I originally wrote this post about organizing my small kitchen way back in 2011 when I moved. I’ve again slowly accumulated a treasure trove of kitchen goodies, its really my obsession! So I dusted of the post and decided to re-introduce it it to my blog and go through the exercise one more time. I think this will be an every 10 tens years thing for me. Or, need to start a vintage cookware support group!
For more tips, check out How to Stock A Cooking for One Kitchen“
When I moved from a spacious two-bedroom California bungalow with a large 1930s kitchen into a one-bedroom condo with a small 1960s kitchen, I faced the challenge of decluttering a much smaller space. Before I even moved in, I had to make some difficult decisions about what to keep and what to let go, especially regarding my cookware and utensils that wouldn’t fit into my new kitchen.
Having lived in my rented bungalow for 18 years, I had accumulated a lot of vintage kitchen utensils and small appliances. My love for 1950s blenders, mixers, and toasters was evident throughout my kitchen. These vintage treasures served not only as functional tools but also as beautiful ornaments, inspiring the frugal gourmet within me.
I’ll admit, I am drawn to all things food-related: cooking, strolling through farmers markets, dining at quirky roadhouse cafes, and shopping online for vintage bowls. I find pure joy when the Williams Sonoma catalog arrives in my mailbox. For years, my Sunday mornings consisted of watching Martha Stewart Living with a scone and a cup of coffee, retreating into a foodie heaven and dreaming of becoming a master chef and gardener. Those Sundays inspired me to transform my kitchen into a gourmet retreat, though it didn’t turn out exactly as I had hoped.
Packing Up the Kitchen and Making Hard Decisions
The hardest part of moving was packing up my kitchen. My cabinets were like Mary Poppins’ purse! How could all that stuff possibly fit into my new home, especially my smaller kitchen?
The complicated process of deciding what to move and what to donate had begun. Out went the 1950s Sunbeam mixer, the vintage toasters, the portable toaster oven, the oversized microwave, and half my cookbooks. I still regret parting with my old stand mixer and the cookbooks!.
I managed to reduce the larger items, but three full sets of dishes, all my pots and pans, my vintage potato masher, and a dozen wooden spoons made the cut. My little condo kitchen became cluttered, with every cabinet stuffed to the maximum. It was hard to find anything in my 24-inch-deep pantry shelves!
My original plan to move only the essential, perfect, and usable items had failed.
5 Steps to Declutter a Small Kitchen
Step 1: Create a List of Meals You Prepare. The first step in organizing my small kitchen was to list all the meals I prepared, including holiday and special occasion meals. Using a spreadsheet makes the following steps much easier.
- Example meal: pork chops, mashed potatoes, gravy, and sweet peas.
Step 2: List All the Pots, Pans, and Utensils Used in Each Meal. This is where the spreadsheet comes in handy. Think about the preparation process and every item used. For the example meal above, you might use:
- 10-inch skillet for cooking chops and making gravy
- Medium cutting board for slicing onions and potatoes
- Peeler for peeling potatoes
- Chef’s knife for slicing
- 4-quart saucepan for boiling potatoes
- Potato masher for mashing potatoes
- 2-quart saucepan for heating peas
You’ll likely end up with a long list of duplicated items, many listed more than once.
Step 3: Sort and Remove Duplicate Items. Sort your list and remove duplicates. You’ll end up with a short list of what you truly need and use. Review the list for single-purpose items and determine if you can use another item or if you really want to keep the single-use item.
Step 4: Empty Cabinets and Drawers. Remove all pots, pans, skillets, baking pans, etc., from the cabinets and drawers. Clean everything and add a fresh layer of shelf paper. Seeing everything outside the cabinets gives you a realistic idea of how much stuff you have. When I did this, I was amazed at the huge mound of kitchen items on my dining room floor. I had unintentionally created another Mary Poppins kitchen, with six crock pots of different sizes and shapes!
Step 5: Reintroduce Items on Your List. Return only the items on your list to your kitchen. Everything else goes into a box or plastic tub with a lid. Over the next month or so, if you need an item from the tub, pull it out, use it, and find a home for it in your kitchen.
I completed this exercise over the holidays to avoid tossing anything I might need for holiday dinners. (I’m looking at you, Mr. Vintage Bundt Pan that only gets used at Thanksgiving.)
Now you have the five steps for minimizing your pots, pans, and utensils in your kitchen. My personal experience revealed my addiction to bowls—I have small bowls, large bowls, vintage bowls, and I love them all. I confess I kept most of them. And remember that vintage Sunbeam stand mixer? I kept the bowls it came with.
No fancy workbooks or inspirational podcasts needed just a spreadsheet or pencil and paper and a little time. I hope you find something helpful in my post for your own quest to downsize. or re-size.
I would love it if you share your own organizing tips in the comments.
Cheers