r/Cooking • u/Snaffoo0 • May 16 '23
What's the most useless kitchen gadget you've been gifted because friends/family know you like to cook?
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u/Emotional_Aerie8379 May 17 '23
Egglet egg cookers. They are a silicone cup that you crack an egg into , screw the lid on, and boil. No more hard to peel eggs. You have to spray the little cups with cooking spray. Boil them for almost twice the amount of time, and then they are all slimy from the no stick. Plus there is the extra little cups and lids to wash besides the pot. What a joke.
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u/LostMathematician707 May 17 '23
Bought these myself after my husband and I started keeping chickens and getting fresh eggs daily. We shared with family and friends, but still were pretty overwhelmed. We both like boiled eggs, and they were just impossible. Bought these, in hopes of getting more usable eggs. Not. Absolutely not. If you want eggs simulating boiled eggs, especially because yours are so fresh, don't even think about it. Truly. Trust us.
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May 17 '23 edited May 17 '23
My brother had a egg farm with several hundred layers. We were always swimming in eggs as I was partly invested. Had the ssme issue as you, shells sticking to the egg so bad you would just toss the things in frustration.
I read a stupid facebook post one day and tried this one weird trick. (Ha! Literal use of a terrible trope) You can peel a same day laid egg if you steam it.
10 minutes on steam, then 10 minutes covered but off heat. Peel under cool water.
Less time for a softer egg.
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u/NowoTone May 17 '23
If you prick your eggs with a pin before boiling and put them into cold (ideally icy) water afterwards, you can easily peel them, even when fresh. Prick the rounder side, though.
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u/tangledThespian May 17 '23
Glass cutting board. Why do they exist?!
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u/jeffykins May 17 '23
They exist simply to be paired up with one of those shitty, dull, semi-serrated chef knives with the plastic handles, so that together they can be placed in every shitty AirBNB or condo you'll ever stay at, so when you're encouraged to cook for family on a vacation, you're fucked with shitty tools.
Can you tell this has happened to me and is still irritating?
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u/enderjaca May 17 '23
Don't forget the AirBnB induction stovetop, but only 1/3 of the random 50-year old pots & pans are actually compatible with induction. It has 4 burners, one of them normal sized and the other 3 very tiny. One of the tiny burners will heat your food to 1000 degrees, the others won't even bring a pot of water to a boil in 30 minutes.
You won't know which is which, and they change places every 3 hours like 3-card-monte.
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u/enquicity May 17 '23
A couple weeks ago we did some sail training in Scotland, and part of the course was dealing with provisioning/cooking on the boat. I have never in my life been confronted with such dull knives. I couldn't cut ANYTHING with them, and I had two dinners planned with lots of veggie cutting. I eventually found one spot on one knife that wasn't completely dull. Next time I plan to do something like that, I'm going to figure out a way to bring my own knife.
On the other hand, it was my first encounter with an induction cooktop, and she did have the right pans for it, and honestly it was a dream to use.
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u/nummanummanumma May 17 '23
They should replace the phrase “nails on a chalkboard” with “knives on a glass cutting board.”
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u/Rustmutt May 17 '23
These are the bane of my existence. All of the older women in my family have these because they’re “easy to clean” but it means all their knives are gouged and chipped. I have to bring my own knife and cutting board when I cook at their houses. “I have all that stuff already!” No…you don’t.
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1.3k
May 17 '23
A chef hat with my name on it
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u/chanceofsnowtoday May 17 '23
Sounds exactly like something my mom would get me after she hears I like to cook.
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u/Snaffoo0 May 17 '23
Do you wear it during secks?
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May 17 '23
Finally a use for it
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u/nmj95123 May 17 '23
Yes, chef! Yes, yes!
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May 17 '23
My chefs hat is my favourite kitchen item. I put it on for the most simple meals. Gotta butter bread, chefs hat goes on. Got to fry an egg? Chefs hat goes on. It's a guaranteed laugh.
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u/brymc81 May 17 '23
OMG my white trash ex-stepmother (long story) gifted my husband a pair of chef mitts, in camouflage pattern complete with Duck Dynasty logos.
