Let’s be honest: your kitchen drawers are a graveyard for “life-changing” gadgets you bought to make cooking easier, but now they just sit there collecting dust. All those special slicers and holders aren’t making you a better cook; they’re just taking up space.
So, how do you know what’s actually worth keeping? I asked professional chefs, and they all had the same advice: stick to the basics. You don’t need a drawer full of single-task gimmicks. A great knife, a sturdy cutting board, and one reliable pan can do it all. It’s time to master the real tools and ditch the junk.
To separate the essential from the superfluous or downright useless, we asked culinary pros to share the tools they swear by and the gadgets they’d skip. Their advice will help you avoid falling for flashy products and instead invest in items that you’ll reach for every single day. When decluttering your kitchen, you’ll have to make some tough decisions but we’re here to help.
Masaharu Morimoto
Celebrity chef, restaurateur
Chef Morimoto encourages beefing up your knife skills to make thin and uniform vegetable slices.
Why: “While it brings good slices, mastering proper knife skills gives you more control, precision and safety in the long run. Mandolins can be bulky, hard to clean and risky if you’re not extremely careful. Relying too much on a mandolin or tools like a two-in-one apple cutter or a tomato corer can hold you back from developing real technique. Taking the time to learn how to handle a sharp chef’s knife or Japanese blade will help you in almost every recipe.”
What to try instead: Mac 8-inch Japanese chef knife.
Eric Rowse
Lead chef-instructor Institute of Culinary Education, Los Angeles
Save your money — and some dignity — and skip the onion goggles.
Why: “A waste of money as they don’t form a great seal around the eyes to prevent the sulfur compounds from getting to your eyes and making you cry. Keep your knife sharp and open a window or turn on a fan instead.”
What to try instead: CNET’s Peter Butler shares tips for cutting onions without crying.
4. Metal, glass, stone and acrylic cutting boards
Two forks are all you need to successfully shred chicken.
Why: “I can’t think of anyone needing a tool devoted to shredding chicken outside a restaurant and even restaurants don’t use it. This item only has one purpose so I’d skip it.”
What to try instead: Two forks.
6. Herb stripper
Why: “I love thyme but hate stripping it. When I was young I got suckered into believing this tool would help me … It’s been sitting in my cupboard, laughing at me for almost a decade now.”
What to try instead: For heartier herbs like rosemary and thyme, just use your fingers to slide down the stem, opposite to how the leaves grow.
7. Bluetooth wireless probe thermometer
Cookbook author Peter Som didn’t hold back when asked about his least favorite kitchen tools.
8. Electric can opener
Richard Ingraham avoids certain kitchen tools when cooking for celebs like Dwayne Wade and Gabrielle Union.
9. Avocado slicer
Why: “A knife and spoon do the job just as easily and the specialized tool rarely fits all avocado sizes properly. It’s a one-trick pony that clutters drawers.”
What to try instead: A good paring knife like this $35 Wusthof
10. Egg separator
Chef Ingraham says skip the scissors on pizza night.
Why: “A pizza cutter or knife works better and faster. These scissors are gimmicky, awkward to clean and take up more space than they’re worth.”
What to try instead: KitchenAid’s stainless-steel pizza wheel.
13. Herb scissors
Why: “They’re hard to clean and don’t offer a huge advantage over a sharp chef’s knife. Plus, they tend to crush delicate herbs more than slice them.”
What to try instead: Made In’s 8-inch Chef Knife.
14. Electric egg cooker
Why: “Boiling eggs in a pot is straightforward and flexible. The electric version just adds clutter unless you boil eggs constantly and hate using a stove.”
What to try instead: This 1-minute hack for making poached eggs in the microwave.
15. Butter cutter and dispenser
A sharp vegetable peeler is all you need to skin a batch of potatoes.
Why: “Takes up a surprising amount of space and peels slower than a regular peeler. Plus, it’s overkill unless you’re peeling dozens of potatoes at once.”
What to try instead: Oxo’s Swivel peeler.
19. Bagel guillotine
Why: “Sold as a safer way to slice bagels but takes up a ton of space and is awkward to clean. A serrated knife does the job just fine.”
What to try instead: Opinel’s 8-inch bread knife.
Jackie Carnesi
Executive chef, Kellogg’s Diner
There’s a reason pro chefs don’t use oven mitts.
Why: “Oven mitts are the most useless item in a home kitchen. A sturdy kitchen towel does the same job, and odds are, it’s more likely to be washed regularly. I don’t know many people who wash their oven mitts frequently enough … it seems many have deemed it an item that doesn’t warrant regular cleaning. It does.”
What to try instead: Stock a plethora of kitchen towels.
