Minimalist Kitchen
26 Wed, 2011 § 5 Comments
Our kitchen does not look bare but is defined by its restraint according to Dave. This statement quickly became clear as he noted the obvious enthusiasm I exude when stepping into a kitchen supply store. It does take much restraint to not leave with arms full of fun & ingenious goods.
There are special devices for slicing each type of fruit, a utensil for every conceivable dish & numerous other clever tools that could surely be put to use in nearly any kitchen.
I could easily fill our kitchen with gadgets & various odds & ends but have decided all I really need to get the job done is quality cookware, a few basic tools & a good set of knives. My weakness is dishware & photo props, but the few I have acquired or generously been gifted by my sister have been second-hand. Re.Used.
I have found new uses for items, like this cute little tart tin I had once turned into a magnet. Now it holds freshly ground sea salt on the stove for accessible pinching while cooking — & because of the magnet, it does not budge! Ok, so this was Dave’s idea — how crafty is he?!
I also recently went through every drawer & cabinet, analyzing its contents, searching for items we truly did not use. The only thing I came out with were replaceable rims to our Magic Bullet cups.
I guess I will donate these, though I cannot imagine anyone would want just the rims. Perhaps they are recyclable?
~
As we are trying to reduce waste & live simply, it is difficult for me to grasp the 80-20 notion. I have heard the average household only uses 20% of the stuff filling their home; so in theory you could get rid of 80% of your belongings. I cannot imagine this is accurate as it does not ring true for us; but perhaps this is because we purged much of our belongings during the big move & do not buy a lot of extra things.
I would love to hear what your thoughts are on the 80-20 concept!
i love the magic bullet rims! are you only keeping 1 then?
personally, i don’t believe that by simply reducing your ‘belongings’ equates you somehow live simply. Belongings have meaning and value and I don’t believe there is anything wrong with keeping those. Obviously there is danger and wastefulness on the far extreme of hoarding things, but I don’t think is really implicated in this discussion. Sure, having excess is unnecessary and it is important to be mindful of daily waste consumption but i think it’s easy to go overboard. I’m sure at any given time you only use 20% of your household–but I believe your home/life would become quite drab and boring if you knocked it down to bare essentials. I think balance is important and that we derive much pleasure from enjoying and making our surroundings beautiful. I do go through my closet often and if I don’t enjoy something anymore or haven’t worn it in awhile, I donate it. I am not ‘attached’ to most of my things, but I don’t believe that means I should get rid of them.
And I LOVE all the fun kitchen gadgets!
We are keeping both magic bullets [one at home, one for Dave at work]; we just don’t use the rims. Want mine?
How could you not live a more simple life if you had fewer things taking up space [physical & mental], time & energy? I hope I didn’t imply to get rid of everything that is not essential & keep basics only; we are just becoming more mindful of what we allow to take up space in our lives. Though not impossible, I believe it is extremely difficult to not have any layer of attachment to belongings. As for meaning & value, those still exist without the stuff as place holders. Again, I’m certainly not saying get rid of these things. Hopefully I can explain my view more clearly with the rest of the home…as these are the rooms I feel people truly hoard pointless stuff & become too attached & zombie-like.
You know I LOVE kitchen gadgets but am realizing how much more I enjoy really connecting with my food by taking the time to use the basics [like a simple knife]. ie. I always thought I “needed” an avocado slicer but am glad I never got one because I love slowly peeling it apart, slicing it & gently scooping out the contents. yes yes, I’m weird.
oh yeah==super cute idea for the tin with salt! too bad our oven top isn’t magnetic…
Yours is a special one that doesn’t…just get hot, right? [That’s weird I don’t know how to describe it.] What is it made of? I know it needs the special cookware. You’ll have to explain how it works sometime.
[…] Some days I miss the shredder/grater attachment on my food processor; then I remind myself I do like the experience of connecting with my food through simple kitchen tools. […]