Everyone aspires to be the best chef they can be, and home chefs often look to kitchen appliances to help them achieve their culinary goals. However, as you’re about to find out, most kitchen appliances are not only pricey but also not worth the counter or cupboard space they demand! Here are two dozen appliances home chefs should shy away from.
1. Electric Kettle
Let me make something very clear: Electric kettles (especially larger ones that boast Wi-Fi connectivity for smartphone control) are useful for a tiny subset of lazy coffee or tea lovers. However, they take up a lot of space on your counter if you use them every morning. An old-fashioned kettle without all the bells and whistles is just as good and much cheaper.
2. Multi-Steamer Pot
Like most expensive kitchen appliances, a multi-steamer gets the job done, but it’s a large item that takes up massive space on your stove and in your kitchen cabinets. There are far less cumbersome ways to steam vegetables (or even sous vide dishes) than dragging around this giant hunk of aluminum all around the room.
3. Deep Fryer
My childhood dream was to own a deep fryer to enjoy an endless parade of mozzarella sticks. However, deep fryers are large, inconvenient, and (worst of all) messy! The size of the appliance and the intense cleaning procedure that needs to be done daily make this an easy entry into the “kitchen appliances that aren’t worth the space” Hall of Fame.
4. Stovetop Smoker
Countless home chefs confess stovetop smokers are a massive waste of time and space. Keep the smoking outside where it belongs; that’s what your backyard grill is for, remember? Your family—and your smoke alarms—will thank you for it.
5. Quesadilla Press
The process of creating a fantastic quesadilla is so straightforward it’s strange that any quesadilla presses are sold at all. It’s the perfect White Elephant gift for a reason; it’s pointless! You can make a perfectly good quesadilla on the stove.
6. Ice Cream Maker
This can seem like a fun idea, but it’s much easier—and more space-efficient—to get ice cream at the store. It can take a lot of trial and error to get the perfect consistency and flavor in your homemade pint, and in the meantime, that ice cream maker is taking up valuable space in your cabinet.
7. Hot Dog Roller
Keep the hot dog roller out of your kitchen unless your culinary dreams involve you opening up multiple 7-Eleven franchises. Grilling, frying, or even microwaving hot dogs is preferable to taking up valuable counter space with a cumbersome hot dog roller.
8. Soup Maker
A few years ago, an ex-girlfriend gifted me a soup maker. I can count the number of times I’ve used it on one hand, but it’s still in my life. If you frequently make large batches of soup, this might be worth it. Otherwise, steer clear and save that counter space.
9. Stand Mixer
According to countless people, stand mixers (especially ones made by KitchenAid) are essential to fulfilling your amateur culinary dreams. However, they have two things going against them: They’re expensive and far more massive than you could ever imagine! They come in a variety of colors to appeal to your aesthetic tastes, but unless you’re serious about baking, they’ll stay decorative.
10. Asparagus Steamer
Say it with me: Nobody needs an asparagus steamer. There are plenty of ways to steam vegetables with appliances you already have. Try tossing them in the microwave or on the stove. Before long, you’ll have delicious vegetables—without the enormous cost.
11. Food Dehydrator
There’s only one place a food dehydrator belongs: In a craft bar serving adult beverages that require pretentious garnishes. You can achieve the same effect at home by roasting fruit in your oven at 400 degrees for 45 minutes.
12. Oversized Toaster
I shake my head whenever I enter a kitchen with half its counter space taken up by an industrial-sized eight-slice toaster. Unless you have a huge family, a standard, run-of-the-mill toaster is probably fine.
13. Electric Meat Slicer
Meat slicers aren’t just expensive and bulky. They can also be dangerous. Instead of taking the risk, buy meat pre-sliced at your local grocery store. It’ll be just as fresh, and you won’t have to worry about cleaning a large, dangerous blade every time you want a sandwich.
14. Immersion Blender
Immersion blenders are handy kitchen tools that can level up your culinary game, but their size makes them impractical for most purposes. When selecting kitchen appliances, you must take into account how they’ll look sitting on the counter.
15. Vacuum Sealer
As one of the most practical appliances, vacuum sealers have merit in the kitchen, but you must consider how often you’ll use one. If you frequently prepare meals for armies of people and need an efficient way to seal leftovers to be frozen, that’s one thing. But most home chefs don’t need to own a vacuum sealer. They’re cool, but your hard-earned money is better spent elsewhere.
16. Popcorn Machine
Cinephiles know no movie is complete without a bucket of popcorn. A popcorn maker might be a fun novelty, but nobody eats popcorn as much as they expect, and when you’re not using it, your popcorn maker will just gather dust. Besides, your microwave can accomplish the same task.
17. Commercial Juicer
If you’re not running a high-end brunch restaurant, there’s no need to take up needed space in the kitchen with a commercial juicer. Smaller, inexpensive juicers are all you need to enjoy freshly squeezed juice every morning without having nearly as large a footprint. My small juicer can easily be put away every morning (and the cleanup is easier than you could ever imagine).
18. High-End Espresso Maker
There are few things more enjoyable than a perfect cappuccino or espresso that you make yourself, courtesy of your high-end Breville machine. Unfortunately, this joy comes with a downside: It’s impossible to teach yourself how to make the perfect cup! I’ve owned a Breville for six months and still haven’t mastered it. In addition, the machine is massive and takes up too much kitchen counter space.
19. George Foreman Grill
Unless you’re in college, there is no reason you should own a George Foreman grill. Cleaning the grease trap is one of my least fond memories of being in my early 20s. Seeing a George Foreman grill on a kitchen counter gives me college flashbacks.
20. Electric Griddle
An electric griddle is another kitchen appliance that you’re more likely to receive as a gift than purchase yourself. While home chefs use them to prepare various foods, electric griddles are primarily used to make pancakes in the morning, which can be accomplished using any ordinary pan. Save the space in your kitchen drawer and avoid electric griddles whenever possible.
21. Pasta Maker
Even if you’re a full-blooded Italian, a pasta maker always helps make the process of fresh pasta making more manageable. However, even the most experienced pasta maker will advise you never to purchase one because they’re challenging to store and (at times) use. Unless you’re a professional pasta maker, this is another kitchen gadget that isn’t worth the space.
22. Air Fryer
I finally bit the bullet and purchased an air fryer this past holiday season, and it works as advertised! Fresh salmon has never tasted better! Unfortunately, this thing is enormous. It is so large, in fact, that I’ve had to rearrange my entire kitchen setup just to accommodate the monstrosity properly. It can be convenient, but ultimately, the air fryer does the same thing my other appliances do.
23. Bread Machine
During the pandemic, breadmaking was one of the most popular hobbies Americans picked up while stuck indoors for months. However, most home bakers have concluded that these bread machines take up far too much valuable space in their kitchens. If you’re interested in baking bread, you can easily use your oven.
24. Panini Press
These can be useful for the hot sandwich fanatics, but they’re also cumbersome and hard to clean, and you might not use them as much as you’d expect. Stick to a regular sandwich or treat yourself to lunch at your favorite panini place once in a while—your kitchen counter will thank you for the extra space.