Unused kitchen gadgets or appliances

I just had to have a Dash Egg Cooker. Used it once.

I bought a panini press because just love toasted sandwiches and then shortly thereafter I stopped eating bread and haven't used the thing in a couple of years now.

I never use my food processor anymore either. It got cracked up pretty bad when I went through an almond butter phase.

I bought Egglettes for making hard boiled eggs, while they work I found my food steamer just does better.

Way too many to list. My kitchen, my dining room, and numerous cabinets in my garage are FULL of excess appliances. And multiples of most of them.

Electric can opener more trouble than it's worth.

R6 I had one too... the blade finally rusted in our old place. I didn't replace it but miss it.

I bought a hard boiled egg maker that I never use, I also never use my crock pot, electric skillet, or waffle iron.

I grill on the traeger a lot.

I'm a sucker for gadgets but have been pretty good about rationalizing impulsive purchases lately. I have and use on a pretty regular basis: air fryer, Instant Pot, Crock Pot (two sizes), food processor and an immersion blender. All of those items are stored in a cupboard or closet. I was craving waffles the other day and almost ordered a new waffle iron. I couldn't justify making room for that, though. I also have an ice machine that I only use in the summer or when entertaining. Same thing with my blender that sits on top of the refrigerator.

I bought an ice cream maker because I was somehow convinced I was going to make fresh, delicious ice cream for my friend and family whenever they came over. Elegant, simple deserts.

Cut to: Fucking thing was such a hassle to clean, and you always had to keep the ring part of it in the freezer, so I couldn't just make a pint of Rocky Road on depressed whim.

Irritating.

The dumb orange thing is still under my counter as a reminder not to buy stupid applances.

I recently threw out a George Foreman Grill I found in the back of a cabinet. I'd forgotten I even had it. I think I only used it a few times to grill salmon or burgers.

God the Foreman grill, what a marketing triumph. First of all, not a grill. Second of all, totally redundant if you have a stove or hotplate and even a single pot or pan. The only legit use case is a dorm room or an RV with access to a power outlet. Cooking a piece of salmon at home on the Foreman makes just as much of a mess as doing it on the stove in a nonstick pan.

God, cleaning those George Foreman grills was a pain in the ass. Even when they moved to removable grill plates they weren't worth the hassle.

I liked the little Foreman grill for one person. I’ve never used a stand mixer or Cuisinart. I find for grinding the blender is just fine. You can do coffee beans in it too.

I like an electric can opener for the knife sharpener.

I tell you one that I find myself using more and more is a cheap little rechargeable CORDLESS hand mixer I got at Aldi.

None.

I have a small kitchen with open shelving but, more than that, I missed the gene that steers mad appliance and gadget buying.

Knives. Cutting boards. Vegetable peeler. Graters for cheese and lemon peel. Nespresso. Stovetop. Large toaster type countertop convection oven. Small microwave. Two pots and kids, two frying/sauteing pans with covers. The usual stirrers and ladles. A small immersion blender is the most unnecessary thing I have.

The only reason I have a kitchen -- it came with the house.

I used to work in small kitchen appliances, for Kitchen Aid, and there are people who collect appliances they never use the same way other people buy books they’ll never read. It was astonishing to me. More then once, there were people who described entire rooms in their homes filled with unused, boxed appliances - and they were out looking for more to buy.

It’s also shocking the number of people who cannot cook at all. Shocking and sad. Ultimately the appliance these people are looking for is small, with the not one button to press that will make anything they want and then clean the itself. No lie.

*with only one button to press

I have a bread maker and an immersion blender I’ve never used.

I’ve never used my air fryer

My vacuum sealer.

The slow cooker and the panini press were my most recent mistakes. If we go back in time there’s the juicer.

I do use the air fryer and the egg bite maker all the time, much to my surprise.

Is the air fryer challenging to use?

My patty stacker.

R25, the misleading thing I found when I was thinking about an air fryer was that the assumption always seemed to be that you’d want to buy it to make food that’s normally deep fried, only now you could air fry it instead.

I’ve never deep fried anything in my life but I’m now eating salmon that takes only a little over 10 minutes to be ready when I began with it frozen solid.

I most often roast winter vegetables, marinated tofu, and whole potatoes and I really like it.

Why do you guys keep stuff that you don't use? Sell it, donate it, give it away.

The only one I use now is my air fryer and occasionally the slow cooker. All the rest can go I think.

I use my slow cooker all the time, so someone got me an Instant Pot.

I've never even unboxed it. It's too intimidating, with the pressure release and all.

