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Kitchen tools are supposed to help you prepare meals in your home. From holding products, to making it easier to chop ingredients, you picked up these items to make the process easier, but they’re probably now collecting dust in your drawers and cabinets. So how do you know which tools to keep and which ones aren’t worth the space they take up?
I talked to actual professional chefs, and they all said the same thing: Stick to the basics. You don’t need a drawer full of single-tasking tasks when a sharp knife, a solid cutting board, and a decent pan can do the trick. Mastering a few quality tools will make you a better cook and save you from a kitchen full of junk.
To separate the essentials from the duds or useless, we asked cooking pros to share the tools they swear by and the ones they skip. Their advice will help you avoid falling for flashy products and instead invest in items you’ll reach for every day. when Revitalize your kitchenYou’ll have to make some tough decisions but we’re here to help.
Masaharu Morimoto
Celebrity Chef, Restaurant
Masaharu Morimoto shared his pick for the most overlooked kitchen tool.
1. Mandolin
Chef Morimoto encourages sharpening your knife skills to create thin, uniform vegetable slices.
Why: “Although it brings good slices, mastering proper knife skills gives you more control, precision and safety in the long run. Mandolines can be bulky, hard to clean and a risk if you’re not very careful. Many mandolines or tools like an apple corer or Japanese mortar can be relied upon almost as often.
What to try instead: 8 inch Japanese chef knife.
Eric Rossi
Lead chef Culinary Education InstituteLos Angeles
Culinary instructor Eric Rossi knows a go-to kitchen tool when he sees one.
2. Onion holders
Why: “These look like a weapon for Wolverine Wannabes; they’re supposed to help you carry whole onions and chop them up.”
What to try instead: to learn Slice onions properly The old way.
3. Onion glasses
Save your money—and some dignity—and skip the onion glasses.
Why: “A waste of money because it doesn’t form a great seal around the eyes to prevent sulfur compounds from getting into your eyes and making you cry. Keep your knife sharp and open a window or run a fan instead of.”
What to try instead: CNET’s Peter Butler shares Tips for cutting onions without crying.
4. Cutting metal, glass, stone and acrylic plates
Glass panels, stone and metal are fine for filing but when cutting and clearing, wood is the way to go.
Why: Cutting hard surfaces Bad for your knives; Instead, go for wood or poly. “
What to try instead: Our list of Best cutting boards It features a lot of options for little ones.
5. Shredded chicken
Two forks are all you need to successfully shred chicken.
Why: “I can’t think of anyone who needs a dedicated chicken cutting tool outside of a restaurant and even restaurants don’t use it. This item only has one purpose, so I’ll skip it.”
What to try instead: Two thorns.
6. Grass stripper
Why: “I love thyme but hate stripping it. When I was young, I was bullied into thinking this tool would help me…it’s been sitting in my closet, laughing at me for nearly a decade now.”
What to try instead: For more intensity Herbs Like rosemary and thyme, simply use your fingers to slide down the stem, versus how the leaves grow.
7. Bluetooth wireless probe thermometer
Instant-read meat probes work quickly and do not require an intense Bluetooth connection.
Why: “This is a great tool but it can be very expensive. I can see myself losing it, breaking it, dropping it, accidentally throwing it or dropping it in the coals.”
What to try instead: Turmopro instant lightning thermometer
Peter as
Cookbook author and lifestyle expert
Cookbook author Peter Som didn’t hold back when asked about his least favorite kitchen tools.
8.
The manual tray opener is cheaper, works great and is less likely to break.
Why: “Most of us grew up with electric can openers permanently stationed on the kitchen counter, as it was a vital appliance. But truthfully, they are more nostalgia than necessity. They take up space, can be a hassle to clean and you often struggle with messy cans.
What to try instead: CAN opener in Oxo soft.
Richard Ingraham
Personal chef of Dwayne Wade and Gabrielle Union and author of “ Love: My love is expressed through food
Richard Ingraham avoids certain kitchen utensils when cooking for celebrities like Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union.
9. Avocado slices
Why: “A knife and spoon do the job just as easily, and rarely does a specialty tool fit all sizes of avocados correctly. It’s a one-trick pony from the drawers.”
What to try instead: A good paring knife e.g This is $35 Wutthoff
10. Egg separator
Separating an egg by hand is not so difficult that it requires hardware.
Why: “A tool just for separating the yolks isn’t necessary for most home cooks.” It may be the only exception thisAnd even this is only for the yolk. Wrong, I mean Yux.
What to try instead: Cracking the egg and using the shell halves or your fingers works too.
11. Garlic peel tube
Why: “Rolling garlic cloves in a silicone tube may work but requires single-purpose tool storage.”
What to try instead: Smashing garlic cloves with a chef’s knife is faster and more reliable.
12. Pizza scissors
Chef Ingraham says skip the scissors on pizza night.
Why: “A pizza cutter or knife works better and faster. These shears come attached, are awkward to clean and take up more space than they’re worth.”
What to try instead: KitchenAid Stainless Steel Pizza Wheel.
13. Grass shears
Why: “They’re difficult to clean and don’t offer much of an advantage over a sharp chef’s knife. Plus, they tend to crush delicate herbs more than chop them.”
What to try instead: Made in 8 inch chef knife.
14. Electric egg cooker
Why: “Boiling eggs in a clear, flexible pot. The electric version just adds mess unless you boil eggs constantly and hate using a stovetop.”
What to try instead: this 1 minute breakout To make hard-boiled eggs in the microwave.
15. Butter cutter and designer
A good butter knife works just as well and requires less space and maintenance.
Why: “It sticks to slices of butter in the pats… but why? The knife works instantly and you don’t have to load and clean a plastic tool for it.”
What to try instead: Williams Sonoma Breakfast Butter Blade.
16. Pasta measurement
Why: “It’s a plastic disc with holes in it to tell you how much spaghetti to cook. Just eyeball it or learn the hard weight through experience. Not worth the drawer space.”
What to try instead: A Kitchen scale For accurate measurements.
17. Mr. Oil
Why: “They often clog, grate unevenly and require constant cleaning. A small spatula or brush does the job with less frustration.”
What to try instead: Olive oil was sold on the world market.
18. Electric potato peeler
A sharp vegetable peeler is all you need to skin a bunch of potatoes.
Why: “It 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 rotor shell.
19
Why: “It was sold as a safer way to cut bread but it takes up a lot of space and is awkward to clean. A serrated knife does the job just fine.”
What to try instead: 8-inch bread knife in view.
Jackie Carnesi
Executive Chef, Kellogg’s dinner
Jackie Carnesi
20
There’s a reason professional chefs don’t use oven mitts.
Why: “Oven mitts are the most useless item in the home kitchen. A sturdy kitchen towel does the same job, and chances are, they are likely to be washed regularly. I don’t know many people who wash their mitts often enough… Many seem to have considered them an item that does not warrant regular cleaning.”
What to try instead: Store a large number of Kitchen towels.