Professional chefs understand the value of kitchen real estate like New Yorkers understand rent -- every square inch better be pulling its weight. Walk through the swinging doors of most restaurant kitchens and you won't likely spot an avocado slicer or dedicated egg cooker lying around. Nope, every tool has a job, and if it doesn't earn its keep, it's out the door faster than last week's unsold seafood.
That's why chefs are the ultimate authority on which kitchen gadgets should get the boot -- especially when counter space in your kitchen is as scarce as hen's teeth.
To compile this list, I asked five professional chefs about useless and overrated kitchen tools and what they recommend using instead. Some on the list get knocked for simply taking up too much space to justify buying, while others get a failing grade for being downright gimmicky.
Here's what they said.
Masaharu Morimoto
Celebrity chef, restauranteur
Masaharu Morimoto shared his pick for the most overrated kitchen tool. Dave Kotinsky/Stringer/Getty
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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