Out with the old: How to declutter your kitchen drawers

Chef and recipe developer Tine Caisip runs through a list of utensil essentials, and no, you don't really need that tomato knife.

Removing kitchen clutter. Source: Supplied

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Ah, the kitchen drawer we all know too well – the one that contains a graveyard of vegetable choppers, egg separators, apple slicers and other well-intentioned but unused culinary gifts. I think it's time to sort through it. Here's why. 

Many of us move out of home and gradually accumulate an array of kitchen utensils over time. However, we often neglect to build a solid set of them from the ground up. Additional clutter in the kitchen makes it hard for us to locate the tools we actually need. Similar to a wardrobe clean-out, kitchen decluttering is crucial to making cooking easier, faster and more successful. 

Essentials

Let's talk basic kitchen essentials, starting with knives. The saying goes, "the best knife is a sharp knife". While it's tempting to spend a fortune on knives, you can still do well with reasonably priced options. A knife with a full tang (meaning the blade extends into the handle), a basic chef's knife, a serrated knife and a paring knife will complete all your basic kitchen tasks. 

Invest in a pull-through knife sharpener for ease of use and cost-effective maintenance. Avoid fancy knives, like tomato or vegetable knives as the job can be done with the above. Also avoid delicate carbon steel and Damascus blades, which are designed for professionals.

Choose the right knives for your kitchen. Source: Supplied

Other kitchen essentials that should be in your toolkit include wooden spoons, tongs, measuring spoons and cups, a sharp vegetable peeler, multiple measuring bowls (which speed up preparation and can be used for serving), a selection of sturdy chopping boards, plenty of cotton tea towels, a grater, a slotted spatula, a potato masher, containers with lids, sturdy pots and pans, baking sheets and a small and large baking tray that can be used for a range of basic recipes.

It's a good idea to have several pairs of tongs since you need to use one pair for raw food and another for cooked food to prevent contamination, and they also help with serving.

Nice to have

Nice-to-have kitchen tools enhance your cooking experience. Measuring jugs help to mix wet ingredients for cakes and other baked recipes. They also make tasks, like reserving and measuring pasta water for sauces, more precise and mess-free. Heat-proof spatulas are loved by professional chefs since they excel at stirring, scraping and retrieving every last bit of food from hot pans, which reduces food waste and makes cleaning easier. Finely grated ingredients enhance flavour distribution and mouthfeel so tools like microplanes are great for ingredients such as ginger, garlic, citrus peel, nutmeg, and hard cheeses.

Where to start

To build a more effective kitchen set-up, start your clean-out by identifying and recognising tools that are impractical or rarely used. Create a 'keep', 'maybe' and 'donate' box. Start by filling the 'keep' box with basic kitchen essentials. Then assess the remaining utensils and be honest with yourself about how frequently you truly use them.

Decluttering is crucial to making cooking easier, faster and more successful.

Vacuum dusty drawers and give them a good wipe down, then repopulate them with your basic tool kit. If you're finding it hard to part ways with any items, keep them in the 'maybe' and 'donate' boxes and place them in a safe space, away from the kitchen. See how frequently you go to grab them over the next three months, and how much smoother the kitchen works without them. 

Decluttering your kitchen and prioritising essential tools can greatly enhance your cooking experience. By eliminating unnecessary items and focusing on essentials, you will create a space that is practical and enjoyable. Embrace simplicity, invest in good tools and enjoy the many benefits of a clutter-free kitchen to open up more valuable culinary experiences at home.