Which is a shame – cooking is soothing, and it’s something you need to do a lot of if you’re going to batch prep your lunches in order to save money. But what’s a girl to do? It’s hardly fair to restrict anyone’s time in the kitchen and, unlike watching TV and socialising, cooking isn’t really an activity that can be outsourced to your bedroom.
The good news is that you’re not the only one dealing with the teeny kitchen issue, and there are hundreds of products to help you manage it. Click through to see our picks of the best small kitchen buys, which might just make your life easier.
At Refinery29 UK, we’re here to help you navigate this overwhelming world of stuff. All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. If you buy something we link to on our site, Refinery29 UK may earn commission.
This dish drainer sits over your sink when you’re done washing up, meaning it doesn’t take up valuable countertop space. It also rolls up after use so you can tuck it away easily.
Rools Over Sink Dish Drying Rack, $, available at Etsy
This dish drainer sits over your sink when you’re done washing up, meaning no extra countertop space is taken up with a bulky dish drainer. It also rolls up after use so you can tuck it away easily.
Lakeland Over The Sink Dish Drainer, $, available at Lakeland
Colanders can be big and bulky and take up a lot of space. You could get one that nests within other kitchen tools or you could get this clip-on strainer, which takes up less than half the space.
Kitchen Gizmo Snap ‘N Strain Strainer, $, available at Amazon
This contraption, which looks nothing like a toaster, is actually a very small toaster. It sits on your hob and toasts your bread using the heat from it. Clever, eh?
The kitchen utensils you use regularly can be kind of bulky and jam up drawers. So a set that satisfyingly stacks together to form the silicone answer to all your cooking needs is a no-brainer.
VENN Eight Pack Red Stack Utensil Set, $, available at TK Maxx
Technically, collapsible kettles were an invention for camping. But now, more and more small space living blogs are advocating their use in a home kitchen setting. Simply boil your water on the hob, collapse and store your kettle afterwards.
Outwell Outwell Collaps Kettle, $, available at Purely Outdoors
This multi-use kitchen tool must be one of the most copied products on Amazon, and it’s easy to see why. The cheerful-looking bottle holds a lemon squeezer, funnel, grater, egg cracker, shredder, can opener, egg separator and measuring cup. Quite what an egg cracker is, is anyone’s guess. Still, 7/8 on the usefulness scale ain’t bad.
I Want Zone 8 In 1 Kitchen Gadget, $, available at I Want Zone
This mini cooker does it all: rice! Porridge! Cake! Yoghurt! Compact and perfect for one, you’ll never have to hover passive-aggressively while your flatmate uses the one good saucepan again.
Lakeland Mini Multi Cooker 1.8L, $, available at Lakeland
Quite possibly the most boring purchase on the list, these shelves are nonetheless probably the most useful – turning one shelf into two and doubling your storage space instantly. Particularly useful for avoiding disputes about whose teabags are whose.
simplywire Kitchen Cupboard Organiser, $, available at Amazon
One drawer for many sets of cutlery is never going to work, unless you incorporate this graduated organiser. At just 11cm wide, it stores just as much as a regular flat cutlery organiser – but uses half the space.
Joseph Joseph Compact Cutlery Organiser, $, available at John Lewis
If you’re going to get one gadget, a multipurpose immersion blender ticks every box. This is easy to clean, easy to tidy away and, most importantly, hugely effective as a cooking tool.
Salter 3-in-1 Blender Set, $, available at Robert Dyas
Another very useful purchase that isn’t much in the way of fun, these shelves make a storage space out of the corner of your countertop – usually dead air.
Amazon Bamboo and Stainless Steel Corner Shelf Unit, $, available at Amazon
We’ve already seen the merits of using your sink as a drying rack but what about using it as a chopping board? This over-the-sink one gives you a whole extra unit of counter space and provides a colander bowl to hold your chopped veg (or your pre-chopped veg).
MondayUp 2 in 1 Over The Sink Cutting Board Strainer, $, available at Amazon
TBH, despite being told time and again not to put hot pans on my faux-marble plastic kitchen counters, nothing bad has happened yet and I intend to keep on doing just that. If you are a more sensible person than me however, this trivet folds up nice and neatly after use so it doesn’t create more clutter.
Joseph Joseph Stretch™ Expandable Trivet, $, available at Joseph Joseph
If you are allowed to make holes in your wall – i.e. you own your place or your landlord is a legend – then wall-mounted storage is the best way to free up space on your counters and in your cupboards and drawers. This hanging rack is perfect for the kitchen and has enough different elements to make sure everything’s got a (secure) home.
