kitchen decluttering

northernlass_2

hi everyone, i really need to declutter my kitchen, i have 2 huge cupboards filled to the doors with things "i just might use in the future sometime" and a hanging pan rack filled with pans and strainers. i know i need to get rid as i hardly ever use any of them but i hate waste. i bought things in the good faith i will use them but alas i havnt used them or i have used them once so what i am asking is, what does everyone else keep in their kitchen, how many pans, casserole dishes, mixing bowls, time saving appliances etc. thankyou
oh by the way, we are a family of 5, 2 young kids and an older teenager, myself and OH.

sorry if this is in the wrong place, please feel free to move it if it is thankyou

tooties

good morning northernlass,

this is a problem that i suffer from too so will be reading the replies with interest.
i have about 12 casserole dishes and a juicer (why) that rarely if ever see the light of day.
sorry i cant offer any advice except perhaps we both need to freecycle some stuff.
regards
tooties

frogga

oooooooo this is an easy one to reply to ~

You need to get yourself a mother like mine who has a HUGE kitchen of her own with loads of spare cupboards and a barn and then you clear out all the stuff that you don't use very often but don't want to chuck away and keep it all at her house! It's very important that you have a key and she obviously has to live close by for your convienience! Then your own house can be nice and clear and clutter free!

Simple , I'm so full of useful advice , anyone else?:rotfl: :rotfl:

PasturesNew

I am single. The most I ever use are:
- largest saucepan - for boiling spuds 1-2 times a week (do it once, keep the rest in the fridge and nuke it on demand)
- small frying pan - for frying anything
- smallest saucepan - for when I want to heat something up that can't be done in the microwave.

For the oven, I have two small individual glass oval "pie dishes". These I also use in the microwave.

For "baking", I have a pizza tray with holes in the bottom. This can be used for that, or cover it with foil for any other use.

For the microwave, I have a miniature measuring jug, I have another 1/2 pint sized "microwave saucepan", a microwave egg poacher, a microwave splatter guard.

I have a microwave and a toaster

I have no "gadgets".

Waste? I've not even used that lot this week. The half pint microwave "saucepan" never gets used. It's hard to find a time when I need something that large heating up.

The pizza/baking tray - not used it once yet. But I will... I think.

Smallest saucepan - is still too big for most things I do.

MRSTITTLEMOUSE

I did a declutter in my kitchen last Saturday,it took me all evening but it was worth it.I can now get to what I want without broken dishes and frayed tempers.I had 3 full,but different dinner sets.I only ever use one and there's only two of us.My loft now has full shelves and to be honest I know that those dishes will probably never come down from there again unless one of my girls find a use for them.And why I have so many casseroles and baking dishes,the mind boggles.I can't even remember buying some of them.I know one thing though -no more buying unless I need to replace something.It is lovely to be able to get to things though,and so much easier.
My

rosh12

My problem is Tupperware!! - not even real tupperware- cheapo stuff where you see a pack in Woolies for about £3 and just HAVE to buy it!! Not to mention the random ice cream tubs etc. Two things that helped me are: 1) webiste called www.realsimple.com has lots of tips on kitchen organisation (and the whole house too!). 2) magazines- don't buy them (not v MSE!!!) but go to the shop and browse a few posh kitchen / "living" / beautiful home style magazines. Eventually I think this shamed me / motivated me to TRY and make steps towards a clutter free beautiful kitchen I can be proud of (I am so not there yet though!)

