Unnecessary kitchen gadgets taking up space in your home

We’ve all done it – fallen victim to a kitchen gadget fad, only to quickly leave our shiny new toy hidden in a cupboard or taking up space on a worktop. Whether it’s a bulky appliance, a fiddly tool that’s hard to clean or something that has too many moving parts, these useless utensils can fill with you regret when you realise they’re not as practical as you dreamt they’d be. To try and avoid these unnecessary purchases in the future, we’ve compiled the ultimate list of pointless kitchen gadgets we wish we’d never bought.

Click or scroll through our gallery to discover 41 completely unnecessary kitchen gadgets none of us need – counting down to the most pointless of them all. How many are you guilty of owning?

We’ve based our ranking on the faddish nature of each gadget, and on the opinions of our well-travelled (and well-fed) team. The list is unavoidably subjective.

Supposedly useful for keeping turkey (and other meats) as moist as possible, a turkey baster can turn out to be nothing more than a space-stealing nuisance. Even if you use it more than once a year, it might not be the best way to achieve the tender results you’re looking for from your meat; some experts argue that brining or salting turkey is a much better method for keeping it moist.

There’s no doubt that portion control is a must for a healthy diet – and it can help to reduce food waste, too. If you’re always making too much pasta, a measuring tool might seem like the obvious solution; however, is it really worth investing in a piece of kitchen equipment that only does one thing? Instead of buying this little tool, which is easily lost, make use of kitchen scales, which aren’t limited to measuring pasta.

Feasting on tacos at home should be a fun, social experience; the handheld treats are designed to be put together at the table and crammed with the ingredients of the eater’s choice. A taco holder goes against the spirit of this, ensuring your tacos are all lined up and ready to eat before they leave the kitchen. So, assuming you’re not aiming for restaurant presentation, this piece of kitchen kit is just a bit pointless.

Honey looks oh-so-tempting dripping lusciously from one of these in adverts – but do you really need one at home? Unless you’re trying to impress some guests, a honey dipper is just an extra kitchen utensil that you don’t need. A spoon is perfectly adequate for measuring out honey (and it has more than one function, too).

Poached eggs can be tricky to get right. However, that doesn’t mean you should use a microwave egg poacher, which can make your eggs hard and rubbery. Instead, follow our foolproof method for perfect poached eggs every time. First, lay a piece of cling film in a bowl, lightly oil the top, then crack an egg inside. Next, gather up the sides of the cling film and tie them together tightly at the top. Lower the parcel into boiling water and cook for three to six minutes, depending on the size of the egg and how soft you want it to be. Once cooked, let it cool down for a minute, then cut the cling film carefully to release the poached egg.

Garlic crushers might seem like nifty little tools; however, for the most part, they’re more hassle than they’re worth. Little garlic chunks cling to every nook and cranny, meaning they’re a waking nightmare to clean – and you end up wasting some of your ingredient, too. Instead, use the flat side of a knife to crush your cloves, then use the sharp edge to chop them up. Easy!

Countless coffee lovers have gone through a phase when they want to do it all, from roasting and grinding the beans to frothing the milk. If you’re really dedicated, a bean grinder (electric or manual) can come in handy. However, if grinding your own coffee loses its appeal, you’ll soon end up with another abandoned gadget taking up space.

Sharp knives are essential for safety and efficiency, so having some kind of sharpening tool is a must. What you don’t need, however, is an expensive electric tool – especially when you could save a lot of money by buying a manual version. Although electric knife sharpeners can be convenient for beginners, manual ones are just as effective, and they only take a little practice to use.

A favourite among health enthusiasts, fruit juices have long been seen as a great way to pack in your five a day. But it turns out that juicing isn’t as healthy a habit as you might think. Juicing reduces the fibre in your fruit and vegetables – and it also means that sugars are released more quickly, since they’re no longer bound within plant cells. As such, you’re better off ditching the juicer and opting for whole fruits instead.

Liking this? Click the Like button above. And click the Follow button above for more great stories from loveFOOD

Even if you’re short on time, a bread maker isn’t necessarily the solution. While this gadget is good for churning out loaves while you’re busy doing other things, there’s a limit as to what you can achieve. If you want to make fresh bread in a flash, try making soda bread or focaccia, which don’t require a lot of kneading. And without a bread maker sitting on your worktop, you’ll have more space for kneading and shaping.

Unless you’re a seasoned pitmaster who throws whole-hog barbecues every weekend, you’re unlikely to need a set of meat-shredding claws in your home kitchen. On the rare occasion that you’ve got pork that needs pulling or chicken that needs tearing to shreds (we’re guessing this might happen once or twice a year, at most), a couple of forks will do the job just as well. Simply stick them in, then pull them in opposite directions to tear the meat apart.

