This post is like opening a can of worms… We all have different kitchens, different favourite gadgets and things we can’t live without but we also have a lot of things lurking in the kitchen that quite frankly, are just causing us a headache.
.
The kitchen if probably the most used room in the house, especially if you are forever feeding a hungry rabble, so we really need that space to work for us, not against us! And clearing out the clutter and crap will free up space and make it a more pleasant place to work in.

There is no hard and fast rule here, if you are a family of 3 your needs will be different to a family of 12, so tweak it to your own specific needs. As you know by now, I don’t believe in the one-size-fits-all philosophy!

Use similar logic, each person needs a dinner plate, side plate and bowl. Again, think about guests, how often do you need guest plates and how many?
If you are are like me and have an Asian influence in the house, you will probably need a selection of small bowls and dishes for Asian meals too. I have to admit, I’m not a fan of having 17 different dishes out on the table, purely because I know I’ll be the poor bugger who has to wash them up! Slap everything on one plate,  that’s my way of thinking!
.
If you don’t have guests often then use disposable plates when you do. And whilst we are on the subject, do you have ‘best’ china, you know, the ones you only get out once a year. You have to wash everything before you use it and then it all gets packed away straight after the celebratory meal?
.
Is it really worth having tableware just for best? This is a personal choice but do take it into consideration. My moms ditched the crappy old plates we had been eating off for years and started using the ‘best’ plates for everyday meals, we sudden all felt very posh! It also freed up a whole cupboard, essential if you are living in a small space.

Admit it, you have a selection of utensils that never see the light of day and quite possibly one or two things that you have no idea what it’s for! And you know what? They are annoying because they are always a weird shape and don’t sit in the drawer properly. Go and take a long hard look at your utensils drawer and ask yourself…
.
–> What are the keepers? The items do I use on a regular basis?
–> What do I use fairly often, maybe needed for a speciality situation? Is there something that I use on a regular basis that would do the job?
–> What have I got that I have no idea what it’s for?Once you answer those, you will know what to chuck out.

Ahhh yes, those Tupperware type containers, I swear they breed like rabbits in the cupboard if you’re not careful!
Again, it’s a matter of thinking about how many you REALLY need. We have been making the move over to glass and I chucked out a whole box of the breeding plastic containers, not missed them at all! Or the mismatch of lids that went with them. If you are buying new ones, find a set that stack inside each other, soooo much better for your kitchen cupboard sanity.

It is really easy to end up with too many pots and pans but at the end of the day, how many do you use at once? When I was a student, I survived with a small saucepan and a wok and still managed to throw dinner parties for my friends. To be honest, one more pan would have been helpful but at the end of the day, it was possible to cook everything I needed with just those two.
.
So if you have pans (and their lids) that never get used, then pass them on – maybe to a student who only has a wok!

Right, I’m not going to tell you to throw out the rice cooker, toaster, bread machine or slow cooker because I have NO idea what you use on a regular basis. I have a bread machine, and I love it. I use it on average 5 times a week, there is no way I would kick that baby out.
.
The espresso machine I bought my husband on the other hand… never got used because he couldn’t be arsed cleaning it afterwards and it just took up space, so it was adios to the ole espresso maker! Do get brutally honest though, if you have a fondue set that was a wedding present and it’s never been taken out of the box, get rid of it. If you have a rice cooker but you never cook rice, you don’t need to keep it.
.
We end up with a collection of gadgets and ‘good buys’ that just clutters up our space. If you don’t use it and it isn’t serving any purpose, let it go! The kitchen cupboards are no place for sentiment, what you need is well-maintained, practical items that are going to help you feed and nourish your family without you having a meltdown every time you open the cupboard to a  Tupperware avalanche!