Next to electronics, kitchen gadgets will be the hottest items this holiday season.
If you didn't get an Instant Pot last year, you may get one this Christmas (but be prepared: it needs about a foot and a half in space each direction in the cupboard).
High-tech pressure cookers and low-tech slow cookers fit a need, and would be welcome in most kitchens this holiday season.
But there are some kitchen gadgets most people really don't need, and don't make the best gifts, according to the money saving site Cheapism.com.
Gadgets that will get used once or twice
In a recent report entitled "50 kitchen gadgets that are a complete waste of money," Cheapism says most people use cute gadgets just once or twice before putting them away forever.
Among those items it claims most casual cooks really don't need:
- Panini maker
- Quesadilla maker
- Banana slicer
- Asparagus maker
- Pasta maker
- Omelet maker
- Butter bell
- Melon wedgers
- Garlic and onion peelers
Pizza gadgets everywhere
And from the "doesn't that stink" file, the cottage industry built around gadgets to make homemade pizza, when most of us eat frozen or delivery pizza.
So unless you own a restaurant, Cheapism says you probably don't need:
- A specific pizza toaster
- Pizza cutting shears
- Pizza grill attachments
Is Uncle Bob really going to use pizza grill accessories, making pizza next to hot dogs and burgers? A closet full of all those might make you say "doesn't that stink."
Cheapism says the only pizza gadget you really need is a round cutting wheel, that sell for about $5.
My advice: When buying someone a kitchen gadget, have some idea of what they like, and what they like to cook.
Otherwise it could sit unopened in the closet for years, so some of these may be a case of don't waste your money.
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