With endless kitchen tools and gadgets promising faster food prep and better results, it’s easy to find yourself with a cluttered kitchen.
A handful of dependable tools will carry you much farther than a drawer full of gimmicks — at least that’s what the culinary experts I spoke to suggest. Professional chefs stick to basics like sharp knives, sturdy cutting boards, and reliable pans because they work and they last. Those are the types of tools that help you build confidence in the kitchen instead of adding clutter.
To separate the essential from the superfluous or downright useless, we asked culinary pros to share the tools they swear by and the gadgets they’d skip. Their advice will help you avoid falling for flashy products and instead invest in items that you’ll reach for every single day. When decluttering your kitchen, you’ll have to make some tough decisions but we’re here to help.
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Masaharu Morimoto
Celebrity chef, restaurateur
1. Mandolin
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
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
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
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
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
8. Electric can opener
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
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
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
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
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
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
20. 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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