Whether you’re browsing in the store or watching social media reels, you might be tempted by handy kitchen tools, all promising to make your least favorite tasks a breeze. Whether it's super-speedy dicing gadgets or innovative cooking utensils, the market is never short of a “new” invention.
Admittedly, I’ve fallen victim to buying the latest "groundbreaking" kitchen tool to make my life easier. And while it might have seemed like a good idea at the time, I’ve found them to be completely useless and demoted to the back of the kitchen cabinet. In fact, sometimes you’re just better off sticking to the basics — and not wasting your money!
So before you decide to buy the next gadget that catches your eye, these are the kitchen tools you think you need, but really don’t.
1. Garlic silicone peeler
For those who enjoy cooking with garlic, it’s always a task trying to remove the skin. These garlic silicone rollers are designed to make peeling easier by simply giving it a roll inside. What’s more, it’s mess-free and supposed to eliminate odors in the process.
While I loved the idea of this, using it proved to be slightly tricky. Depending on the age/condition of your garlic, this method didn’t work every time. And I’d often find myself still having to manually peel the clove myself — defeating the purpose!
Personally, I would save my money and invest in one of the best garlic presses instead. These handy kitchen gadgets can cut down on your prep time, save your hands from smelling of garlic, and give you perfect results.
Best alternative
2. All-in-one frying pan
If you want to save time and effort by cooking multiple things at once, the all-in-one frying pan sounds very appealing. After all, who wants to double their time making their favorite foods? Well, that was my initial thought!
While I’ve found cooking tiny quantities useful, these are not ideal for large quantities of one dish. In addition, different foods have varying cooking times/temperatures, so you don’t want to risk overcooking or undercooking anything (especially when frying).
It’s always better to cook one thing at a time, in a standard frying pan. Alternatively, if you enjoy tasty fried foods, the best air fryers are more suitable, and those with dual baskets can cook different foods at once, at different temperatures.
Best alternative
3. Vegetable spiralizers
Prepping vegetables is not the most exciting thing to do — which is why spiralizers can be so appealing! From zucchini and cucumber noodles to curly carrots, who knew that vegetables could look so fun?
However, the time spent swapping out the different blades and having to clean them — can all be time-consuming. At this point, it would have been much quicker to just chop your veggies on the best cutting boards!
4. Citrus juicer
If you fancy quick orange juice in the morning — with minimal fuss, it might seem like a good ideal to have a citrus juicer on standby.
Not only are these handheld gadgets easy to squeeze and collect your citrus juice, but small enough to store away.
However, unless you only want half a glass, you might find yourself spending a lot of time squeezing enough fruit for a whole glass or container. Unless you only need it to juice for cooking purposes, I wouldn’t waste my money on a citrus juicer.
If you do want to make regular citrus juices (and get the most out of them!), you’re better off investing in one of the best juicers instead.
Best alternative
5. Mini chopper
Similarly, the convenience of a mini chopper can seem appealing — a cheap and fuss-free gadget for my garlic and onions. Unfortunately, these gadgets are not very reliable and only effective for small quantities.
After a few months, excessive use resulted in a broken blade and cracked outer plastic — which was enough to put me off. To get quality results, you’re better off buying one of the best food processors to minimize your efforts in the kitchen.
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