The kitchen cleanout
My kitchen essentials and skips
I’m long overdue on spring cleaning, and I’ve been tackling it room by room. Next up: my kitchen. I’ve been putting it off because it’s the most complex: dishes, tools, devices, and a year’s worth of pantry goods make for an intimidating cleaning project. I’ve filtered through what’s been worth the cabinet space and what I’m letting go, and I’m sharing the highlights with you:
The gamechangers
My Vitamix. Yes, it’s expensive and basic, but it’s truly worth the hype. Before it, I had a single serving Ninja blender for five years that struggled to blend anything thicker than a smoothie. Now, I can blend soups and pancakes and pretty much anything I want in less than two minutes. I am a Vitamix convert.
A cookie sheet. I bought this to bake my ras malai bread and have since used it for galettes, slab pies, cookies, and pizza. Unlike sheet pans, cookie sheets do not have a raised border around the entire pan, so you can slide whatever you’re making right off the edge.
Image from Betty Crocker. High quality cookware. I, like many college graduates, bought pots and pans that erred on the cheaper side. But I, unlike many others, didn’t realize how often I was supposed to replace those and kept them for faaaaar too long. This changed when my mom visited and, to her horror, saw that I was still using the pans I bought when I moved out years ago and insisted I replace them. I invested in a set from Circulon and haven’t looked back.
Image from Circulon. An immersion blender. I got a cheap Amazon basics one that’s still serving me well. It’s so much easier to clean this than my entire blender, and I often turn to it if I don’t need as smooth of a consistency.
The nice-to-haves
Bowl plates. Blates? Plates with raised edges that could serve as both a shallow bowl or a rimmed plate. I use these pretty interchangeably with my regular plates, but I love how much more multifunctional they are.
Fluffy kitchen towels. I always considered kitchen towels to be utilitarian first, luxury second, but after my friend got me fluffy, soft kitchen towels for my birthday, I’ll never go back.
Olive oil spouts. When I’m standing over the stove, mixing veggies in a hot pan, and need a splash of oil, the last thing I want to do is fight with an olive oil cork. Pour spouts are a small convenience that go a long way.
Image from Brightland.
The skips
Fancy glassware. I was given a set of beautiful cups and while I love using them, they’re hand-wash only. Which means that on a day to day basis, I’m much less likely to use them than my basic, cheap Ikea water glasses that can take a beating in the dishwasher.
Plastic bowls. They warp, they chip, they show scratches, microplastics (ahhh!) - glass or ceramic are always worth it.
Stemless wine glasses. My controversial kitchen opinion is that these are a waste of money, cabinet space, and time. They will slip out of your hands, they will break, and you will be annoyed.