Even if you eat boiled eggs daily, you’re unlikely to need this cumbersome contraption. To use an electric egg boiler, you’ll typically need to pierce holes in the bottom of your eggs, add water, then set a timer to achieve your desired consistency. However, using a saucepan of water and a timer is just as quick and efficient (if not more) – and these items won’t take up unnecessary space on your kitchen counter.

Sure, salad spinners guarantee that your favourite leaves and veggies are perfectly clean before they reach your plate – but a quick stint under the tap can do that too, with no washing up afterwards. Salad spinners are also on the bulky side, so they’re likely to take up a lot of space in your kitchen cabinet. We think we’ll save our money and stick with the good old-fashioned ‘rinse and pat dry’ method.

Unless you’re running a pasta business out of your kitchen, it’s unlikely you’ll need a pasta machine very often, if at all. There are plenty of shapes you can make without the use of a machine, which is really only useful for lasagne sheets and thin strips (such as tagliatelle and linguine). That said, if you want thin pasta dough for lasagne or ravioli, a rolling pin will do the job just as well.

Why bother spending money on a plastic gadget that’s destined to jam up your kitchen drawer when you can easily do the job tool free? Instead of buying a yolk separator, use the eggshell itself to scoop the yolk away from the white – sometimes it takes a little juggling, but it’s easy when you know how. Plus, there’s nothing more satisfying than throwing the used shell straight in the bin afterwards.

Part of the fun of making burgers from scratch is shaping them yourself – giving them that rustic, perfectly imperfect, homemade look. Conversely, using a burger press to squish your patties into uniform discs somehow takes all the joy out of things. We say save your cash and cupboard space, and take matters into your own hands (literally). And don’t forget to put a dimple in each patty to prevent them from puffing up as they cook.

These all-in-one machines cook sausages and warm rolls simultaneously, so you can eat hot dogs at home to your heart’s content. However, this clunky, space-gobbling contraption is really no substitute for a toaster and a frying pan. After all, who needs (or wants) to cook hot dogs every day?

Those who are elderly or less able may benefit from using an electric can opener. However, as far as many others are concerned, they’re just pointless space-occupiers, destined to gather dust.  A handheld can opener is much easier to store and just as easy to use. You can always look out for tins with ring pulls, too.

Making your own ice cream for the first time feels like the stuff of dreams. You’re creating culinary magic and doing a little science in your own kitchen. But once the excitement has worn off, you’ll realise that your ice cream maker takes up a lot of space, needs a lot of cleaning and probably won’t get much use – plus, all it does is churn. Instead of buying an ice cream maker, go for a no-churn ice cream recipe, and you can still have ice cream in any flavour you like.

Avocados are prone to browning when exposed to the open air for too long, but that’s nothing a simple Tupperware container can’t solve. Place your avocados flesh side down to limit contact with the air, and make sure the box is shut tight. A squeeze of acidic lemon or lime juice will work wonders, too.

If you’re a yogurt lover, a yogurt maker might seem like a simple – not to mention money-saving – way to get your hands on preservative-free yogurt. But did you know it’s incredibly easy to make yogurt from home without a flashy device? All you need is a clay pot and a lid. Here’s the method: heat some milk until boiling, let it cool down until it’s just warm to the touch, then add beaten live yogurt and combine well. Empty the whole lot into a covered container, then leave it in a warm place for 8 to ten hours (or overnight).

Fizzy drinks whenever you want? It sounds like a childhood wish come true. Owning a soda maker often turns out to be less exciting than you might expect, however. Sure, it allows you to make carbonated water and other drinks at home, but you also have to deal with the gas canisters, which are usually expensive – plus, they don’t last long, and they need to be exchanged or recycled. Save money and space, and just buy sparkling water when you want it.

Herb keepers usually look a bit like covered vases or tall containers, with room for water at the bottom – and they may well preserve your herbs for longer. However, DIY methods work just as well for keeping these delicate ingredients fresh. Simply store herbs like basil and parsley in fresh water, just as you’d do with a bunch of flowers.

True, mandoline slicers allow cooks to dice and slice vegetables to perfection – but how necessary is such precision in a home kitchen? They’re nifty gadgets (albeit lethal for fingers); however, they’re unlikely to make it out of the box very often when a sharp knife will do the job.

Unless you’re going to fill up on a hearty sarnie every morning, a breakfast sandwich–making machine really isn’t worth the surface space. It’s more than a little faffy, with one section for your bread and other fillings, and another for your egg, which you slide out when cooked. Not only that, but using one isn’t much quicker – or cleaner – than using a frying pan and a fish slice.

