Useless Kitchen Gadgets (Big or Small)

Ooh Lara that's reminded me to go to Lakeland and buy a new jar opener. I had one and it was very useful, but the handle snapped. I now tap the lids with a the handle of a heavy knife, much to husband's annoyance because the lids are full of dents!

My useless gadget is a squeegee type thing to get the last of e.g. sticky sauces out of a pouch and not on your fingers. Er, it works fine excepting that all the left overs are then on and in the crevices of the squeegee thing instead of on my fingers!

Wanting to make soup and blender broken, I bought hand-held blender - useless! made next to no impact on chunks of veg, maybe doing something wrong?? - or that will be heading off to charity shop...

True Squiffy. But I used to make it with salted butter for stirring into soups etc. The long winter evenings just flew by.?

I have a toastie maker. Which is hardly used as it's a faff to clean.
My garlic crusher is never used. A good whack with a wide knife works just as well. DH insits on using the ice cream scoop, I use a tablespoon.

I bought a George Foreman grill when it was at a good price- now I realise why! I have never used it.

Years ago I used to have a Bell Cream maker

Same here Purpled! You had to remember to have unsalted butter in the house! It was quite fun to use, though!

I'd forgotten about my brief flirtation with the spiraliser. Useless object! It wobbled and 'walked' on the worktop when in use; it would only spiralise about half of a vegetable; cooking all that veggie 'spaghetti' without it turning to mush was an art in itself and, to seal it's fate, OH announced that he never wanted even to see another spiralised carrot. By then, I felt the same way so it went to the CPL shop where they're probably still trying to flog it.

Then there was the strawberry huller: it just snapped off the stalks of under ripe strawberries but squished ripe ones to a pulp. That came from a chain which promises a full refund if you're not delighted with their products and I got my money back - I think it must have been about 30p at the time .

Spiraliser. Can’t imagine what I was thinking about when I got it, useless bit of kit. Went to the charity shop. I used my ice cream maker quite a lot at first, but it’s languishing I know not where now.

toscalily I do use my zester though, used it today (dessert for guests coming tomorrow), grater never seems to do the job as well.

I've got one of those garlic thingies. I either use frozen or jars.

I love my mandolin but it scares me silly.

I actually like my cherry stoner and use it a lot when cherries are in season.

A brand new electric lemon squeezer still in its box from a charity shop years ago and it cost me all of £1 ! Still going strong.

Years ago I used to have a Bell Cream maker. You melted butter and milk together and then pumped the mixture to make cream. It was probably as expensive as actual readymade cream and very messy. It went to the charity shop eventually.

Same here Chewbacca. Maybe in the New Year when I have another go at 'being health's I'll give it another go.

Definitely George Foreman grill
Pineapple corer

Avocado stoner. Useless!

Thanks chew

Mumof My friend's children bought her a spiralizer 2 years ago, for a Mother's Day gift. She was when she received it but anyway. I asked her if she'd used it yet and she said that once everyone had had a go of making spirals out of cucumbers and courgettes, it went back in its box and hasn't come out since!

A spiralizer. It was a fad for a couple of weeks and now sits on top of a cupboard, forgotten and forlorn.

I use my George Forman grill as a sandwich toaster. As above, it's too messy for very much else.

I second the George Forman grill - nasty messy thing!!!

I'll look out for plastered finger tips!

momb you can easily recognise those of us who’ve ever used a spirolizer... we have plasters on each fingertip!

Do folk use spiralizers or was it just a craze which is passing over? Just interested. Never had one.

Mini moon I have the same garlic presser bought from the Ripley show. I like using it for crushing garlic.

Ooh I was given a garlic peeler. I do admit to using it occasionally.
The mandolin though. Yikes!!
In my gadget drawer I have a melon baller with zester on the end. At least I think that's what it's for.
Tins which are supposed to open without a tin opener but the pull tag comes off and you can't get the tin opened.

I've donated a yoghurt maker, toastie maker and a bread machine to charity for just taking up space.