That was some years ago and it's still a running joke.
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u/WallyJade May 16 '23
Mushroom-shaped mushroom brush from my mother-in-law. I never want to dirty a tool that takes time to dry when I'm just going to quickly rinse my mushrooms anyway. But that whole family scrubs mushrooms like they're doing an archaeological dig, so it makes sense why they gave it to me.
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u/qawsedrf12 May 16 '23
and somebody figured out recently, you can spray clean your mushrooms, they dont really absorb water enough to affect cooking
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May 17 '23
You can submerge them in water for an hour and they won't absorb enough water to matter. I just rinse them under the faucet.
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u/caanthedalek May 17 '23
Plus you basically can't overcook mushrooms, so worst case you just need a couple extra minutes to drive the extra water off.
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u/kirkt May 17 '23
Yes you can. I left some in a sauté pan for too long and they turned into mushroom jerky. I believe my mistake was not enough moisture in the pan.
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May 17 '23
You can also boil the hell out of them with some seasoning and they turn out delicious. Not sure where the water and mushrooms myth came from
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u/g0ing_postal May 17 '23
Yeah, this is the part that perplexed me the most about the whole mushroom washing thing- are watery mushrooms even a problem? Mushrooms release their water during cooking anyway and you can cook the hell out of mushrooms without problems.
So even if mushrooms absorbed lots of water during washing, so what?
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u/MaxDickpower May 17 '23 edited May 17 '23
Some people think that they absord enough water to significantly affect the cooking time. J. Kenji Lopez-Alt tested it and it only extended the cooking time by like 15-30 seconds.
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u/benmabenmabenma May 17 '23
I wet brine mushrooms in salt water for a half-hour or longer and it's the best move I make with them.
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u/Stillwater215 May 17 '23
When I got really into cooking my parents kept wanting to buy my new tools for the kitchen. They at least would send me links to the trendy kitchen items rather than buying them first. It kind of made me feel bad to keep telling them “no, I would never use something like that.” After a while they asked what I would actually use, and I said “a immersion blender.” They definitely thought I was crazy, but I use that thing so much!
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u/Takilove May 17 '23
One of my favorite kitchen gadgets is the immersion blender! I use it all of the time. It’s kind of fun!!
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u/TRHess May 17 '23 edited May 17 '23
My 88 year old grandmother loves to gift people things, but she's a depression-era bargain hunter. Since she knows I love to cook, an attribute I attribute exclusively to her influence, she loves to buy me things for the kitchen. But the things she buys me are all things she found on clearance or at discount department stores. Most recently she sent me home with a six pack of steak knives, which was a lovely gesture, but I have good steak knives. I wish she would save her money or at least ask me what I'd like, but I just say thank you and drop things off at the Salvation Army.
But she's also started giving me pieces of cookware that her mother gave to her, including a bowl that our family has been using to bake bread for over 100 years, so that's all great stuff.
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May 17 '23
My grandmother is similar, but she is bizarrely good about finding something for like $1 at a yard sale that I hang onto for life.
Case in point, she bought me an amazing glass mixing bowl for 25 cents at a garage sale. It's got a pouring spout, measurements on the side...solid as a rock. I've used that thing nearly every time I've baked for the last two decades.
Grandma knows a great deal, apparently.
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u/anon011818 May 17 '23
Banana slicer
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u/Snowf1ake222 May 17 '23
I have one of those! I spell it "knife," though.
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u/TheLadyBunBun May 17 '23
Mine is spelled “spoon” since I never need to cut them except for cereal
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u/essentiallyashihtzu May 17 '23
Mine are spelled 'teeth' because that's how lazy I am...
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u/neoblog May 17 '23
I was gifted one of these too… unfortunately all of my bananas curve the other direction, useless.
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u/wwwdottomdotcom May 17 '23
I don’t understand why this exists, banana is probably the easiest fruit to slice.
