With endless kitchen tools and gadgets promising faster food prep and better results, it's easy to find yourself with a cluttered kitchen.
A handful of dependable tools will carry you much farther than a drawer full of gimmicks -- at least that's what the culinary experts I spoke to suggest. Professional chefs stick to basics like sharp knives, sturdy cutting boards, and reliable pans because they work and they last. Those are the types of tools that help you build confidence in the kitchen instead of adding clutter.
To separate the essential from the superfluous or downright useless, we asked culinary pros to share the tools they swear by and the gadgets they'd skip. Their advice will help you avoid falling for flashy products and instead invest in items that you'll reach for every single day. When decluttering your kitchen, you'll have to make some tough decisions but we're here to help.
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Masaharu Morimoto
Celebrity chef, restaurateur
Masaharu Morimoto shared his pick for the most overrated kitchen tool. Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images
1. Mandolin
Chef Morimoto encourages beefing up your knife skills to make thin and uniform vegetable slices. Milk Street
Why: "While it brings good slices, mastering proper knife skills gives you more control, precision and safety in the long run. Mandolins can be bulky, hard to clean and risky if you're not extremely careful. Relying too much on a mandolin, or tools like a two-in-one apple cutter or a tomato corer can hold you back from developing real technique. Taking the time to learn how to handle a sharp chef's knife or Japanese blade will help you in almost every recipe."
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