You know what I miss most when I'm on vacation? My own sweet little kitchen. I love going out to eat once, but after a few days the fries come out of my nose. And then I crave potatoes, meat, and vegetables again. Or a nice oven dish. Do you have that too? Can you also enjoy making and eating your own meal? Then you must be – just like me – fond of cooking utensils. And my kitchen is not so happy about that. Because my passion for cooking is a lot bigger than my kitchen cupboards.
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I enjoy cooking and eating. But cleaning up the kitchen is not a hobby of mine. And so the kitchen cupboards bulge. Do you have a cooking stuff fetish? Can't you walk into a cooking store without taking something with you? I recognize that! And my hubby unfortunately too; with some regularity he gets an avalanche of pans, serving spoons and whisks when he dares to open a kitchen cupboard. The poor baby was even hit by a tea infuser. And now the measure is full – just as full as the cupboards.
Hubby went over the boil and more or less forced me to compromise. As long as we don't run an orphanage, we don't need so many cooking equipment. And so we're going to minimize. Not easy for someone with a kitchen stuff fetish like me. Because how do you ensure that your kitchen cupboards are not too full, but you can still make everything you want?
Be honest, how often do you use that automatic bean cleaner? Or the gourmet set? It is wonderful to have a good stock of cooking equipment at home and a good pan set should not be missing. But secretly there are also a lot of things in that collection that you rarely use. Make a list for yourself:what are your essentials? In other words:the kitchen items you really need?
You will be surprised how little stuff a real chef like you needs to put together a delicious meal. Take a critical look at your inventory. Set aside the things you rarely or never use, because we have a tip for that!
For those with a real kitchen stuff fetish, now comes the hardest part:throwing it away. Or at least:getting rid of stuff. Take the cooking stuff you really don't use to the thrift store. That way you make someone else (with probably the same fetish) happy with it. Of course you don't have to throw everything away. Just put the things you rarely use, but don't want to get rid of, in a place where they won't get in the way, but you can still use them if you want. And preferably somewhere where they do not pose a risk of avalanche danger. Your partner will be happy with that too!
If you're as fond of cookware as I am, you'll agree that a pan is a great way to bond. You have already spent so much time together 😉 . My cupboards also contain a lot of pans that have actually seen their best days. But throwing it away, that's a shame, isn't it?
It was not. If you use kitchen utensils for so long that they start to wear out, it can even be harmful to your health. Think of a non-stick coating that is starting to wear out. So even if it is with a heavy heart; throw some away every now and then. Provide a complete pan set with all the pans you need. And the rest can really go to the black bin. On the other hand:if you really clean up well, you probably have a good reason to go to the cooking store again. After all, there is plenty of room in the kitchen cupboards again.
The cooking utensils that you like to use but that no longer fit in your kitchen cupboard may have a special place on your countertop. It's nice if you have a low sink, or a very deep variant, such as Joyce. She wouldn't want her slow cooker anywhere but on the counter!
Stock photo of couple in kitchen by Rawpixel.com