Redundant small appliances and gadget displays do not a visually-spacious kitchen make

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Published Date 12/28/2022

When you walk into someone’s kitchen whose countertops are devoid of clutter except for an occasional potted plant or a diminutive Nespresso machine, it’s easy to assume their kitchen is larger than yours. Now open a drawer. Neat as a pin? That took even more thought. But don’t kid yourself. That lack of clutter took work. Even more, it took the discipline to weed out small appliances and kitchen knick knacks they probably assumed they might need someday.

Realtor.com’s Jennifer Kelly Geddes says nothing injects a special dash of excitement into cooking like a fancy new kitchen gadget. “Who can resist the allure of the almighty egg cuber, or the fun they’ll have Sunday morning whipping out that pancake pen? Oddly, you already have a few hyper-specialized tools stashed in your cabinets and are itching to add one or three more.”

But like anything else you buy that seems exciting initially, the love affair usually doesn’t last long. “Alas, the thrill you’ll feel using that carrot sharpener or condiment gun is bound to be short-lived, at which point you’ll be cramming it into stuffed drawers and regretting this impulse purchase.” She offers some tips that may help you stage your own intervention and let you know whether your kitchen gadget habit is out of control. See if you recognize your own kitchen red flags.

First off, if you can’t name the gadget, the odds are razor-slim that you’ll be using it anytime soon. “In fact, many single-use tools (apple slicer, pickle fork, cake tester) taking up room in your drawers actually go by other names: knife, regular fork, toothpick. You’re welcome,” offers Geddes.

We all have goals. Here is an analogy: We buy treadmills that take up half the space of a small bedroom, thinking we would hop on board each morning. We love to think we will get that part of our new year’s resolutions out of the way early each day. Just having it there sets what we consider a serious intention, after all. Soon, however, we are dusting it off and hanging things from it.

Same for items we display on our countertops or stuff into our already-jammed cabinets. Healthy eating? It’s a worthy goal, but if you don’t like smoothies, that juicer isn’t doing you any good. Same for the air popper for popcorn. Face it: you secretly hate it because the popcorn it produces tastes nothing like the movie theater variety. Geddes suggests, “If you find yourself reaching for that good ol’ saucepan and some vegetable oil for your next Netflix binge snack, take a hard look at your small appliance collection and weed out the ones you bought for the better self you’ll never become.”

“Keeping up with the Joneses” is an expression our parents may have used, but it’s not as stale as you might assume. “Just because it’s a hot item and all your friends and neighbors seem to have one—and they were practically giving them away on Black Friday—it does not mean you should own a bread maker/home rotisserie/pressure cooker,” says Geddes. She concludes that no matter how great a deal it is, make sure it’s something you’ll use. Don’t buy it as an aspiration that may not become a reality any time soon.

Ever find yourself buying the mini-version of something you already have? The mini waffle maker? Mini rice cooker? How about that new smart toaster next to the toaster oven? And that diminutive waffle maker that imprints an image of a snowman might not be something you reach for in the summer morning warmth. If your countertops are groaning, perhaps another impending resolution for the new year will be to hide everything in a nook, closet, or shelf in the garage. Take heart. The universe is telling you it’s time to pare down. If this is the case, Geddes recommends the “one in, one out” rule. That means if you get a new toaster, the old reliable one should be free-cycled or donated to a good cause. Consider a local shelter or after-school program at school.

Think of your kitchen as a workhorse room that must remain functional and clutter-free instead of a garage for a standing mixer that might make it look like you prepare loaves of bread every other day. Organizing professional Katie McCann says, “Even if you use something once a week, you can just pull it out from the shelf and put it back in its home when you’re done to save space.” If you lack cabinet space to store it, however? Houston, we have a problem. She suggests creating a coffee or similar beverage station in tucked-away corners of the kitchen. A butler’s pantry or closet is great for families who are whipping up multiple smoothies and coffee drinks on busy mornings. No butler’s pantry? Individual hand-held smoothie makers might do the trick, taking up much less space and making it so that no family member has to wait for the blender to get rinsed out.

Okay. So once in a while a small gadget can come to the rescue.

Realtor, TBWS

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