Have you ever opened a kitchen cupboard, looked in the very back, and realized that you own something that’s just completely useless? Something that you’ve used once or twice in the whole time that you’ve owned it? On the flip side, I’m sure we all have those unique kitchen gadgets or tools that we feel we couldn’t live without!

Here’s a list of 3 things that have just wasted space in my kitchen, as well as 3 things that I absolutely love!!

Space Wasters:

Avocado peeler. I love avocados. My girls love avocados, I do not, however, love the avocado peeler. This tool sat in my drawer forever before I finally got rid of it. I found it to be super ineffective. It was hard to scoop the avocado out, made a bigger mess, and just took up space. I find it much more useful to just use a spoon to scoop out the avocado after slicing it in half with a knife. I can often do it in one swipe with the spoon and keep the avocado looking nice, whereas the fancy avocado peeler just results in a big squishy mess.

Splatter screen. I love the concept behind this…. I hate all the greasy sticky spots that result from sauteing meat and veggies. But the screen is pretty useless. Unless you never stir... Which results in black and burnt food, you have to lift up the screen anyway if you want to stir, and so it’s pretty much ineffective. It might cut down the splattering a little bit, but I still had to wipe away splatters, and had an extra dish in addition, so it just isn’t worth it to me.

Panini Maker. I love me a good panini, but this appliance just took up too much space. I used it once before it sat for a couple years and I decided to get rid of it. You can always use a spatula or heavy plate to push your sandwiches down to get a similar effect. Unless you eat paninis daily, I just don't see this as being a very effective use of space.

Totally Worth It:

Now here are a few tools that I just adore and love having in my kitchen!


Mix n/ Chop. Simple, but SO helpful! Cooking ground beef is a million times easier. It cuts it up perfectly, and you can stir at the same time. I also love to use it to shred chicken in crock pots (there are so many recipes that require you to shred the chicken 30 minutes before serving, but after it’s already been cooked). I’ve even used it for strawberries when making jam! It’s versatile and makes shredding/mashing/breaking things up so so easy!


Garlic press. I hate mincing garlic because it’s sticky and ends up being such a pain. Plus, you want to get your garlic super tiny so it can spread throughout your meal evenly. A garlic press just makes it so easy! Sure you can always just chop your garlic super tiny, but I much prefer using my garlic press!


Cast iron pan. I’ll admit, I was a bit of a skeptic at first, but I’ve really come to love my cast iron pans! If you treat them correctly, you can get a really nice seasoning on your pans and they truly become non-stick, which makes them the easiest thing to clean ever! I love that I can stick them in the oven straight from the stove as well, which adds a lot of flexibility with dishes you can make. They are hardy and helpful and I love mine!

Do you have anything in your kitchen that you’ve decided is just a waste of space? Any tools you can’t live without? Share with us below!

    Camille Hoffmann
    Monthly Newsletter Contributor since 2014
    Email the author! camille@dvo.com