Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Unless you really crave the tool, skip the bread machine. Mine reamed out the twister in a few months. I do really well with making dough in the stand mixer, any number of recipes, and Artisan Bread in 5 minutes a day.

Also, skip the electric can opener. Yuch. I like a Zyliss with puffy handles and grips. Working parts can be removed to the dishwasher.

Ah, but the electric wok, a wonderful sub for a deep fryer. Shallow oil, lots of surface, and lots of crisp.

Garlic press and a numerous other gadgets such as kiwi or mango slicer, etc.

I don't have a stand mixer, and now that I have a bread machine that does my kneading, it has slid to the bottom of my wish list.

The slow cookers I have are the old "high, low, keep warm" kind, and I'm fine with them even though I know that people have programmable ones nowadays.

Ice makers/crushers, popcorn makers, hot dog cookers...There are probably plenty of other things that other people have and I don't, and I don't mind that.

microwave oven. they give me the heebie jeebies.

I don't own a juicer and I don't want one.

Bread machine, electric can opener, rice cooker, silpat

Microwaves are like any other tool that once you get used to you can't live without. Children require microwaves, I found. But, if you never get used to one, you can function nicely with a stovetop. I melt and heat everything in measuring cups which just pop neatly in the dishwasher. Also, mine has a halogen oven feature as well, so I can do anything in the microwave that i can in the oven.

I don't like silpats. I buy cases of parchment, use it throw it.
I don't want a juicer they are disgusting
I threw out the toaster ages ago, I use a nice skillet for toast the 4 times a year we make it
My bread machine is still going after 12 years and it was so damn cheap but its a pain to hide.

Yep, Silpat is another one - I'm perfectly happy with parchment paper. I'm not dissing Silpat:-), but I'm perfectly fine without it.

@meg - oh yes, I know what you're talking about, I call them Parm crisps, but I'm sure it's not a "proper" name either. Love them! You certainly have got a point there - Silpat must be so perfect for them! So all right, if I ever get it as a gift, I won't complain...:-)

Being the family cook, it delights my family to get me the latest gizmos and gadgets for Birthdays and Christmas. So I would like to mention the things I DO have but have never used...all stored in the garage.

Rice cooker
deep fat fryer
indoor smoker/grill
battery operated can opener
waffle maker
buffet servers that use those canned thermo thingees (can't remember what they are called)
smoothie maker

Bread maker
electric can opener
drip coffee maker--I threw mine out and only use my French press.
silpat--parchment is fine
rice cooker
However, I LOVE my juicer. I have fresh squeezed OJ every morning--YUM.

@meg and @brooke--are y'all thinkin' of "tuiles?"

@lamora--do you mean chafing dishes that use sterno?

Small rotisserie oven. Hot dog maker. Anything Ronco ! Oh and a standalone fryer and a quesadilla maker. Aaahhh and ANYTHING with Rachael Rays name on it. This list is going to get big so I better stop now before my brain explodes !

It is a good question. Thanks for the thread, I think I'll spend this afternoon getting rid of some stuff.

A double boiler. Anyone who spends good money on a double boiler deserves exactly what he or she gets. ANY steel bowl of a particular size over ANY existing saucepan of appropriate corresponding size = double boiler.

An asparagus cooking pot. Now really. It's a tall, skinny pot. Come on. You shouldn't be boiling asparagus, anyway.

An immersion blender. They're so useful, and they don't take up that much storage space (which is a real issue for me). And I'd love a Le Creuset dutch oven, but I have nowhere to put it!

After my last electric can opener biffed it I never bought another one. Never needed one as I really don't open that many cans and more and more of them come with the little tabs now. Don't have a garbage disposal, double boiler or a toaster oven. Don't miss any of them.

A mini wine refridgerator. We already have three refridgerators here,and our friends got us a wine fridge for christmas. We don't have any space that we are willing to spare for it in the kitchen, so it is going to the garage. I feel we have to use it so we don't offend our friends. Stuck with it now, but I never wanted it.

Onion goggles.

Seriously, onion goggles. They make me excessively mad. Suck it up and chop your onions! I really feel that no self-respecting cook would have a pair of those in her/his kitchen.

I have actually received TWO pairs of these as gifts at different points in my life -- one from a friend and one from my mother-in-law. Thankfully, I was able to return them for things I could actually use.

Onion goggles? Seriously? I've never heard of such an abomination!!

