Editor’s Note: This is a guest post from John and Dana Shultz. John and Dana share simple, delicious recipes on their website Minimalist Baker.
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Minimalism isn’t just about the number of things you own. It’s about paring down to the essentials and finding contentment in owning less. This applies to every part of your life, for example, your wardrobe, the items in your room, and even your kitchen.
Practicing minimalism in the kitchen doesn’t require sacrificing your ability to make incredible meals. In fact, having less clutter in the kitchen actually makes it easier to get in there and cook up something wonderful.
Simplifying into a minimalist kitchen always starts with removing the utensils and appliances you aren’t using and don’t need. This means your kitchen can be decluttered very inexpensively with only a little time and thoughtful consideration.
Below is a list of 16 kitchen utensils we don’t own (and we run a cooking blog!). The list is partially inspired by A No-Frills Kitchen Still Cooks, a New York Times article packed with tips and suggestions for keeping a simple kitchen.
This list is neither exclusive nor conclusive. Rather, it’s merely a starting point to hopefully inspire you to reevaluate how much you keep in your kitchen. Be honest with your situation and only keep the tools you are using to create a minimalist kitchen.
16 Kitchen Tools We Do Not Own
1. Kitchen Aid Mixer. Not owning this guy is pure heresy in the food blog world, but we survive just fine. Replacement: A $13 handheld mixer.
2. Crock Pot. It’s big, it’s bulky, and you probably only use it once a year. Replacement: Varies by dish, but usually a large pot will suffice. If you really need one, borrow it from a friend.
3. Knife Block. These can be more bulky than necessary. Replacement: Keep our knives in the silverware drawer.
4. Excessive Pots and Pans. We simplified down to 3 pots and 3 pans. Replacement: Clean cabinets.
5. More than 8 plates, glasses, and bowls. We love to host. Rarely do we have more than 8 guests, but even when we do, we still have options. Replacement: Use specialty disposable plateware.
6. Extra coffee/tea mugs. Again, we decided we rarely ever need more than 8, and we don’t even have that many. Plus, these can double as glasses if you have more than 8 guests!
7. Bread Maker. Bulky and likely eating up cabinet space. Replacement: Bread recipes that don’t require a maker such as our 7-ingredient Muesli Bread!
8. Toaster oven. If you don’t regularly use this, then it’s just eating up space. Replacement: Regular toaster or a traditional oven.
9. A wok. Although a fun device, it’s rarely used. Replacement: The largest pan you own.
10. A Juicer. Big, bulky, and hard to clean. Replacement: If you love to juice, you can juice without a juicer.
11. Espresso machine. First, you probably don’t use this as much as you thought you would. Second, to get a really good espresso you usually need very high quality equipment and the time to adjust your grind/machinery to get that perfect shot. This simply isn’t practical for the average coffee lover. Replacement: Sell the espresso machine and go to a coffee shop when you want good espresso.
12. Grilled cheese maker. You don’t need this. Replacement: Almost any pan.
13. Rice maker. Only keep this if you regularly make a lot of rice. Replacement: Prepare rice in a traditional pot.
14. Doughnut pan. When is the last time you made doughnuts? Exactly. Replacement: Go buy doughnuts when you want them, or try a pan-free version.
15. Quesadilla maker/ Panini press. Ah! Replacement: You can get the same effect by using a skillet, tin foil, and pressing down on a pan on top.
16. Egg scrambler/milk frother/other trinkets. Be honest, you don’t really use these things. And they are only taking up space. Replacement: Just a little creativity.
+1. Fine china / heirloom dishes. This was intentionally saved for last, because it’s likely the emotional attachment is greater than the pragmatic realization that you are not using them. This quote has helped us in this area: “The truth is, neither our love for the person, nor their love for us, nor our memories, are in the possession.”
I want to finish by admitting we keep things that others might consider superfluous, but we use them every day and continue to enjoy them. Ultimately, we feel that should always be our guiding principle and hopefully one that empowers you to question the same.
What else can you/have you removed from your minimalist kitchen?
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You can find more of John and Dana’s fabulously wonderful recipes on their website, The Minimalist Baker.