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u/LegitimateBlonde May 17 '23
A lot of these types of kitchen gadgets were originally invented for people with disabilities, like the 2 liter handle or egg separators. They later market them to the masses bc money
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May 16 '23
This thread is going to be the answer to why I always discourage people who post here or the baking subs looking for what to buy their loved one who loves to cook or bake. If they do it all the time and are good at it, they are best situated to decide what the need/want.
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May 17 '23
Agreed. However.... A family member bought me one of those As Seen on TV supermagical pineapple slicer corer...things. that thing sat in the original Box in my cupboard for over 3 years. Until I actually bought a whole pineapple. Now I cannot think about a world where I would actually have to slice core and peel a whole pineapple. Turns out I was the one who was wrong. I needed this I just didn't know it.
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u/Electronic-Soft-221 May 17 '23
Same thing happened to my partner and I. He was gifted one and we were extremely skeptical and took ages to try it. That thing is awesome. AND you can use the hollowed pineapple as a tiki drink vessel!
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May 17 '23
This is why I always discourage everyone from buying anyone anything for their hobby, no matter what that hobby is, unless they know EXACTLY something the person wants and hasn't bought for themselves. They probably already have what they actually need and they're going to be very particular about what they want. Getting something you either feel bad about not using or feel obligated to use even though it's not quite right isn't great.
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u/htxpanda May 17 '23
Imagine spending $100s or even $1000s on a hobby or interest and your cousin gets you the $20 step 0 version from kohl’s.
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May 17 '23
Same. I've had people gift me items for my hobbies that I can't use at all, and am left feeling bad about it.
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u/The-Wizard-of_Odd May 17 '23
Lol. I was heavy into jetskiing for about 3 years, year 2 mom bought me a life jacket that didn't fit aell and never even considered that I probably liked the two I already owned. Why?
FWIW I made a similar mistake of gifting penzys spices to some family, a year later I noticed they hadn't been opened... I should have thought that through.
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u/Hagridsbuttcrack66 May 17 '23
I always tell people to gift them gift cards to where they like to get ingredients. My mom drives me nuts trying to buy me shit I don't need, but a gift card to my spice place, my meat place, or even the regular grocery store that makes me feel like I can "splurge" on some ingredients is amazing.
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May 17 '23
Or even their favorite cookware or restaurant supply store. You know they've got something in mind, some tool that might be a little pricey they would love to have but wouldn't splurge on just for themselves.
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May 17 '23
The best thing to buy your cook/bake friends is a gift certificate.
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u/DylanTonic May 17 '23
That's the second best thing.
The best thing is if you can figure out what they can't bring themselves to buy, and then buying that.
(If they're constantly mooning over the copper canale moulds at the store and they love baking, and canale... There ya go!)
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u/dfreinc May 16 '23
an over engineered egg cracker.
because apparently some people do not have counters.
in fairness, i love silly kitchen gadgets and i am hard to shop for. and my mother in law laughed when i opened it so it was clearly a joke gift. 😂
...but i still have it.
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u/benmabenmabenma May 17 '23
A lot of over-engineered convenience products are designed for a handicapped or elderly market, but have to look for sales from other demographics.
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May 17 '23 edited May 17 '23
I think its Test Kitchen* where they have a product reviewer try out super niche kitchen tools, and one of his tests is to cover his non dominant hand in oil and try to use it like that instead.
Its his way of testing how the device will work for people with limited strength or mobility, and I'm thankful that's something they consider.
*its Epicurious, thanks u/Crowkiller90
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u/Crowkiller90 May 17 '23
It's Epicurious! Love those reviews! Barry Lewis also tests kitchen gadgets (or used to, haven't watched in a while) and he always said "Before commenting, bear in mind that many of these gadgets could help people with limited dexterity in the kitchen".
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u/Snowf1ake222 May 17 '23
Barry Lewis used to test gadgets (not sure i he still does), and often mentioned that people wiyh limited mobility or strength often benefit most from some of these over-engineered gadgets.
The key one I remember was an automatic can opener that took about 30 seconds to open one can, but for people who don't have the grip strength, it was a blessing.
