The Joy of Less, a Minimalist Living Guide (20 page)

Do you have a twin?
Kitchen items are like office supplies, in that they seem to reproduce of their own accord. Unless you’re extremely dexterous, you can’t use more than one potato peeler or can opener at a time. Furthermore, should one fail, you can easily acquire another. Ditch the doubles, and free up the space for something more useful.

Are you too good to use?
I bet your stuff didn’t see this one coming! Wedding china and inherited silverware can become pretty smug, figuring they can hang around for decades doing virtually nothing. Oftentimes, they’re right: they get squirreled away in dining hutches, and rarely see the light of day. We’re too sentimental to get rid of them, and too scared to use them (lest we break a piece and have to hunt for a replacement). In the case of silver pieces, we may simply dread polishing them. Here’s a radical thought: instead of the full service, keep only one or two place settings—use them as decoration, or for romantic candlelight dinners with your spouse.

The kitchen serves a number of different functions, from food preparation to dining to paying bills; therefore, dividing it into activity zones can help us keep things organized and efficient. Determine the areas in which you perform certain tasks—like prepping, cooking, serving, dining, washing up, and waste disposal—and store related tools and equipment in their designated zones. For example, keep the knives where you chop, the pots near the stove, and the dishwashing liquid under the sink. Assign specific spots to miscellaneous tasks like bill-paying, to prevent pens, checkbooks, and calculators from piling up on the counter or finding their way into your spice drawer.

Within your zones, reserve a particular spot for every last item; it’s the best way to maintain order in such a crowded space. The plates should always be stacked just so, and the cups and glasses should fall into place like a chorus line. Forks, knives, spoons, pots, pans, and appliances should all have specific positions to which to return. Imagine drawing imaginary lines around each item, like a designated parking spot. If it helps, stick little adhesive labels (“pasta pot,” “sauce pan,” “cereal bowls”) to remind you (and family members) exactly where everything goes. Otherwise, you can end up with a disorganized jumble—the perfect environment for clutter to hide.

At the same time, assign items to your Inner Circle, Outer Circle, and Deep Storage. Your Inner Circle should contain the plates, pots, pans, utensils, drinkware, gadgets, appliances, and food you use on a regular basis. They should be within arm’s reach, in the zone in which they’re typically needed; you shouldn’t have to get on a stepladder to retrieve your coffee mug, or cross the room to get your paring knife. Dedicate your most easily accessible storage spots to these items, and keep them free of other, seldom-used stuff. That way, you won’t have to root through a drawer full of miscellany to find your measuring spoons. Such organization makes the process of preparing and serving a meal much more pleasant!

Store those items you use less than once a week, but more than once a year, in your Outer Circle. Everyone’s contents will be different, but will generally include things like cake pans, cookie sheets, muffin tins, waffle irons, blenders, salad spinners, ice cream makers, bread machines, crock pots, and champagne glasses. Reserve your higher cabinets, lower drawers, and deeper corners for these less frequently used pieces; you may have to bend, stretch, or reach a little in order to retrieve them. They shouldn’t be
too
difficult to access, but they don’t need to be at your fingertips.

Finally, put the kitchen equipment and dining supplies you use once a year (or less) into Deep Storage. Turkey roasters, punch bowls, gravy boats, soufflé dishes, dessert stands, serving platters, and specialty linens—basically, items you use only for holidays or entertaining—are likely candidates for this category. Store these in the highest, lowest, and farthest reaches of your kitchen or dining room. If you don’t have the storage space, you can even stash them in the garage, basement, or attic; just be sure to properly wrap or contain them to keep out dirt, moisture, and roving critters. However, just because you
can
put things into Deep Storage doesn’t mean you
have
to. If you don’t need such items for entertaining (or could borrow them if necessary), don’t bother keeping them at all. I don’t own a single item on the above list, and have never felt less of a hostess because of it!