Maureen says
I am not giving up my Kitchen Aid mixer or my 2 crock pots. I use them all weekly. The crock pot is the biggest time saver in the kitchen. I don’t own any of the other gadgets on the list.
John says
Anything you think you could add to the list we missed?
Kelly says
Agree on all 16+
Jenn says
Interesting to see what people use often- I use a blender (at work) and rice cooker almost daily.
I use a rice cooker in place of my crock pot or a medium pot- it’s non stick and cleans up much better than my when making oatmeal and rice. I can make everything from chai tea to beans, soup, pudding, caramelized onions, or even lightly steam veggies in it.
Kat says
Yes I second the rice cooker as the ultimate minimalist tool – we have an 8-in-one which replaces 8 appliances. Apart from rice it does slow cooking (used almost every day in winter), porridge, steamed veg and legumes etc. When we were living in Asia, we didn’t have an oven so we used it to bake cakes (yes you can bake cakes in a rice cooker).
anna says
Yes, agreed: I use my rice cooker so much that if I had to assign a dollar value based on usage, it’d be worth more than my car. I was using it twice a day (breakfast and dinner) every day for a few years.
I make rice, soup, beans, oatmeal, applesauce, veggies, fish and chicken in it. Mine has a timer, so I can put the starches in up to 24h. ahead of time and have it ready at the time I choose.
I can use the reheat feature (5 min quick cook) to cook the meat/veg, and this gets dinner on the table literally 10 minutes after I walk in the door. And if I need to, it can keep food hot for another 24 h. As a busy single person, a pot on the stove has nowhere near the utility for me.
anna says
unnecessary: slotted spoons, potato masher, ladle, spatula (I just use a fork or wooden spoon for a spatula). Extra cutting boards, more than 3 sharp knives per cook (cook’s, cheap serrated, paring), trivets, nonstick pans (I use cast iron)
extra things that might not seem extra to me: prep bowls, immersion blender.
Carol Dimer says
A knife block is essential to keeping your knives sharp. Throwing them in a silverware drawer will only knick and dull them. A small block is fine if you do not have a lot of knives.
John says
Or a wall magnet!
Charlie1981 says
…I’m going to assume you don’t have kids with that suggestion, John.
Karley says
What is that implying we have 2 kids and a wall magnet, I’m missing the connection… Also, as far as I heard, the wood dulls the blades in a wood block…
Jennifer says
I keep my knives (all three of them- chef, bread and paring) in protective sleeves in the drawer- gets rid of the block and keeps the blades protected without having them on a magnet strip.
John says
Great idea Jennifer! Thanks!
Lisa says
I agree with this list with the exception of my crockpot. I have small children so I don’t spend a lot of time in my kitchen. I use mine almost daily for either soaking and cooking beans or for a huge batch of soup or for making bone broth. It allows me to make dinners in the morning when I have more time. I would like to add I got rid of paper towels and napkins and instead use cloth. Saves money not really much space.
John says
Your idea to remove paper towels and napkins is great! We’ve done the same thing!
Arkay says
1. Kitchen Aid Mixer. Absolutely essential and I use every week.
2. Crock Pot. This is another essential-especially to cut down on cooking time/effort in a family with multiple children.
3. Knife Block. I agree this is a waste-I need three quality knives. that’s it.
4. Excessive Pots and Pans. I have about 8, but I use them all
5. More than 8 plates, glasses, and bowls. I bought a large amount at a local dollar store-surprisingly good quality, simple white plates and bowls. I started off with 20 plates, and 20 bowls. We are five years later and I have about 11-13 of each now.
6. Extra coffee/tea mugs. We have about 10 total
7. Bread Maker. We don’t own
8. Toaster oven. We don’t own
9. A wok. Getting rid of
10. A Juicer. we don’t own
11. Espresso machine. AHAHAHAHAHAHA. No.
12. Grilled cheese maker. What? We don’t own.
13. Rice maker. We need to replace our broken rice cooker. This is one of the most useful kitchen appliance. Fill with rice and water, then lay slices of salmon on top, then lay vegetable on top. Turn on, 25 minutes later, perfectly cooked meal. Also great for oats!