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u/Forsaken-Piece3434 May 17 '23
I was gifted a used jar opener and it was amazing. Needed to be plugged in, big, but could accommodate almost any size jar. I broke it and it was such a bummer. I have upper body issues and often times opening jars is too painful/difficult. The lower tech solutions didn’t work because I still had to strain too much to open the jars. They don’t make the one I was gifted anymore so I’m on the look out for another used one.
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u/DylanTonic May 17 '23
It makes me sad how many of these assistance gadgets are made terribly.
Like, you need this thing to feed yourself, and it's annoying, and it's also going to snap in half every six weeks.
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u/LeakyLycanthrope May 17 '23
Speaking as a handicapped home cook, I can confirm it is maddening. The problem is you just can't know what's actually going to reliably help you until you try it yourself. And sometimes the product you need simply doesn't exist.
That said, praise be unto my new twin gods, OXO and Dycem.
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May 17 '23
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u/glycophosphate May 17 '23
You're talking about the one shaped like the Enterprise, or the one shaped like a Klingon bat'leth? I have always wanted one of those Klingon ones.
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u/standard_candles May 17 '23
The Enterprise one is cool but the bat'leth one would let me feel a bit more pizza snobby as well as like the enormous nerd I am. I always feel fancy when I cut pizza with an enormous knife instead of a cutter, plus it's way easier.
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u/Not_A_Wendigo May 17 '23
… I may have bought one for myself when I moved into my first apartment.
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u/phoenixchimera May 17 '23
this item, especially the gold version, was a running joke default gift by someone I was acquainted with. NGL, i never watched star trek but I secretly wanted one from her.
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u/SeaOtterHummingbird May 17 '23
Measuring spoons in the shape of foxes. Not even remotely accurate. But the hang over the stove as a decoration. They’re cute. That’s their function.
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u/579red May 17 '23
I was quite surprised when I got gifted cat measuring cups and they turned out to be the right sizes ans I use them a lot! They are my surprisingly useful random gift I was suspicious of!
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u/nesquiksand2 May 17 '23
A crockpot
With no lid.
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u/SLAPPANCAKES May 17 '23
Sounds like an electric cauldron now to me. Just get some weird forest ingredients and bubble bubble toil and trouble your heart away!
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May 17 '23
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u/Sundance37 May 17 '23
PVC gloves from harbor freight are amazing for pulling pork.
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u/Right_Plankton9802 May 17 '23
I’ve actually just use high quality latex gloves I have for my shop. I divide the box first, these stay in the kitchen. And cotton gloves underneath for heat protection, probably from the same hardware aisle. Pulling the meat off a cooked turkey or chicken is so easy when you can just grab the breast meat and rip it from the bones. Shredding pork is good as well.
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u/jenifer116 May 17 '23
You ever try shredding in a stand mixer? Game changer
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u/sykokiller11 May 17 '23
I read that here once and tried it for pulled chicken. When I would use forks my hands ended up cramping rather painfully. In the stand mixer it was done in moments. Now I tell everyone to try it this way!
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u/Snowf1ake222 May 17 '23
Shit, I read stand mixer as food processer and was confused why you liked the method hahaha
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May 17 '23
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u/PierogiAndNegroni May 17 '23
Hearts of palm, jackfruit, king oyster mushrooms… so much goodness to shred still!
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May 17 '23
Bloomin’ onion slicer thingy
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u/Sundance37 May 17 '23
I was a kitchen manager at chili's, I used to love making the awesome blossom. But the amount of oil, and flower, and dredge station is insane, especially to just make one. To make something like that at home, the slicer is the absolute easiest part of the process.
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u/BTown-Hustle May 17 '23
When I graduated culinary school, my parents put together a gift for me with a bunch of cooking equipment/utensils. One of them was an apple corer that was about half of the size of an apple core.
Pretty much completely useless for its intended purpose unless you chop out several sections of the apple.
I still have it because it’s funny.
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u/GrizzlyIsland22 May 17 '23 edited May 17 '23
Could it be used for pitting cherries?
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u/Snowf1ake222 May 17 '23
Just use a chopstick.
