Four unnecessary kitchen gadgets you can easily do without.
From strawberry stem removers to battery-powered twirling forks for eating spaghetti, these days, it seems like there’s a kitchen implement for every imaginable need. But while many are genuinely helpful, some are simply unnecessary. Avoid buying these four items and save your money to splurge where it counts.
Pizza stone
There’s nothing better than the perfect crust on a pizza – but you don’t need a pizza stone to achieve this. The idea behind the stone is that it retains heat, cooking your pizza from the base to achieve a crispier crust. However, the reality is that a baking tray can do the job just as well. Place a large baking tray upside-down on the oven’s lowest rack when you start to pre-heat the oven, then simply slide the pizza on top when it’s time to cook. The surface of the tray will be hot enough to get the pizza crisp.
Avocado, egg and apple slicers
Why fill up your kitchen’s ‘miscellaneous’ drawer (you know the one) with all these single-use implements when a simple knife will slice your foods just as well? Two or three good knives will cover just about any eventuality – just make sure you sharpen them regularly.
Deep fryer
You may be dreaming of all the chips and onion rings you can make with your own deep fryer, but chances are you’ll never use it enough to justify the cost and size (because they take up a lot of room in storage). If you want to fry up your dinner, a large, heavy-duty pan or wok will do the job just as well. You can even shell out for a kitchen thermometer to make sure the oil is the right temperature – these only cost a few dollars at the supermarket.
Pie weights
Blind-baking your pie crusts help ensure they don’t turn out soggy and sad, but you don’t need to invest in pie weights for this. Pie weights can be expensive and are notoriously hard to clean – and common pantry staples will do the job just as well. Once you’ve lined the pie tin with your dough, top with a sheet of baking paper and then pour over dried beans or rice. You can even use the toasted rice to make a pilaf later.
Try our Harissa Salmon, Broccolini and Spinach One-Pot Pilaf.
