Kitchen Appliances – Part 2

4 Comments

Posted on March 11, 2015

Thank you all for your thoughtful responses yesterday. I have read them quickly and will go back and respond once I have written this post. As for the list from last night, here is my response.

1 Blender – I have one as part of a combination with my food processor.

2 Electric Grill – we had one which we did use but when it died I did not consider replacing it. A bit of a fad, I guess.

3 Baby Food Maker – it is a long time since I was making food for babies but I have no idea what this would be.

4 Microwave oven – yes, I have a microwave but I use it less and less. If it died, I would not automatically rush out and buy another one.

5 Panini Press – I expect this is like my sandwich press which I use quite a bit.

This is my food processor and all of the associated gadgets in the cupboard. The blender is with some of the other bits in the box at the back. Like most things, I do not use it to its full potential although the blender, citrus juicer, grater and slicer attachments are well-used.

I also have a Kitchen-Aid stand mixer and the pasta attachment for it.

Here are the rest of my appliances in the convenient appliance cupboard.

Top shelf:

Kettle – used on the gas stove if we lose power. Also on the slow-combustion heater during winter.
Slow-cooker – very well-used for soup, baked potatoes, casseroles, refried beans.

Middle shelf:

Sandwich press – toasted sandwiches and I also use it for cooking pancakes
Bread slicing guide – very useful for home-made bread
Toaster

Bottom shelf:

Juicer – rarely used – very difficult to clean
Breadmaker
Jug

I also have a stick blender in another cupboard.

I have never been seduced by the single-purpose appliances such as a pie-maker, ice-cream maker, popcorn maker or hot dog thingummy but I still have plenty of gadgets. If I were to get rid of any it would be the juicer, I think. It is interesting to consider how our needs change, particularly as families grow and children leave home. Our diet and the types of food we eat has changed over the years, also. This is how clutter can become a problem – something that was essential 10 years ago is not longer required but we are loathe to move it along.

How do my appliances compare to what you have? Everyone has different essentials and priorities.

Kitchen Appliances to Keep – Or Not?

10 Comments

Posted on March 10, 2015

I am short on time tonight but I thought I would share this link which is food for thought. It lists 5 kitchen appliances that you may not really need. They are:

1 Blender

2 Electric Grill

3 Baby Food Maker

4 Microwave oven

5 Panini Press

I have been giving quite a bit of thought to this exact topic recently so when a friend posted the link it caught my eye and gave my a bit more to think about.

I would love to hear your thoughts on what you have and why. I will be back with my own detailed response tomorrow.

Keep watching for a new series beginning on Friday.

Keeping Things Tidy

4 Comments

Posted on February 25, 2015

I saw the following question posed on an internet forum the other day.

“What room do you always like to keep tidy?”

The answers were as wide-ranging as there are people. My favourite was probably, “The guest toilet – the family are banned from using it”.

Of course then there is the small matter of interpretation. What do you regard as a tidy room? Pristine? Basically clean? No clutter?

A tidy room in a home with a number of children might be vastly different from a single or two adult household.

The 2 rooms that are always clean and tidy at our place are the bathroom and the guest bedroom. As one clever person observed, no-one actually ‘lives’ in a bathroom, therefore, therefore it is easier to keep tidy. After having lived with 2 teenage daughters I would dispute that assertion in some instances. Our bathroom now is small and sparsely furnished and requires only a quick wipe to look fresh and sparkling.

I find it interesting to note that the 2 rooms that are the most difficult to keep tidy are the study and the sewing room. I don’t think that it is any coincidence that these are the areas that still require more decluttering.

Remember, the more stuff you have, the more cleaning, tidying, storing and organising it will require.

Tables should be clear surfaces ready to be used.

This is the shelving unit in the living room.

I always try to keep the bedroom as clear as possible as an uncluttered, calm room is more conducive to good sleeping.

Move the unwanted stuff out and the house will be easier to keep tidy and you will have more time to spend doing the things you enjoy.

What rooms do you always like to be tidy? What are the challenges you face? Are there rooms that defy even the best of intentions?