14. Doughnut pan. No. We don’t own.
15. Quesadilla maker/ Panini press. Totally pointless. We don’t own.
16. Egg scrambler/milk frother/other trinkets. Like a whisk? We own three whisks, and I use them all.
+1. Fine china / heirloom dishes. See above post about dollar store dishes.
I need to get rid of metal cooking utensils that scratch our pans. I really want an electric griddle, a vitamix, and a large porcelain enameled dutch oven (7qt.) and then I think I will have what I need/actually use.
Katherine says
We went cast iron: pans that scratch have carcinogenic properties. A few solid cast iron pans can do anything. Your post is more spot-on than the original.
Mr. Everyday Dollar says
I feel like the one-trick pony appliances – the quesadilla maker, the Foreman grill – are a great poster child for excess!
The things that every kitchen should have, at a (ahem) minimum?
What do you think about these 19 things: http://mreverydaydollar.com/the-shockingly-simple-kitchen-essentials/ ?
Anne says
I like that list a lot! Reminds me of the kitchen set up (minus the food processor) in a fully furnished rental we lived in for 3 months of job training. It was refreshingly simple. I loved the easy clean up because there wasn’t much to clean, yet you still had everything you needed. Passing along the list to my newly engaged niece! Maybe it’s more than time to have a “kitchen” yard sale.
Lindsey Swinborne says
I use my Kitchen Aid (which is 20+ years old and I got for free from a friend who was tossing it out) every single day, sometimes twice a day to feed my always-hungry brood. I use my Crockpot almost daily too. I can’t imagine not having these kitchen tools as they save me sooooo much time. Most of the things on the list were indeed frivolous things to OUR family, but every family is different. I think the title of this could have been worded differently as it came across a little harsh to those of us who do use those things every day and find that they save us time, money, effort and are TOTALLY worth storing!
Lindsey Swinborne says
P.S. I also use my bread machine weekly for family pizza night. 5 minutes to make homemade dough instead of a half an hour of kneading and punching dough down. I love it!
John says
Sorry the title offended you Lindsey. We simply wanted to offer 16 things we don’t keep even though we cook and bake everyday. Hope you feel inspired to own a little bit less and enjoy what you have.
Ron B says
Thinking it’s time to let a few more kitchen items go.
I used to love my slow cooker/crockpot but haven’t used it now for a few years… hmmm.
On the other hand I did get rid of two metal shelves yesterday so that was great. Now if I can only get rid of the other five.
John says
Thanks Ron! Getting rid of kitchen storage can encourage us to keep less in there entirely.
Stefanie says
What about wine glasses. I’d like to toss 3 and 4 different wine glasses but my DH wants to keep ’em for when we have visitors, which we rarely have. I’d like to trink wine out of a normal glases which fits into the dishwasher easy. We have not used the glases in at least a year, so I am ready to let them go.
John says
Great addition Stefanie! We’ve thought about doing the same – getting a smaller set of just classy drinking glasses that we can use for everyday drinks or wine!
GoddessMel says
A great idea – I have so many mismatched sets due to breakages over the years! About 12 months ago I bought a reasonably price set of 6 ‘water’ glasses from Target and now use them as every day drinking glasses, tumblers for mixed drinks/cocktails, for wine (if it’s good enough for the Italians!) and coffee drinks. Apart from a pair of champagne flutes (which were a wedding gift given to my parents and are sentimental to me, and yes they do get regular use as I don’t think champagne tastes as nice in the little glasses LOL) I’m ditching all my other wine glasses.
Heidi @ Barefoot and Paleo says
I make all meals at home. I use my Crockpot at least once a week, more like twice a week. I also use a wok almost every day.
The only other gadget I use daily is a food processor.