Our kitchen countertops are extremely important surfaces, as they’re used for food preparation three times daily (or more, if we count those mid-afternoon munchies and late-night snacks). When they’re covered with stuff—be it kitchen gadgets, dirty dishes, knickknacks, mail, or recipe books—it’s nearly impossible to fix a nice meal. And if there’s no room to wash, chop, slice, dice, pare, and peel, you’ll be more likely to throw some frozen fare in the microwave or stop for takeout. Don’t let clutter cheat you out of a healthy, home-cooked dinner!

Cooking is difficult when you’re constantly moving items out of the way, or you’re confined to a tiny section of the countertop. Therefore, your kitchen surfaces should hold only those items you use daily (if that). Consider wall-mounted racks for spices, knives, and other implements, and hanging baskets for fruits and vegetables, to keep them off the counters. Appliances that mount under upper cabinets—like microwaves, toaster ovens, and coffee makers—can also free up valuable space. For an attractive and functional kitchen, skip the cutesy tchotchkes and cookie jars, and opt for sleek and understated instead. I promise you this: simply getting all that clutter off the countertops will energize you, and inspire you to work some culinary magic.

The kitchen has long been considered the heart of the home, a place for families to gather and share quality time; but because it’s such a happening hot spot, its counters are magnets for clutter. Make sure everyone who plops down a toy, book, newspaper, or piece of mail takes it with them when they leave the room. (Or warn them they may find it in your next casserole!) Be vigilant of the floor as well, and keep it free of book bags, playthings, and pet supplies; when you’re carrying heavy pots and hot liquids, things underfoot can be a recipe for disaster. Do a clean sweep of the area, and return all stray items to their rightful places.

Likewise, keep kitchen and dining tables clear and at the ready for your next meal. In most households, such surfaces are used for a variety of activities, as well they should be. (Versatility is a good thing!) However, don’t let homework assignments, craft projects, or tax returns swallow these tables whole, rendering them useless for their intended purpose. I’ve seen dining tables turned into ad hoc storage units, piled high with papers, books, magazines, toys, craft supplies, and other miscellaneous stuff. This surface certainly makes for great flex space; but when it’s not being used, the dining table should hold nothing more than the next meal’s accoutrements. If you
never
use the dining room for dining, consider ditching the table entirely and converting the room to serve another purpose (like a home office).

Finally, don’t consider a meal “over” until every surface has been cleared. After you’ve finished cooking, put away all equipment and ingredients, and wipe down the countertop. Clear the table, and wash pots, pans, and dirty dishes (or at least load them into the dishwasher) immediately after each meal. Every night before you go to bed, scan your kitchen surfaces and tuck away any wayward items. It’s a treat to start the next day with a clear countertop and empty sink!

You probably have a head start on this step, as the modules concept comes naturally in the kitchen. If you’re already storing your cutlery, spices, or cake decorating supplies together, you’re well on your way to a streamlined space.

Consolidating like with like is particularly valuable in the kitchen, where duplicate supplies and excess ingredients are common. It helps you pare down to the essentials, and prevents you from buying unnecessary extras—because you can see at a glance what you already have. If you keep all of your baking ingredients in one drawer, you’ll be less likely to buy a second bottle of vanilla because you can’t find the first. If you know you have six coffee cups, you’ll think twice about purchasing a souvenir mug on your next trip. If you can see just how many forks, spoons, and knives you have, you may decline grandma’s flatware and let your sister have it instead.

Modules reveal how certain items have accumulated (often unnoticed) over time. They make us ask questions like, “Why do we have eighteen drinking glasses for our family of four?” “Will we ever really use twenty pairs of chopsticks?” and “Why do I need two meat thermometers, three corkscrews, or four jars of cinnamon?” Culling duplicates is a fabulous decluttering opportunity. It’s quick and easy, because we don’t have to labor over decisions or worry about doing “without” something (we’ll still have
one
, after all). It also creates breathing room in our cabinets and drawers, making it infinitely easier to put our hands on something when we need it. When we’re cooking, the ability to quickly locate a certain ingredient or implement can spell the difference between “delicious” and “disaster!”

