Lisa
Remember the old trope of knocking on your neighbor's door to borrow a cup of sugar. Instead, I’m encouraging you to go to your neighbors in times of kitchen item needs. You know, that “I really need a deviled egg platter” panic moment.
I’m encouraging you to share small kitchen appliances, bakeware, specialty items, and kitchen gadgets that are not used that often with those around you.
My epiphany regarding this concept blossomed organically and informally. Several of my close friends live within a block of my city apartment. We all share a love of food and cooking, and it’s often a hot topic of discussion – new recipes, what we recently made, and what we want to eat. So much food talk!
Once a year, one of these friends texts me to borrow my bundt pan. It’s predictable, as she makes her mom’s special lemon bundt cake recipe to celebrate her mother’s birthday. She’s done this for a decade since her mom passed. The benefit, she also shares her delicious creation.
Last week, she borrowed my pizza stone. Unfortunately, it cracked in her oven. She offered to give me money, but not to replace it – simply to cover my loss. In fact, she was going to buy herself a pizza stone (she’s become a real homemade pizza enthusiast) and said that she would lend it to me whenever I needed. Honestly, I hadn’t used the old one more than once a year for the last decade. So, no harm, no foul.
Just this week, she asked if I had four ramekins because she was looking to make a unique crème brûlée recipe that caught her eye. I also happened to have a butane kitchen torch, which I also tossed in the bag for her pick up. I’m not melting things with a mini blow torch as often as I anticipated when I made that impulse purchase.
In the past, I’ve borrowed her sous vide machine. This is not a cooking technique I do often, so investing in a sous vide for myself (about $150+) seemed unnecessary and a bit indulgent. Plus, my apartment kitchen storage space is limited, and I consider it my most precious home real estate.
While this particular group of my neighbors all have homes with much more kitchen storage space than me, they are mindful of their past consumerism and actively trying to buy less moving forward. Me too. There was a time when I NEEDED all the gadgets. Those days are over.
So, we’ve all concluded that only one of certain kitchen items is needed among the group – unless it’s something used frequently. Probably not lending out my blender, as I make smoothies each morning.
This informal kitchen collective works for us because we all work from home, making pick up very flexible. It’s a two-minute deal to walk over in the middle of the day and grab whatever it is we need from each other. Additionally, these are close friends. We share house keys for emergencies and pet feeding when someone is out of town. Clearly, we trust each other.
Here are some tips, tricks, and insights that will make sharing easier for you.
What’s Best to Share
Small Appliances (specialty use)
- Ice cream maker
- Indoor griddle
- Waffle iron
- Bread machine
- Pasta maker
- Dehydrator
- Sous vide machine
- Immersion blender
- Crock pot/slow cooker
- Coffee grinder
- Spice grinder
- Chocolate fountain
Bakeware (used only occasionally)
- Bundt pans, springform pans, tart pans
- Large roasting pans
- Ramekins
- Pie weights
Cooking Tools/Gadgets
- Pizza stone or pizza peel
- Kitchen torch
- Spiralizer
- Mandoline slicer
- Fondue pot
- Candy thermometer
- Speciality or themed cookie cutters
Serving & Entertaining Items
- Extra platters
- Cake stands
- Large beverage dispensers
- Punch bowls
- Specialty cocktail tools
Seasonal/One-Off Gear
- Turkey fryer
- Ice shaver for summer parties
- Canning equipment
The Benefits of Sharing Kitchen Items
- Saves Money: Everyone avoids buying expensive equipment they’ll only use a handful of times.
- Saves Space: Especially for apartment dwellers with limited cabinets, one appliance per group is enough.
- Reduces Waste: Fewer unused items cluttering kitchens or ending up in donation piles (or at our annual yard sale).
- Builds Community: Encourages more connections with neighbors and friends around food.
- Encourages Experimentation: You’re more likely to try new cooking techniques (like sous vide or homemade pasta) when you can borrow equipment instead of investing upfront.
How to Handle Challenges
Damage or Breakage: Like my pizza stone incident – things happen. Solution: Agree upfront that if something breaks, the borrower covers the cost of replacement. If an item is old or in questionable condition, you might consider splitting the cost.
Cleaning & Care: Not everyone maintains equipment the same way. Solution: Have a “return it clean” rule.
Tracking Who Has What: Easy to forget where something is, especially if your group has more than three people. Solution: Start a simple shared Google Doc or group chat where you log what’s borrowed.
Frequency of Use: Some items (like daily-use blenders or coffee makers) shouldn’t be part of the lending pool. Solution: Decide what’s “shareable” vs. “personal.” It’s okay to say no.
Timing: Make sure borrowed items come back quickly so they don’t take up space in someone else’s home unnecessarily, and you can use them if needed. Solution: Explicitly set a lending length, if appropriate.
Tips to Make Kitchen Sharing Work
- Start with Trust: Share with people you genuinely trust. This helps avoid awkwardness and hard feelings if something breaks or isn’t returned quickly.
- Label Your Items: Use a Sharpie, masking tape, or even a label maker to mark your name. It avoids confusion if multiple neighbors own similar gadgets.
- Set Ground Rules: Simple agreements like “clean before returning,” “replace if broken,” “return within X days,” and “the borrower is responsible to return” are a good start.
- Use a Group Chat or Spreadsheet: Create a WhatsApp/Signal group or shared Google Sheet for quick asks like “Anyone have a springform pan I can borrow tonight?”
At the end of the day, sharing kitchen items is about more than saving space or avoiding unnecessary purchases. It’s also about creating a sense of community. When you lend a gadget, you’re also lending a bit of inspiration and inviting someone else to experiment, cook, and connect. Whether it’s a once-a-year bundt cake or a spontaneous crème brûlée, these small exchanges turn kitchens into shared spaces where friendships and flavors grow.
