Let's talk about kitchen counter space, cabinet space, and appliances. I've got an abundance of space but it is filled and overflowing with appliances. Sometimes I'm afraid to open a cabinet door (avalanche!) or I don't have room to set a hot dish down. How did I manage to collect so much stuff? I'm working on downsizing the collection but I also have to be practical- I do a lot of stuff in the kitchen and many of those tools make the jobs so much easier! So I'm learning to do more than one job with my tools, combining uses for each appliance. If I find something to be multi-purpose, it stays.
My toaster oven is a good example of something I'll keep. It not only bakes, broils and reheats, it toasts. I haven't owned a toaster for several years but that doesn't mean we do without toast!
Another appliance that does a lot of jobs is my Kitchen Aid stand mixer. Shortly after I got it, I learned how to make bread dough with it. So my bread maker went to used appliance heaven (also known as Goodwill!) I can also use the mixer to slice and shred with the attachments I have and I'm hoping to soon have the attachments for grinding and straining. Then I can send my clunky food processor to the basement with the other tools that are only used occasionally (the meat slicer, dehydrator, ice cream maker, etc...)
My little blender/grinder gets used a lot. It can make a milkshake or smoothie, puree pepper sauce, and grind coffee along with multiple other jobs. So the big blender and coffee grinder are on the list of stuff to go.
Right now I have a drip coffee maker, electric percolator, and stove top percolator. My tea kettle bit the dust so I've been using the stove top percolator to heat water for tea. It's not my first choice for making coffee but when the power goes out, it's a life saver. So I need to choose between the two electric ones and send the other one packing.
How about you? How do you save space in the kitchen? I'd like to hear your suggestions of other ways to cut down on appliance space hogs!