I no longer use my Kitchen Aid mixer. I got it just before Covid, and I used it for about one year. Now it sits in the back of a cupboard. Pretty color, but I don’t bake anymore.

I have THREE KitchenAid stand mixers. The newest one is from 1974. One of the others was a wedding present my mother got in 1949. Still works. I have three Instant Pots (different sizes.) I have TWO rice makers. TWO bread machines. THREE ice cream makers. FOUR waffle irons (one was my grandmother's.) At least THREE immersion blenders and hand mixers. A Ninja Woodfire grill and its indoor equivalent. Two Cuisinart food processors, plus four or five smaller ones. Electric skillet. Electric kniives (2). Four or five slow cookers in various sizes. Three or four vacuum sealers. Three countertop ovens. Three toasters. Two juicers. A an electric Dutch oven (cast iron/ceramic). Sous vide device. At least six or seven coffeemakers (probably more.) Two or three blenders. And I know I'm forgetting a number of items.

This is what happens when you have too much disposable income.

[quote]I have THREE KitchenAid stand mixers. The newest one is from 1974. One of the others was a wedding present my mother got in 1949. Still works. I have three Instant Pots (different sizes.) I have TWO rice makers. TWO bread machines. THREE ice cream makers. FOUR waffle irons (one was my grandmother's.) At least THREE immersion blenders and hand mixers. A Ninja Woodfire grill and its indoor equivalent. Two Cuisinart food processors, plus four or five smaller ones. Electric skillet. Electric kniives (2). Four or five slow cookers in various sizes. Three or four vacuum sealers. Three countertop ovens. Three toasters. Two juicers. A an electric Dutch oven (cast iron/ceramic). Sous vide device. At least six or seven coffeemakers (probably more.) Two or three blenders. And I know I'm forgetting a number of items.

I think I saw you on "Hoarders."

You're right! I was on the episode with Ann Miller!

R30, I was a bit nervous too about the Instant Pot. It really is simple to use and a game changer. I make big batches of soup and freeze for simple meals. I just plop my frozen soup in and pressure cook on high until thawed. I also love it for beans. You can go from dried beans to perfectly cooked in about 45 minutes (no soaking required). There are a ton of You Tube "chefs" who share Instant Pot recipes/tips for everyday people. My only frustration is how the rubber seal ring on the lid absorbs spice smells (especially cumin). You need to wash that thoroughly and store the lid upside down to deal with that issue. It also makes amazing spare ribs.

Now that I have an air fryer and Acticook ’n Stir, my stove.

Bread maker purchased in COVID.

An air fryer is just a countertop convection oven.

And, R38?

Instapot=pressure cooker. Come up with new name like it’s something that’s never been around before.

My Zborny baked potato 🥔 openers and my set of Spurtles that were of little use outside of glorified spatulas. 😟

The ONLY good thing about the George Foreman grill -- and it's very minor -- was that it grilled both sides of the burger or salmon or whatnot at once. No flipping required. I swear it took longer to clean the thing than it did for it to cook the food.

I have a immersion blender that I very rarely use, but when I do use it (usually for pureeing soups) I am so glad it have it. (See also: the mandoline at the back of the highest cupboard, which I use even less.)

R42 ah yes. The mandoline. Fastest way to lose a fingertip, ever.

I got an InstaPot as a gift from my former company for 20 years service (each 5-year anniversary, they give you a catalog and you get to choose a gift from that. Really good stuff). It is still in the box in which I received it. Haven't even opened it. It came with a beautiful, hard back recipe/instruction book.

I swapped out my perfectly good Black and Decker toaster oven for one of those hybrid air fryer/toaster oven combos. Like someone above mentioned, I've rarely eaten deep fried foods and not sure what my impulse was! I still use it mainly as a toaster oven.

I also have a nice Oster blender, which used to get a regular workout, but has been collecting dust for 7-8 years. Can't seem to part with it though.

I bought a mandoline on line, but I can’t figure out the attachments. The idea was to slice eggplant et cetera paper thin to top my homemade pizzas. It’s sitting in plain site next to the open wine bottle which gets used. I should read the directions.

Do NOT drink and mandoline! You'll lose more than a fingertip! (Agreed, too many attachments on mine, and setting it up is like putting together an IKEA coffee table. I wish I had one of those Japanese paddle-style mandolines, even though I hardly ever use the complicated one I already have. First-world problems!)

We have a Zojirushi bread machine we got in 2022. It's not necessarily inert, but as time rolls on we use it less and less. It takes up a good deal of counter space and honestly, the loaves aren't worth a shit after 24 hours. They just get crumbly and hard to slice cleanly, even with a good serrated knife.