These dispensers aren’t just for whipped cream, but for siphoning aerated sauces and foams, too – hardly a huge requirement, if your midweek meals consist of meatballs and lasagne. It’s probably best to leave this one to the professionals (and free up some room in your kitchen cupboards at the same time).

When purchasing a crêpe maker, you might envision yourself making deliciously thin and crispy crêpes every chance you get. In reality, your brand-new gadget might get used a few times before it’s left to gather dust. It’s essentially just a frying pan that requires more storage space and is harder to clean, so skip the crêpe maker and just go with a good non-stick frying pan instead.

For the fraction of time they save, dedicated herb scissors really aren’t worth the money. Regular scissors, or a sharp knife, will do the job just as well – and they won’t take up nearly as much space in your kitchen drawer. 

For a period in the 2010s, spiralizers were a kitchen must-have, particularly revered among health fanatics who loved turning carrots and courgettes into ‘spaghetti’. The device is still popular with no-carb dieters, but the rest of us have moved on. There’s only so long fruit and vegetable ribbons can win out over a steaming bowl of real tagliatelle, after all.

If you bought every fruit-preparing tool on the market, you’d end up with a kitchen drawer you couldn’t close. Strawberry hullers are designed to neatly extract the stem from the fruit – ultimately something you’re unlikely to need to do very often – and they’re more than a little fiddly if you’re preparing strawberries in bulk. You can do a similar job with a knife (or, of course, just go for it and eat around the leaves). 

Cocktail sets with all the bells and whistles might seem fun and glamorous at first – but they can also be thoroughly overwhelming if you don’t know how to use them. The good news is that all you really need to make great tipples is a cocktail shaker with an in-built strainer.

There’s something wonderfully nostalgic about an electric kitchen knife. You might have fond memories of the cacophony it made when your parents were carving up a meat joint for the Sunday roast during the 1970s and 1980s, when these gadgets were all the rage. But, ultimately, they’re tricky to clean and unbearably noisy, and you’re much less likely to make accurate cuts when you use them – so invest in a sharp, good-quality regular knife for cutting meat instead. Electric knives are, however, helpful for people with some disabilities.

Apparently, some people have a penchant for perfectly straight bacon. If that’s you, then go for it – but otherwise, this heavy bit of kit, used to weigh down rashers of bacon and stop them from curling up in a frying pan, really is quite useless. Save your cash (and save on the washing up, too). 

However much you love popcorn, there’s really no need for a countertop appliance when you can make your favourite movie snack on the stove or in the microwave. Popcorn makers work by simply applying heat to the kernels until they pop. Save yourself time and money by using a saucepan with a lid instead.

Electric salt and pepper grinders fall into the same camp as electric can openers and electric knives. It’s an extra expense for something that can done by hand just as easily  – though they do look smart on the dining table, we must admit. 

All the fun of the fair comes to your home when you have a candy floss machine – and so does all the cleanup. Not only that, but the initial excitement of being able to have candy floss whenever you want soon wears off when you realise you don’t want to eat pure sugar that often. Give this toy a miss and keep candy floss special by getting it at fairs and theme parks.

Another single-purpose appliance taking up precious space in your kitchen, a muffin maker is basically an electric countertop oven with special moulds for cakes. However, even if you’re a serious baker, there’s little point in buying one if you’ve got a working oven and a muffin tin.

While carrots sharpened to a perfect point might look pretty on a plate, the point of this bizarre kitchen gadget really does end there. If you can live without attractively arranged carrot shavings on your Sunday roast, then your money would definitely be better spent elsewhere. 

A melon baller may be gloriously retro – after all, nothing conjures images of 1970s dinner parties quite like balled melon on sticks. But, if you have one, it’s most likely something you used just once or twice, then consigned to your utensil drawer forever. Use rounded measuring spoons instead; they’ll do the job just fine.

Pizza scissors are essentially a regular pair of scissors – but they typically come with a kind of spatula or mini pizza peel attached to the bottom, so you can shovel up your slice and slip it onto your plate. They may sound slick, but they’ve received mixed reviews. And really, why bother when a pizza cutter and a fish slice (or even your fingers) will work a treat? 

Fancy some sliced banana on your porridge, or stirred into your fruit salad? Slatted and slightly curved, this simple gadget might save you a fraction of time when preparing your favourite fruit. But that extra time will be lost in cleaning the thing, as bits of banana insert themselves into all the little grooves. Best stick to a knife!

Liked this? Click the Like button above. And click the Follow button above for more great stories from loveFOOD

Now discover 39 foods you should STOP buying at the supermarket

Last updated by Laura Ellis.