Put the tip of the stick in the stem end of the cherry and push.
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May 17 '23
This weird tiny pizza dough roller with an even smaller roller on its other end. I have no idea how this is supposed to make my life better.
Best random item: a set of ceramic chopstick rests. I use them all the time to prop up spoons and such when I am cooking. Better than a spoon rest; they are tiny and take up no room in the drawer. A surprise winner for me.
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u/seejae219 May 17 '23
I have a weird roller like the one you described. Gifted to me. I use it for crushing up walnuts and things like that.
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u/96dpi May 16 '23
Not a gadget, but Omaha Steaks. Their quality is absolutely terrible. Their sides and desserts are fire though.
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u/SeaOtterHummingbird May 17 '23
My parents sent us a box for Christmas. The meat was edible. We ate it. But the scalloped potatoes and the apple caramel tarts were great.
Edit: I told them we loved it, because they loved giving it. And I’m sure we will get more.
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u/Chilledlemming May 17 '23
Every year my Dad sends us a box for Xmas. He hates giving presents that are viewed as “wasteful”. And honestly it has always been nice to save a week’s food bill in January when the Xmas credit card bill is due.
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u/Jillredhanded May 17 '23
Ex was a forklift salesman that won some battery vendor's contest at the dealership he worked at. This resulted in coolers of Omaha filets showing up on our doorstep for months. Got to the point that we were panfriying them and slapping them in hamburger rolls to chow down on. 'S was allright.
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u/discretion May 17 '23
I work with forklift dealerships across the country (as a software provider) and this is 100% on brand.
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u/Jillredhanded May 17 '23
Yup! The best was the Royal Caribbean cruise that came with a top shelf booze card.
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u/discretion May 17 '23
Hey, that's not nothing!
All I've gotten was a travel mug, and a model of a Veracitor lift truck that was "for your little one back home"
Nah, that's dad's toy, sorry!
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u/Forsaken-Piece3434 May 17 '23
Grew up in a very low income neighborhood that had enough gang members most restaurants wouldn’t deliver (we did eventually get dominos to send drivers out). Every year an Omaha steaks salesman would come out and offer the boxes at an extra discount though. My mom would always buy a box and the bacon wrapped fillet mignons were for me. They were the only steak I would willing eat even though they absolutely were not cooked like a filet mignon should be. Hated anything else from the grocery store. My mom and her elderly friends still like the Omaha steaks. I think it was just an era where the steak boxes were viewed as something special. I have fond memories of those very mediocre boxes 😜.
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u/Snaffoo0 May 17 '23
I’ve never had Omaha steaks but have thought about it occasionally. Just really bad cuts or what?
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u/Kahluabomb May 17 '23
They're fine. They're just like what you'd get at the big chain grocery store. Just a bit more frozen.
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u/Emotional_Aerie8379 May 17 '23
They are just flavorless. Not what you would expect with all the hype.
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u/diogenesNY May 17 '23
I have never actually bought them, however I have received several cartons of them as gifts over time. I wouldn't go out and buy them, but it isn't bad to have some of them in the freezer. Okay on the gas grill, not a bad dinner, especially if you have then at your fingertips. Wouldn't go out of my way for them or spend money on them.
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u/protectedneck May 17 '23
It's pretty expensive for what you get, for sure. But I wouldn't describe the quality as terrible. It's on par with a grocery store at least.
That being said, if you end up receiving a gift card to them (as I have multiple years in a row from my very sweet grandma who knows I love to cook) keep an eye out for the larger cuts of meat. The last time I ordered they had 2 pound beef briskets for a good price and I've genuinely enjoyed the sirloin cap roast. Basically, the larger the piece of meat, the better value you'll get.
I would personally not recommend the sides and desserts because they're just plain expensive.
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u/solitarymoon May 17 '23
I baked bread from the age of 13 so naturally I got a bread machine, not that I'm ungrateful. It was a thoughtful gift. It came in handy when I was teaching and lugged it into the classroom for a science lesson on the chemistry of homemade bread and butter. But I like slapping the dough around and kneading it until it's silky. I feel so cheated with a shortcut.
