One way is to paint the entire kitchen... That's what I did quite a few years back... I packed everything up and put it in the basement... Don't bother yourself with actually sorting every thing first, wait until you start putting it back then sort it in the basement...

First thing I went through was the food stuffs... Lots of stuff when straight from the basement to the trash... Next came the regular dishes and glasses... I brought it all up, washed it and put it away... Then came the silverware, every day cooking utensils, pot and pans... I left everything else in the basement, in boxes, stacked in a corner... You'd be surprised just how much extra space you have that way... LOL

If I needed a cake pan or cookie sheet I'd go through the boxes until I found what I needed and pushed everything back in the corner... After I used said item I'd find a place for it in the kitchen... At the end of three years, I called Purple Heart and had them haul the rest away...

Out of the six or seven boxes of stuff I donated there was only one item I needed after I got rid of it... lol

Rita O'Tay

I also have been paring down over the past year or so, Sue. It's just amazing all the carp that builds up in the kitchen. I still had the cheap Teflon-coated pie & cake pans. They were rusted something awful. Why did I keep them? God only knows. I had several spatulas that were either rusting or had broken handles. Anyway, I by the time I was done with the kitchen cabinets/drawers I'd pared down to about half.

I replaced my rusted splatter guard with silicone. MISTAKE! I often start a chop or steak stovetop in a grill pan & then finish in a very hot oven on convection. The silicone can't take over 350 degrees. Don't ask how I discovered that little tidbit of useful information. And, no, it wasn't from reading the instructions printed on the packaging!

Sometimes, I grab a full strainer with one hand out of the sink, like maybe pasta. I'm afraid with the silicone that it wouldn't be sturdy enough & I'd dump pasta or potatoes all over the floor???

BTW, it feel really good to open my cabinets & have extra space. Nothing is crowded. Everything is visible. It's a liberating experience.

/tricia

Do you know any young couples (or singles) leaving home for the first time? They're always glad to have kitchen stuff. I had a good clean-out when each of my babies flew the nest.

As for choosing what to keep and what to toss - if you haven't used it for 3-5 years, toss it!

When my kitchen finally got a facelift last year, I was ruthless in clearing out junk. The thing that surprised me most was how much space was being taken up (wasted!) by 'odd' stuff. So I'd suggest that if it isn't part of a set of matched dishes or glasses, get rid of it.

Another thing is to think about what you actually use instead of what you're 'supposed' to have. For instance, there were 8 mugs hogging my limited shelf space. Since I don't drink coffee, how silly was that?!? I'm proud to say that I'm now mugless. :)

Finally, just organizing your canned goods will help. Once you realize you have 5 containers of chopped chilies, you can do a Mexican night and start getting your 'inventory' down to free up storage space.

My dream is to get the herbs and spices organized....but I think that is a PIPEdream!

sm

sm, that PIPEdream might depend on those herbs. darfc

Two moves in just under 5 years proved helpful in paring down kitchen stuff, as well as supplying start-up items for our kids when they moved out. I still have plenty of "stuff" stored in the basement that is only used occasionlly. But if I haven't used it in several years, it gets serious consideration and usually donated to a thrift store or given to someone who CAN use it.

One of the first things to go were unused sets of china and a ton of serving trays and serving pieces I accumulated over the years. Anything silver that wasn't a family piece, that requires special cleaning or care was quickly out-the-door. A reality check found I was loaning these things out to other people and organizations to use instead of using them myself. I was able to give many things to our local historical museum (where I had been a volunteer for many years) to use for exhibit openings and other social entertaining. The days of big parties and celebrations has changed as our family has gotten smaller and the next generation has moved so far away...

If your town has a community food bank, you might see if they are taking kitchen items. Many people they give food to don't have cookware or bakeware. Even things like foil baking pans, mixing bowls, measuring cups/spoons, miss-matched cutlery, etc. would be appreciated at our food bank. They also take "kindly" used kitchen towels and dish rags. I have supplied the food bank with knit dish rags for years. A friend had an elderly aunt pass away with a lifetime supply of cotton yarn to dispose of. She gave it to me and in my "down time" (long drives, watching TV, etc.) I mindlessly knit dish rags for the food bank to give away.

