LET’S face it; do you really need that funky-shaped avocado peeler?
The consumer market is filled with things you don’t need, among them are kitchen utensils. A home kitchen only needs a select few items for domestic cooking, unless you frequently host parties and entertain guests of over 20 in headcount.
Ridding your kitchen of unnecessary tools and clutter has many benefits, such as more storage space, greater piece of mind, and maybe a few extra ringgit if you choose to sell them off (which could buy you a rewarding meal).
Here, we’ve compiled a list of items you don’t need in the kitchen:
1. Egg slicer
How many times will this come handy to justify you keeping it? An egg slicer not only takes up space, but its usage is rather restricted to slicing hard boiled eggs. Unless you find yourself needing to slice plenty of eggs on a daily basis, toss this utensil out and use your knife as a replacement.
2. A gazillion knives
For a home kitchen, there are only three knives you really need. The first is a chef’s knife which will accomplish most of your vegetable and meat cutting. A paring knife will accomplish the smaller and finer cuts that the chef’s knife can’t reach. And finally, a bread knife is the only thing to use when dealing with bread, as the serrated edge gives you a clean cut on the toughest or softest of breads. Invest in a good knife sharpener instead to extend the efficiency of your knives. With these three knives at hand, you’ll find that you won’t actually need any other.
3. Knife block
A knife block is bulky and takes up plenty of precious countertop space, and is not really necessary. Instead, store your knives in your cutlery drawer – after all, you only really need three of them, right?
4. Toaster oven
Toaster ovens could probably top the list of the least practical kitchen gadgets out there. It holds measly amounts of food, is bulky, and frankly a waste of good kitchen space. The replacement for a toaster oven would be either a regular toaster, or a regular oven which mostly comes with a grilling function. If you’re not so big on using regular toasters, you can forgo that as well, and simply toast your bread in the oven.
5. Sandwich toaster
Again, unless you use this frequently, it is unnecessary clutter. A sandwich toaster is the kind of thing you use for a couple of weeks when you first purchase it, and then forget about it all together. Save space by tossing it out or donating it to a charitable home.
6. Yolk separator
These are little plastic gadgets that allow you to separate your egg yolks from the egg whites. Just take a look at any cooking programme on television and you’ll notice that the best tool that these chefs use are their hands. Simply crack an egg gently over your hand, and let the egg white seep through the gaps between your fingers.
In the end, it all boils down to what and how you use your kitchen. Some items in your kitchen may be there because they are more relevant to you, while others may be a result of convincing commercialism.
The trick to maintaining a clutter-free kitchen is to avoid utensils that are designed for a single specific task, or worse still, a single ingredient. Before purchasing, ask yourself whether this utensil will optimise your current cooking lifestyle or if you’ll have to change your habits to suit this utensil. If it is the latter, don’t bother purchasing it as chances are you won’t use it for long.
Happy de-cluttering!
