Countertop Pizza Oven
Pizza lovers know what makes the perfect pizza. If you cook it wrong, it may come out soggy, burned, or otherwise inedible. That’s why countertop pizza ovens have become such a big deal, but they’re pricey. Top-of-the-range ovens usually go for anything between $250 and $500! There are cheaper options available, but these likely won’t have as many functions for cooking great pizza, so if you really want one, you’d have to splurge.
Unless pizza is your most favorite thing in the world, you’re probably better off saving your money. Perhaps spend it on a trip to Italy and eat pizza there instead!
Home Deep Fryer
People always talk about the fast food industry like it’s a breeze, but that’s absolutely not true. Deep-frying up fries, chicken, onion rings, and churros is a taxing task, as well as dangerous! You have to boil the oil in order to fry the food, which is very messy, smells strongly, and takes a lot of cleaning. And on top of that, you could end up spending over $100 on a home deep fryer.
Unless you want your home to smell of fried food for the foreseeable future, we recommend saving your money by skipping the deep-fat fryer.
Microwavable Bacon Cooker
Cooking bacon in a microwave? As odd as it sounds, it’s actually possible with this next appliance. Though we call it a cooker, it’s really a drip pan with a few hooks that allows you to crisp up bacon using only the heat of the microwave. It works, but the bacon often turns out quite soggy because it needs more heat to really sizzle, and the drip tray can’t contain all of the oily splatters.
Microwavable bacon cookers are very cheap, but we still think a few dollars is too much for an appliance that does a poor job of cooking and leaves far too much mess.
Salad Spinner
As fun as it sounds, spinning salad isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. This appliance is designed to remove water from lettuce and other leafy vegetables after you rinse them and before you put them into a salad. However, you can do this just as easily with a paper towel. When you take that into consideration, spending $20 on a salad spinner seems ridiculous, especially as many of them don’t perform properly.
This is definitely a prime example of how creating appliances has gone too far. Instead of doing the simplest tasks ourselves, we’re enticed to buy devices that do the job for us.
Pasta Maker
Pasta is a universally-beloved dish, so of course, it’s cool to see how it’s made! However, it does seem a bit ridiculous to splurge on such an unnecessary device. After all, most of us buy our pasta at the store, so we’re not expecting a culinary masterpiece. We just want a simple, easy-to-cook meal to enjoy after work, and the process of using a pasta maker is very time-consuming and precise.
You could save yourself a lot of hassle (and hundreds of dollars!) by sticking to pre-made pasta and actually enjoying the meal without all that extra work.
Electric Egg Cooker
Cooking an egg is one of the simplest things you can do in the kitchen, but we’ve even got machines that will do that for you now. Electric egg cookers are simple devices that you fill with water, and then switch on to heat up. The heat creates steam and boils the eggs. Essentially, you’re paying around $25 for an appliance that does exactly what a pan of boiling water does.
Even if you eat eggs every day, you’ll likely get tastier results doing it yourself, the traditional way. And you won’t lose money on an appliance that you’ll likely give up using after a while.
Bread Maker
There’s nothing as delicious as the smell of baking bread, so we can certainly see the appeal of owning a bread maker. It’s supposed to do every part of the process for you, including mixing, kneading, and baking, which sounds like a dream. Fresh bread without any of the difficult work? Unfortunately, it usually is too good to be true, and it’s not the same as fresh bread from an oven.
Bread makers usually retail from $50-$150, so they aren’t cheap. If you want to enjoy truly good bread, either bake it from scratch yourself or visit a local bakery.
Banana Slicer
Finally, we have the banana slicer. This kitchen gadget’s function is self-explanatory, yet we’re still confused. It’s supposed to be a quick way to slice bananas, but how long does it really take to chop one up with a knife? You’ll have a harder time cleaning the banana slicer than a knife, though, since bits get stuck between each individual blade. That’s just an extra inconvenience that you don’t need.
