Least needed kitchen appliance

[bjl584]

If you are looking to do some decluttering, then it may make sense to take a look at your kitchen.
Are there some "gadgets" that you could do without?

Here are some top answers from an online survey of things that people hardly use and could do without:

Rice Cooker
Instant Pot
Apple Corer and other specialty devices that could be replaced with a traditional knife
Electric Kettle
Pizza Oven

Obviously, your list may vary depending on priorities and your diet.
But there is probably something in your kitchen that is gathering dust.

[ua_guy]

Blender

[riverwed070707]

Back in the days of blog rolls and RSS feeds, I used to follow a blog about decluttering that had a weekly feature highlighting what they called a Unitasker - some home object that only served one purpose and was utterly unnecessary. It's stuck with me. Short of common items like a coffee pot, which we use daily, and corn holders which I consider essential because I'm an Iowan, I've made a conscious effort to not own single function items. We don't own a toaster. No pineapple or apple corers. No rice cooker, on the stove works fine and we have rice weekly. Not really a unitasker, but something that rarely solves a problem that can't be solved with pre-planning or another kitchen device, we lived many years without a microwave, though the house we have now came with one installed above the stove so it exists but is rarely (never?) used.

On the flip side, I adore my immersion blender and have fully rid the kitchen of all other blending devices.

[disneysteve]

Specialty devices are a biggie. It's ridiculous how many of those exist when you look in the kitchenware section of the store. You don't need a special tool to slice an avocado, a different one to slice an egg, a different one to slice a tomato, and a different one to slice citrus fruit. One good chef knife does all of that and much more.

The electric kettle definitely isn't on our list. My wife uses that multiple times a day to make coffee and tea.

Our air fryer is an issue but mainly because we don't have space to keep it out in the kitchen. If we did, we would use it much more often. I'm not getting rid of it though. I still want to be able to grab it when I want it.

[myrdale]

Dish washer.

My house had a new dish washer installed in 2006 when I moved it. I haven't washed the first dish with it since I've been there.

[disneysteve]

Dish washer.

My house had a new dish washer installed in 2006 when I moved it. I haven't washed the first dish with it since I've been there.

We run our dishwasher every other day without fail. I can't imagine how much higher our utility bills would be if we had to wash everything by hand.

[Fishindude77]

I could live without a dishwasher too.
Seriously doubt running water in the sink -vs- running the dishwasher would affect the utility bills enough to notice.

[ua_guy]

Eww hand washed dishes. It ain't a camping trip. If you have a dishwasher and don't use it, why not? Who are you saving it for? Do you prefer to waste your time washing dishes? I guess so... And the kitchens of people who hand wash their dishes typically have a smell to them. Yes I'm kitchen shaming.

/rant.

Second most useless - because I just saw it, and thought wow, we haven't used that in a few years: Cheese grater. Now, it has its place once in a blue moon, I cede that freshly grated cheese on homemade pizzas and other meals of effort is better.. But shredded cheese that comes in a resealable bag or a tub (parmesan) are time savers.

[kork13]

2 immediately come to mind: food dehydrator, and bread machine. Ice cream machine is a disappointing 3rd place.

You need to be a special kind of person with special interests to really get meaningful use out of a dehydrator. I made some jerky, a bunch of dried fruit, and the occasional fruit roll. But that was mostly in the first 1-2 years of having it, and after we had kids, we simply didn't have the time to devote to all of the prep & drying. Quickly became not worthwhile.

At least for me, the one time I had a bread machine, I hated using it. I never got good results, consistently disappointed by the crust, crumb, rise, and taste. I reliably get dramatically better results by just using my stand mixer & a few bread pans.

The ice cream machine .... Makes me sad. I truly LOVE ice cream, it's one of my absolute favorite desserts. But our ice cream machine is generally comparable to the bread machine. Inconsistent, disappointing results almost every time, requiring a lot of prep, mixing/freezing time, and so on only to get a poor texture & lacking flavor. Plus buying the ingredients is almost the same cost as buying a better-quality, better tasting pint (or ½ gallon) from the store.

[james.hendrickson]

I want to say...I love the rice cooker I used to have, and used it all the time before it got broken from overuse.

I dunno why anyone would say a rice cooker is useless clutter, and I really think maybe they need to reevaluate the economics of that one. Making rice at home is x10 less expensive then buying it at a restaurant.

Plus, rice feeds upwards of half of the world's population - its amazing.

[Fishindude77]

Eww hand washed dishes. It ain't a camping trip.

Good one !

Only two of us live here and we don't pile up huge amounts of dishes so it's a rather simple quick matter to simply wash them in the sink and put them in the drainer.
Anything we stick in the dishwasher has to be rinsed off good with hot water too or it will be stuck on the dishes as it may be a bit before we have enough dirty to justify running a load.
Also ..... if we've not used it for a day or two I open the dishwasher and can't remember if the stuff has been washed yet or not.

[riverwed070707]

I want to say...I love the rice cooker I used to have, and used it all the time before it got broken from overuse.

I dunno why anyone would say a rice cooker is useless clutter, and I really think maybe they need to reevaluate the economics of that one. Making rice at home is x10 less expensive then buying it at a restaurant.

Plus, rice feeds upwards of half of the world's population - its amazing.

I don't think it's that people don't eat rice or buy it at restaurants, I think its that it can be made in a regular pan on the stove with the same amount of effort

[riverwed070707]

We have become a tea family and our electric kettle is a game changer for sure. For some reason it never occurred to me I can make coffee in it... am I being redundant by having a coffee pot and an electric kettle?? We have a whole nook set up between the kitchen and dining with all of our tea and coffee supplies and its sort of overflowing. Would be nice to free up some space by getting rid of the $5 garage sale coffee pot that I have to fill with already hot water in order to get hot coffee

The electric kettle definitely isn't on our list. My wife uses that multiple times a day to make coffee and tea.

[ua_guy]

Good one !

Only two of us live here and we don't pile up huge amounts of dishes so it's a rather simple quick matter to simply wash them in the sink and put them in the drainer.
Anything we stick in the dishwasher has to be rinsed off good with hot water too or it will be stuck on the dishes as it may be a bit before we have enough dirty to justify running a load.
Also ..... if we've not used it for a day or two I open the dishwasher and can't remember if the stuff has been washed yet or not.

Ah, the drainer. It would be my most worthless kitchen "appliance" if I owned one. Yes, let's stack dishes that have been marinated in food particles and then rinsed off so they can sit out wet and grow bacteria after being hand washed. Takes up counter space, mold and mildew growing in the dish towel that most people put under their drainer... MMMMM. Hey if I ever get a dinner invite from you, let's go out, I'll buy. Ok?

[Fishindude77]

Ah, the drainer. It would be my most worthless kitchen "appliance" if I owned one. Yes, let's stack dishes that have been marinated in food particles and then rinsed off so they can sit out wet and grow bacteria after being hand washed. Takes up counter space, mold and mildew growing in the dish towel that most people put under their drainer... MMMMM. Hey if I ever get a dinner invite from you, let's go out, I'll buy. Ok?

As opposed to the dishwasher ...... otherwise known as the dirty dishes out of sight storage unit.

Apparently your dish washing system and conditions are far more unsanitary than what I've been exposed to.
But you can buy dinner regardless.