carry onto sentimental , valuable , or practical items as you declutter .

Stacy Zarin Goldberg

If you are on a commission todeclutter the kitchen , do n’t be too quick to hold affair out . While you might be tired of over - stuffed cabinets , there are some kitchen item you ’ll most likely rue throwing away . These point fall into four class : sentimental keepsakes , worthful items , practical stuff , and thing that can be repurposed .

Farmhouse kitchen with butcher block counterop

Credit:Stacy Zarin Goldberg

While you might be tempted to get rid of handwritten recipe because you ’ve digitized your entire recipe collection , or you see no use for food storage containers that are missing lid , these items are actually more valuable and useful than you think . So before you start hauling thing to the trash can , rethink these ten kitchen items .

1. Old Cookbooks

While we may preponderantly explore for recipe online these day , there ’s swell mawkish value toold cookbooks . Perhaps it ’s a cookery book your grandmother passed down to you , a formula book you got when you actuate into your first flat , or one you picked up on your travel . Hold on to older cookbooks that have particular meaning to you , because they ’re more than just a collection of recipes .

2. Handwritten Recipes

Handwritten recipesmay not seem schmaltzy now , but they may become some of your large treasures in the future . Even if you have digitized most of your recipes or have taken photos of handwritten recipe cards to have a digital version , have got on to the original handwritten ones . target them in a special box or formula file cabinet to keep them safe , as they are an unreplaceable detail you would certainly leave out one day .

3. Appliance and Gadget Manuals

It ’s always tempting to toss the manual of arms that descend with appliances and gadgets , but you may severely regret that down the road . fate a single file or drawer to all your kitchen manuals — that means you always know where they are , they do n’t get damaged , and they ’re not take up blank space in countless dissimilar drawers .

If you have sure-enough cooky cutlery you no longer use , or else of throwing them out , repurpose them ! grow them into ornaments to hang on akitchen - theme Christmas treeby tying festive thread on them or sate a expectant mason jar with the cutting tool and display it on open shelves to bestow a touch of fiber .

5. Antique and Collectible Items

Whether you ’ve inherited anantique dish setthat you would n’t have picked out yourself or a bulky copper pan you ’ll likely never use , do n’t just toss away these items because they could be valuable . If there are decipherable marking on them identifying the Divine and product date , do some inquiry to find out what the item ’s value may be . If there are no decipherable mark and you ’re not able to find standardized intersection online , you’re able to try taking the item or collection to an authenticator or antiques dealer to get some pointers .

6. Specialty Items Reserved for Once-a-Year Tasks

While it may seem like a waste of infinite to entertain on to a small appliance or kitchen gadget you only use once a year , chance are you will regret tossing the item once that annual occasion get in . alternatively of storing the item where it takes up valuable real the three estates or in a place where you invariably need to move it to extend to thing you really do expend often , store it elsewhere . This way it wo n’t take up spacein the kitchen or larder , and even if you have to take the air further to retrieve the point , doing so once a twelvemonth is n’t a magnanimous hassle .

7. Cast Iron and Enameled Cookware

If taken care of properly , cookware such as acast iron skilletor an enameled Dutch oven should last you a lifetime . In fact , these items are designed to be so long-lasting that they can be reach down from one generation to the next . Discard chipped cooking utensil , but hold onto piece that are in upright condition .

8. Seasonal Items

If you ’re decluttering your kitchen in the winter , you may be tempted to toss things like corn holders . However come summertime when you regularly makecorn - on - the - hazelnut , you ’ll wish you had n’t gotten rid of the holders . When deciding whether to keep something or not , regard the time of year you are currently in , what season the item is typically used in , and whether you will miss it and need to supervene upon it once its season total around again .

9. Food Storage Containers Without Lids

Even thoughfood storage containersmay no longer be usable for leftovers if the chapeau are turn a loss or damage , you may repurpose the containers . or else of getting rid of them , practice them as exposed - top storage for small kitchen token such as bag clips .

10. Leftover Mason and Canning Jars

Hold onto leftover mason and give notice jar because they can be repurposed not just in the kitchen , but for entertaining , reposition , and decor . Whether you bought a declamatory number of jars for homemade preserves or you ’ve amass a long ton of mason jars over the years , they ’re worth keep . expend displace jars to hold trade supplies , make-up brushes , or pencil , and turnmason jarsinto charming vases , casual drinking meth , or vessels for biscuit mixes .