Banana slicers are typically cheap, but we’d still recommend saving your money for something else. They’re really not as efficient as they claim to be.
Popcorn Machine
Popcorn machines are a classic movie theater staple, and many of them look great on display in people’s homes. But they’re very expensive, with some of the fanciest machines costing over $100. The downside is that it essentially does what a bag of microwave popcorn does, just with hot water to pop the kernels. And in many cases, the taste is just the same, so the extra expense isn’t justifiable.
Unless you’re creating an authentic home theater, a popcorn machine will likely be an appliance that you don’t use very often, so save that money for movie dates instead.
Electric Wine Opener
First, it was cans; now it’s bottles. The electric vino opener is basically a powered corkscrew that performs the twisting motion on its own to crack open your wine. This is another appliance that shows how designers are turning basic kitchen tools into fancy gadgets, and we find it completely unnecessary. It really doesn’t take much time or effort to uncork vino yourself, so this isn’t an efficient kitchen development.
Suffice it to say, we think the electric vino opener is a waste of $30. You have to keep buying batteries to power it, and it’s just an extra hassle that you don’t need.
Meat Shredding Claws
Have you ever imagined yourself tearing through meat like a lion? With the meat-shredding claws, you can! But the reality is just as messy as it is when a wild animal gets their claws into a gazelle. Though they look like a fun way to make pulled pork or beef, they don’t properly shred the meat, leaving a greasy mess behind that you’ll have to mop up before you can eat.
This appliance is really more of a marketing gimmick than a product you should consider buying. Save your dollars and stick to shredded meat with a fork or your hands.
Soda Maker
If you can’t live without soda, you’ve probably heard of home soda makers before. They’re marketed as an affordable way to make soda without buying bottles all the time, but it’s not a quick and simple process. You need to carbonate filtered water, put the syrup into the pump, and then clean the entire device out afterward. Then, if you want chilled soda, you need to put the resulting soda in the fridge for hours before you can drink it.
If you want our opinion, you should save yourself $40 and just put some cans of readymade soda in the fridge instead. It’ll taste good, and you won’t have to scrub an appliance after.
Taco Holder
On the surface, taco holders sound like a great idea. You can whip up some delicious tacos and have them held upright to stop the meat and other fillings from slipping out. However, taco holders just end up becoming extra clutter in your kitchen because they’re not something you use often. And many of them are made with weak materials, like plastic, that can’t properly support the weight of the tacos.
At least if you do buy a taco holder, you won’t be too out of pocket, as they’re only around $10-$15. But even that small amount of money would be a waste in this case.
Asparagus Steamer
Steamed asparagus is a tasty treat, so it makes sense that there’s an appliance dedicated to exactly that. But spending anything from $30 to $60 to even $80 on a device with just one purpose is absurd! It’s even more ridiculous when you consider how easy it is to steam asparagus with a strainer over a pot of boiling water. Why go to more effort at a high cost if you don’t have to?
This is one appliance that we don’t exactly see becoming mainstream in most people’s kitchens. Those who truly love asparagus already know how to prepare it without extra help.
Electric Salt and Pepper Grinders
Just when we thought we’d seen everything, someone created electric salt and pepper grinders. It seems that cranking the grinders with our hands is too much work, so there’s now an appliance that will grind the salt and pepper for us. And all for the price of $20-$40! Even if they were cheap, they’d still be more trouble than they’re worth because the blades in the grinder often jam and stop working.
Sometimes, there’s nothing wrong with doing things the normal way. We don’t need to spend money making basic salt and pepper grinders an innovative device.
Pizza Scissors
It has become popular to use scissors to cut a variety of foods, including meat, because it’s easier. However, we don’t think pizza scissors are something you really need to buy. Most restaurants still use the traditional circular pizza cutter, so why would you need something different at home? Pizza-specific scissors are also a bit gimmicky, considering you could get similar results with a much cheaper pair of regular scissors.