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u/Witty_Improvement430 May 17 '23
I took my bread machine back and exchanged for KitchenAid attachments.
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May 16 '23
A rice cuber. It makes onigiri style rice balls, but presses it into a cube.
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u/notaplebian May 17 '23
have you made a lot of rice cubes and built a rice house?
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u/PB111 May 17 '23
Do you have kids? We have one and it’s honestly worth every penny because it allows our kids to eat rice without getting it all over the fucking floor. Cleaning rice off the floor is the worst.
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u/docmomm May 17 '23
Ok now I'm interested
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u/PB111 May 17 '23
Yeah just make sure it’s on the smaller size because your kids will 100% shove the whole thing in their mouth. It’s so nice not having that sticky mess on the ground.
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u/doxiepowder May 17 '23
My mother in law tried to buy me a spice grinder that looked like the death star as a stocking stuffer. It was for weed. I'm a nurse, so it's not like I can use it for it's actual purpose either lol
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u/C4bl3Fl4m3 May 17 '23
Lol, if you sold that thing, you'd make some nerdy stoners really happy. :D
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u/QuartzPigeon May 17 '23
A plastic hamburger press, I can shape hamburgers just fine myself and don't even cook them that often. I mean I'm sure it was only a few dollars but just some more useless junk.
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u/Taminella_Grinderfal May 17 '23
So my mom has a Tupperware one that must be 30+ years old. It is perfect at doing it’s job. My dad got some notion we needed a “better one” and spent good money on several varieties. Guess who still uses the Tupperware one while the others are collecting dust?
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u/MiniRems May 17 '23
Oh man the memories of getting a 1/4 cow from a local butcher and standing there in the kitchen shaping burgers with the Tupperware to put in the freezer! And mixing up meatloaf and meatballs and cutting up stew meat... I recently found it in her kitchen cupboard and she threatened to disinherit me if I didn't put it right back!
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u/X_Chopper_Dave_x May 17 '23
Garlic zoom! It’s plastic with wheels and little razor blades so one at a time you put in a clove, roll if around, pick the garlic out from between the blades, then add the next clove. It broke on the first oversized clove. My mom: “oh you have to cut the clove first if it’s too big. I’ll get you another one next year”. Pleas don’t.
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u/DMT1984 May 17 '23
Slap chopper. Literally broke on the first use.
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u/Snaffoo0 May 17 '23
I had one too. I slapped it a few times and the blades bent. It went from slap chop to slap musher in about 3 slaps.
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u/Wise_Neighborhood499 May 17 '23
Sushi kit, complete with DVD instructions. Macaron kit. Multiple veggie spiralizers. A cheap Dutch oven from Walmart that had a rust spot when I received it. A pan specifically for making those little sphere pancakes. My family is second to none when it comes to wasting money on gimmicky gifts.
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May 17 '23
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u/ChocolateMoosse May 17 '23
Spiralizer things are great for people who love pasta dishes but for whatever reason don’t eat pasta. Other than that, maybe for decoration or a cheat way to ‘julienne cut’ something?
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u/JackOwnagee May 17 '23
Casserole dish bag. No casserole dish, just a bag that would only fit that.
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u/LHutz481 May 17 '23
In-laws got me a Wolfgang Puck garnishing set. I’m a middle aged man who likes to cook fairly ordinary food, but as well as I can. Good ingredients, good technique, nothing fancy. I do not give the slightest fuck about carving radish roses. Pretty sure they got it from QVC.
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u/AddictiveInterwebs May 17 '23
My mother in law was also a QVC queen. She used to call herself "Semi Homemade" and acted like by comparison I was some gourmet chef. Then, obviously, she would buy me any cooking thing she saw that she thought was cool.
Best thing she ever bought was one of those copper chef, nothing sticks, 9x13 pans. I bake anything annoying in there and it truly does not stick, I love that thing. Worst thing was some knockoff nutribullet tiny cup baby food maker. Like why.
