Things I don't own in the kitchen

DISCLAIMER: I started writing this post way before I moved into a bus. In fact, I wrote it when I was still living in Island Bay and flatting with three other people. I’ve had to change a couple of things, however most of it is still applicable to my current kitchen situation.

These are some things I don’t own and/or have never owned in the kitchen.

• Drinking glasses
  I’m talking specifically wine glasses, champagne flutes, beer mugs. I don’t drink much, and when I do, I don’t care what I’m drinking out of. I have heaps of jars and coffee mugs, and that’s all I need for any kind of beverage, from water to booze.

• Very specific kitchen accessories
  Avocado slicers, lemon squeezers, carrot peelers: these just take up unnecessary space and in most cases a knife or something you already have can serve the same exact purpose.
  (I am guilty of owning a garlic press, although it’s technically something I gifted to Luke, so I’m going to say it doesn’t count - also we haven’t used it yet.)

• Disposable items
  Ziplock bags, Glad wrap, aluminium foil: I have Zero Waste alternatives for all of these items (stay tuned for my Zero Waste kitchen tour coming up!).

• Baking moulds/muffin tray
  This is obviously related to the fact that I don’t have an oven, but even when I lived in a flat I never owned a muffin tray. I briefly had a silicone baking mould that I found on the side of the street and used to make my own soap, but other than that I guess I just never baked enough to justify owning a muffing tray or baking moulds.

• A set of plates
  Or bowls, or anything that comes in a set where all the pieces look the same. We currently have a wooden plate, a wooden bowl and a Reusabowl for bigger meals, and two smaller bowls for breakfast. Those have served us pretty well so far and I don’t feel like we need any more plates.

• A set of knives
  I use my Opinel for everything, from slicing bread to cutting fruit, chopping veggies and spreading butter. It does a great job and I love it to bits.

• Plastic Tupperwares
  Again, I use jars to store food. When I buy something that comes in a jar, what kind of jar it is plays an important role in my purchase decision making. Jars are heavier to carry around but overall I still prefer them to plastic containers for storing my food (and pretty much everything else!).

• A spiraliser
  I’m only mentioning this because I used to have one: I didn’t buy it, but found it in my previous flat. It didn’t belong to anyone and I have used it for a bit over summer. I did also bring it into the bus but haven’t used it since, so I’ve recently decluttered it.

• A blender
  I used to have one in my previous flat and I do miss it sometimes. I didn’t use it very often but I did use it to make oat milk, hummus and spreads, and I’ve been missing that. But a blender would use a lot of power in the bus, and I’m still considering whether it would be worth it.

• An electric kettle
  We boil water in my beautiful yellow kettle that just goes on the stove. Again, an electric kettle would take up too much space and use too much power. This is something I really don’t miss: I love my yellow stove-top kettle and really enjoy my morning and evening tea-making routine!

When I was flatting I actually owned fewer kitchen items than I do now. I didn’t own any pots or pans, or any cutlery at all, because I would just use what was in the shared kitchen (most houses I lived in came with an array of kitchen apparatuses, often more casseroles  and butter knives than any flatmates could ever use).

When I moved into Sid I didn’t buy any new kitchen items, but I did acquire a few things that other flatmates had left behind.
I am pretty satisfied with the amount of kitchen items I now own. They all fit into one cupboard, they are practical, good quality, mostly second hand, and most of them serve multiple purposes which is great when you want to downsize or have limited space.

Are you also a minimalist in your kitchen? Or do you love cooking and own multiple yolk extractors, apple-core removers and cake decorating tools? What does your kitchen look like? I’d love to hear from you!