If you’ve ever wandered through an appliance store or spent time scrolling through kitchen gadget ads, you’ve probably seen plenty of products promising to make cooking faster, easier, and more enjoyable. Sleek finishes and clever features can make almost any appliance look like something you suddenly need.
But once the excitement wears off, some of these gadgets end up sitting unused in a cabinet or taking up valuable counter space. A few are useful for people with very specific cooking habits, but for the average household, they may not justify the cost.
Here are 13 kitchen appliances that can be difficult to justify when simpler, less expensive options can do much of the same work.
Bread Makers
The idea of waking up to a loaf of fresh bread sounds wonderful, but a bread maker can be a lot of machine for something many people make only occasionally.
These appliances can take up a good amount of counter or cabinet space, and some models are fairly expensive. If you bake several loaves every week, a bread maker may earn its place in your kitchen. For everyone else, a mixing bowl, loaf pan, and oven can handle most basic bread recipes without another appliance taking up room.
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Juicers
Juicers are marketed as an easy way to get more fruits and vegetables into your diet, but they can be expensive and surprisingly tedious to clean.
There is also a nutritional trade-off to keep in mind. According to the Mayo Clinic, juicing can remove some of the fiber found in whole fruits and vegetables. If you enjoy fresh juice and use the machine regularly, it may be worthwhile. If you only make juice once in a while, the appliance can quickly become an expensive item gathering dust.
Waffle Makers
There’s nothing wrong with a homemade waffle, but a dedicated waffle maker may be hard to justify if you only make them a few times a year.
The appliance needs a place to live, takes time to heat up, and requires cleaning after use. Pancakes, French toast, and other breakfast favorites can be made with cookware you probably already own.
For a household that makes waffles every weekend, a waffle maker makes more sense. For occasional weekend breakfasts, it may be one more appliance competing for storage space.
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Baker’s Stand Mixers
A stand mixer can be a fantastic tool for someone who bakes frequently. It makes kneading dough, mixing large batches of batter, and whipping ingredients much easier.
The problem is that these machines can be bulky and expensive. If you only bake cookies or cakes once in a while, a hand mixer can handle most of those jobs for much less money.
A stand mixer earns its keep in a serious baker’s kitchen. For occasional baking, it can be difficult to justify the space and expense.
High-End Espresso Machines
Coffee lovers can easily get carried away by the promise of café-quality espresso at home. Some high-end machines cost thousands of dollars, though, and getting consistently good results can take plenty of practice.
There are also grinders, beans, cleaning supplies, filters, and other accessories to factor into the cost. If you simply want a quick cup of coffee in the morning, a less expensive brewer may be a much better fit.
A premium espresso machine makes sense for someone who genuinely enjoys the process. For a person who just needs caffeine before work, it can be excessive.
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Electric Egg Cookers
Boiling eggs is one of those kitchen jobs that doesn’t require much equipment. A saucepan, some water, and a timer can do the job perfectly well.
Electric egg cookers take up storage space and add another corded appliance to your kitchen for a task that is already easy to handle on the stovetop.
If you make large batches of eggs regularly, the convenience might be worth it. For occasional use, the appliance may be more trouble than it’s worth.
Specialty Pizza Ovens
Countertop pizza ovens can produce excellent results, but they’re also a fairly specialized purchase.
If homemade pizza is a weekly tradition in your house, having a dedicated oven may make sense. For everyone else, a regular oven, pizza stone, baking steel, or cast-iron skillet can produce a very good homemade pie without requiring another appliance.
The extra equipment also needs somewhere to go when pizza night is over. That’s a tough trade-off for a machine that may only get used a handful of times each month.
Smart Refrigerators
A refrigerator that can tell you when you’re running low on milk sounds impressive. The question is whether you actually need the technology.
Smart refrigerators can cost considerably more than conventional models, and connected features may become outdated long before the refrigerator itself needs replacing. There are also privacy concerns surrounding internet-connected household appliances, something Consumer Reports has discussed.
A basic refrigerator already keeps food cold and offers plenty of storage. Unless the connected features genuinely appeal to you, spending extra for them may be difficult to justify.
Automatic Potato Peelers
Peeling potatoes isn’t exactly a favorite kitchen task, but buying a dedicated machine for it may create more work than it saves.
An inexpensive handheld peeler takes up almost no room and can peel a potato in seconds. An automatic peeler needs storage, cleaning, and occasionally troubleshooting.
For someone preparing large quantities of potatoes regularly, the convenience could be useful. For a typical dinner, the old-fashioned peeler is usually all you need.
Electric Can Openers
Electric can openers were once considered a major kitchen convenience. These days, plenty of manual openers are inexpensive, compact, and easy to use.
An electric model takes up more space and needs a power source or batteries. Some can also become frustrating when the mechanism stops working properly.
A good manual can opener can last for years and sit quietly in a drawer until you need it. That’s hard to beat for such a simple task.
Popcorn Makers
Popcorn makers can be fun, especially for households that host regular movie nights. But for occasional popcorn cravings, they’re rarely necessary.
A saucepan with a lid can make excellent stovetop popcorn, and microwave popcorn requires almost no preparation or cleanup. Dedicated popcorn machines also need storage space between uses.
Unless you’re regularly making popcorn for a crowd, this is another appliance that may spend more time sitting around than doing its job.
Sous Vide Machines for Beginners
Sous vide cooking has become popular among home cooks who enjoy experimenting with precise temperatures and longer cooking times. For someone who cooks this way often, a sous vide machine can be useful.
For a casual cook, though, the equipment may be more complicated than necessary. Meals can often be prepared successfully using a skillet, oven, slow cooker, or other cookware already sitting in the kitchen.
There’s also the matter of planning ahead. Sous vide cooking can take considerably longer than simply putting dinner in a pan. If you’re usually trying to get food on the table quickly, the machine may spend more time in storage than in use.
Specialty Ice Cream Makers
Making homemade ice cream sounds like a fun weekend project, but dedicated ice cream makers can take up valuable cabinet space for a dessert many households don’t make very often.
There are also ingredients to buy, bowls or containers to store, and equipment to clean afterward. Store-bought ice cream is often easier and less expensive, especially if you only have it occasionally.
For someone who loves experimenting with homemade flavors, an ice cream maker can be a worthwhile hobby purchase. For everyone else, it may become another appliance that gets pulled out once or twice before disappearing into the back of a cabinet.