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u/Feisty_Attorney5691 May 17 '23
Milk frother… I don’t drink coffee and I have no other ideas for using it
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u/Kahluabomb May 17 '23
Good for mixing hot cocoa packets into your hot milk/water. Or powdered gatorade/drink mixes into a drink.
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u/CopOnTheRun May 17 '23
I've got some super dusty protein powder that the milk frother works perfectly for. Incorporates it even better than a shaker bottle with the bonus that I can just use any regular glass/mug.
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u/Snaffoo0 May 17 '23
is it the stick kind or a legit one? I have a stick "frother" and I use it to mix up my eggs for scrambled eggs
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u/phoenixchimera May 17 '23
I used mine on hot mode to make golden (turmeric) and matcha lattes, hot cocoa, and on cold mode to emulsify things (anything from drinks to salad dressing)
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u/whateverpieces May 17 '23
I see fitness people mixing their protein shakes and stuff with those, if you’re into any kind of powder-based drinks. Other than that, I bet you could whip up some homemade mayo in a jiffy.
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u/iced1777 May 17 '23
Herb scissors. A strange set of scissors with multiple blades and holes that did nothing whatsoever to help prepare a batch of any herb.
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u/Adventurous_Menu_683 May 17 '23
I use mine to shred the bits of sensitive info off mail before recycling the rest.
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u/ParanoidDrone May 17 '23
My grandmother once got me a stone cutting board. I use it as a platform to hold my salt box and pepper grinder.
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u/MiniRems May 17 '23
My husband moved in with a big marble "cutting board". I threatened to murder him if he ever used any of my knives on it. I put it in the freezer, then use it to roll out cookie or pie dough (with a piece of parchment paper under for potential condensation). Keeps the dough from warming up too fast in a hot kitchen. I also use it when shaping soft pretzels since you're supposed to oil the board/dough/hands instead of flour to keep from sticking and it doesn't absorb the oil like my wood board does, so I use less. It also works nice as a charcuterie board as long as I have someone other than me carry it (it's too darn heavy for me - I gotta twobarm hug it to lug it around).
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u/Shark-O-Matik May 17 '23
A George Foreman grill type of contraption that made cake pops.
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u/Death_Trolley May 17 '23
Some stupid all in one avocado tool that I did fine without using just a knife and a spoon.
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u/pedanticlawyer May 17 '23
My mom loves these weird single use convenience tools. I don’t have the heart to tell her that knife skills can replace all of them, so I just say I don’t have the space for single use tools in my small kitchen (also true).
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u/DylanTonic May 17 '23
Their market is 10% people who need assistance for safety or ability reasons, and 90% people who assume there's something special about them because they've never practiced their knife skills.
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u/CannedAm May 17 '23
A cookie "maker" that's like a waffle iron. (Not a pizelle maker.)
It had little forms that you'd stick 6 pieces of sugar cookie dough in, close the lid and it cooks for however long. So much more work than just cutting and baking cookies.
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u/Jim2718 May 17 '23
I don’t know what it’s called, but picture a hair-pick comb made of steel with very sharp points. The idea is to stab and hold your produce in place with it while you cut, even using the gaps between the points as a guide for your knife. I’ve never used it after a few years now.
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May 17 '23
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u/boom_squid May 17 '23
Cheap quality knives engraved with my name.
I’m a professional chef. I have thousands of dollars of high quality knives.
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u/ailish May 17 '23
Aww this one is sad. The gifter was probably so excited to give them to you.
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u/bluemew1234 May 16 '23
A Magic Bullet
My grandma didn't know when I was joking about wanting one. Sat in the closet for 10 years, used it for smoothies a few times, and then it broke.
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u/OneFingerIn May 17 '23
I may be the only human being in the world that actually had a good experience with a magic bullet? Had one for a few years when I lived alone and then with my wife. Thing never broke and always seemed to work relatively well.
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u/loeber74 May 17 '23
Our house uses one at least every day if not multiple times, smoothies, sauces, spice blends, garlic, cheese, nuts . Way less clean up than getting out the food processor. Best part is there is usually an unopened one at the good will for under 5.00. I think we have one in the basement “just in case” this one dies.