I don't have a pressure cooker. They scare me a little. I also don't have a garlic press or a--get this--lettuce knife!!! I actually saw one of those in the grocery store the other day. A gigantic, serrated, plastic knife for cutting lettuce. Great Scott!!!!

Coffee maker and microwave. I've got a couple of dozen bottle openers though.

Don't have and don't want a coffee maker. hey, I've tried. But I drink only tea and hot chocolate, and people who visit me prefer to bring in DD or Starbucks.

Deep Fat Fryer

Electric can opener. Stupid gadget.

Garlic Press, or I call it, garlic squasher. If I want my garlic squashed, I'll use the side of my knife thank you.

Also most of the other things that have been mentioned. Except a coffee maker, which I do have, and a French Press, which I don't have but do want. And a mouse, which I do have and don't want (even though he's very cute.)

I'll defend my use of my microwave, especially on the boat when we were cruising..why put more heat into a small galley by using the stove? BTW we were in the tropics at the time so the heat was intense.

I'm w/all on NOT wanting the electric can opener. In general I try to stay away from electric appliances when possible because I still have the hope of going back to living on a sail boat. I don't have a bread machine and don't want one but do have a kitchenaid mixer. I also have a cuisinart food processor but it sits in a closet while I use my cheap plastic mandeline for slicing and dicing.

Asparagus pot, abelskiver pan, coffee maker.

My brother has recently become interested in cooking. He and his wife buy some of the most specialized equipment (see #1, #2 above). I'd like to try out their mandoline, but I don't think I really want one of my own. Too much *stuff* in their kitchen.

Food processor.

I have never ran into a recipe that called for a food processor that I haven't been able to do with a high powered blender, knife, mortar and pestle... etc

Sorry, dave! But you know, great minds...

i have so few gadgets that i dont know where to begin...i pretty much dont "need" anything else, i can make everything i like with what i have, but there are things id probably try making if i had other gadgets. such as not having a mixer of any kind inhibits some baked goods. but mixing things by hand is doing my guns nicely lol :) i cant see ever needing an electric can opener. i had to make do without a vegetable peeler or a box grater up until this xmas... its a pain in the ass but you can do just about anything if you have to. oddly, i do own a quesadilla maker. i have a little crock pot that ive only used once, because i cant be bothered to think about being hungry before i actally am, so putting something in to cook for four hours is just beyond me. i got it for free at the bank though.

Wow lots of interesting comments here...

-I just threw away my "herb chopper"--what a waste of money.
-The only time we used our bread maker was for mixing pizza dough; we lost the little paddle and I don't really miss not using it.
-I would love a juicer how much is a good one?
-@annien: I don't have a coffee maker at home anymore either because I drink tea at home too. I drink coffee, but only in the mornings and at work
-@Italiancupcake: Really? My toaster oven gets more use than my stilettos!

I use my microwave quite often to re-heat my tea, um.... or melt butter. So I guess not that often but I need it.

Electric can opener
Rice cooker
Garlic press
Bread maker machine
Electric wok
Any cooking device from As Seen on T.V. gadgets

Microwave {good for extra storage space if already built in to where you live though}
Garlic press
Electric can opener { and all otherwise non-daily use/necessary counter top "eater-uppers"}
electric fry pan {haven't thoguht about in a long time 'til I read this!}
toaster oven {I have a broiler & oven & contrary to some posts above I actually adore my 60's very-much workable old-school toaster}
crockpot/slow cooker {no kids & simply never got into it notwithstanding the deluge of our fave FN faker Sandra Lee who I think must have an owenrship interest in the slow cooker industry!}

I am the abashed owner of a pair of onion goggles. When I'm cutting up a half dozen pantry onions, it's nice to be able to use those instead of taking five minute breaks for every two minutes of chopping. They do elicit snarky comments from friends and family though.

As for what I don't own, a toaster. I rarely make toast, and when I do, I would much rather just toss it in a pan with a pat of butter than toss it into a toaster.

Practically everything y'all have listed are items I will never buy. In particular, no eggbeater or the kind of mixer that's just an electrified eggbeater; and no standard jar-with-blades-in-the-bottom blender. Toaster oven – maybe if/when I'm ever living alone. I've done without them for about 15 years and will probably never buy them again.

