Declutter a kitchen utensil that you rarely or never use. There is usually another utensil that can perform the same task.
One multifunctional kitchen tool takes up far less space than several specialist tools. Of course if you use the single use utensil frequently it is worth the space it takes up, but in my experience that is rarely the case.
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About Colleen Madsen
Over the weekend I got rid of a metal spatula…it had put a small scratch in one of my good pans. Decided it was time for it to go.
*laugh* I think of you every time I dig out one of my single-use gadgets. I made rice over the weekend (colander designed to rinse rice easier) and salsa verde (device to strip leaves off parsley or cilantro). Yes, I could do both of these elseways, but both those activities I really dislike, and the single use item makes them much less irritating. The kitchen is one place I accept extra things.
Now, there is a growing pile of stuff that isn’t going into my new kitchen. There are some single use gadgets I’ve never used or weren’t helpful in there; those can go away. I don’t have many left–I cleared them out a while ago with a mini-mission, but a few apparently stayed hidden. The new drawers are shallower and jam easier so I need to get some things out of there.
I did start a box of “spare parts I don’t use”. It has things like the rotisserie for the toaster oven, the whip attachment for immersion blender, the unused handle for the spice rack, etc. They don’t need to be in my cabinets, but I feel like I should keep them around as long as I have the base thing they go to. It’ll be easier to get rid of it with all its parts. Putting them all in one place makes it more likely I’ll find them if I do need them, or if I want to get rid of the base thing (and I figure if I get rid of the thing I should send all its pieces with it.) Also fills the back of the REALLY DEEP shelves (who puts REALLY DEEP shelves in pantries? Now a box I don’t want access to will keep me from shoving useful things out of sight/reach.) Shelves are less cluttered without those non-stackable not-used things in them.
I gave a “meat chopper” to a friend this afternoon. While cooking hamburger or other loose meat you use this tool to chop the meat to an even consistency. I can accomplish the same thing with a spatula.
That gadget that strips the leaves off of cilantro sounds intriguing Kayote!
It is neat, and it is small. I wasn’t sure it would work, but it does cilantro and parsley well. Since sometimes I have to strip multiple bunches when making sauce to freeze it keeps me from going berserk. ( http://www.gardeners.com/buy/zipstrip-herb-stripper-by-chef-n/8589177.html though available elsewhere like Target as well.) I tried it for some other herb and it didn’t do as well, but I can’t remember which–something with small leaves.
I have gotten rid of all the herb-slicing single-use things. None of them worked as well as a knife and took up way more space. This is one of the few herb-things that actually earned its small space in the drawer.
I forgot to post this. I have an egg/strawberry slicer that has never been used. I am putting it into the declutter box.