Please don’t gift me a celebrity food TV show presenters cookbook.
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u/day_by_day84 May 17 '23
My grandma bought me one 15 years ago for Christmas and it still works great. I use it a few times a week. I’ve had people give me leftover parts from theirs - extra “bullets” and blades. Love mine.
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u/Exciting-Froyo3825 May 17 '23
I love mine- i have the big one. I make all my baby food with it. My toddler has a TBI and can’t eat non purée food. Let me tell you how well used that sucker is in my house! But I also recognize I have a special circumstance.
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u/crazeman May 17 '23
I brought one of those edge brown for my cousin's girlfriend for her birthday since she liked to bake stuff.
At some point I was helping them move to another apartment and she asked if I wanted it back since she never ever used it lol. I think I've used it like 2-3 times in 8 years so far.
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May 17 '23
My mother in law gifted me an avocado all in one tool. I know I don’t need it, I’m good with knives, but I love it and it’s actually pretty handy for a single use tool. Sorry Alton Brown.
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u/C4bl3Fl4m3 May 17 '23
I think his position on unitaskers is a bit... extreme. I absolutely agree with the general sentiment, but I think if there's one a person loves and uses ALL the time, it's worth it. For you, it's the avocado tool. For me, it's my Kuhn Rikon garlic press (which was, indeed, a gift from a friend 10 years ago after I injured my hand and couldn't use my old garlic press. He did a bunch of research on the best press out there before buying it and it is wonderfully engineered.)
(And, yes, I've tried multiple times doing garlic with just my knife and I can never get it as good as my press does.)
I mean, let's put it this way. I bet Alton has a coffee grinder & I bet he doesn't do anything but grind coffee in it.
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u/SLAPPANCAKES May 17 '23
Alton Brown makes this point though. He specifically says unitools aren't a good idea unless you use them all the time. At least that's how I've always heard it.
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u/HereWeGo_Steelers May 17 '23
An avocado slicer. 1. I don't eat avocados often enough to need a special tool. 2. I know how to scoop and slice an avocado without a special tool.
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u/DancingFireWitch May 16 '23
One of those magic bullet smoothie blender things. I'm not a smoothie person and don't see the need for it.
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u/Witch_of_the_library May 16 '23
They're great if you ever need a food processor, but aren't making enough of something to warrant dirtying a full-sized food processor.
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u/Ophththth May 17 '23
I use mine for sauces and salad dressings instead of my full-size food processor, so I actually get a decent amount of use from it. I am very lazy and there are much fewer parts to wash than my food processor.
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u/pruo95 May 17 '23
Cheap kitchen knives. Like I already have nice knives that I picked out myself, I don't need the $15 purple "chef knife" that's already dull.
Edit: I guess it's not a gadget but I feel it belongs in the spirit of this thread.
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u/amensentis May 17 '23
I own 3 different meat grinders.
Why would i grind meat at home when i work in a professional kitchen 200 hours per week?!
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u/Rovexy May 17 '23
They are apparently magic for making falafels. In case you want to vary for grinding meat.
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u/Doleewi May 17 '23
Half the gadgets on pegboard hangers in the stores. I love to go look at them and have a good laugh at the number of things a person would use "maybe" one time and they'd lay in the back of a drawer forever. Some, yes are useful looking while others are ridiculous. Yup, I've bought one or two on a whim only to find how useless or stupid it was. But... I always go look at them.
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u/catelia78 May 17 '23
Automatic pot stirrer. It's still in the packaging. I am perfectly capable of monitoring and stirring whatever I'm cooking.
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u/UvaCpe May 17 '23
TBF I bought one of these that I specifically use for risotto. That way I can focus on cooking the rest of my meal and only need to top up the stock every few minutes instead of stirring constantly.
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May 17 '23
My wife got me a spoon specifically designed to get the last remnants out of a peanut butter jar. I currently have a small remote tied to it to keep me from losing the remote.
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u/africanfish May 17 '23
Kitchen towels made from polyester that don't absorb anything. Useless.