For popcorn, I use a deep saucepan. A layer of kernels one grain thick, plus enough oil to barely cover them, will make enough popcorn to fill the pot. (Well, I haven't tried it in a stockpot yet.)

Also, I don't have a ginormous crockery bowl for breadmaking. Instead, I use my 8-quart stockpot.

Things I used to have:

* Pressure cooker – loved it, but moved on to other gadgets.
* Bamboo steamer – loved it and sometimes miss it.
* Ice cream maker – crappy; might replace it someday, with a good one, when I'm rich and famous. Would be nice to make frozen treats for the macrobiotic eaters in my family.

But I do have an immersion blender, food processor, and microwave. I use each of them daily.

slap chop.

agreed on the standalone quesadilla maker. at home in a skillet = perfect quesadilla.

I don't have a food processor, bread maker, deep fryer, toaster oven, mandoline, juicer or electric can opener. I will never want the can opener - just too gross. I go through times when I would like to have the others, but the wish passes because I don't think I need any of them taking up space in my little kitchen. Maybe someday when I have a bigger kitchen or when I'm cooking for more than just me.

I have no need for a bread maker. But I don't see how people want to live without a food processor. Or a dishwasher.

@iahawk89 - I needed a breadmaker because I don't have a stand mixer and my wrists couldn't handle the kneading (and I didn't want to go back to store-bought bread). However, for the most of my life I'd lived without a dishwasher and it didn't bother me one bit. Even now, I often wash dishes by hand and feel guilty and lazy when I stick something into the dishwasher. In fact, dishwasher would be the only major kitchen appliance I could easily do without.

Meat grinder

A pickle grabber.

...no I lied...I actually do want one...

Definitely don't want a deep fryer. Anything it can do can be done just as well by a cast-iron dutch oven, and the dutch oven can do plenty that the deep fryer can't do.

A juicer. They suck out all the pulp. I love pulp.
A breadmaker. They always rip the guts out of the bread.
A garlic peeler. That's why I have a chef's knife.
A plastic "lettuce knife." Why?
A garlic press. Just something to take up room in the drawer.

Food processor. I had one for awhile and rarely used it. When I did, I found it to be a pain in the neck to clean.

blender, juicer, deep fryer, bread machine, toaster, toaster oven, ice maker, george foreman grill (people keep giving them to me & i keep giving them to charity).

@meganesta...Don't feel bad about not having a KitchenAid Mixer...I'm the exact same way. The ONLY time I break out my hand mixer is when I make cheesecake, I can get the filling a lot smoother. Everything else I mix by hand.

microwave oven.

I use a colander as a garbage bowl. Works great and didn't cost me an outrageous sum. I use the microwave for storage.

Okay, what I live without:

rice cooker
coffee maker (and I drink a lot of coffee. I use a Mellita device)
bread machine
garlic press
deep fat fryer
electric can opener
Foreman grill (we had one and got rid of it)
immersion blender

A dead mouse on the kitchen counter, had one last year that was enough.

Mostly I think of what I do want in my NYC kitchen:

Space
Magic elf to cleanup
Dishwasher - must be loaded by elf though
Kitchen Aid mixer
box grater - might have to splurge for that one
butchers block for cutting
marble slab for baking prep
pretty flowers and nice decor

dishwasher. I love standing there looking at my backyard (even in the snow) thinking about vegetables with my hands in the suds.

dishwasher. I love standing there looking at my backyard (even in the snow) thinking about vegetables with my hands in the suds.

I don't have a microplane grater, and I don't want one. I don't understand why people love this gadget so much. I rarely need to zest anything (It's just for zesting, isn't it?) I just don't understand why people act as if it were the best thing ever when it serves basically only one purpose...and a minor one at that. A cheese grater is a fine substitution in a pinch. IMHO...

I don't have a microwave. I got grossed out by them a couple years ago. I have missed it exactly 2 times in the last 3 years.

@GolfGirl - I cook pretty much everything from scratch and I have a microwave oven. It never occurred to me that cooking and having a microwave oven were two mutually exclusive things. It does help when I need to defrost soup or meatballs I cooked and froze myself (and forgot to take out of the freezer in advance). It's also very convenient when I need to warm up a bowl of soup or stew, or even yes, melt butter or chocolate or quickly heat some water when I need to proof yeast - it takes exactly 15 seconds to get 1/4 cup of water to 110F. Like every other tool, it's exactly that - a tool. You can heat "Lean Cuisine" in it or you can use it for other things. but it's not responsible in any way for your cooking (or not).

