Professional chefs know the value of space in a drawer or on a countertop better than anyone. Stroll through the swinging doors of any restaurant kitchen worth its salt, and you won’t find an excess of single-function gadgets collecting dust. Every instrument and piece of cookware serves a purpose, earning the real estate — however small — it occupies.
That’s what makes career chefs the perfect people to ask about all the kitchen tools that don’t belong in your kitchen, especially when space is at a premium.
To compile this list, I asked five professional chefs about the most useless and overrated kitchen tools and what they recommend using instead. Some on the list get knocked for simply taking up too much space to justify buying, while others get a failing grade for being downright gimmicky.
Here’s what they said.
Masaharu Morimoto
Celebrity chef, restauranteur
Masaharu Morimoto shared his pick for the most overrated kitchen tool.
1. Mandolin
Chef Morimoto encourages beefing up your knife skills to make thin and uniform vegetable slices.
Why: “While it brings good slices, mastering proper knife skills gives you more control, precision and safety in the long run. Mandolins can be bulky, hard to clean and risky if you’re not extremely careful. Relying too much on a mandolin, or tools like a two-in-one apple cutter or a tomato corer can hold you back from developing real technique. Taking the time to learn how to handle a sharp chef’s knife or Japanese blade will help you in almost every recipe.”
What to try instead: Mac 8-inch Japanese chef knife.
Eric Rowse
Lead chef-instructor Institute of Culinary Education, Los Angeles
Culinary instructor Eric Rowse knows a gimmicky kitchen tool when he sees one.
2. Onion holders
Why: “These look like a weapon for Wolverine wannabes; it’s meant to help you hold a whole onion and “chop” it. Instead, cut the onion in half to create a flat surface so it won’t roll away. If you’re trying to cut rings, save the $14 and stick a fork in the root and hold the fork.”
What to try instead: Learn to properly slice an onion the old-fashioned way.
3. Onion goggles
Save your money — and some dignity — and skip the onion goggles.
Why: “A waste of money, as they don’t form a great seal around the eyes to prevent the sulfur compounds from getting to your eyes and making you cry. Keep your knife sharp and open a window or turn on a fan instead.”
What to try instead: CNET’s Peter Butler shares tips for cutting onions without crying.
4. Metal, glass, stone and acrylic cutting boards
Glass, stone and metal boards are OK for serving but when it comes to slicing and dicing, wood is the way to go.
Why: “Cutting on hard surfaces is bad for your knives; instead, go for wood or poly.”
What to try instead: Our list of the best cutting boards features plenty of knife-safe options.
5. Chicken shredder
Why: “I can’t think of anyone needing a tool devoted to shredding chicken outside a restaurant, and even restaurants don’t use it. This item only has one purpose, so I’d skip it.”
What to try instead: Two forks.
6. Herb stripper
Why: “I love thyme but hate stripping it. When I was young, I got suckered into believing this tool would help me… It’s been sitting in my cupboard, laughing at me for almost a decade now.”
What to try instead: For heartier herbs like rosemary and thyme, just use your fingers to slide down the stem, opposite to how the leaves grow.
7. Bluetooth wireless probe thermometer
Instant read meat probes work fast and don’t require fussy Bluetooth connection.
Why: “These are a great tool, but can be very expensive. I can see myself losing, breaking, dropping, accidentally throwing away or dropping it in the coals.”
What to try instead: ThermoPro’s Lightning Instant Read Thermometer
Peter Som
Cookbook author and lifestyle expert
Cookbook author Peter Som didn’t hold back when asked about his least favorite kitchen tools.
8. Electric can opener
A manual can opener is cheaper, works great and is less likely to break.
Why: “Most of us grew up with an electric can opener permanently stationed on the kitchen counter, like it was a vital appliance. But truthfully, they’re more nostalgia than necessity. They take up space, can be a hassle to clean, and often struggle with irregularly sized cans. A good manual opener is compact, reliable and gets the job done without needing an outlet or a user manual.”
What to try instead: Oxo’s soft-handled can opener.
Richard Ingraham
Personal chef to Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union and author of Love: My Love Expressed Through Food
Richard Ingraham avoids certain kitchen tools when cooking for celebs like Dwayne Wade and Gabrielle Union.
9. Avocado slicer
Why: “A knife and spoon do the job just as easily, and the specialized tool rarely fits all avocado sizes properly. It’s a one-trick pony that clutters drawers.”
What to try instead: A good paring knife like this $35 Wusthof.
10. Egg separator
Separating an egg by hand isn’t so that difficult that it requires hardware.
Why: “A tool just for separating yolks is unnecessary for most home cooks.” The only exception may be this one, and even that is just for yolks. Err, I mean yucks.
What to try instead: Cracking an egg and using the shell halves or your fingers works just as well.
11. Garlic peeler tube
Why: “Rolling garlic cloves in a silicone tube may work but requires storing a single-purpose gadget.”
What to try instead: Smashing garlic cloves with a chef knife is quicker and more reliable.
12. Pizza scissors
Chef Ingraham says skip the scissors on pizza night.
Why: “A pizza cutter or knife works better and faster. These scissors are gimmicky, awkward to clean and take up more space than they’re worth.”
What to try instead: KitchenAid’s stainless-steel pizza wheel.
13. Herb scissors
Why: “They’re hard to clean and don’t offer a huge advantage over a sharp chef’s knife. Plus, they tend to crush delicate herbs more than slice them.”
What to try instead: Made In’s 8-inch Chef Knife.
14. Electric egg cooker
Why: “Boiling eggs in a pot is straightforward and flexible. The electric version just adds clutter unless you boil eggs constantly and hate using a stove.”
What to try instead: This 1-minute hack for making poached eggs in the microwave.
15. Butter cutter and dispenser
A good butter knife works just as well and requires less space and maintenance.
Why: “It slices sticks of butter into pats… but why? A knife works instantly, and you don’t have to load and clean a plastic gadget for it.”
What to try instead: Williams Sonoma breakfast butter blade.
16. Pasta measurer
Why: “It’s a plastic disc with holes to tell you how much spaghetti to cook. Just eyeball it or learn the rough weight by experience. It’s not worth the drawer space.”
What to try instead: A kitchen scale for precise measurements.
17. Oil mister
Why: “Often clogs, sprays unevenly and requires constant cleaning. A small spoon or brush does the job with less frustration.”
What to try instead: World Market’s olive oil cruet.
18. Electric potato peeler
A sharp vegetable peeler is all you need to skin a batch of potatoes.
Why: “Takes up a surprising amount of space and peels slower than a regular peeler. Plus, it’s overkill unless you’re peeling dozens of potatoes at once.”
What to try instead: Oxo’s Swivel peeler.
19. Bagel guillotine
Why: “Sold as a safer way to slice bagels, but takes up a ton of space and is awkward to clean. A serrated knife does the job just fine.”
What to try instead: Opinel’s 8-inch bread knife.
Jackie Carnesi
Executive chef, Kellogg’s Diner
Jackie Carnesi
20. Oven mitts
There’s a reason pro chefs don’t use oven mitts.
Why: “Oven mitts are the most useless item in a home kitchen! A sturdy kitchen towel does the same job, and odds are, it’s more likely to be washed regularly. I don’t know many people who wash their oven mitts frequently enough… it seems many have deemed it an item that doesn’t warrant regular cleaning. It does.”
What to try instead: Stock a plethora of kitchen towels.
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