These Trendy Food Gadgets Are Absolutely Not Worth The Hype; Here’s Why

It’s no secret that cooking at home and preparing your own food from scratch can be time-consuming and annoying. That’s exactly why so many companies take advantage of your frustration. They create a whole bunch of fancy, interesting-looking kitchen gadgets that are supposed to help you save time, be more efficient in the kitchen, and make your life easier.

And, yes, there are plenty of cool food essentials out there that are actually worth your money. For example, a great food processor is a staple everyone should have. A standing mixer, like the infamous one from Kitchen-Aid, can be a huge help for bakers. And pricey blenders can really make a difference. But there are many more kitchen items that completely waste your money. There is, however, no need to pour your money into them. In fact, you don’t need them at all!

Here’s look at popular food gadgets that definitely aren’t worth the hype.

1. Avocado Slicer

Yes, avocados can be annoying to cut (if you don’t know the trick). But do you really need a special tool for them?!

The answer is no. Cutting up an avocado is super easy with just a knife and a fork or spoon. You really don’t need to spend extra money on a special avocado slicer. In fact, this slicer actually isn’t even that easy to use, which makes it extra pointless. Trust us. It’s much simpler to cut your avo snack with a regular old knife.

2. Strawberry Huller

A small strawberry huller removes the stems of a strawberry, but it’s not necessary.

For the same amount of time and work, you can easily snip off the ends of strawberries with a knife. Or, better yet, you can just eat up until you get to the leafy part at the top and not cut anything. The huller claims to cut off less of the fruit than a knife. But really, all you have to do is cut neatly and you’ll be fine.

3. Garlic Press

A garlic press seems like a great invention, but many experts say they’re totally useless.

Slicing tiny cloves of garlic into even tinier pieces for cooking can be frustrating. So using a garlic press – which does the work for you – may seem essential. But garlic presses make the garlic so teensy tiny that it burns faster and creates an overwhelming flavor that takes over your dish. That’s why chefs aren’t fans. On top of that, those little tiny holes are super difficult to clean.

4. Bread Maker

Fresh bread tastes and smells fantastic, but bread makers? Not quite as great.

You probably don’t need the bread-making machine as much as you think you do. For one thing, they can be quite pricey. Consequently, if you’re not going to use the tool a lot, it might not be worth it. And let’s be real, you probably don’t use it a lot. Furthermore, you can quite easily make bread without this fancy contraption.

5. Egg Cooker

In theory, egg cookers seem awesome.

When you think about it, though, they waste money. Egg cookers make hard-boiled eggs, soft-boiled eggs, and poached eggs. And. allegedly, these small devices do the job more quickly and easily. But really, making eggs is pretty simple. Egg cookers don’t really save on any time (you can make hard-boiled eggs on the stove in about the same amount of minutes). Plus, they take up valuable counter or cabinet space. You’re better off just doing it the old-fashioned way.

6. A Fancy Juicer

The idea of owning a juicer and making fresh juices every day is super appealing.

Here’s the thing about juicers; they’re huge. They’re clunky. They take forever to clean once you’re done using them. And say goodbye to those cute kitchen pics when the juicer is hogging the counter. Oh, and in order to make any significant amount of juice, you need to spend tons of money on fresh fruits and veggies. It’s a lot of work and effort to make juice in a juicer. So if you can’t commit to that very often, it’s just not worth it.

7. An Electric Spiralizer

Veggie noodles are great! You just don’t need an electric spiralizer to make them.

Electric spiralizers can be pricey, and they’re really not necessary. Instead, you can get a handheld spiralizer for a whole lot cheaper. It gets the job done just as well. This is one of those things you probably aren’t going to use, like, every day. So shelling out major bucks for one is a waste.

8. Apple Slicer

Sure, cutting up an apple might take a few moments of your day, but does that really mean you need a slicer to get the job done?

Of course not! Apple slicers work by cutting your apple into perfect wedges and cleanly removing the core. They’re satisfying to use and will cut out maybe a minute of your time. But we think you can spare that minute in exchange for less clutter and gadgets. Moreover, why spend the money on something you can very easily do yourself?

9. Margarita Maker

A fancy margarita maker machine goes for a few hundred dollars.

But if you own a blender, you don’t need a margarita maker. Seriously. Not only will this device take up a lot of valuable kitchen space, but it really doesn’t do much a blender can’t do. And do you really need to make professional margaritas all the time at home? No. Save your money and your space.

10. Banana Slicer

This little gadget is cute, but that’s about it.

Bananas have to be one of the easiest things to cut in the world. And yet… someone decided to create a tool that slices the banana for you all in one shot. Sure, it will save maybe 45 seconds of time. And it’s not expensive, but it’s just so pointless. Don’t fall for it!

11. Quesadilla Maker

A quesadilla maker seems like a fun thing to own until you realize how easy it is to make quesadillas.

This gadget is kind of like a waffle maker, but for quesadillas, instead. It’s nifty, sure. But it’s also silly. Making quesadillas on the stove is so simple, probably takes just as much time, and is basically free. In contrast, this device is quite large, not super cheap, and just slightly ridiculous.

12. Mango Splitter

This is an item that literally just slices open a mango. That’s it.

“Why can’t I just slice a mango open with a knife?” you might ask yourself. Well, you can! You do not need a special tool to cut a mango open. Don’t believe the hype! This is a waste of your money.

13. Electric Can Opener

What does an electric can opener do that a manual one doesn’t?

Um… nothing. Electric can openers are pricier than manual ones, and they almost always take up counter space because that’s where they have to sit. They don’t do anything special besides open a can without you having to move your hand around to open it yourself.

14. Corn Kernel Stripper

A corn kernel stripper is basically just a way to spend money for no reason when you could easily use a knife.

Want to get the kernels off your corn? Trust us, you don’t need this. All you have to do is hold the ear of corn up, then use a knife to carefully cut down and chop off all the kernels. It takes the same amount of time and achieves the same results as this stripper. Save your money!

15. Jalapeno Corer

Speaking of objects that you don’t need if you own a knife… there’s a jalapeno corer.

Yes, cutting the core out of a tiny jalapeno pepper can be annoying. But it’s certainly not impossible, and you definitely don’t need a special tool to do it. If you’re unsure of how to remove those seeds, look up a video on coring a jalapeno on YouTube. You’ll be an expert in no time.

16. Ice Cream Maker

An ice cream maker sounds cool but most likely isn’t worth it.

Making your own ice cream at home sounds fun and exciting. But in reality, it’s kind of a lot of work. And the price of the ingredients often isn’t worth it. Plus, you won’t use it as much as you think you will.

17. Pasta Measurer

No one’s denying that it’s annoying to measure how much pasta to make, but still.

It’s not the end of the world if you make too much pasta! This gadget is more annoying to use than simply guessing how much you’ll need. Moreover, it’s not even guaranteed to make the perfect amount. Save your money for something better.

18. Avocado Masher

This is supposed to mash up your avocado.

But we’re not impressed by it one bit. Avocados are super soft and easy to mash up, already. You can do the mashing with a fork that you already own! You do not need to go out and buy a kitchen gadget like this one to do it for you.