Minimally configured kernel

[Tom Smith]

I prefer to customize my kernels and remove all the bloat that my 
systems don't need--such as legacy hardware support. It's taking an 
INCREDIBLE amount of time to accomplish this because I have to go 
through and locate each option I want to remove, versus selecting each 
option I want to add. My question is...

How can I start out with a minimally configured kernel and select ONLY 
the options I need, while having everything else disabled by default?

Thanks in advance for your input!

~ Tom