Whether you’re a seasoned home cook or an absolute beginner, chances are you’ve encountered kitchen tools that fall short of their promise. Oh, the frustration of attempting to complete a basic task, only to waste time because the gizmo made more of a mess or was constructed from flimsy materials. Culinary professionals can certainly empathize. While some tools may be a gamesaver for people with limited dexterity, the chefs we spoke to say that the following kitchen tools aren’t worth the hype.
- Kelsey Bush, chef-owner, Bloomsday and Loretta’s, in Philadelphia
- Alon Shaya, chef/co-founder, Pomegranate Hospitality, which includes Saba, and Miss River, in New Orleans, and Safta in Denver
- Ashwin Vilkhu, co-executive chef, Saffron, a high-end Indian restaurant, in New Orleans
- Samantha Weiss, co-owner, Ayu Bakehouse, in New Orleans
- Ronna Welsh, author of The Nimble Cook and chef/owner of Purple Kale Kitchenworks
Pasta Spoon
The pasta spoon, also called a spaghetti spoon, or pasta fork, is one tool that Alon Shaya, chef, and co-founder of Pomegranate Hospitality, finds superfluous—and exasperating. “I think pasta spoons are the worst,” Shaya says. They allow no control, he says, resulting in spaghetti strands everywhere.
Better option: “Instead, I like to use a mesh strainer for extruded pasta like penne or rigatoni, or a colander and tongs to work with long pasta like spaghetti.” He also refrains from plastic, suggesting stainless steel tools for the best results.
Apple Corer
This pesky gadget also hits a nerve. “I can’t think of one time I’ve reached for an apple corer instead of a knife to take out my apple core,” Welsh says. “They are awkward, sharp, ineffective.”
Better option: A sharp knife and a cutting board.
Garlic Press
Chances are you have this tool stashed in your drawer—and rarely (if ever) use it. Some professionals consider it outdated. “As a chef, I can see why home cooks might turn to a garlic press for convenience, but it’s more trouble than it’s worth,” says Ashwin Vilkhu, co-executive chef of Saffron, a sophisticated Indian restaurant in New Orleans. “They’re hard to clean, and the crushed garlic often lacks the nuanced flavor of properly minced cloves.”
Better option: Many superior shortcuts, like rasp graters or microplane graters, are now available, says Ronna Welsh, author of The Nimble Cook and chef/owner of Purple Kale Kitchenworks, a Brooklyn, NY cooking school.. Vilkhu has another solution. “With a little practice, a knife is not only faster, but it also allows you to control the texture and release the perfect amount of oils for your dish.”
Quick-Chop Devices
Kelsey Bush, chef-owner of Bloomsday and Loretta’s in Philadelphia, also dislikes single-use kitchen tools. She finds apple corers and quick-chop devices particularly irritating. “The quick-chop devices chop vegetables in an erratic, random way that results in pieces that aren’t the same size and, therefore, don’t cook at the same rate.” She also finds them loud and cumbersome.
Better option: A sharp knife and a cutting board.
5-Blade Herb Scissors
Samantha Weiss, co-owner of Ayu Bakehouse, a modern bakery in New Orleans, had high hopes for a blade herb snipper, which promises quick, effortless cutting of herbs or scallions, but her hopes were crushed, and the results were messy. “In practice, the blades often squash delicate herbs, and small pieces frequently get stuck between them—even with the included cleaning comb,” she says.
Better option: It takes more work to clean the scissors than to bunch the herbs and slice them with a sharp knife on a cutting board, she says.
Spiral Butter Spreader
Weiss also finds the spiral butter spreader tool irksome and labor-intensive. While it seemed like a clever solution for spreading cold butter, ultimately, it requires two hands and considerable effort to complete the task.
Better option: “It’s far easier to let butter soften slightly before slicing it with a sharp knife,” she explains. And a single blade is much simpler to clean than the spreader’s multiple holes.
What to Look For When Buying Kitchen Tools
Our experts not only have their pet peeve products, but they also maintain guidelines that help weed out so-called time-savers that aren’t as practical as they appear.
Buy smart: “When it comes to kitchen gadgets, don’t buy a tool to solve a problem you don’t have yet,” advises Weiss. A good rule of thumb is to buy a gadget only if it serves a purpose that no other kitchen tool can.
Stay organized: “When making purchases for your kitchen, focus on tools that provide function and ease without causing clutter and stress,” Weiss says.
Premium materials: Skip shoddily made bargains. “Investing in safer, more durable tools makes cooking healthier and more enjoyable at home,” says Vilkhu.
No plastic: Avoid plastic—it stains and becomes brittle, says Welsh. She also opts for heat-resistant silicone instead of rubber. Vilkhu finds black plastic kitchen tools particularly egregious. “Many are made from materials that can leach harmful chemicals, especially when exposed to heat,” he says.
Consistent materials: Purchase quality products constructed from the same material, from top to bottom, recommends Bush. “A fine-mesh strainer is a great tool, but make sure the whole thing is metal because plastic strainers aren’t good for straining hot liquids, and they break much more easily than metal.”
Beware marketing mystique: Sometimes, an everyday product does the trick. For instance, instead of butcher block oil, a restorative conditioner, Welsh goes basic. “Chefs and craftspeople have been using oils for years to protect their wood surfaces,” Welsh says. “My favorite is an unscented mineral oil that you can buy at the pharmacy for a quarter of the price of a bottle branding just for the kitchen.”
