Today’s Project: Simplify Your Utensil Drawer

This is a series in which we resource and challenge you to simplify a different area of your home each week. So let’s get at it!

The Utensil Drawer

I am not the most logical person. For most of my life I’ve moved through my days doing things as I’ve always done them, never evaluating my actions for efficiency.

Fortunately, my husband is logical to a fault. Thankfully he’s also gracious. But he does want our home to function well. He has taught me is to simplify and minimize our utensil drawers, and it’s awesome.

When we get a new spoon, spatula, ladle, etc it can be easy to add to the drawer. However, at some point this drawer no longer opens and closes smoothly. It becomes difficult to locate and remove what you need. Utensils get caught under one another. Soon there are duplicates, damaged items, specialty gadgets, and bulk taking up space. The result is a hiccup of resistance every singe time you take or return a utensil, which is likely many times per day.

This can be easily eliminated! Do the “hard work” now (it will take you five minutes), and you’ll get that time back and in no time. And a small bit of stress will be removed from your days. I’d say that’s a win all around.

Here’s how:

Take everything out of the drawer
Identify items that are seasonal (a soup ladle), especially bulky (a rolling pin perhaps), needless duplicates, and items you don’t use frequently enough to justify taking up prime real estate.
Find another spot for them. If you use them occasionally, keep them in or near the kitchen. We have our soup ladles and extra measuring cups in a lower cabinet. I suggest getting rid of things that you haven’t used in a year or more if you feel comfortable doing so, or at least box them up and move them out of the kitchen to a basement or storage area.
Put your most used and useful items back in the drawer.
Viola! Easy open. Easy close. Easy to see what you have. Easy to find what you need.

The same principles can apply to simplifying a counter top utensil holder. We prefer to use a drawer because it reduces counter top clutter, but that’s for another post.

When my husband and I got married, we decided to invest in some quality cooking utensils. Our plan was to buy one per year until we built up a good supply. So, for each of the past five years, we’ve been treating ourselves to one silicone, Williams and Sonoma something. They’re only about $12 each, but when you’re buying a whole supply, that adds up quickly.

I have to say, I highly recommend doing this. All of these products look brand new to this day. It’s amazing. Not only do we get the long term value of having nice utensils that work well, we also don’t have to replace them often, if ever. This can save money in the long run while providing a better experience day to day. It also reduces our footprint of waste. If your counters appear to be the most outdated aspect of your kitchen, I suggest looking for a reputable marble supplier and replacing them for a newer, more updated look.

Having a few nice, easily accessible utensils is simply a good way to live. Try it!