Though the slice holder on the blades is a nice touch, pizza scissors are a fiddly appliance to use, wasting both your time and money. All they do is make your slices look neater.
Fondue Set
Fondue is every cheese lover’s idea of a good time! And with a good fondue set, it’s possible to make your own at home. The set will keep the fondue warm while you use various long-handled forks for dipping. However, unless you’re going to be hosting a party every week, you probably won’t have much reason to regularly make a massive pot of melted cheese, as delicious as that may sound.
You’d be better off with $40 or $50 in your pocket to spend at a fancy fondue restaurant instead, without a home fondue set sitting in your kitchen, forgotten about.
Electric Can Opener
Given how small regular can openers are, you probably expected electric can openers to be very similar. But they’re actually large, boxy devices that certainly won’t fit inside your cutlery drawer. You’re supposed to fit the can into the appliance, then turn it on and let it cut the top off the can for you. Given their size, they’re fairly cheap, but surely that just makes it more baffling to choose them over a basic can opener.
Anyone who has strong wrists has no use for an electric can opener. Even for their modest price, they’re still an unnecessary appliance that makes a simple task take longer.
Egg Separator
Separating eggs is a common cooking process, which means that we already have tried and tested methods that work. So why are egg separators now a thing? They’re an example of a kitchen appliance that gives the illusion of less work without actually delivering. You crack the egg, a spoon-like piece catches the yolk, and the rest drops into the bowl. It tricks you into thinking that you’re being efficient, but that’s not the case.
This is exactly the type of tool you see on social media and get drawn into buying, but don’t fall for the marketing! An eggshell can scoop the yolk up just as well.
Avocado Masher
Avocado is one of the most popular foods of the twenty-first century, so of course, people are trying to capitalize on that. But we have one question: why is there a masher designed specifically for avocados? It looks exactly like a potato masher and performs the same purpose, so this tool is just a shameless cash grab. Its similarity to the traditional potato masher is also a downside because it does mash all of the lumps out of avocados.
Even though they usually cost less than $10, avocado mashers are a waste of money that could be better spent elsewhere. You likely already have a masher that you can use.
Tuna Press
People who eat tuna know that the juice is part of the deal, but some people felt obligated to change that. Enter the tuna press. This appliance is basically two strainers that you press together, with the tuna in the middle being squeezed to drain the juice. They’re advertised as “no mess”, but one slip-up could end with fishy water all over your kitchen counters for you to clean up.
Most tuna presses cost less than $10, but if you already have a strainer, you’d be better off using that to drain your canned tuna. It does exactly the same job.
Quesadilla Maker
Compared to other appliances on this list, the quesadilla is admittedly quite cheap. But that’s still $20-$30 that you could spend on something else, like top-quality ingredients for your quesadillas! And when you think about it, even with a quesadilla maker, you still have to do most of the work yourself. You have to put the meat, vegetables, and cheese inside the tortilla; the quesadilla maker just cooks it.
The result is delicious, but if you know what you’re doing, you can whip up some of the best quesadillas without a specialized maker. You’ll enjoy them just as much.
Warming Ice Cream Scoop
Have you ever wondered how ice cream shops get their ice cream into perfectly spherical scoops? It could be because they’re using a warming ice cream scoop. This little tool uses electricity to heat the scoop, allowing it to cut cleanly through the freezing ice cream without any resistance. We admit that they’re very cool and handy, but they cost a lot more than a traditional ice cream scoop. Is it really worth spending over $20?
In most cases, probably not. Your ice cream doesn’t need to look shop-ready when you’re enjoying it on the couch at home. Some hot water will do the trick!
Garlic Press
The garlic press is one of the oldest and most recognizable appliances on this list, but we still think it’s a waste of money. With this simple tool and some relatively strong forearms, you can crush up a clove of garlic into the perfect ingredient for pretty much any meal. But why spend $10-$15 for something that does the same job that a sharp knife could? And if you’re bad at chopping, there are jars of pre-crushed garlic.
