What gadgets/appliances have you bought but never used?

[RomanesEuntDomus]

Inspired by the decluttering thread, what gizmos of yours are currently languishing in a corner unused?

What did you hope to use it for and what part of your life did you hope it would change or make easier?

Why did you not use it? If you did, what were the problems with it?

I have a food processor given to me as a Christmas present decades ago, which has only really had the blending and spice grinding attachments used. Last time I tried to use the grater attachment it wouldn't come together to work properly (too difficult and fiddly to assemble right) and I gave up in disgust and decided the normal cheese grater was actually quicker.

 

[HelenDamnation]

Mr Damnation and I squabble about the popcorn maker, which only gets used when grandchildren or other visit us, as we both dislike popcorn. But I’m keeping it, hoping for more sociable times, post plague.

 

[NotSorry]

We’ve got a popcorn maker my stepson bought us - think it got used once

We had one of those photo screen thingies - never got it out of the box

 

[Oldcoot]

Ice-cream maker. It's a right pain and never works properly. So that's going at the next round of the kitchen clean up.

 

[Buzzcat]

A corollary to this is what gadgets have you brought that you use a lot and would replace if broken?

Mine is my Halogen Oven - I never use my actual oven.
Also my mini Swiss Army Knife
Strangely enough I also bought a foam cylinder from Lidl - it’s been invaluable for my post op exercises.

I don’t use my Air Fryer. Plus various gadgets for making pretty little spiral vegetables.

 

[NotSorry]

A corollary to this is what gadgets have you brought that you use a lot and would replace if broken?

Mine is my Halogen Oven - I never use my actual oven.
Also my mini Swiss Army Knife
Strangely enough I also bought a foam cylinder from Lidl - it’s been invaluable for my post op exercises.

I don’t use my Air Fryer. Plus various gadgets for making pretty little spiral vegetables.

Our vacuum sealer

It broke during the first lockdown, had it years and managed to get one that takes up less room and they sent me some free bags (which are expensive)

 

[Oldcoot]

Spiralizer (it's the only way I can get DS to eat courgette if it's disguised as spagghetti)
Food Processor/blender and the mini one (I can't live without them)
slow cooker (I have two and use them both)
Mandolin for slicing veg thinly and making crisps
interchangeable screwdrivers and electric screwdrivers
cordless hoover
steamer
carpet cleaner
my drills
Swiss army knife and a swiss army hammer that DD brought for me. It's a nifty little thing. Ideal for those flack pack furniture jobs.

 

[Gallagirl]

I spent hundreds on a very fancy kenwood chef thing. I use it for baking but have never once used any of the other attachments/bits. I have it about 9 years now

 

[RomanesEuntDomus]

I spent hundreds on a very fancy kenwood chef thing. I use it for baking but have never once used any of the other attachments/bits. I have it about 9 years now

So, basically you just use it as a stand mixer?

Looking at the patterns here, I'd expect to see more specialised gadgets being more likely to be white elephants (especially if they're cheap and nasty, as I assume the ice-cream maker is), unless you know your needs and they're quite specific (which appears to be the case with Oldcoot's spiralizer and Swiss Army stuff). Avoid buying things you didn't know you needed; you probably don't. Most things that can be done in an air fryer can be done in an oven.

Anything sold as all purpose will be complicated to assemble and use. So what I'm getting from this is, unless you're used to using them, don't buy them. I get the impression that only industrial grade food processors are worth it, and then only for people who do a LOT of cooking. There may be exceptions, of course.

Some things are pretty much just novelty toys, like the photo screens, or home laminators - adult equivalents of Barbie sewing machines.

Interesting food for thought here.

 

[HelenDamnation]

We use the vacuum sealer a lot.
In summer, I use my Lidl version of the Nutribullet, for veg drinks ( nicer than it sounds).
But most of all, the whirly stick mixer thingy. Lumpy sauces are a thing of the past. Omlettes are full of air. Cream whips instantaneously. And it makes an ostentatious loud scream that belies its size. And it's green.

 

[Wait...What?]

Slow cooker. It turned everything into the grey death and tasted worse.

Bread maker. Hovis has always done it better and quicker even if it does involve an emergency dash to Sainsbo's at 10pm.

Worst thing is it was a present from memory of an elephant (this is relevant) DM, got dispatched to the chazzer as a useless picece of shite and then got asked for back literally years after the event

 

[Whisper]

I was never that happy with the bread our bread maker produced. It was then only used for pizza dough, and now it’s never used because Aldi do very nice chilled pizza for £1.50ish
Never used the fondue wedding present.
Used the ice cream machine once- not worth the faff
Use the popcorn maker intermittently (maybe 3-4 times a year- is it worth keeping for that?)
Use the food processor slightly more often
Use the slow cooker once a month, mainly for soup and mince but it does a fantastic lamb shank.
Love my stick blender thing, love my electric beaters

 

[lifestooshort123]

Also love love love my stick blender. Gave away pasta maker and only use Kenwood for buttercream icing - shame on me - have never worked out which attachment is which (slicers/graters) but would like a mandolin grater if they weren't so pricey.

 

[Technika]

@Buzzcat I have a halogen oven and I can’t get to grips with it (only used it once to make pizza which I put on the top rack and the garlic bread on the bottom rack and the pizza Was burnt on top amd raw underneath and the garlic bread was still raw)

any good tips/websites/recipe books?

 

[RomanesEuntDomus]

Oh yeah...pasta maker. Forgot about that. The few times it was ever used it left the kitchen absolutely covered in a fine layer of flour. You had to screw it to a table, flour everything heavily and then waste a load of dough getting the thing to function properly. Waste of dough in more ways than one, when you can get dried pasta for tuppence ha'penny and can't taste the difference most of the time.

I liked the first breadmaker we had though. It wasn't strictly necessary as you can do bread in the oven, but it was handy to be able to bung the ingredients in, switch the machine on, go out then forget about it for a couple of hours. Bought a new one and it broke down within a fortnight, so haven't replaced it since.

 

[HelenDamnation]

I use my pasta maker for modelling clay.

 

[Justsayno]

Bought and never use: Breville mini pie maker, cookie dough extruder, pasta maker, vacuum seal
Bought and rarely use (but when I do, it's awesome): mandolin, dehydrator, food processor, spiralizer, nutribullet, ice cream maker, electric mini juicer, raclette maker, soda stream
Bought and often use: Kitchenaid mixmaster, stick blender, breadmaker, espresso maker, slow cookers (we have 2), dyson vacuum, dyson hair dryer, dyson cool/purifier (husband was on a roll)

The most amazing thing I discovered this Christmas was cutting out my ginger bread cookies on my cookina sheet. I just about cried at how easy it was not having to move the cut out shapes to a tray for baking. Cookina is not an appliance but we use them almost every night.

PS I need a do not disturb sign on the back of my head. The number of interruptions I've had while making this post ...

 

[Seenitnowsorted]

I love my stick blender and second hand hand whisk, and realise now that I miss my electric carving knife I had 30 years ago when they were everywhere and dirt cheap but couldn’t find one last year when I remembered about it!

Edit - looked on line rather than in store - found the buggers everywhere!!!!
And wish autocorrect took the word bugger and stopped changing it to nuggets!!!!

 

[Mad about heucheras]

Those of you who swear by stick blenders, which make/model do you have? I’ve fancied one since I saw Mary Berry making good use of hers, but couldn’t work out which one she has.

 

[Cinders]

Randomly Scott’s of Stow have sent me their mail order catalogue. Not sure why, I have never ordered from them. And it had a stamp on it rather than direct mail franking, which is quaint! So many things in there I thought, mmm, useful. But have resisted!