Strawberry Huller
Some hand held potato peelers have a pointed tip so you can cut brown spots from potatoes, well it’s also super useful for hulling strawberries. There’s no need to buy a whole new tool that will take up space in your draw for the off chance you are hulling strawberries.
Butter dispenser
Trying to spread cold butter on bread can be so annoying, especially if the bread starts to tear, but this gadget won’t stop all those problems. Use the back of a spoon instead or a cheese grater to get finer butter. This gadget comes with a huge, unnecessary crank and looks like a pain to clean.
Quesadilla maker
Don’t introduce your countertop to even more clutter. Quesadillas are super easy to make in a pan with a heavy lid on top to flatten the tortillas and, unless you are a family that eats quesadillas multiple times a week, this just doesn’t seem necessary.
Bear paws
How many times do you really make pulled meats in your slow cooker? These may seem like the perfect gift for those who love BBQ but you can just as easily use two forks or even an electric hand whisk to get perfectly shredded meat.
Veggie slicers
Unless you specifically need stability whilst cooking, just avoid buying these tools. Cleaning multiple blades is going to be a lot more time consuming than just a single knife and chopping board, and their handles are usually made from plastic that can easily break in dishwashers.
Pizza scissors
These take up so much drawer space for no reason. They don’t make cutting pizza any easier than if you were just to use normal scissors or your pizza wheel. The blades will be awkward to clean too because of the giant piece of plastic protruding off of it.
Garlic chopper
What’s wrong with a knife or traditional garlic press? These again are usually made from mostly plastic which can break easily, and the blades inside can never be sharpened, so they can become useless pretty quickly. You have to roll it over your countertops too, so you’re probably using more effort than if you just used a knife.
Avocado slicer
It’s so unnecessary to buy a slicer for every kind of unique produce. Usually made from plastic and really annoying to clean because of the tiny grooves that slices into the flesh of the avocado. Just use a knife and don’t fill your kitchen with random equipment.
Tuna press
All this does is add to your washing up list. The lid of a can can be sharp so should always be handled with care, but it’s easy to drain the oil from tuna using the lid for pressure. If you eat a lot of oily fish you can buy larger oil strainers more worth your while than can size.
Yolk separator
Part of baking 101 is learning to split the yolk by passing it back and forth between shells. If this fails however, you don’t need a fancy tool for this, you can use a plastic bottle to easily scoop up the yolks from the whites.
Hands-free bag holder
Now this just seems silly. If you’re able to grab a jug or bowl, you don’t need to buy this gadget. Place your zip-top bags in a bowl to fill them without spills or needing a second person to hold it still. This contraption looks like it takes up a lot of space and isn’t very good looking.
Grape or tomato slicer
Again, unless you actually struggle with motor skills, this gadget isn’t for you. Instead of chopping each tomato individually which can take some time, place them between two plates that are faced out. Slide the knife between the plates and you’ll have perfectly halved produce.
Corn silker remover
Instead of investing in a round brush for $5-10, just use a vegetable brush you may already have, or even a toothbrush from the dollar store. The bristles are all that’s needed to get rid of the last of the hairs and a toothbrush is even easier to hold than a round plastic handle.
Cake portion maker
Unless you run a bakery business or a cafe, this won’t be used enough to make it worth it. It’s big and not that easy to store safely without risking heavy things falling on top of it. To get lines before cutting your cakes, use dental floss to mark out the slices instead.
Mango slicer
How often are you slicing mangos, especially when they’re out of season? This is different from an apple slicer which can actually be helpful for getting rid of the core and making slices, but all this does is cut the mango in two, which is just as easy with a knife.
Pickle picker
You might as well throw $8 dollars away. This is more a gimmick than an actual helpful gadget, especially if you’re a pickle lover. If you don’t want to use your fingers to get them out the jar just use a fork or a wooden skewer.
Motorised ice cream cone
If you love ice cream but it’s such a chore to actually lick it, you’re in luck. This item must be a joke present because if you’re genuinely filling your drawers with items like this, you need to start cleaning out your home and decluttering your kitchen.
iKettle
Not everything needs an app. This kettle allows you to start boiling water from a touch of your phone, and that’s pretty much all that’s special about it other than some more expensive models having voice activation too. Save your money and stick to traditional kettles that aren’t $130+.
Melon peeler
It’s a glorified two ended spoon. Removing the rind from your melon slices can be done with pretty much any other tool you have in the kitchen so there’s no need to purchase more plastic tools for your kitchen drawers. The plastic doesn’t look great quality either, so it might not last for years.
Banana slicer
People who struggle to hold knives may find this useful but everyone else just needs to leave it be. Bananas vary in size bunch to bunch, so some may not even fit properly in this slicer mold. Also, imagine trying to clean between all those little ridges properly. It’s just way more effort than it’s worth.
