POPSUGAR UK

I KonMari-ed the Sh*t Out of My Kitchen and Here's What Happened

12/01/2019 - 09:30 AM

I don't know when or where I first discovered Marie Kondo's first book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up [1], but the second I saw the inviting title, I ordered it pronto. I've always struggled to keep my spaces straight — it just seemed to take too much time and require too much energy. However, after attempting the KonMari method [2] in my own apartment and tackling the messiest thing of all, my kitchen equipment, I'm a big-time believer in the methodology.

When I moved into my San Francisco studio apartment five years ago, the kitchen bummed me out, but it wasn't a deal breaker. The cabinets and arched doorframe were original from 1928, and I tried to let that cool bit of knowledge overshadow the fact that there was no window, no oven vent, no garbage disposal, and definitely no dishwasher. I didn't ever feel inspired to cook, except for work or the occasional guest. As a result, the kitchen slumped into a random assortment of junk. I accumulated way beyond my means (I somehow ended up with five zesters and 50 kitchen towels . . . not to mention a drawer full of spare knives), and I avoided getting rid of anything! It became impossible to close cabinets unless they were fastened with rubber bands around the handles, and I always had to forcefully shove my drawers closed with my hip. And for years, I lived like this, with complete avoidance and neglect about everything.

I tackled all my clothes, books, etc. in the order presented in the book, and even though I successfully tidied up each group of items, I still felt a lot of hesitation about my kitchen. I was so embarrassingly messy — me, the food editor! And yet, the time had come, and the overflowing cabinets begged to be sorted. I started with removing the stuff on the countertop and discovered a rotten avocado just casually decomposing in my napkin holder. (Ugh, I know. Wasting avocado is a sin, and sorry for the TMI.) Instead of supporting my usual habits of tiptoeing away from the mess, I bid a sweet "thank you" to the napkin holder (and, don't laugh, the avocado too) and swiftly tossed them in the trash.

It became easier to purge as I moved along, to give away the kitchen tools that no longer served me, and to create a pile of the items I adore immensely. I let go of some of the things that had been gifted to me that I couldn't see myself ever using and focused on the items I had invested in. My Vitamix! My knife set from culinary school! My few but beloved All-Clad pans! And when it came to the food in my cupboard, I tossed the snacks and seasonings I would probably never in a million years crave while cooking. Instead, I kept the things I can never get enough of: red lentil pasta, dried mango, lemon-flavoured sardines, and capers. Yeah, I know my cupboard is weird, but it most definitely "sparks joy!" (This is the main point of the book: every item you own and that takes up space in your house should simply make you feel happiness — aka "spark joy" — when you touch it).

For a good six hours on a Friday night, I scrubbed and tossed and reorganised. Then, I stepped back to take a look. I was overcome with an emotion I had never felt in my tiny apartment kitchen — excitement to cook and pride for the space I made my own. I'll have you know, I now make breakfast and dinner every night, and I never see myself wanting to return to my old habits again. My kitchen used to be a throwaway space for me in my house, but now, I find myself giddy at opening a drawer to admire and use all the tools I love.


Source URL
https://www.popsugar.co.uk/food/What-Like-Use-KonMari-Method-Kitchen-45655646