Useless Kitchen Gadgets (Big or Small)

Thank you Scribble seems like a 21st century update on the old Spong my Mum used to attached to the edge of the kitchen table

I got rid of most gadgets and use the basics ,my knives and graters work just fine and I quite enjoy finely chopping veg and making straw chips by hand.One of those jobs you dont have to think about so you get a chance to think about other stuff ...I did get rid of my dishwasher to make space for a winefridge .I'm happy to do dishes by hand too for the same reason.

BradfordLass, check this link (other kitchen equipment vendors are available):
tinyurl.com/yblqf798

Definitely something I realised I can live happily without!

I darent set foot in our local Lakeland store - other stores are available - because it's full of things which over the years I've been convinced I can't live without. Once purchased I can see how I did live without them

What on earth is a spiralizer?

My useless implement is a brand new, and not el cheapo, pastry brush which shed its bristles all over the dratted pastry first time out.
I do have a silicone brush but it's a bit too chunk for delicate work.

Thanks Bathsheba.
The things we (me) do, mad isn't it?

Terribull oh yes, the balloon whisk, what a wonderful invention! I have a plastic one too, which I used to use in my non-stick wok.

gmelon actually, now you've reminded me about your MS. I totally get why you bought them ?

Top of my list would be yogurt maker, long since consigned to Room 101, sandwich maker didn't get a lot of use although we often use the toasted sandwich basket thingy that we bought as an accessory for our Dualit toaster. I occasionally use the George Foreman Grill, but it was in constant use by own of our sons when he lived at home. I do use food mixer and blender maybe a couple of times a month. Someone upthread said they never use their milk frother, we use that daily along with our coffee pod machine. Also wouldn't be without simple hand balloon whisk, costing a few pounds has always been one of my most invaluable kitchen implements, excellent for ensuring roux based sauces are smooth, I'm eternally grateful to a domestic science teacher for introducing it to our class

Bathsheba
I'm a bit puzzled myself. It's a long list, I didn't realise how many I had.

My cooking days became over many years ago due to multiple sclerosis.

I think I live in a parallel world where I'm going to get back to normal and use them "one day".

Although from the posts on here I'm thinking that I probably wouldn't anyway!

I use my lemon zester but the modern mincer with a suction pad was a waste of money as it doesn't stick to the work top

I recently had a bit of a clear out. I use most of the gadgets that take up space, and have a few in the cellar (raclette grill, hot stone grill) that come out on special occasions. Unfortunately, the slow cooker is in the cellar because it takes up so much room. I would use it more often if it was in the kitchen.

We have two or three coffee gadgets - French presses and the like - which only get used when the AC are here because we don't drink coffe ourselves (the coffee itself is kept in the freezer in between times)

gmelon I'm finding it hard to understand why you bought all those things and have never even opened them. Or am I misunderstanding you somehow?

A melon ball thingy, we dont eat melon!
Tea strainer, not used one for years, oh and a redundant carrier bag holder, since a charge was put on carrier bags I don't buy them, and what is a whistle doing in my kitchen drawer?

I own a lot of things that are useless.
So much so that they are all unopened on a high shelf in a hall cupboard. Even if i wanted to I couldn't get something down from up there.

Food processor.
Blender
Nutri bullet
Pie maker
Sandwich maker
George Foreman Grill.
Whole fruit juicer
Bread maker
Two mandolins
A metal mincer
Smoothie maker.
Steel corkscrew in the shape of a penguin.

To my shame every one of them was my own purchase. None a gift.
To make it worse the bread maker, food processor, whole fruit juicer, George Foremen grill and sandwich toaster are duplicates of past gadgets that I deemed unecessary and got rid of.
I bought them again because I sort of "missed" them.

Kitchen items as gifts? Is that a present people welcome?

I don't want a gift that is for the house and will be used by every and anyone else in the kitchen.
I'd not give a kitchen gift because:

A. I'm implying that the person cannot afford to stock their own kitchen.

B. They aren't a person who is worth a present specifically for them alone. They are deemed "kitchen staff".

C. Kitchen equipment is a very personal choice and I've assumed I know what the person needs. (Hence people have lots of still boxed unwanted gifts).

If someone close to me hinted for a kitchen item for Christmas/Birthday I would do my best to buy it for them as an extra surprise and get a gift personal to them as their actual present.

Electrical cake pop maker, raw on the inside burnt on the outside.

Most useless thing in my kitchen (apart from Me) is an Air Fryer. Used it for a couple of months to give it a fair go and decided it was just as quick and easy to use the oven and it is now waiting for a new home!

An attachment for my Kenwood Chef, which grates (in 3 different sizes), slices (in 3 different sizes) and chips. Thought it'd be handy, but the fact is, given I'm only cooking for 2 usually, it's much less faff, and much quicker, to grate, slice and chip with a knife and chopping board.
If I ever throw a garden party for a couple of hundred people I may get it out of the cupboard to make the coleslaw ?

After having posted about Mr Garlic, I've started using it. All I can say is, wow! It makes short work of removing the skin from the garlic cloves. I won't be leaving it in the cupboard from now on.
We've got a Dolce Gusto coffee machine gathering dust in a cupboard. We don't like the waste that goes with the little pods.

Oh, also couldnt be without my mini blender/chopper and my hand blender, brilliant for blending soups.

Grannygravy13.....one of my best ever buys, my actifry. Love the easy chips and roasties. Also use my slow cooker lots. Useless buys now in the charity shop....soup maker, icecream maker (used for a few weeks, now in the shed), various weird potato mashers.

A juicer. I bought one but only used it a couple of times. It does an excellent job of juicing but is too much bother to clean.

A mandolin - thought it was going to be great but every time I use it I catch my finger - ouch - so it's at the back of the cupboard!

Auntieflo beat me in saying to use a straw to dehull strawberries.
When I had a big sort out of my kitchen I found I had three different type of garlic presses. All only used once. All went to charity shops.
Anyway, I rarely use garlic - if a recipe needs it I use garlic salt.
My slow cooker I gave to one of my daughters, Not really any point for one of these now I am retired. I still much prefer to cook casseroles in oven.
Ice cream maker - the very expensive ones that freeze as the churn are fine, but large and noisy - the one I have needs container to have been in freezer before using it - and even in my large freezer, there is rarely enough room. TBH, found that it was easier and cheaper to purchase ice cream at Iceland, (and they usually taste nicer).
On the other hand items I would not be without are my electric steamer, microwave, hand held blender (s o much easier making soup with this direct in saucepan, then when I used to risk severe burning by trying to transfer hot soup to blender.

Our small George Forman grill, makes a very good toasted sandwich, but don’t use it for anything else.
A straw is a jolly good strawberry huller.