This is my very first time on this site, and I've enjoyed reading through some comments. I am not a novice cook, and I know how to cook great food well. So it is interesting to me that many of the tools I use EVERY day are on the 'Don't want' list of many people. Are the items considered "not cool" for serious foodies? Or are they things people haven't ever used and think, "Well, I've gotten along without them so far, I don't care to try them!" I'm just curious, not passing judgment here or anything! (Sorry this is the longest comment on here!)

Here is what I don't have and don't want:
Electric can opener
Any Ronco item sold by shouting hucksters on TV
Any single-use gadget

Here are some things I have and rarely use:
Quesadilla maker....given to me by my sweet sister-in-law. She knew we made quesadillas a lot, so thought it would be great. I used it a few times. Unfortunately, it takes large tortillas, which I rarely buy, so it's not that useful for me. (It's in the garage on my gadget shelf)
Deep Fryer: I bought it back when I cared less about what my diet was like! I don't have room for it in the kitchen, and it is a pain to drain, etc.

Things I have and have a love/hate relationship with:
Bread Maker...my Mother-in-law gave it to me. I use it off and on. I do like making pizza dough in it, and other bread doughs.
George Foreman Grill(the large kind, looks like a regular grill):I love it, but use it only sporadically and it takes up a lot of space in my kitchen.

Things I have and use all the time!
Dishwasher....I didn't have one for the first seven years of marriage. Now, with five kids, can't imagine not having it.
Microwave....Five kids....use it every day. Hubby actually likes quesadillas made in it, rather than skillet.
Garlic Press....I use it pretty frequently. I just like them!
Food Processor....I use it almost every day for one thing or another.
Blender....Use it ALL the time.
KitchenAid....I don't enjoy the hand-mixing/beating, so I have used my KitchenAid innumerable times.
My biggest love affair right now is with my immersion blender. I use it more than the food processor. It is useful in so many different ways.
Microplane....have it and love it. Zest is so flavorful in citrus recipes. Microplane takes off only the zest and is so 'fluffy' and good.

@brooke29, I didn't mean to affend you! I just meant that being in my very early 20's and on a meager budget, living in my first apartment (very small) without a microwave, I thought I could cook on my stove quicker than heating up the oven for 15 minutes and then waiting an hour for a frozen meal to heat. Please don't take offense, that was not my intention. That forced me to find quick cooking meals that lead to a life-long love of cooking. Again, I never meant to offend.

@annien--are you sure you don't want one? They're great for washing the dishes.

A bread maker and a deep fat fryer,it's too gross to clean.

For all of you without a silpat - get one! It's the best thing I've ever bought. It's not that expensive, and it's so much less wasteful than all those sheets of parchment.

But, that's not what we're talking about. I don't have a dutch oven. Or a bread machine, the oven works wonders! I don't have any of those fancy fruit cutters, etc.

I've got a lot of things that I could live without, but I enjoy using them, or they serve a specific purpose that's important to me. I lived without a Kitchenaid stand mixer for long time, but now I use it 3-4 times a week -- or more. And since I've got so many of the attachments, it's even more useful.

Because of the Kitchenaid, I don't need or want a standalone ice cream maker or a meat grinder. Or a bread machine.

Garlic Press/slicer.

Avocado Slicer.

Warped thin & crappy cutting board.

no bread machine, no rice cooker, no lettuce knife (who eats the stuff you could cut with one of those anyway?), no electric can opener, no gimmicky little choppers -- I DO, however, love my microwave, my salad spinner, my Silpats and my blender!

Electric can openers can disappear for all I care. My Swingaway manual is perfect. Takes up little space, easy to wash, and ready for duty when the power goes out. I don't know why so many people think they need electric ones.

No pressure cooker - scared of them!

No toaster oven.

Garbage compacter. Had one, hated it and sold it. Viking markets a 'microwave/convection oven/vent hood" that works well as a second oven in a small space and can use metal pans in the microwave.

lmao at the onion goggles! Ya know all you have to do to keep your eyes from watering while cutting an onion is keep your mouth open! Seriously, it works! Has something to do with the vapors from the onion going straight to moisture, which is why it hits your eyes first. Open your mouth and the vapors go there instead of to your eyes. You'll look funny - but who cares?