The recipe book is funny at times. "Meatloaf Miracle" are words that should never go together.

I was going to get a Zojirushi rice cooker because I'm semi-terrible at making rice, but thankfully realized I hardly ever cook rice (because I'm semi-terrible at it). I saved a good deal of money and counter space.

[quote]I got an InstaPot

No such thing.

It's an Instant Pot.

The weird thing is that, on QVC, the Instant Pot presenter (In the Kitchen with David Venable) called it an Instapot.

r48 2 cups water, 1 cup long grain rice. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to medium, cook uncovered for 10 minutes. Water should be mostly evaporated. Then lower the heat even more, cover and cook for 10 more minutes. For some brands of rice I have to fill the measuring cup up all the way with water or it will come out crunchy.

If you do get a rice cooker, get one that's also a slow cooker and a saute pot.

Since I was a Japan-obsessed teenager in the ‘80s I’ve used rice cookers. They’re amazing!

It’s funny to see others view as junk the things I use on a regular basis, such as immersion blenders (for soups), food processors (for seitan seasonings and things like hummus), and the Kitchen Aid stand mixer. It all depends on how you cook/bake (or IF you cook/bake. I mean, I’ve got madeleine tins that see regular use). Everyone’s different!

I do have a blender I was given as a gift ages ago that I hardly ever use, but it looks so cool and chrome and retro that I can’t bear to part with it.

I’m not impressed by my French press coffee maker.

I'm very impressed by my air fryer. I got one that air fries, bakes, grills and steams (chicken, fish, veges) and I have completely stopped using my oven now. My electricity bill has dropped as well. Damn thing has almost paid for itself and it produces chef level food which constantly surprises me.

I bought a food mill a few years ago when I was on a “try new soup recipes” kick. It’s probably the best tool for making velvety puréed soups out of stringy vegetables like squash or celery or leeks. It also works wonders for smooth mashed potatoes. But it’s a pain in the ass to assemble and clean, and it’s pretty unwieldy to store in a cupboard. I’ve used it maybe a dozen times but generally opt for lazier tools like the blender for soups or the old hand-masher for potatoes.

We need a "Muriel's List" scheme here. I could use one of your nearly-new, dust collecting stand mixers.

R46: A mandolin glove will protect you from cuts.

[quote] I’m not impressed by my French press coffee maker.

French presses waste a lot of coffee, IMO. Then, it sits there and gets cold.

I have a French Press, Italian Moka pot, and a Chemex pour over coffee pot. All were gifts and all have been rarely used. For my purposes it’s just easier to use the trusty old Braun coffee maker. I had a laugh when I got the Chemex and the how-to video online was a hipster in the woods going through an intensive 20 minute process to make a couple of cups of coffee. It does come in handy in power outages when the electric coffee maker won’t work.

I’ve had my Melitta pour over plastic cone and glass coffee pot since 1999. I make two mugs of coffee for me and Bobby McGee every morning, and. I can’t believe I haven’t broken it yet….We drink the coffee right away, not placed on the heat.

I never use my electric whisk. I just don't bake. I even had to try to remember where it is or if I still have it.

Used sometimes: Kitchenaid mixer, Used rarely: Food Processor, Used a couple of times and now gathering dust: Electric Griddle, Deep Fryer, Ice Cream Maker. Used only in winter:Immersion Blender for hot chocolate.

[quote]I bought a food mill a few years ago when I was on a “try new soup recipes” kick. It’s probably the best tool for making velvety puréed soups out of stringy vegetables like squash or celery or leeks. It also works wonders for smooth mashed potatoes. But it’s a pain in the ass to assemble and clean, and it’s pretty unwieldy to store in a cupboard. I’ve used it maybe a dozen times but generally opt for lazier tools like the blender for soups or the old hand-masher for potatoes.

I only use the food mill for mashed potatoes when I'm making huge quantities. Otherwise, I find a ricer does the best job. Always smooth and lump-free.

A Zojirushi rice cooker is awesome. Even if you seldom eat rice (and it makes perfect rice), I use it daily for steel cut oatmeal with a timer.

I was on a smoothie kick in 2022 and got rid of my perfectly-good blender for one that has a smoothie setting, I used it maybe 3x. Turns out I'm not really into making my own smoothies.

About 20+ years ago, my local Caldor closed its doors and was having an 'everything must go' sale. I bought a pasta pot (the insert comes out) and a lobter pot. In the late 90s-00s, I was on a King Crab leg bender Every other Friday, i would stop at my local fresh food and seafood market and buy 3 KCLs. I would also buy a lovely sauvignon blanc and chill it while I melted butter. Those were the days! KCLs were much less expensive then. I haven't used either pot since..