I would love to hear what you think and perhaps we can work together to make some progress.

Sew My Stash Sunday – 7

2 Comments

Posted on February 22, 2015

Here we are back at Sunday evening again so it is time to share what sewing I have done this week.

Firstly, this is what I have finished.

A pair of bloomers as part of summer pyjamas – Size 4.

A pair of boxer shorts for pyjamas for me.

I have been working on my next skirt. I can’t do anymore until I get the zip. Then it will just be the facing and hem that need to be handstitched.

I mentioned in this post that I had discovered that the polo shirt I was making for The Duke was too big so I would have to recut it. I tried that today but unfortunately it was not successful as even when I got the width of the body right, I was not happy with the shape of the armhole and sleeves. I decided to cut my losses and that is going to the op shop in the hope that someone else is the right shape for it. In the interests of my sanity, the pattern is going as well. If it did not work this time it will not be any better in the future.

My next foray was more successful. This is a piece of fabric I bought about 6 weeks ago so it is not strictly part of my stash but if I don’t make it up soon it will end up being added to the pile. I bought it to make a top for myself. It is a knit fabric but not super stretchy. I found a basic pattern to use in the pattern-making book. and here is the result so far.The original pattern had a round neckline but I prefer a vee. I have done the basic construction and now need to finish the neckline and hems on the sleeves and lower edge.

All in all, I am pretty pleased with the results of my sewing for this week. I wish I had more time to sew as have so many things planned and I am just itching to get started.

Some Random Stuff

2 Comments

Posted on February 13, 2015

There is no real theme to this post – hence the title.

A couple of years ago I wrote this post about the highs and lows of social media. One of the wonders of it is the ability to easily connect with family and friends. Today I have spent some time setting up a group for my cousins and other extended family. This will allow us to keep in touch across vast distances and generations. The catalyst was a seed of an idea to organise a get-together on the centenary of our grandfather’s arrival at Gallipoli. He was not with the first landing on April 25th 1915 but it was significant for our family as a sequence of events that followed this led to him spending time in England where he met his future wife (our grandmother). I already have feedback from far and wide which simply would not have been possible without Facebook.

As I was taught at school – “new thought, new paragraph”………

The decluttering continues – I have a small bag of a few more things that will be leaving the sewing room. I generally keep a plastic supermarket bag on the bag of the door in the sewing room and add anything that I find and then drop it off to the op shop when the bag is full. I also have 2 small cartons of books which we sorted from the bookshelves last month. They have been sitting on the floor next to the bookcases waiting for me to get organised and find a new home for them. I have listed them on a couple of local buy/swap/sell sites as well as Freecycle but if I don’t get a taker by the end of the weekend I think they will be going to the op shop as well. It is a difficult task to balance the desire to have things gone and not hanging around, against finding the perfect home for them. How do you manage this conundrum when decluttering?

I have also set up a ‘Decluttering’ tab at the top of my blog. Check it out if you are interested.

Finally, I just wanted to share these couple of photos with you today. In my next life, I think I will be a dog………….

or maybe, a cat!

These photos were taken at about 4.30pm and the cat has been on that chair ALL DAY!

The weather is not looking fabulous here – in fact it is pouring with rain and blowing a gale so I am not sure what the weekend will bring. I hope you have a fabulous weekend wherever you are.

Downsizing the Drawers

Sew My Stash Sunday – 5

Two Minutes to Tidy

8 Comments

Posted on February 7, 2015

It is great to feel that the decluttering efforts are really making a difference. This morning I noticed that the shelf where my recipe books are stored was very grubby and needed cleaning. It was a simple matter of grabbing an armful of books and placing them on the bench while I wiped down the shelf and then replaced the books. This took me less than 2 minutes.

I have never had hundreds of cookbooks but nevertheless it has taken about 3 rounds of culling to get it to this. You can read about a previous effort here.

