Famous Foodies Need Better Storage, Too

If your kitchen is cluttered with gadgets and gizmos you never use, don’t feel bad. Even foodies who should know better overwhelm their kitchen cabinets with pots, pans, and utensils they never use.

In a recent New York Times article, “Top Chef” judge Gail Simmons confesses that her professional-grade espresso maker merely takes up counter space, because she always orders coffee out.

Sara Moulton, host of PBS’s “Sara’s Weeknight Meals,” never touches the pressure cooker she just had to have. And Meredith Smith, who edits the food blog Serious Eats, dries fresh pasta (on the rare occasion she makes fresh pasta) on the back of chairs, rather than the drying rack she owns.

What can you do with all these “skeletons in the kitchen closet,” as Simmons calls them?

Here are some ways to squeeze in or free up more storage space.

• Hang a pegboard and artistically hook seldom used items there. You could title the wall sculpture, “Seemed like a good idea at the time.”

• Upgrade base cabinets with pull-out shelves, which make it easier to see items you store.

• Add cabinets up high. It’s the perfect place for stuff you rarely — or never— use.

• Have a gadget swap with friends. One cook’s dud could be another’s go-to item.

What kitchen items do you regret buying? Where are they now?