Most viral gadgets do one small job, clean badly, and end up in the back of a drawer. Here is what to skip and what to buy instead.
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Skip all six. Every one of them is a single-purpose tool that a good knife, a spider strainer or a honing rod does better and longer. Spend the money on one knife you like instead of a drawer of novelty tools.
A plastic tool that does one job a paring knife does better, and the blade cuts unevenly on a ripe fruit.
Why it fails: Single-use · Cleanup
Buy instead
A sharp paring knife
Cuts an avocado, trims a pepper, hulls a strawberry, and takes ten seconds to rinse.
You lose half the clove in the chamber, and cleaning the little holes is a chore that makes people stop using it.
Why it fails: Cleanup · Value
Buy instead
A chef’s knife
Smash, mince, done. Victorinox Fibrox Pro is our budget pick and also handles every other chopping job.
It exists to slice one fruit, and a banana already comes in a peel and slices with a butter knife or a paring knife.
Why it fails: Single-use · Value
Buy instead
A paring knife
Same knife as above. One tool replaces a drawer of novelty slicers.
The clip-on lid with holes leaks, loosens at the worst moment, and puts your hand next to boiling steam.
Why it fails: Durability · Safety
Buy instead
A stainless spider strainer
Lifts pasta, blanched vegetables and fried food straight out of the pot, and goes in the dishwasher.
Five blades trap herb bits that are hard to get out, and they bruise soft herbs rather than cutting them.
Why it fails: Cleanup · Single-use
Buy instead
A well-made chef’s knife
A sharp knife slices herbs cleanly, which is why working kitchens do not use herb scissors. Mac MBK-95 is our top pick.
Sharpening slots in the block grind away steel every time you slide a knife in, and they cannot hold a consistent angle.
Why it fails: Durability · Value
Buy instead
A honing rod and a good knife
Hone before cooking to keep the edge straight, and sharpen on a stone now and then. See the knives guide for how.
Pro kitchens keep few tools and replace them rarely, because every extra item is something to clean and store. Home cooks fall for gadgets because they look like a shortcut. A sharp knife and a couple of good pans are the real shortcut. See our knives guide and cookware guide for what to buy.
If you buy one thing instead of a gadget, make it a good chef’s knife.
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