Hot dog maker
Good luck finding enough space for this on your counter. This is the size of a toaster and all it does is heat up hot dogs and bun shaped bread, it’s pretty redundant when no one’s craving hot dogs for dinner. Just boil or pay fry your sausages.
Corn kernel remover
It’s basically a knife with a plastic handle. Even if you don’t feel comfortable using a knife to do this job, a peeler would also help before you need to buy a separate tool. The blade can’t be removed or replaced in most cases so once it’s dull it’s useless anyway.
Pancake batter dispenser
Unless you’re a line cook at a restaurant, this is clunky and unnecessary. The handles are usually made from cheap plastic so don’t even get the perfect portions you want, and it’s a bit of a pain to clean the tiny nozzle at the bottom.
All in one vegetable chopper
These went viral on the internet recently for being ‘useful’ but most of those people were doing paid ads. This may seem useful at first, especially because you don’t need to chop, just slam down the lid. But the blades break super easily and can’t be replaced as they’re built in. It’s also a struggle to slam down on certain veggies.
Mini heated bag sealer
Big families go through products pretty quickly, so will you need to constantly reseal bags for that long? It’s probably better to invest in some airtight tubs to store opened cereal or snacks, so at least you can reuse the tubs for other things. This heat sealer is also super dangerous to have around where children can get to it.
Frywall
This was featured on shark tank but it’s not recommended on Amazon. This is supposed to stop grease splashing out of the pan, but it also makes it super hard to reach over and stir or add anything to the pan. It’s also easy to get holes in from super hot oil, which causes it to just disintegrate.
Rotating pizza oven
A $50 price tag for something that looks quite dangerous if left unattended. It’s supposed to be a great invention for when you have a party and want to cook some food there and then, but isn’t that what an oven is for? Appliances that need constant attention don’t seem to be that useful.
Electric egg cooker
For just $20-30 you can get rolled tubes of egg and that’s it. This hands-free egg cooker requires you to pour cracked eggs into the port and watch as it slowly rolls up, but you also need to flip it over to cook it properly, so not really “hands-free”.
Rapid ramen cooker
This is just a bowl, literally. Ramen can be cooked on the stove in minutes or blasted in the microwave for 5 mins so why would you need a specific bowl for it. If you’re sending a kid to college, just get them a regular microwavable bowl and save the money.
Twirling spaghetti fork
Another one that must be a gimmick present for those pasta lovers. This fork basically takes all the work out of twirling your food, but it’s also the most unnecessary tool ever. It’s bulky to hold and a bit of an eye sore compared to your regular silver dinnerware.
Fruit juice sprayer
This doesn’t even do its purpose properly. This sprayer is supposed to allow you to spray any fruit juice you want, but all it does is get stuck in one part of the fruit so you’ll have to keep taking it out and replacing the nozzle to get the rest of the juice.
Herb scissors
One pair will do the job. Herb scissors are just multiple blades stacked in the handles, which may give you faster chopped chives, but it’s also a much bigger job to clean every individual blade without cutting your washing sponge in half. They also become redundant when it comes to cutting anything else.
Egg cracker
If you get a machine to crack your egg you may as well get someone else to cook. All this egg cracker does is split the egg in half, just like you could have done with a knife tap or hit the bowl. It’s a super bulky piece of equipment that would take up so much space.
Taco holder
If taco restaurants don’t need these, neither do you. They are meant to prop up your tacos so they don’t spill, but this could easily be done by propping them against each other or using a piece of cutlery to stop them falling on your plate. Just save your money.
Pepper corer
Probably one of the easiest vegetables/fruits to chop up. Do you really need another unsightly piece of plastic in your kitchen along with the other veg choppers? Practice up on your knife skills before buying this or, if you really hate food prep, buy pre-chopped peppers.
Mini waffle maker
Let’s be honest, this was bought as a gift or to use for a birthday party but it’s never been touched since. A mini waffle maker should say it all, ‘mini’ isn’t gonna cut it for a whole family. If you’re really passionate about waffles, invest in a full size pan.
Pop corn machine
Unless you have a huge theater room to fill, this is going to get in the way quickly. Popcorn is super easy to make on the stove or in ready made microwave bags, so to buy a whole popcorn machine is a bit much. They can also be pretty pricey and hard to set up.
Unusual shape ice cube trays
Your freezer space needs to be used wisely, so don’t fill it with trays of ice cubes. Having 2 trays of regularly used ice cubes seems appropriate if you don’t have a dispenser, but don’t be tempted to buy ones shaped like pumpkins, tiny squares or Santa hats just because they look cute.
Egg peeler
They often don’t work how they’re supposed to. The best way to peel an egg is to put them in an ice bath after boiling, leave for a few minutes, then they should be cool enough to handle and peel very easily by hand. Don’t fall into buying this just for it to fall to the back of the cupboard.
Omelette maker
You don’t need another appliance sat on your counter tops waiting to be used monthly. Omelettes are one of the easiest dishes to make, and they require a pan and stove, not a full blown machine. Save your money and cook them the traditional way.