20 'Handy' Kitchen Gadgets That Are Just A Waste Of Money

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We've all been there — whether it was an impulse buy near the register, an ad promising the ultimate answer to your meal prep woe, or an influencer raving over the new kitchen tool that has single-handedly changed their life, novel kitchen gadgets can be a temptation too strong to resist. In fact, according to Business Research Insights, the kitchen tools market was valued at more than $31 billion globally in 2024.

Instead of multi-use products that strive to be the only kitchen tool you'll ever need, the industry seems to take the opposite approach, marketing a unique tool as the absolute best way to do one single kitchen task. Not only that, but there is a drive to infuse tools with technological advances that are often unnecessary, making many gadgets needlessly complicated. Before you know it, you wind up with drawers filled to the brim with gadgets you don't even use, and many that basically do the same thing. While we are all for innovative products that truly make life easier, a separate tool for every task isn't worth a cluttered kitchen. Save your money and skip these 20 kitchen gadgets.

Microwave egg poachers are handy in theory, but unappetizing in practice. What is intended to produce delicious results each and every time winds up yielding hard, rubbery eggs far too often, thanks to the difficult-to-predict microwave cooking time. Making poached eggs the old-fashioned way (in a pot of boiling water) does take practice, but once you get the hang of it, it's a quick and easy way to cook delicious, rubbery-free eggs without having to dig out (and clean) an extra gadget.

This one belongs squarely in the single-use gadget category. You don't need a separate tool just for avocados. Cutting, pitting, and slicing one is just as easy with a knife and spoon: Cut the avocado in half around the pit, then carefully use the knife to grip the pit just enough to gently twist it out of the fruit. Then, scoop out the flesh from the outer skin with a spoon and slice the fruit from there, if desired. Avocados are pricey to begin with, so don't waste your money (and drawer space) on a slicer.

Listen, if you love your taco stand, we aren't here to talk you out of it. They simply aren't necessary for your monthly (or, let's be honest, weekly) taco night. They may help build the perfect taco, but that minor convenience doesn't warrant the amount of space they take up in the cabinet. If you are looking to free up some wasted cabinet space, use your taco stands to keep your craft essentials organized instead.

This tool has a simple design — a handle with several long, metal prongs attached to the other end that hold an onion in place while you cut it. While it can help ensure even slices, a little practice will yield the same result. Often, the onion holder winds up abandoned in the back of the drawer. Plus, this tool isn't worth the effort to clean for how little it helps with meal prep.

While we're on the topic of onions, here's another onion-specific tool to skip. In order for goggles to be effective against the sulfenic acid and onion enzymes released by the onion when it's cut (which is what brings on the water works), they have to have a very tight seal around the eye. Onion goggles receive mixed reviews at best, and swimming goggles or safety goggles may work just as well, if not better. Alternatively, using a small fan to waft the eye-watering gas away from you can help curb tears.

If you are a low-maintenance cook dreaming of a pasta machine, we applaud your optimism. But unfortunately, this shiny gadget just winds up in the back of the cabinet more often than not. Making homemade pasta is labor-intensive and only warrants a gadget if you make your own all or most of the time. For most of us, pasta making is a one-off venture at best, and you don't need an entire machine just to flatten and cut the dough.

Not all cutting boards are created equal, and certain surfaces can be extra tough on knives. Metal, stone, marble, or glass cutting boards might look nice, but they will dull your blade in no time. Instead, stick to wood and plastic chopping boards. They'll protect your knives and they're often cheaper than their knife-dulling counterparts. You also don't need a whole cabinet full of cutting boards. Two is plenty — one for raw meat and one for everything else.

For die-hard grill masters and cooks, a Bluetooth meat thermometer may be worth the price point (averaging between $40 and $100). But for most of us, a good, old-fashioned (digital) thermometer will do the trick for under $15. Bluetooth thermometers can send notifications to your phone when your brisket reaches just the right temperature for barbecue perfection, which is handy — when it works, that is. Common complaints about connectivity issues and longevity concerns make us hesitant on whether one is worth the investment, so we're sticking with our old school methods for now.

