12 Kitchen Tools That Aren’t Worth The Money

In the modern kitchen, there’s a gadget for nearly every culinary task. While some can be game-changers, others are unnecessary expenses that clutter your space and don’t provide enough value. Here’s a list of 12 kitchen tools, including deep fryers, that you might want to reconsider purchasing.

1. Deep Fryers

Deep fryers can seem like a fast track to delicious comfort food, but they come with downsides. They’re bulky, hard to clean, and not the healthiest cooking option. The lingering smell of oil can also be off-putting. Alternatives like air fryers or oven baking offer healthier preparations and easier cleanup without sacrificing too much on taste and texture.

2. Banana Slicers

A banana slicer is a unitasker that takes up drawer space unnecessarily. A quick swipe with a knife, and you have perfectly sliced bananas, no extra cleaning required.

3. Electric Can Openers

While electric can openers may seem convenient, they often take up valuable counter space and can malfunction more frequently than their manual counterparts. A good-quality handheld can opener is reliable, easy to store, and usually requires less effort than you might think.

4. Garlic Presses

Garlic presses are tricky to clean and can waste a lot of garlic. Instead, mince garlic quickly and efficiently with a knife or even grate it on a microplane.

5. Avocado Slicers

These gadgets are designed to cut and pit avocados, but they’re often not flexible enough to handle different sizes and ripeness levels. A knife and spoon do the job just as well and are already in most kitchens.

6. Strawberry Hullers

Strawberry hullers are another single-use tool that doesn’t perform any better than a simple paring knife. Save your money and drawer space by sticking with the basics.

7. Egg Separators

Egg separators might seem useful for bakers, but eggs can be easily separated using the shells or your hands. This is one gadget you can skip without missing anything.

8. Herb Scissors

Herb scissors with multiple blades are meant to make chopping herbs easier, but they’re often difficult to clean and no more effective than a sharp chef’s knife or regular scissors.

9. Stand-Alone Electric Rice Cookers

Unless you eat rice daily, a stand-alone electric rice cooker can be an unnecessary appliance. A pot with a lid and a timer can cook rice just as well, or consider a multi-cooker that can serve several functions, including cooking rice.

10. Tea Infusers (Novelty Shapes)

Novelty tea infusers can be cute but are often less functional than standard ones. They can be difficult to fill, clean, and may not steep effectively. A traditional tea ball or a teapot with a built-in strainer is usually a better choice.

11. Pasta Makers

For those who don’t regularly indulge in homemade pasta, a pasta maker is likely to collect dust. It’s a large, expensive tool that’s only worth the investment if fresh pasta is a staple in your diet.

12. Bread Machines

Bread machines are great for convenience, but for occasional bread bakers, they take up a lot of space and can be quite costly. Making bread by hand or using a dutch oven can yield excellent results with a more hands-on approach.

Conclusion

When it comes to kitchen gadgets, less is often more. Before making a purchase, consider if the tool is truly saving you time and effort or if it’s just a gimmicky item that will end up unused in the back of a cupboard. Stick to versatile, multi-use tools that earn their keep in your kitchen, and you’ll not only save money but also have a more functional cooking space.