The key to cleaning out your kitchen is to ask yourself: what do I actually use? You can rationalize keeping most items — even that can of tomato soup that's been hanging out in the back of your cabinet for the past few years. Yet, your past is the best predictor for future use. If you haven't eaten tomato soup for 3 years, you're probably not going to eat it in the next 3 years, so why keep it around?
It's a natural tendency to fill every bit of storage space in your kitchen. We keep food in our cabinets because it's instinctual to hoard for tough times. Also, there seems to be an endless supply of clever cooking gadgets and cleaning accessories. Your overflowing cabinets can become unmanageable, if you don't take time to organize and reduce the items in your kitchen. It's also wasteful to let food expire when you could donate the things you don't use to charity.
A good rule of thumb when deciding what should stay or what should go is to get rid of anything you haven't used in the last 3 months or probably won't use in the next 3 months. That means being honest with yourself about whether or not you really need to keep all your pots and pans and food prep devices.
Getting rid of food is more complicated. You might want to keep certain things even if there hasn't been recent use. It's important to understand the shelf life of your food so you don't hold onto items past their expiration date. There are tons of websites, like Still Tasty, where you can search for the expiration of specific types of food. Here are some general rules:
• Canned Goods - Goods with high acid levels, like tomato soup or pineapple, last for 18 months. Other canned goods with low acid, like beans and vegetables, last up to 5 years.
• Spices - Spices don't really spoil, but they do lose their potency over time. Use the smell test. If you can't smell it, then you probably won't be able to taste it.
• Flour - Unopened bags will stay fresh for up to a year. Opened bags will keep for 6 to 8 months.
• Sugar - Unopened granulated sugar has a shelf life of 2 years. Brown sugar only stays fresh for 6 months, regardless of whether the bag is opened or not.
• Oils - Olive oil and canola oil can last up to a year. Sesame or flaxseed oils should be refrigerated and should not be kept in your cabinet.
• Pasta & Rice - Unopened pasta and rice last about 2 years.
Be sure to throw away any canned good that is dented or leaking, otherwise you risk getting food poisoning!
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I've read a good hint for getting rid of gadgets/kitchen supplies you don't use.
Clear out your drawers and cabinets (sort through everything). Put the items that you use on a regular basis back where they came from (utensils/your favorite frying pan/your colander.... etc).
Everything that you use less often-to-rarely goes into a cardboard box, either in the pantry or under the sink (wherever you have the space for said box). Write an end date on the box (typically three months from the day you clear out your cupboards).
Every time you need an item out of the box, retrieve it, use it and put it back into your cupboard. Anything left in the box at the end of the three months goes to charity, as you'll probably never use it.
Thanks for the link to the still tasty site I am so in love! My mom will be happy also since I am always calling her about that kind of stuff.
modestalmond - that's a *great* tip - thanks!
I love these tips, sometimes it's so hard to part with those kitchen gadgets, though!
@Modestalmond - I really like that tip for gadgets, it's similar to cleaning out your closet where you turn the hangers the other way on the clothes that you have worn, etc.
-Chic Done Cheap
It actually looks like a piece of art. I'm loving it. Rebecca
www.invennewenterprises.blogspot.com
Getting rid of extra gadgets makes sense to me. Getting rid of extra utensils and weird-looking serving dishes, also perfectly logical.
But it still makes sense to keep at least 3 weeks of non-perishable goods on hand for in case of emergency, so while I don't recommend foster-homing cans you'd be LOATHE to eat, I'd still stock those "extra" cans of soup. Just rotate them so they don't go bad.
And yeah, we do that in an apartment.
There are a few things I only make a few times or even once a year. So yes, we do have things we use less than once every three months, but we still use them. But clearing out cabinets is good, but I still wouldn't toss that special thing that maybe I use once a year.
modestalmond, I'm using that system for everything in my house, especially toiletries and makeup supplies.
I take three boxes ("Donate", "Maybe", and "Trash") and sort through every drawer and shelf in the place. If anything (that isn't decidedly seasonal) is still in the Maybe box at the end of 3 months, it gets donated.
Dented cans are fine as long as they haven't damaged the seal
Funny, those photos show kitchens that are purely decorative.
Several months ago, I downsized from a single family home with a large renovated kitchen to a downtown loft with maybe one-sixth the cabinet space.
One of the habits I've changed is that I no longer keep pantry ingredients on hand for things I only occasionally cook. Because I now live a quick 5 minute walk from a Whole Foods, I can always run down there for a can of crushed tomatoes when I need them. The dog also gets a quick walk out of the deal.
I'm probably spending a bit more by buying my groceries when I need them rather than stocking up, but I love not having to shove past an aging stockpile to get at what I need, and I'm definitely saving money by not driving to the store!
While I completely understand what you're getting at, I would have to get rid of a lot of baking supplies if I stuck to the 3-month rule. While I don't bake wedding cakes every month, or certain cookies, I still keep this equipment around because I have to. I did a complete kitchen clean not too long ago and have boxed up some stuff to donate/sell/whatever. I have a tiny kitchen (I live in a studio) and I still have quite a bit of equipment in my closet.
Call me a kitchen hoarder, but I'd rather keep my rolling pin or other such equipment than have to buy another every 6 months.
I use my Turkey roasting pan, and special Christmas baking items just once a year. Doesn't mean I need to throw them out (and buy a new one every year?) Instead I store them in the basement.