Monday, January 16, 2017

{ How I make the most of my Kitchen Appliances }

appliances

We've all done it!!!

We see a new kitchen gadget we like and we can't wait to get it.  Maybe it's that George Foreman Grill you've always wanted, or a Rotisserie, or that nifty pasta maker.

I love cooking, I love my kitchen, and over the years either I've bought numerous appliances or I've received them for Christmas or my birthday.  But here's the thing, there is only so much space in our kitchen, so a lot of them end up in the back of cabinets, or tucked away and then unfortunately forgotten.

Out of sight out of mind right?

I'm here to tell you how I keep those appliances in use, without forgetting to use them. 

January 16, 2017

My cabinets are filled with gadgets and appliances and things I love, but I completely forget about them if I don't have them out on the counters or in plain sight.

So a few years back I decided that I had to come up with some sort of system.  A way to not just let them sit hiding somewhere and never see the light of day, and also to make sure I am getting my money's worth.

Take the George Foreman Grill for example, I love it but I don't have room for it to be out on the counter, and I also don't want my counters looking super cluttered. 

January 16, 2017

See how it's dirty?  Well that's because I pulled it out earlier to make use of it for the next menu plan and hubby saw it and decided to cook up a steak for his lunch.  He wouldn't have even remembered it existed had he not seen it sitting there on the counter.

So what do I do, what is my trick?

January 16, 2017

It's very simple.  I menu plan for two weeks at a time, so every two weeks, I look through my cabinets and shelves, pantry etc.....then I pull out one or two appliances for those two weeks.

I try to then plan my menus around them so that I'm getting good use out of them.

As you can see above I have a pasta maker which I haven't used in a while.  I'm going to pull it for next week's rotation so that I can make some homemade Fettucine pasta.

January 16, 2017

When I'm done, I replace those with something else.  So essentially I'm rotating my kitchen tools every two weeks, using them all and even trying out new recipes because sometimes it makes me go and research something to make.

I keep my breadmaker on top of the fridge, so this week I'm going to pull it down a day or two and make some bread for the freezer.

January 16, 2017

And I'm not only talking about the big things like the grill, or a breadmaker or crockpots etc.  I'm also referring to the small gadgets that we buy and shove somewhere on a shelf only to be forgotten, until we move.  You know I'm right, I bet you have things hiding in your kitchen you don't even remember buying or receiving as gifts.

January 16, 2017

The gourmet onion cutter above, right behind the french fry cutter, is something I completely forgot I had until I was looking through the pantry.  The kids and hubby love the blooming onions, so I'm going to pull that one out and use it sometime this week.

January 16, 2017

This Iced Tea Maker was a gift from my husband many years ago.  I don't use it all the time, but right after I took this picture I thought "what the heck am I thinking?  I've been making iced tea in a pitcher for the past few weeks when I could be using this". 

And that ceramic wok?  Perfect for a nice stir fry or even some yummy sesame noodles.

January 16, 2017

The hamburger press down below, and the french fry cutter are both coming out for the next two weeks.  And when I took this picture, I saw my breakfast sandwich maker in the background and remembered that I have some sausage that I need to use up, so going to get some English Muffins and make a ton of freezer breakfast sandwiches.

January 16, 2017

I'm currently planning my next menu, I even asked hubby for help and the first week are all meals he chose on his own.  I'll finish off the next week using items I'm pulling out.

Oh and don't worry about counter space, because as I rotate them, the ones on the counter go in the cabinets and come out again when it's their turn to be used.

I've found that this seems to work for me.  I'm sure there are other ways people make use of their kitchen tools/gadgets/appliances, but this system has been the best for me.

So as you can see, there's no need for you to feel like all your favorite gadgets are not being used, with a little organization and some planning ahead, you'll be happily using all those tools again, in no time. :)

6 comments:

Kristy Jensen said...

I love this idea. I don't have very many appliances because my hubby gets rid of stuff we don't use. Haha. But I do have a few. One I really want is an Instapot. Do you have one? I would love some great recipes for it when I purchase one.

Sandra said...

I do have one and I love it, I even boil my eggs in it and they come out perfect every time :) I have a few recipes on my food blog, I'll maybe do a post on the instant pot this week :)

Pamela said...

That's a great system. You have one of my favorite gadgets in the last photo - the Pampered Chef chopper. We have a prep day for our current eating plan - lots of chopping goes on that day - and the last time I was chopping onions, I pulled it out and made short work of them. I can't quite seem to get my kitchen cabinets the way I want them - I don't seem to have things in the same place I did when we last lived in this house so it's a work in progress. I've already moved all the dishes from one side of the kitchen to the other because it's was easier to unload the dishwasher with them on the new side. I do seem to have an inordinate amount of kitchen tools - the ones you keep in a drawer. Thank goodness I have three large drawers to store them in but I think I'll put them on a checklist and see which ones I'm actually using. What's in my kitchen drawers would make a great blog post.

carrie@northwoods scrapbook said...

What a great tip (& reminder) about those tools in our kitchens Sandra! I've been getting my office/craft area all cleaned up and organized. But the kitchen is next! ;) xo

Mrs. Laura Lane said...

What a terrific idea! I'd have never thought about it. I've got to get over here more often to visit.
I just noticed my blog is in your sidebar. Thank you! I am so honored.
Have a great week ending!
Laura of Harvest Lane Cottage
Following you!

Tanja said...

What a great idea! I have lots of tupperware stuff that I dont use as much as I want.
I will use your trick from now on.
And its a good excuse to buy kitchen gadgets again, I stopt buying them a few years ago, because I didnt use them that much and forgot about them.