Edited to add another thought! If you are getting rid of decent kitchen stuff, some places have projects for vulnerable young people / homeless people who are setting up home on their own- we have given a project like that some of our kitchen stuff to them before now... obviously not crappy tupperware and ice cream tubs though!

sophiesmum_2

I decluttered my kitchen recently and gave a whole box of excess stuff - casserole dishes,odd pans, tupperware,sandwich toaster etc - to a friends daughter who was going to university and was glad to get stuff.
I haven't missed any of it and feel that I may have another go at reducing what I have left as there is still far too much:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

PasturesNew

Maybe the "secret" is to bundle up everything into boxes and shove it away somewhere. Except the items you know you use every day .... and hide it all away.
Then only go and get something when you NEED it and can't "make do" with what you've got.
After 3 years, whatever's still in the boxes goes straight to charity

recovering_spendaholic

I know how you are feeling because I am a total sucker for kitchen gadgets and gizmos and have bursting cupboards. I usually try and declutter once a year and am getting near to having to do it again soon. I have the following items which I use all the time and keep on the worksurface or in a really accessible place:

Kenwood Mixer
Toaster
Microwave
Tefal steamer
Food Processor
Colander, sieve, three saucepans, 2 frying pans, a stockpot and dutch oven
Loads of storage jars
I have the following which I almost never use:
Slow cooker, ice cream maker, George Foreman, Smoothie maker blender thingie, deep fat fryer, multi cooker, Breville toastie thingie, loads of casserole dishes and serving dishes.

The thing I am going to focus on when decluttering this time is the storage jars. I have about 50 in various shapes and sizes all stuffed in my food cupboards. Because they are all different shapes and sizes they take up more space then is actually needed so I am thinking of investing in some lock & lock tubs to store dry good as you can stack them on top of each other and really close together in the cupboard. I would get them from QVC but they only sell sets and TBH I wouldn't use all the different sizes. I need each container to be able to take the contents of a box of 80 teabags or 2lb sugar or 1kg of rice - I have looked on the lakeland site but they only give the capacity in litres - does anyone know what size I should buy?

mags50_2

frogga wrote: »

oooooooo this is an easy one to reply to ~

You need to get yourself a mother like mine who has a HUGE kitchen of her own with loads of spare cupboards and a barn and then you clear out all the stuff that you don't use very often but don't want to chuck away and keep it all at her house! It's very important that you have a key and she obviously has to live close by for your convienience! Then your own house can be nice and clear and clutter free!

Simple , I'm so full of useful advice , anyone else?:rotfl: :rotfl:

Frogga? Are you one of my daughters????? :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

I have wedding presents still here from our eldest daughters wedding (6years ago) that are 'so special' that she 'daren't have them on display til her 4 sons are older' !!! Boxes of 'University stuff' and 'wedding presents' from our middle daughter for the same reason above... and our youngest daughter is about to move into her own house and I just know it's going to be the same with her!!

Toys are another problem... as soon as the grandkids have new ones, old decent ones are taken to granny and grandads to be played with there... we have more now then we did when the girls were small :rotfl:

Is there any hope of finally having a clutter free house after 33 years of marriage? Some how I don't think so! :rotfl::rotfl:

But... I suppose it's all worth it to have such lovely daughters and son in laws.. and 7 scrummy grandkids :T:T

trying-very-trying

recovering_spendaholic wrote: »

The thing I am going to focus on when decluttering this time is the storage jars. I have about 50 in various shapes and sizes all stuffed in my food cupboards. Because they are all different shapes and sizes they take up more space then is actually needed so I am thinking of investing in some lock & lock tubs to store dry good as you can stack them on top of each other and really close together in the cupboard. I would get them from QVC but they only sell sets and TBH I wouldn't use all the different sizes. I need each container to be able to take the contents of a box of 80 teabags or 2lb sugar or 1kg of rice - I have looked on the lakeland site but they only give the capacity in litres - does anyone know what size I should buy?

My main clutter is all the lock'n'lock boxes.They go in the dishwasher, then dd puts them all away in the cupboard, but she doesn't match them with the lids, result - I have to empty the whole cupboard to find the right lid:rotfl:.

Seriously though, if you're looking to buy them, try poundstretchers. They do a good set all rectangular, and in one great big box, which I use for storing packets of pasta & pulses, for about £5, and they're as good as lock'n'lock imho.