Cookbook shelf

That was about 14 months ago but a few more have moved on since then, too. I do not miss any of them and have not have occasion to regret my decision to move them along. Recipes are something that has really been revolutionised by the advent of the internet. There is nothing you cannot find. Also, recipes are like clothes – there are definitely trends and fashions.

Do you have recipe books? Have you reduced your collection?

Project 333 – One In, Two Out

5 Comments

Posted on February 5, 2015

I think we have all heard the mantra of “One In, One Out” in order to keep the clutter under control. This week I have gone one better. I made this skirt last week.

Now I have sent these 2 skirts to the op shop.

I bought the navy/white one when we were in the USA in 2012 and it is wearing out. The lightweight fabric is pulling away from the seams at the sides of the waistband and I noticed that it has actually split along the fold of the hem in a couple of places so definitely time to go. The red/white skirt is one that I made a while ago. I attempted to make a pattern from the navy/white skirt. It was reasonably successful and I have certainly worn it many times but it is far from perfect. Now that i have a perfect pattern I will be using that for future skirts that I make. Time for these to go.

More To Go

2 Comments

Posted on February 4, 2015

A couple of days ago I read a comment online by someone unknown to me that they had decluttered so much that they had nothing left to declutter. I have no idea what their circumstances are or what they consider essential but I know that I have not reached that point. In fact, I am not sure that I ever will or even want to. We do not have a huge amount of stuff but for me it is more about carefully streamlining what we own to a selection of good-quality items that match our lifestyle. Our needs change and therefore, our possessions will change accordingly.

On the weekend I was cleaning in the kitchen and one thing led to another and I ended up re-looking at the cooking utensils that I use. I have supposedly decluttered these on at least 2 previous occasions but it never hurts to look at them with fresh eyes and a more detached point of view.

This is what I am taking to the op shop today.

There are a couple of sharp knives that have seen better days and I simply do not use them. A scraper for cleaning a George Foreman grill which we no longer own. A cleaning brush for something – I don’t know what and as far as I can see it has never been used. Spoon and spaghetti strainer which are not used. Meat mallet – I haven’t beaten meat for over 20 years – our diet does not include recipes that require it. Spaghetti measure – was part of a corporate Christmas hamper a few years ago and has never been used. Small aluminium skewer – I have a set of stainless steel skewers and this is no longer required. Chip cutter – this came from my mother’s place when she was decluttering some years ago and I have never used it. A good idea but I cannot remember the last time I made chips at home and I am quite capable of cutting potatoes into chips if the fancy happens to take me. Anyway, aren’t “hand-cut chips” the latest craze on menus??

So what stays?

Electric knife
Carving fork
Scone cutter
Rolling pin
Fine grater
Metal tongs
BBQ tool
Pineapple peeler/corer
Apple corer
Cheese slicer
Cherry/oliver pit remover
Garlic press
Ice-cream scoop
Citrus zester
Grapefruit knife
Skewers
Vegetable peeler (not shown)
Jar opener
Tea strainer
Tea infuser
Wine vacuum sealer
Cork remover
Bottle/can opener
Measuring spoons
Corn cob holders
Egg rings
Knife sharpener

The electric knife/carving fork and cherry pit remover are the only items that would be rarely used. Everything else is used regularly, mostly on a weekly basis. Some, like the grapefruit knife and corn cob holders are seasonal but still essential.

I also have 2 jars of cooking utensils that I use almost daily. There location on the bench means that they are easy to grab as I am cooking and preparing food.

Wooden spoons x 4
Metal whisk
Potato masher
Metal spatula
Non-stick spatula
Non-stick spoon
Slotted spoon
Small sieve
Can opener
Pizza cutter
Rubber scrapers x 3
Brush
Citrus juicer
Pie slice

I also have a knife block with 6 assorted sharp knives.

To a hard-core minimalist this probably looks like a huge number of utensils, however, I prepare and cook most of our meals and use these items very frequently. It is important to keep and use what works for you.

There are lots of areas of my life where I could reduce my possessions but I think I have completely decluttered the kitchen utensils to my satisfaction.

What utensils do you use every day? Are they much different to what I have shown here?