I have slow cooker I haven't used in ages but refuse to part with it on the off chance I might make a roast. Now that winter is almost over, I'm pretty sure I won't need it until next Fall.

Lastly, I saw this gadget in an ad in one of online games. It allows you use a gas burner as a makeshift grill. It has a pan that you put water in and grates that fit over the top of it. Haven't used it yet.

If you have an electric stove, you’ll save your sanity by buying an electric rice cooker to make rice. Otherwise you have to stand there and watch that it doesn’t scorch. You can cook other thinks along with the rice, it steams chicken wonderfully to make ginger chicken.

I would like an air fryer. I hate heating up the entire oven to bake a couple potatoes. Electric rates are insanely high where I live.

I've had a rice cooker and I've made rice on an electric stove. On the stove, I cooked it in a non-stick pot. It was pretty easy.

OLDSCHOOL HERE, I have the 3 sizes of Sunbeams “Oscars”,use them all the time,like every day,they’re not produced anymore,they last for years but easily replaced on eBay and cheap,wish everything was as easy to manage as this,,,

I have an air-fryer function in my toaster oven, though rarely use that setting. My #1 use for my Instant Pot these days is to make rice, every few weeks I'll make a pot of curry with it.

I have a coffee grinder that I use for occasional spices or nuts in specific recipes, again, every few weeks.

R66: I bake potatoes in my toaster oven; they come out just fine. My regular oven is largely just for storage now.

Speaking of rice, I taught my aged mom -- who never made us rice when I was growing up that I can remember -- how to make rice the (I think...) French way (Martha Stewart also does it). Bring a pot of water to a boil, add rinsed rice (any amount), boil for 11 minutes uncovered, drain, use. Dead simple -- and no doubt horrifying to anyone from Asia.

[quote]Dead simple -- and no doubt horrifying to anyone from Asia.

Why horrifying when that's how they cook it too?

I think a lot of people aren't washing/rinsing it well before use which is what makes it sticky. Or they're not putting enough water in which makes it burn/stick to the pan. I make sure to rinse well before and after which always works for me.

None of you cook brown rice? I do not want another gadget, and my rice comes out usually just fine. What is the advantage of a rice cooker or instapot for brown rice people? Excuse my ignorance on this.

Brown rice needs a presoak amd is messy.

I use my juicer maybe 2X per year. It's messy and labor intensive (especially if you're making orange juice). But I have a lot of counter space so it's not that big of a deal if it just sits there.

InstaPot - compliments of my sister.

Coffee bean grinder - compliments of my sister.

Crockpot

I bought a house five years ago, so they're just on shelves in the basement, not cluttering the kitchen. I live in a bungalow with a galley kitchen without a ton of counter space. So, if I didn't have the basement, I probably would have got rid of them or given them to someone. Maybe keep the crockpot OR instapot.

IN the past - juicer. But I have it to good will.

I feel like I might get a lot of use from an Instapot type appliance. I like stews and similar. Also, an air fryer seems like it would save a lot of time - I cook a lot of chicken breasts and thighs in the oven before using them in other recipes.

However, I know I'd use them for a while, then they'd be gathering dust when I decided that stove top and oven are less hassle than wheeling out an appliance.

Now, if they simply lived on the countertop, that might be different. But, I can't stand the clutter.

A bread maker from a relative. The dough spackled the inside something fierce.

I have a pressure cooker that I used at first but hadn't used it in maybe 3 years. I decided to remedy that last week and purposely found an old recipe and bought ingredients just to use it.

R72, Your rice should never burn, under or over-cook if you use a rice cooker. The casual cook may not realize a couple of things about brown rice. It requires more water than white rice, and it takes longer to cook correctly. The first time I made brown rice I assumed it cooked like the white variety (I was very young and ignorant). I ended up throwing it out.

I have a countertop roaster in a closet that I never used.

I do use my food processor all the time, though. I like to grind up nuts, chicken for chicken salad, sometimes onions. Make hummus. Sometimes I mash potatoes in it.

^Grind nuts to make nut butters. You can also grind raw meat in it to make chicken or steak burgers, or cooked meat to make hash.

[quote]Sometimes I mash potatoes in it.

Be very careful. It usually turns into glue that way.

Is there anything trashier than a kitchen counter cluttered with every shitty small appliance given by someone's Midwestern frau sister?

Rice cookers also cook up bulgur nicely…

I bought a waffle iron in the last 6 months but I'm not liking the way they taste - I think it's the non-stick coating changes the outside surface texture. We had a waffle iron growing up and those waffles were delicious - it wasn't non-stick. I like Eggo better than the ones I can make. I used it 4-5 times -now it sits on a shelf.