-Grainlady

Sue, You might want to stop shopping at Williams-Sonoma >)

About a year ago I bought large metal shelving units from Sams. I took everything I didn't use frequently and moved it to the basement. Most of my canned goods and bulk items are there too. I also tossed things I didn't use or were in poor condition. The things that were in good condition I sold on Ebay. I'm still getting rid of things there.

Tracey

Like others here, I cleaned out my kitchen when we gutted the old one back in July. I trashed some things, saved others for our girls (both are getting ready to go out on their own), but gave very little away otherwise.

I had already cleaned out the FOOD section when we had to tent the house for termites back in June - you have to bag all foods and digestible medications in special double plastic bags, and seal them (even stuff in the fridge), so that's when I pitched all the 10 year old jars and cans that had gotten lost in the back of the cupboards! (If you're from an area where they don't tent for termite invasion, it's an eye opener and a funny thing to see your house draped in a special tent from tip to stern.)

The new kitchen was a great time to replace a lot of worn and old stuff. I'm still getting new things - as I NEED them. One thing we found that was absolutely wonderful was a special kind of spatula: large and round. It was labeled "great for hamburgers", but we use it to take pizza off the pizza pan.

DonnaR/CA

I'm amazed at how many people have basements - I've never been in a house that had a basement! I would be worried that they would flood.

I had my kitchen painted recently, and I put everything into the garage. I tried to leave as much in the garage as possible, but most of it came back because I tend to keep things pared down as it is.

Lori sent me a collapsible silicon strainer, and yes I do like it. I keep it hanging on a rack beside the stove. I found a lot more storage space by putting up a couple of wooden dowels with hooks for hanging things that I want to keep close at hand.

Unfortunately, last Christmas I got a set of four mugs from my sister, and I'm tempted to put at least three of them in the garage. They really take up too much space, and I can bring them back out when she comes to visit. Gifts can become a problem. I feel like I have to keep everything given to me as a gift, and my sister gives me some of the worst. She gave me a set of chop stick holders that don't work well at all, and I already three pairs that work much better. She doesn't live close enough to know what is really useful for me, but she does know I have extremely limited space in my kitchen.

I have most of our canned earthquake survival food in the garage, but I try to use it up and then replace it, and so I'm keeping that to a minimum now. After the last big one, I never even used any canned food because I had so much in the fridge and freezer to use. I was feeding neighbors and never even cleared out the fridge or freezer! I think I'm stocked for a holocaust rather than an earthquake. Oh well, if the dreaded tidal wave comes to my house, I'll be ready!

Lars

5+ yrs ago when we did our kit I threw out tons, gave away lots. When I set up new kit I put in only what I know I use a lot. I ended up with a few boxes we put in the basement. Within the first couple of months I got out maybe 2 things then NOTHING for 2 yrs so I finally dumped the boxes without even looking in them. I plan to do the same when I set up our kit in our new old house. We are in with NO kit presently.

Tracey - I just KNEW someone would bring that up LOL!! I bought that pasta pot because I've got a big one that takes up too much space - don't want to get rid of it because I do use it occasionally...sounds like a contender for basement shelving.

I don't have a problem with food because I have a relatively small closet pantry and use two cabinets for heavy canned goods and oils. That being said, I do have a bunch of oils and balsamic vinegars that were Christmas gifts that I need to use.

Somehow I've accumulated tons of measuring cups and spoons!

We moved last March after 30 years in the same apartment. It had an eat-in kitchen and plenty of storage space for kitchen supplies. An adjoining laundry room was a repository for the overflow of serving, cooking, baking, and linens.

I had tons of gadgets as well as multiples of sizes of equipment. Down-sizing big time allowed me to rid myself of lots of stuff. All the older pots, except the stock-pots and a few I couldn't part with, gave way for a new set of Cuisinart.

It was very liberating to give things away. Who needed a green bean Frencher? 3 mellon ballers? 4 zesters? 5 old plastic colanders among other things? The organizer who helped me never cooked so she really rolled her eyes when she asked me if I really needed some of the items. She suggested that I box any random items and if not used, should go bye-bye in a year. The year has come and I haven't used but a couple of the dang things...out they will go.