Things I do NOT want in my kitchen:
electric can opener
iced tea maker
deep fryer

I noticed a lot of anti-microwave sentiment, and while I hardly ever use mine, I think it's only fair to point out that it makes an excellent bread box; the sealed door and everything help to keep bread products fresher, longer. Plus it's got a clock on it.

If you have space constraints, and problems with bread going bad, start keeping the bread in the micro. The three times a year when you have to pull all the bread out to reheat a cup of coffee is less of a bother than throwing away moldy or stale bread all the time.

@pjacob01, this is one reason I love the local thrift stores. Lots of people get rid of new or almost-new cooking items they got as gifts, and the thrift stores sell them dirt cheap. Garage sales, too, particularly if it's a new couple who are getting rid of wedding and shower gifts. Some of it is junk that I wouldn't want, but sometimes it's really good stuff and/or specialty stuff that's been given to a couple who don't cook much. I've bought cast iron frying pans for 50 cents.

But oh yeah, I'd love a foodie swapmeet. One thing I'd love to find is one of those iced tea jars with a spigot. Not for tea, but for homemade vinegar. But I'd want a glass or ceramic one instead of plastic.

I don't have a George Foreman grill, but I have an equivalent grill from another manufacturer. I use it quite a lot actually, and I always like the food that comes out of it.

The worst part is cleaning out the fat trap. I just stick it in the freezer overnight then pop out the frozen fat like an ice cube. Yummy!

I never got around to buying a Kitchen Aid mixer. Where would I put it? I like my hand mixer. I can't live without a wand blender. I have drawers full of gadgets, but just never could justify the expense of a Kitchen Aid. My most basic fave is a coffee scoop from Starbucks. It is two tablespoon measure so I use it as a measuring spoon for recipes that call for that amount. Kichen Aid also makes the world's worst hand can opener. Opens nothing. My ten buck electric works better. I use my collection of chopsticks for almost everything else. Simple is best.

Microwave went on the fritz and I never replaced it. I can pop corn on my stove. I always felt that food cooled down faster when cooked or heated up in a MW. I would like to have one of those avocado scooper/mashers i've seen on CreateTV.com, and i'd like to have one of those potato peelers that were hawked on the streets of NYC by Joe Ades. But I get by with a hand mixer, or a whisk. I would like to have a pasta maker tho. But, I am seventy four years old and I can make do without any of these things. I still have an egg beater that I use, and an old potato masher that I use every week, and an old potato ricer. If the companies depended on me to buy all the new gadgets, they'd go broke in a quick hurry.

Some interesting and some funny responses. It just shows there are a lot of cooking style out there and cooking is a very personal experience - thus the tools should fit the person (not just the kitchen). As for me, I am sure how you survive without convection/microwave, rice maker (which is also a convenient steamer), immersion blender and a few other items. Convenient but not necessary are panini grill (not necessarily George Foreman), freezer ice cream maker, deep fat fryer. Totally needed are good chef knives, basic cookware and bakeware (silpat vs parchment goes on) including spring form. And don't forget measuring, mixing, and prep bowls.

yogiwan
Your Smart Kitchen
http://tinyurl.com/8du8d8

Heeey now...I love my rice cooker! I brought one to college, and its the first thing my sister bought for her new apartment!

We eat rice nearly every day, and while rice in a pot isn't that hard to make, rice in a rice cooker is perfect every time, you can set it and go about your life.
You can also make rice casseroles in it, you can make bread and porridge, oatmeal, etc.

It is the epitome of the quick, cheap, but warm and homey meal.

On the other hand, I wouldn't know what to do with a garlic press or a potato ricer. A fancy pants mandoline with the rubber safety grips and what not has no place in my house, but a cheapo Japanese Benriner does.

It's interesting to see how many people become oddly intolerant of appliances and gadgets they don't own. It makes me wonder why - it's not like appliances or gadgets attack people or actively do something else to deserve such acute hatred. I don't own a garlic press or a KitchenAid (and I don't need or want either one) and I could easily live without a dishwasher, but it would never occur to me to call these or other appliances "a total waste of space and money" if somebody else uses and enjoys them. If I don't have it - I haven't wasted either space or money, if somebody else has it and uses it - it's not a waste.

Yes, there are plenty of funny, silly and outright ridiculous appliances and gadgets out there (doughnut factory comes to mind), and I may not care for any of them, but you know what, if somebody bought it, likes it and uses it - good for them.