We say this is one more traditional appliance that we should all start ditching from our kitchens, especially if we want to feel more hands-on while cooking.
Cupcake Maker
A cupcake maker acts as a replacement oven, turning the mixture into a batch of fluffy little cakes. While this can be a great timesaver for people who regularly need to bake lots of cupcakes, it’s not really a necessary expense for those who don’t. And if you only ever make cupcakes as a treat now and then, why not get the full baking experience? A little mess and a few ugly cakes are part of the fun!
On average, good cupcake makers cost between $80 and $100, so you really need to consider how often you’ll use this appliance before taking the plunge and purchasing one.
Smart Water Bottle
Smart technology has done wonders for society, but does everything need to be innovative? Old-fashioned water bottles are cheap and do exactly what they need to: keep water for you to drink throughout the day. While it may sound nice to have a bottle that can chill the water itself and remind you to stay hydrated, this creation is practically a scam, given that some of them can cost up to $100!
Even the keenest gymgoers manage just fine with regular water bottles, so we see no reason to give them up for high-tech substitutes that pretty much do the same thing. Sometimes, basic is best.
Corn Kernel Stripper
To remove corn kernels from the cob, we usually just slice them with a knife. This is efficient and effective, and every kitchen will have a few sharp knives lying around. So there’s really no reason to add a corn kernel stripper to your cupboards as well. This appliance looks like it should be easy and quick to use, but it can be quite time-consuming and hard on your arms.
In our opinion, there’s a reason why knives are one of the most essential kitchen tools. They’re versatile and can perform the same functions that many fancy gadgets can.
Pie Bird
We have to admit that pie birds are one of the cutest little kitchen devices. It’s a ceramic tool shaped like a bird that is put into the middle of a pie while it cooks. The bird’s beak is open, allowing it to “breathe out” the steam and stop the filling from boiling and bubbling inside the pastry. However, pie birds are very much an old-fashioned baking tool, and they’re not very useful in modern ovens.
Even for a few dollars, why spend money on a ventilation device when you can just cut a hole in the pie to let steam out? It’s something extra that you don’t need to buy.
Pancake Printer
The pancake printer is exactly what it sounds like: a device that prints images onto your pancakes or turns them into fun shapes before you eat them. And we’ll admit that this is a cool feature, but what’s the point of it? You’re making pancakes to eat them, so the pictures won’t last long, and it doesn’t change the flavor in any way. If anything, you’ll be waiting longer to eat.
Unless you’ve got endless money to burn, definitely don’t splurge on this particular device. It’s something that should be used in pancake houses, not regular homes.
Burger Maker
Apparently, you can put anything in a press! That’s how burger patties are made before they’re packaged up and put on the shelves. And to give them their dues, burger makers are usually around $10 or below, so they’re not a huge expense. However, we still think they’re a waste of money. Unless you’re eating burgers all the time, it will just sit unused in a drawer, and it’s a lot of work to make the patties yourself.
You can get some amazing burgers full of rich ingredients already pressed, so you don’t need to go to so much extra effort when making a meal at home.
Cookie Dipper
People have been dipping cookies into glasses of milk and mugs of tea for a long time. But it’s only recently that we’ve seemingly decided to use a tool to do it. The cookie dipper is a plastic hook that you use to dunk the cookie before eating it, and it’s one of the most useless appliances on our list. After all, why add an extra step when you can just pick the cookie up with your fingers?
Even worse, some of these gimmicky tools are sold for as much as $20! You’d end up wasting that money only to end up with a whole soggy cookie at the bottom of your mug.
Yogurt Maker
There are plenty of health benefits to making your own food, but it’s always best done from scratch. Yogurt makers are designed to create yogurt from nothing but a glass of milk, keeping the exact temperature needed for it to culture into yogurt. You can then add fruit afterward. But the yogurt doesn’t always taste as good as it looks, and there’s nothing worse than spending money to be disappointed.