I bought new dishes and glasses too and other than a few all white day-to-day plates from the Pottery Barn, the old ones have been handed out. I had, among other nonsensical things, 12 individual au gratins, a dozen salt cellars, half again as many porcelain place markers. It was endless. Linens for every season, numbering between 8 and 16 each of place mats and napkins.

Silicone: I have one silicone strainer and it collapses too easily to make me comfortable. I have also have a spatter cover with a separate handle which I detest, and a small microwave steamer which I like but I worry about the contents spilling out when I remove it from the microwave situated over the oven.

I think the bottom line is: less is more It is easy to get caught up in the attractiveness of a new item, but basically, what does a good cook really need? Keep it simple.

Bubbe

PS I have to heed my own advise in my country home..It scares me to think what's lurking in the back of shelves and in boxes.

Coffee mugs-I had about 18 hogging one kitchen shelf. All had some kind of "value", inckuding sentimental, such as one given to me by me college roommate Carol, many years ago, and the one I made in ceramics class, with the horse on it. I threw out all but 4. I rarely have company, and I thought, if they all want coffee, then I'll use those four mugs. That cleared out one shelf for me. Be ruthless.

Lars said: I'm amazed at how many people have basements - I've never been in a house that had a basement! I would be worried that they would flood.

Gee Lars do you live in Dayton? I've never lived WITHOUT a basement and can't imagine - where do people put all their stuff! But I'm having trouble finding one in Dayton, slabs are preponderant here.

I'm still living in an apt after moving and it does seem to hold true. Boxes of kitchen stuff. I seem to be doing pretty well with the minimum. I did have to buy new cookie sheets because I left them when I moved. Its nice to have "speciality" things or pretty things for special occasions but I had those in the basement before too. And I 've kept things way too long also - take them to the Goodwill.

But was the OP looking for a list of minimum things? What you use most, can't do without, actual things you've tossed?
As for measuring cups - if you use them a lot I think keep good metal ones. I think the collapsible ones would be too bendy and a source of irritation.

I have a basement and I've been here for 25 years, it's never even gotten damp, let alone flooded, LOL.

I keep threatening to buy shelves for the basement, mine are all currently taken up with my jars of home canned goodies. Somehow, it's something that never gets done, something else is always more important for me to spend my money on, somehow.

I don't seem to have a huge amount of kitchen stuff. I have ONE 9x13 cake pan, but I have three pie pans because I often bake that many for family parties. Mostly the stuff that takes room and doesn't get used daily is canning equipment, LOL.

I have one set of every day dishes, one set of "good" china. Of course, when Elery does retire and moves here, we'll have to combine the two kitchens and that man has way better kitchen stuff than I do! I figure that'll happen about the time that Ashley finishes school and moves out, and she'll take care of the overflow for me.

Annie

Mary, I do not live in Dayton!! I've never been to the Midwest, except for Oklahoma City and some random airports for changing planes to and from New York.

I've lived in California most of my adult life and my childhood and college years were spent in Texas, around Austin and Houston. We got a lot of floods in Houston. I have an attic at my house here in Los Angeles (as well as a carpeted garage), and my parents' house has an attic and two garages, although one of them is just for tractors. I never put kitchen stuff in the attic, but I do store it in the garage (along with surfboards, mountain bikes, etc.). When I lived in San Francisco (in a railroad flat), all the storage we had consisted of closets, although we had a utility room at the back that was partially used for storage. Consequently, we did not have tons of stuff.

I have an outdoor shed that I use for gardening tools here.

Lars

If you live in lowland and have a basement it could flood. Or if you do not do gutter maintenance it could also. But the last two houses I have lived in have had super dry basements. The one I am in now is fabulous, driest one I have ever had. Nothing even has a basement smell.
Sorry if I hijacked this thread.
I am, however, reading evrything here and taking it to heart since I am hoping to pare down also.

Lars, I've never had a basement either. If fact, best that I recall, the only basement that I've been in is Sheshebop's and it was to die for.

I had two of these installed in the garage. It has been terrific having the extra storage. Also, it has been enlightening in that I can clearly see what doesn't get used and should be Freecycled.