31 Days to a Minimalist Lifestyle Day 3

I am writing every day in October--taking on the challenge set forth by The Nester for bloggers to write a "31 Days to..." blog series. I'm tackling Minimalist Living and you can click here to read Day 2's post.

Kitchen hand tools is today's focus. I'll define "tools" as wooden spoons, garlic press, spatulas, peelers, apple slicers, etc. This is stuff that you usually have in a drawer or maybe on your stove top in a large crock.This does not include pots, pans, storage containers, cookie sheets, cooling racks, and the like.

The thing about kitchen tools is that every company makes every kind of tool for every specific need. However, consider what tools you have that are only single-function. For example, do you REALLY need an avocado slicer? Why yes,  I had an avocado slicer, given to me by a BFF. I used it, I liked it, but I didn't use it enough to warrant keeping it. Plus, it sliced up my hand in the drawer if I wasn't careful!

First step--pull out all your tools and put them on the counter. Stand back and look at them in amazement.

I've been cutting back on my kitchen tools over the years so this is all I have--but  there's some duplicates here and stuff I don't use. cough cough--4 potato peelers!

Now think about what Ma of Little House on the Prairie fame might've owned. (hint--she didn't have an avocado slicer!)

*Realize that we have a gadget for every "need" in the kitchen but we don't really need every gadget!* 

Does is really make your life easier to have to rummage through 3 drawers to find the 1 spoon you're looking for? Probably not. Time to strip down your tools to just what you truly NEED  and USE.

Sort them into piles of things you use all.the.time and things you use infrequently or rarely or (gasp!) never.

Now-the kitchen tools you use all the time--do you need multiples? For example, do you really need 8 wooden spoons? Or is it just easier to have 2 or 3 and keep them washed?

Check out what I removed!

The apple slicer I did keep, but put it downstairs with my canning stuff. When I make applesauce, I generally have help slicing up the apples and thus, need 2 slicer gizmos. But they don't have to be upstairs! I also got rid of a garlic press (but kept 1) a cheese slicer (we have knives for that!) the hand grater (I have a box grater) and a pastry cutter (when I cut dough, I can use 2 forks.)


This is what I put in the crock by my stove:

This crock is from my favorite little town, Berkeley Springs, WV. It holds my spoons, spatulas, kitchen shears, wisks, all at arm's reach from the stove.

I have a bank of 3 drawers on one side of my "U" shaped kitchen. I've been doing a lot of rearranging of these drawers (which makes my oldest boy a little crazy!) and here's the latest arrangement. 

Far right drawer has our knives (and a child latch thingie), middle drawer has  all  the rest of the tools-knife sharpener, bottle opener, corkscrew, masher, rolling pin, measuring spoons, etc. 

Amazingly, I have one drawer with JUST steak knives in it. Well, steak knives and a bag of toothpicks. Look at all that glorious empty space:

I eliminated 12 kitchen tools, rehomed 1 to the basement, and kept 35 others. Not too shabby!

What can you eliminate in your kitchen drawers??

Day 1

Day 2