Jennifer Sheahan: The small kitchen gadgets I wouldn't be without
Small kitchen gadgets worth saving space for.
I've previously discussed exploring alternatives to installing a traditional oven in your kitchen. I’m not arguing against having an oven — I use mine all the time — but not everyone does, and a full-sized oven takes up a lot of space if it’s something you don’t use often.
As much as there are wonderful appliances and gadgets available that do just about everything short of serving you your dinner, as a small-home owner I am very discerning about which of those make it into my little kitchen.
I hate clutter and detest clunky items littering my precious countertop space.
But there are some gizmos I wouldn’t be without, and which make small-kitchen cooking much easier. These are my favourites.
I have a Braun hand blender and I love it, but I wanted something that involved less washing up (and a propensity to splatter). I have eyed up Nutribullets and other trendy blenders, but I couldn’t bring myself to sacrifice my countertop space for any of them. Then one day I was wandering around Harvey Norman and I spotted this little handheld portable delight — the BlendJet 2.
It’s super-compact, the blender is integrated into the base of the jar, it can go safely into the fridge, and it’s the perfect size to put into a handbag.
That makes it ideal for throwing in a frozen fruit mix and dashing out the door, or lashing in leftover veg and calling it dinner. All that’s needed to wash up is to add water and a drop of fairy liquid and whiz it clean. And it’s cute.
I will forever be obsessed with the pocket doors that let me access my pantry shelves with ease, but the interior of that pantry is made perfect by a range of shelf inserts. I have a range of lazy Susan spinners and clear drawer inserts from The Home Edit range at The Organised Store, which makes all my pantry staples visible and easily accessible.
I have the most wonderful under-shelf insert from Joseph Joseph that holds four rolls of tin foil and baking parchment, utilising otherwise wasted space. I have a tall, narrow spice rack that perfectly fits along the side of my shelf to store all my herbs and spices. And I have a set of containers from Oxo, which seal to keep foods fresh and are perfectly sized to use every inch of shelf space efficiently.
It took me some time to assess what you have in my pantry and design my ideal layout, but the investment was so worth it. I can store much more with shelf inserts and it means no more rummaging around for that tube of tomato paste that has fallen down the back somewhere…
Speaking of things hiding in the back of your presses, one of the best solutions for getting the most out of your tiny kitchen is good lighting. I have Good Home battery-powered stick-on LED cabinet lights from Woodies in every kitchen press and they’re invaluable.
Most kitchens, especially small ones, have some awkward dark spaces that you need to reach into— in my case, the press under my sink extends into the corner, requiring some flexible arm movements to fish out my cleaning products. Having a light there makes that search so much easier. I recommend getting a motion-activated light and investing in rechargeable batteries to prevent waste.
If you have overhead cabinets, an LED strip running underneath not only lights up your countertop space but creates depth in your kitchen and makes it feel larger. If you have a gap between the top of your cabinets and your ceiling, LED uplighting achieves the same effect. You can get remote-control light strips for hard-to-reach areas.
This is the one gadget I would take with me to a deserted island. It’s a Silvercrest handheld gadget the size of a small stapler and it creates a heat seal to re-close opened bags of food, meaning I don’t have a pile of bag clips cluttering up my drawer. It also has a cutter, which I use to slice off excess packaging. I can’t believe how much space this little gizmo saves me in my freezer and pantry shelves. Not quite sure yet what I'll do with it on my deserted island but no doubt it will find a use.
In a small kitchen, always look for the word “nesting” when buying pots, pans, or other utensils. I have nesting pots, pans, and measuring spoons but the winning brand here is Joseph Joseph. I am a huge fan of Joseph Joseph’s design team, they are the best for space-saving kitchenware in my book. I have their set of seven nesting bowls and I use it daily, getting regular satisfaction from the fact that it takes up minimal space.
They also make a genius nesting set of utensils — which otherwise take up so much space in kitchen drawers. Some of their range is currently on sale at Arnotts — run before it sells out!
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