8 Appliances You Can Do Without in a Minimalist Kitchen

Due to the small footprint of the modern kitchen, many homeowners have decided to go for a minimalist kitchen. However, having a minimalist kitchen does not mean that you have to give up your ability to cook delicious meals. In actuality, having a clutter-free kitchen makes it much easier to whip up a meal.

To set up a minimalist kitchen takes a bit of time and consideration. However, the rewards are huge since you get to save space and a lot of money! Yes, there is no need to invest in many pricey, top-of-the-line kitchen appliances to be productive since many of the basic appliances can actually get the same job done!

Without further ado, here are 8 appliances which you can do without in a minimalist yet functional kitchen!

1. Bread Toaster

Image from: Electrolux appliances

If you enjoy having toasted sandwiches, the small bread toaster might seem to be an indispensable kitchen appliance. However, before deciding to get one, you should know that the electric oven will also do the same job much faster, since a typical bread toaster can only accommodate up to two pieces of bread at a time! Furthermore, the oven can be used for a host of other things which a bread toaster is unable to do; such as baking pizzas, cakes, muffins, and much more!

2. Deep Fryer

Image from Chinahao

Although most deep fryers come in compact sizes, they might not worth the extra space in the kitchen, unless you need to deep fry regularly. Nevertheless, to maintain a healthy lifestyle and a slimmer waistline, you should avoid taking fried foods as much as possible. Besides, you can easily deep fry anytime with a deep wok filled with oil!

Tip #1: If you are using the appliance only for a few occasions, you should reconsider purchasing it. Otherwise, you may end up wasting the precious space and money on a single purpose application!

3. Bread Maker

Image from The perfect loaf

A typical bread maker machine is bulky and thus eats up a lot of space. Moreover, you do not need a specialized bread making machine to make a delicious loaf of bread; in fact, most bread recipes can also completed using the good old fashioned way; using the electric oven! Also, a rice cooker can actually be used for making bread too.

4. Juicer

Image from Overstock

Fruit juicers are terribly heavy, expensive, high-priced appliances (some cost as much as $1000) which are bulky and takes up an enormous amount of space. Unfortunately, they often end up as white elephants on the countertops, untouched since they are actually very hard to use, clean and maintain! Furthermore, you can easily juice, without going through all the hassle by using blenders, which are actually an excellent alternative to juicers! With a blender, all you need is a big bowl and a fine mesh strainer, you will have fresh juice at a fraction of the space and cost!

Tip #2: Be creative in finding substitutes. There are countless ingenious kitchen hacks for you to achieve the same results!

5. Rice Cooker

Image from: BBCgoodfood

Cooking rice in a rice cooker is more convenient. However, unless rice is a staple diet for your family or that you need to make a lot of rice on regular basis,  you should reconsider whether if you really need an entire machine dedicated to a single function. This is because you can easily prepare rice in a traditional pot over a stovetop. In actuality, some even claim that the rice tastes better when it is done in the good old fashion way!

6. Waffle Maker

Image from: Easy kitchen appliances

Unless you have waffles for breakfast every day, investing in a waffle maker does not make economic sense, especially since you can easily get make waffles with these simple hacks. Yes, although a waffle maker can make toasted sandwich, waffle-shaped hush browns and toasted omelettes, it is really time to rethink whether a waffle maker is really a must. Especially since most of them hog precious space and good ones do not come cheap at all.

Tip #3: When in doubt, always go for the cheaper option so that you do not feel compelled to keep the rarely used kitchen appliances and waste space.

7. Food Dehydrator

Image from: Food-hacks.wonderhowto

Food dehydrators are used to make healthy, inexpensive snacks – from fruits, herbs to vegetable crisps. However, they come in considerable size and take up significant space in the kitchen. Nevertheless, you can also easily dehydrate the food using the following alternatives too; by using an oven, microwave or simply get them naturally sun dried.

8. Panini Press

Image from: Apartment Therapy

A Panini press is an expensive, single-purpose invention that takes up unnecessary space in the kitchen. In fact, to make a good Panino, the Panini press can easily be substituted with 2 heavy pans to press your sandwiches in a frying pan.  You can also use a heavy piece of cookware such a Corningware to achieve the same effect.

Conclusion

In conclusion, avoid ‘single purpose’ appliances, especially if they are expensive and bulky! Keep away from purchasing anything that is to be used only on ‘special’ occasions too. This is because chances are, you will rarely get to use it! In addition, single, specific use small utensils such as egg frying rings and strawberry dehuller should also be avoided as well since they tend to contribute to the clutter over time.