I Asked 5 Pro Chefs About Their Least Favorite Kitchen Tools. They Didn't Hold Back
That's what makes career chefs the perfect people to ask about all the kitchen the 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.
Dave Kotinsky/Stringer/Getty
1. Mandolin
Chef Morimoto encourages beefing up your knife skills to make thin and uniform vegetable slices.
Milk Street
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.
Lead chef-instructor Institute of Culinary Education, Los Angeles
Culinary instructor Eric Rowse knows a gimmicky kitchen tool when he sees one.
Institute of Culinary Education
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.
Rubberball/Mike Kemp/Getty
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.
David Watsky/CNET
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.
Chris Wedel/CNET
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
Cookbook author and lifestyle expert
Cookbook author Peter Som didn't hold back when asked about his least favorite kitchen tools.
Peter Som
8. Electric can opener
A manual can opener is cheaper, works great and is less likely to break.
Nelson Aguilar/CNET
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.
John Parra/Gett
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.
Yipengge/Getty
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.
Zoranm/Getty
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.
Williams Sonoma
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.
Capelle.r/Getty
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
StarChefs
20. Oven mitts
There's a reason pro chefs don't use oven mitts.
Webstaurant
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.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Wall Street Journal
6 hours ago
- Wall Street Journal
‘Victory '45' Review: Racing to Surrender
James Holland has written about nearly every major battle of World War II, from Burma to Berlin. So it makes sense that in 'Victory '45: The End of the War in Eight Surrenders' he and his co-author, Al Murray, focus on the conclusion of the greatest global conflagration in history. The biggest, most well-known capitulations are here: the German surrender at Allied headquarters in Reims, France, on May 7, 1945; the Japanese surrender, announced on Aug. 15—a week after Nagasaki—but not formally signed until Sept. 2 aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Harbor. But the authors find much to tell in the lesser surrenders, mostly throughout Europe. The German surrender in Italy on April 29, 1945, 'was the first total capitulation of German forces on any major front,' Messrs. Holland and Murray write. 'The news reached the Führerbunker in time for Hitler to hear the tiding before he put a bullet into his head the following day.' The authors detail the rivalry between two high-ranking Nazi officers, Karl Wolff and Ernst Kaltenbrunner, to deliver the German surrender to Allen Dulles, the Allies' peace envoy, in nearby neutral Switzerland. 'While there might have been a grain of compassion behind the urgency with which he'd been pursuing the German surrender there,' Messrs. Holland and Murray write to explain Wolff's motivations, 'his prime motivation was unquestionably to save his own skin. He had correctly calculated that the sooner Germany surrendered in Italy, the greater the chance of him escaping the Allied gallows as a war criminal.' He wasn't alone. The authors tells us that the motivation of many Germans in the closing days of World War II was to give themselves up to the Americans, not the Soviets. Pressed into service in 1945 at the age of 17, Helmut Altner did more retreating than fighting. As the Soviets closed in on Berlin, Altner broke out of the barracks and fled. He survived several days on the run before eventually being captured. Instead of being shot, as many Germans had feared, Altner was offered a cigarette. 'War over,' his Russian captor said. 'All go home!'
New York Times
7 hours ago
- New York Times
Fire on U.S. Navy Ship in Japan Extinguished After 12 Hours
A fire on a U.S. Navy ship anchored off Okinawa in Japan was extinguished early Thursday after burning for about 12 hours and injuring two sailors, the Navy said. The blaze broke out on the U.S.S. New Orleans, an amphibious transport dock ship anchored near White Beach Naval Facility, at about 4 p.m. on Wednesday local time, the Navy's 7th Fleet said in a statement. It was extinguished at about 4 a.m. on Thursday. Two sailors sustained minor injuries, the statement said. The statement did not specify where the fire broke out or the extent of the damage, but said that the ship's crew will remain on board. The cause of the fire is under investigation, the Navy said. The crew of the U.S.S. San Diego, also moored at White Beach Naval Facility, assisted in fighting the fire, while the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, Japan Coast Guard and other U.S. Navy commands also provided help, the statement said.
CNN
9 hours ago
- CNN
Fire burns for 12 hours on US Navy warship off Okinawa
A fire burned aboard a US Navy warship anchored off Okinawa for 12 hours, injuring two sailors, a statement from the Navy's 7th Fleet in Japan said. The fire aboard the USS New Orleans, an amphibious transport dock ship with a crew of more than 360 sailors and capable of carrying 800 troops, began about 4 p.m. local time on Wednesday and was extinguished early Thursday morning, according to the statement. But a statement from the Japan Coast Guard, which helped fight the fire, said firefighting efforts did not end until just after 9 a.m. local time and that an investigation was underway to determine whether it was fully extinguished. Two sailors suffered minor injuries and were treated in on-board medical facilities, the Navy said. When the fire broke out, the ship was at anchor off the White Beach Naval Facility, on the east coast of the Japanese island. The facility serves as a staging area for US Marines and their equipment to deploy to amphibious ships like the New Orleans, which is 684 feet long with a displacement of 24,000 tons. New Orleans' crew was assisted in firefighting efforts by crews from the USS San Diego, which was also moored at White Beach, the Navy said. The Japan Coast Guard, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, and other US Navy commands on Okinawa 'provided critical support to the firefighting efforts,' the Navy statement said. Images from Japanese public broadcaster NHK showed tugs spraying water on the front of the New Orleans. The cause of the fire is under investigation, the 7th Fleet statement said. Analyst Carl Schuster, a former US Navy captain, said fires are always a danger on warships, which carry a lot of flammable material. The US Navy's worst ship fire in recent years occurred aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard in July 2020, while it was in port in San Diego undergoing upgrades to carry F-35 fighter jets. That fire burned for more than four days and resulted in the Navy scrapping the billion-dollar ship. A Navy investigation found the fire was the result of a series of systemic failures, including a failure to maintain the ship, ensure adequate training, provide shore support, or carry out oversight. After the fire, the service introduced new inspection and training procedures to prevent future fires. Analysts said at the time that losing a ship like the Bonhomme Richard, even for a period of several months, can set back service readiness for years. Fire damage could leave the New Orleans out of action for 60 to 120 days, Schuster said. He said the New Orleans fire shows the Navy needs to again 'review and improve its fire prevention and firefighting procedures.' 'A fire of that extent used to be rare on US Navy warships,' Schuster said. CNN's Junko Ogura contributed to this report.