Most people who make their own yogurt do it without a machine. They just leave the milk to sit and culture in a warm environment, which is just as effective and free.
Pancake Crayon
As fun as it may look, a pancake crayon is a rather unnecessary appliance. Kids will probably love drawing shapes with their pancake batter, but you’ll most likely be left with lots of mess to clean up when they’re done. If you’re going to the trouble of making pancakes from scratch, it’s better to just keep things simple and pour the batter into the pan. It’ll save you from spending $20 on a glorified piping bag.
If you want to keep things fun while making pancakes, why not use chocolate sauce to draw shapes instead? Kids will probably find that even more fun.
Microwave S’Mores Maker
We all love s’mores, but the microwave s’mores maker is a step too far. You still have to put the s’mores together yourself, so this appliance isn’t really a “maker”. It just holds the Graham crackers together while the microwave heats the marshmallows and melts the chocolate. They’re advertised as preventing mess, but any drippage lands on the tray, so while you won’t need to clean your microwave, you still have to scrub the device.
This is essentially just a cheap plastic product marketed as something that makes the food when all it does is provide a tray for the s’mores to heat on. Save your money.
Baby Food Maker
There are plenty of gadgets marketed to new parents, and baby food makers are one of them. And we agree that making your own baby food is a great way to give your child a healthy diet. However, you can make baby food just fine with a blender and a hot pan. Baby food makers are just fancy blenders that cost around $40 each, or even more if you choose a premium brand.
New parents often aren’t sure what they need to buy, but we can tell you right now that baby food makers are a waste of money. Stick to traditional cooking methods, and you’ll get great results.
Magic Tap
The magic tap sounds intriguing, but it’s really not that interesting once you see how it works. It’s essentially just a fancy funnel that you can clip onto the tops of milk and juice bottles to dispense the liquid like a tap. Because picking up the bottle and pouring it is just too much work nowadays! The only thing that might flabbergast you more than the design is the price, which is typically around $30.
Aside from those who physically struggle to lift bottles and need some extra help, the magic tap doesn’t have much of a use for most people. We wouldn’t waste our money if we were you.
Breakfast Station
Breakfast is a quick meal most of the time, so a lot of people would probably enjoy an appliance that allows you to make an entire cooked breakfast at the same time. The breakfast station comes with a non-stick griddle for bacon and sausages, a toaster, and even keeps your coffee warm. But you could cook all these different items at the same time with a regular toaster and some frying pans.
That’s why we think the breakfast maker is an expensive mistake. You don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars on a single appliance when you can use basic cookware items instead.
Hands-Free Bag Holder
Speaking of hands-on, the hands-free bag holder could be one of the laziest kitchen appliances ever designed. Sure, it holds the bag open so that you don’t spill anything while putting leftovers away, but you could do that with your hands or get someone else to help. If you’re going to spend $10, would you really want it to be on a plastic holder that props up freezer bags?
Some people love these types of kitchen tools because they make simple processes even easier, but it’s likely that most of us would forget we even had one in the cupboard.
Omelet Maker
Surely flipping the omelet is the best bit? Well, not according to the designer of the omelet maker. This countertop appliance looks very similar to a toasted sandwich or quesadilla maker, and it performs exactly the same function. You still have to do the work of putting together the ingredients and filling the appliance; it just sets the omelet. A simple pan could do exactly the same thing for free.
Only extreme omelet enthusiasts should consider paying around $50 for an omelet maker. If you won’t use it enough, it’s a waste of money.
Pickle Picker
This may sound like something out of a nursery rhyme, but pickle pickers are an actual thing. There’s nothing fancy about them, either; they’re just small devices that pick up pickles for you. You can take pickles from the jar just fine with a fork, so there’s no need for a special device. Even worse, you can’t use pickle pickers to eat pickles because, unlike traditional forks, the prongs are very sharp, so you could end up cutting yourself.
The good news is that they’re very cheap, barely $5 each, but anything more than a cent would be a waste. Definitely save your money on this one!