Jessica says
It is interesting how different kitchen dynamics work… I use my two different sized crockpots constantly (homemade granola, yogurt, dried beans, etc.), use a knife block to raise sharp objects out of reach of my kids who can easily disable a child-proof drawer lock, use my bread maker sometimes several times a day, use my toaster oven constantly (we chose to minimize and go without microwave and try to avoid using expensive propane), make donuts from scratch, and use my espresso maker (albeit a cheap $35 one) multiple times a day, and use our one set of wedding dishes as daily dishes. I feel that we pursue a minimalist lifestyle and this article makes me feel a tad defensive in our use of items, as I only leave off 7 of the 16 items. Oh, well! To each his own!
John says
Thanks Jessica. Ultimately, we just think you should be mindful with what you keep and enjoy what you have.
Do you think there are things we missed that you’ve minimized?
Jessica says
Yes, I posted about crystal serveware further down…
I think that this article is getting a lot of emotional response from people due to their reading the title of “16 Things Your Kitchen Can Do Without” (keyword: YOUR) and going straight to the list while skipping the honest disclaimer about everyone’s kitchen being different.
People get direction, validation, and a very definition of minimalism from this site and their backs are bowing over perceiving that they are being told that they aren’t “real” minimalists because they use a slow cooker. Obviously this article isn’t asserting that at all!
It’s a great, well-written article and a good springboard from which to evaluate one’s kitchen situation. So, I just wanted to say – don’t let some of the more negative knee-jerk reactions get you down:)
GoddessMel says
Agreed – it’s what works for you. I too have been tempted by the shiny Kitchenaid mixer, am contemplating a pod coffee machine and have given in to other appliances that were great for a while but now get little use (flat grill/sandwich press, Soda Stream, electric slicer…). However, my multi-cooker (crockpot/pressure cooker/electric frypan/fryer/rice cooker/soup pot etc) gets almost daily use, especially in winter, and is great for cooking multiple dishes at the same time; I recently splurged (after much research and haggling for $100 off!) on a food processor that, again, I have used daily since purchasing several months ago and will have for years – if not decades! – to come.
Thanks for the reminder to REALLY think before purchasing and find alternatives to gadgets we think we ‘need’. I’m going home to clear out my utensil drawer!!
Duane Daugherty says
Sorry, but this is a ridiculous list created by someone who doesn’t cook, doesn’t bake, doesn’t have kids, never entertains and never hosts family holidays with 15 to 20 people. I use half the things on this list at least once a week and I use 15 + place settings at least four times a year. I feel sorry that this poor, pathetic individual has no culinary skills, no family and no social life. I, on the other hand, love and have reason to use most of these things on a regular basis.
joshua becker says
Thank you for offering your thoughts. But I find your comment to be harsh and ill-placed. The post was written by two people who make their living in the kitchen. And the NYT article referenced in the post was also written by a professional chef. The post was written to spark new thoughts and conversation—and it has accomplished its purpose.
Andrea says
This comment is completely uncalled for. I have a very minimalist kitchen. No Microwave, no toaster oven, no food processor, no dishwasher, no garlic press or other single use gadget, and i cook and bake constantly. I have a 20 year old step son, we all take lunches to work, i hosted Easter dinner for my family and my husbands this past weekend and we had a wonderful meal of organic homecooked food and survived.
you can run your kitchen however you like, but don’t presume that people that live differently live worse than you do.
Anne says
I got a bit defensive too! But then realized that it is the idea that I can use. So those of us who keep any extra kitchen stuff just because, can get rid of them! If you don’t use it, then loose it. I agree, Crock pot stays in this household. Big families save money and time with crock pots. I am keeping my kitchen aid mixer too. It isn’t really a mixer to me anyway. Only when the kids want to bake goodies. It’s attachments allow me to easily make homemade pasta, grind my whole wheat berries for flour, and chop up anything from carrots to bars of soap (for homemade laundry detergent), just to name a few. Oh, and I like the idea of the crock pot for yogurt. I’ll have to try it. Then throw out my “yogurt maker” we got as a wedding gift years ago. It’s a give and take for what works for each household!
Jessica says
Agreed, thanks:) I actually keep my yogurt maker around – it was a well-intentioned gift – for times when I can’t watch the clock for several hours to do it in the slow cooker. I use Stephanie O’Dea’s crockpot365 blog’s recipe. Good luck if you try it:)