheet
A medium glass bowl
A set of dishes/silverware.

It's pretty bare bones, and I definitely had to do some creative cooking, but there wasn't anything that I wanted to do that I couldn't do with that set.