Another one-trick pony wasting space in your kitchen drawer is an egg separator. Instead, ensure a perfect, yolk-free meringue by simply cracking an egg and transferring the yolk back and forth between the shell halves until the white fully separates from the yolk (have a bowl or measuring cup ready to catch the whites as you do this). If you aren't afraid of getting a little messy, your fingers also make egg-celent egg separators. Just crack an egg on top of your hand and let your fingers catch the yolk as the white drips down.

No, you do not need a specific set of scissors to cut your pizza. The oddly-shaped scissors are harder and more awkward to use than a pizza cutter wheel — which, by the way, is one single-use gadget that is worth the drawer space since it is so easy to use. Between a pizza wheel and a good pair of kitchen shears, you simply don't need pizza scissors cluttering your kitchen.

This one deserves a few caveats. First, electric can openers are a lot more compact than they used to be, so the clunky countertop gadgets of yesteryear are no longer necessary, unless they serve an accessibility need, of course. Electric can openers can be essential when dexterity is a factor. But if you are looking to declutter your countertops, losing the big, upright electric can opener is an easy choice. Plus, you manual can opener can pull double-duty by opening difficult plastic packaging with a quick turn of the handle.

To be fair, we've all tried (and failed) to eyeball the amount of pasta we need for ourselves or the family, only to make enough for the whole neighborhood. Still, you don't need yet another tool just to measure your spaghetti. With practice, you'll be able to see and feel the amount that is right for you. Save your money and guesstimate pasta by hand, and when in doubt, go with a little less than you think you'll need.

Just because you love a hot sandwich doesn't mean you need a separate gadget to make one. Take a note from parents of generations past who cooked up delicious grilled cheeses using nothing more than a humble frying pan. That's all you need for your hot, melted-to-perfection sandwich. Plus, you won't have to carefully clean out all the nooks and crannies of an electric appliance.

This one falls into the needless dish category for us. However well a chicken shredder may work, it's not worth buying to do what two forks will do in the same amount of time without all the cleanup. Plus, it's recommended that you cut the chicken first before placing in the shredder  — why not just shred the meat in one step? Save the cabinet space for a more multi-functional tool. 

Plastic butter dispensers essentially duplicate what butter wrappers already do — contain butter. And sure, you might save a knife, but it will be far more difficult to clean out the butter dispenser between sticks. Unwrapping one end of a butter stick and smearing it on your corn on the cob, toast, or pancakes works just as well as a dispenser, and you don't have to clean and store an extra gadget.

Electric knives may come in handy on a regular basis for those with impaired hand mobility or folks who work with large quantities of food, but most household cooks will only lug theirs out once or twice a year for family gatherings or holiday dinners. They take up considerable drawer space, have an iffy lifespan, and don't tend to yield precise cuts. At the end of the day, an electric knife is one of countless kitchen gadgets just trying to mimic what a well-sharpened knife does effortlessly.

Just because well-sharpened knives can handle just about any job in the kitchen doesn't mean they warrant a fancy, electric gadget to sharpen them. Opt instead for a simple and effective manual sharpener or sharpen your knives like a chef using a honing rod, which both work just as well as an electric sharpener for a lot less and without the fuss.

We agree — stripping herbs from woody stems is a pain. But digging out an herb stripper from the drawer is hardly worth the help it provides. It's still a slow process of feeding each stem through the stripper, and it will be one more thing to clean. Plus, a cheese grater, colander, or even a fork can do the same job. Your fingers make great alternatives as well; just pinch the end of the herb and slide down the stem to pull off the herbs.

Bread machines are an upscale kitchen gadget (ranging from $80 to $150 or more) that simply aren't worth the price or the counter space for most people. If you are just getting into breadmaking and are tempted to invest in a standalone machine, it's worth trying your hand at simple bread recipes you can bake in the oven first to make sure this is a hobby you want to stick with. Especially if you're on a budget, a bread machine is an easy gadget to skip for breadmaking enthusiasts.

Unless you are peeling a ton of potatoes or dexterity is part of the equation, an electric potato peeler simply isn't worth the hassle. In the time it takes to set it up and peel a potato, not to mention making sure the peel doesn't jam the gadget, you can easily peel it by hand. Unless you have some specific use for long, fine peels (which, to be fair, an electric peeler can do well), don't bother with this gadget.