Mini mandolin slicer, mini electric chopper, blender, hot plate, small G. Foreman grill, cast iron grill pan, immersion blender.

For R58-- I found a great metal press - it holds about 2 cups and insulated so it keeps the coffee hot for more than an hour.

I did a big purge last year of kitchen gadgets and small appliances and surprisingly made a good amount selling them on eBay. It was a greatest hit of fads and trends. It made a load of space for me to fill new mew gadgets of course. Admittedly I’m a kitchen tool and appliance junkie. Bye-bye to the over-engineeered coffee maker, sous vide, bread maker, and anything ignored in favour of using something else.

My favourites I cannot live without: Vitamix,, immersion stick blender, Microplanes, basic crock pot/slow cooker, pressure cooker, mortar and pestle.

I have ruined three Salad spinners - even a stainless steel version. I now enjoy washed wet lettuce or let it dry out in the fridge.

I finally adapted to using a microwave to reheat coffee. This tiny thing hangs from a cabinet. The cream interior always looks like it needs bleach.

I need to browse resale shops - i can usually spot other people’s “this solves everything!” Devices. I’m thinking of bread machines specifically- a pricey mistake I made.

R66 - just get one. It will change your life. This is a really good one:

I do want an air fryer, am not sure what size, wattage to get for one person.

I have a deep fryer I only use for the Super Bowl. I've decided to have one last hurrah with it tomorrow because it takes up too much storage. I'm making some hush puppies, broccoli cheese balls, pierogis and homemade tortilla chips. It's a cheat day on steroids!

I find my mini-chopper is good when I need to finely dice one onion and such, R85.

Why not just use a knife if youre cutting up just one onion.

Because that's very tedious for something finely diced as well as not tearing-up as much.

R90 - get the one I posted @ R89. It's the one all the top YouTubers use and rave about. It's on special and I guarantee you will love it and suddenly wonder what you did without it. I use it every day now.

Slap-chop

I usually cook steel cut oats on the stovetop with 2 c. water, 2 c. milk, 1 c. oats. I tried it today in the rice/grain cooker on the oatmeal setting -- took longer than stovetop; specified 3:1 liquid:oats ratio (I used 2 c. milk, 1 c. water) and came out OK, but not as good as stovetop. The benefit is not having to watch and stir it, I guess.

I've been eating steel-cut oats for years. Here's my easy method:

Small, single-serving containers.

Steel-cut oats & water.

Soak overnight or longer. (I prepare several containers at a time.)

Morning: dump into a bowl. Microwave for a couple minutes.

Voila.

Hot, nutty-textured steel-cut oats.

Mmm hot and nutty

Here's the steel-cut oats hack I use (serves one): The night before, put 3/4 c water in a small lidded sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add a heaping 1/4 c of steel-cut oats and a tiny pinch of salt and swirl oats briefly in the pot so they're submerged. Cover and let sit overnight. Warm in the morning. (You may want to use more or less water and oats per how thick/thin you like your oatmeal.)

I'm firm in my conviction that people who like to eat steel-cut oats are the people who like that sort of thing. The only people who like that sort of thing. No miracle small appliance is likely to seduce the rest of us

I bet a sous vide bath would be a good way to cook steel cut oats. I cooked coarse grits with sous vide and they came out perfect. I felt like a failed southerner because mine always stuck to the pot real bad and ended up undercooked.

I have a Vitamix I haven't used in several years. Food processor is not used often, but occasionally essential. Kitchen Aid I use frequently.

[quote]I have a Vitamix I haven't used in several years.

Nobody has.

Steel cut oats are a zillion times better with milk.

And that's why I make them with at least half-milk (either Lactaid or unsweetened vanilla almond milk.) I always add dried fruit (mixed berries, chopped dates, raisins, etc.) and chopped nuts, as well as either cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice and Splenda. I make four servings at once then refrigerate the extra portions and reheat them in the microwave with a little more milk.

I put peanut butter in my steel-cut oats. And raisins.

OK -- who has one of these?

R108, blue collar workers and strivers don’t make sausage. Sausage and other tube meats are for poors.

Re: baked potatoes which some have mentioned upthread.

I use my microwave for baked potatoes. Pierce the potato skins first. And turn the potato over midway through. Fast and works fine.

I also use the microwave for corn on the cob. Best to do the ears of corn still in the husks. Delicious.

I have a small microwave cookbook with very easy recipes and both the above were in that book.

I have an Anova Precision Oven. LOVE it. Makes outstanding baked potatoes.