Gather your food into modules as well: store cereals, soups, and canned goods in designated sections on your shelves; keep cheese, vegetables, and condiments in their own areas of the refrigerator; and arrange cans and bottles of beverages by type. Organizing your provisions in such a way prevents overbuying and waste, as you can quickly scan your inventory before going to the store. You may even discover you have more of something than you’ll ever likely consume; donate the excess to a food bank, rather than let it go to waste. On the flip side, you’ll also see where you need to stock up, and can avoid running out unexpectedly.

Like it or not, most of our kitchens also contain the proverbial “junk” drawer—the place we put all those ketchup packets, takeout menus, batteries, birthday candles, twist ties, tea lights, sewing needles, scissors, plastic utensils, and other odd items that are too small, few, or uncategorizable to fit anywhere else. Does such a mish-mash of stuff have any business being in a minimalist kitchen? Sure, but under the following conditions: examine every last item, keep only those you’ll actually use, and gather them into a single “utility” module (same drawer, new and improved name!). Contain related items in ziplock bags or slots of a drawer organizer. If everything is readily accessible, easily identifiable, and truly useful, there’s no need to label it “junk.”

Limiting our culinary items keeps them under control—and keeps our kitchens looking like those sleek, serene spaces we swoon over in magazines.

Let’s start with tableware, since most of us have far more of it than we actually need. Strongly consider limiting your plates, cups, bowls, glasses, and utensils to match the size of your family; if your household contains only four people, why clutter your cabinets with sixteen place settings? Extra tableware only gives us an excuse to put off the dishwashing—making the job more difficult and unpleasant when we finally get around to it.

Ah, but what about guests, you say! By all means, take your entertaining habits into consideration when culling your supplies. Figure out the maximum number of people you regularly entertain, and save enough tableware to accommodate the group. The key word here is
regularly
—not every three years or so when you host a holiday dinner. If you throw a big extravaganza, you can always borrow pieces from family and friends; most will have extras they’re willing to lend. If you feel you
must
keep all your place settings, at least limit the ones in your cabinets to your everyday needs—and put the rest into Deep Storage until they’re required.

We’d also do well to limit our appliances and gadgets. Just because a tool exists for every culinary task, doesn’t mean
we
have to own it. Keep the ones you use most often, and clear your space of the rest. Do the same for all those plastic takeout containers. They pile up quickly, as we hate to dispose of such potentially useful items; however, they often end up in a jumbled mess, cluttering up our cupboards. Determine the number you need, choose the sturdiest and most versatile pieces, and recycle or donate the excess.

Certainly limit the décor in your kitchen. A single bowl of fresh fruit or flowers is much more elegant than a counter full of knickknacks. Instead of decorative pieces, use your culinary ingredients to spruce up the room: pasta and beans look gorgeous in glass jars, spices are pleasing to the eye as well as the palette, and sprigs of lavender or other herbs give your kitchen a lovely, natural look. Appliances can also be decorative, as well as functional: a toaster, blender, or coffee maker in a fun color or sleek shape may be all the adornment your kitchen needs. Most importantly, limit the number of items per surface, so you can cook a meal without shoving stuff aside.

Furthermore, if space is at a premium, limit the amount of food you store. Keep enough on hand to accommodate an emergency; but question whether you really need a year’s supply of beans, rice, coffee, or canned goods. Make an effort to regularly “eat through your pantry” and replenish it with fresh provisions, so that food won’t spoil or go to waste. Keep good tabs on your inventory, and make shopping lists before going to the grocery store, to avoid buying (and storing) excessive amounts.

Finally, consider using limits to purge the clutter in your diet. An overabundance of food, or certain ingredients—like salt, fat, sugar, and preservatives—can lead to obesity and health problems. Limiting your fare to simple, healthy foods (like fresh fruits and vegetables) avoids the negative effects of over-processed ones. When you’re making a dietary change, limits are a great alternative to going cold turkey. If you want to eat less meat, restrict it to once or twice a week; if you’d like to drink less alcohol, have one glass of wine instead of two; if you need to cut back on pastries, indulge only weekly (or monthly) as a special treat. In this way, you can pursue a healthier lifestyle without feeling completely deprived. The rewards are double: when you limit the snacks and sweets in your cabinets, you’ll streamline your figure as well as your kitchen!