the price for the most useless household item goes to...

[greenelephantscarf]

... the gravy boat

• always drips
• never big enough
• alwas at the wrong end of the table
• a pain in the drawer as it's not stackable

I'm moving house. gravy boat will stay behind.

I use my egg slicer for slicing mushrooms. Don't think I have ever sliced an egg in it!

I actually love my spiraliser and use it several times a week. The most useless item taking up space in my kitchen is our beautiful looking copper wire fruit basket. I rarely eat fruit and my DH only likes apples but when the weekly shopping arrives all the apples are gone within 24hrs, so the bloody fruit basket is empty until the next week - at which time it will be empty again within 24hrs. Now I think about it, perhaps it's my DH who is the most useless kitchen item?

@BasiliskStare

I don't think so, no. It's an awkward shape - long, narrow and shallow. I could probably use it as an oven dish, at a push...

I don't own any useless kitchen gadgets or items. I guess I'm not a sucker. I do own a gravy boat and I use it all the time.

Right that's it wok is off to the charity shop roll around the boot of the car for 6 months until i actually get round to going

Zester. Don't know if it's it or me with weak hands but I can never get it to work. DM sent me away to college with a device that cuts tomatoes into pretty shapes. I must have used it twice in 30 years. Am saving it to hand onto the DC.
Gadget I love is my fish tweezers for removing bones from fish. Before I got them, I had used eyebrow tweezers!

Butter dish. Hate 'em

How can you hate a butter dish?! What else do you put butter in, a plate takes up too much room!

No matter what the vessel it's in, there's never enough gravy :( first world problems

Those of you with woks you use... does the auto-rust-the-second-you-take-your-eye-off it function come as standard with all woks, or just mine? It's more or less fine until I wash it up, when before you can say PASS ME THE TEA TOWEL BARBARA it's rusting before my eyes. Oil stops the nonsense, but then I've got a vaguely rusty rancid oil coated wok to store until the next use in 6 months time - which I then just wipe wash and oil before use because even with my low standards rusty rancid probably dusty oil coating isn't good. Am I missing something?

I actually love my spiraliser and use it several times a week

What for?

I'm so glad I cheaped out on mine, although I'd love some ideas for resurrecting it. Used it a handful of times, went off courgette quickly 😂

Dyson cordless. Fucking useless object.

I was mooching around Lakeland about a year ago with a friend and pointed out those green rubbery/plasticky cups that you are supposed to poach eggs in. I said I had never succeeded in poaching one egg this way as the cups flop over in the water. Although I looked round to see if anyone was overhearing me (there wasn’t) I later that week received a letter apologising for my disappointment enclosing a voucher......

Kilo drinks muddler!........most useless item ever. £8 to sit in a box and never get used.

A melon baller. Melon does not need to be served in balls. Think I used it once about 15 years ago.

You are all garlic amateurs with your boards and presses.

I buy a huge bag of cloves at a time, then throw them into the food processor. Chopped in seconds, freeze flat in food bags then just break off huge clumps whenever you need some.

Those of you with woks you use... does the auto-rust-the-second-you-take-your-eye-off it function come as standard with all woks, or just mine?

Classic woks need to be properly seasoned and then never washed in soapy water. Like cast iron pans.

I have a garlic peeler (silicon tube thing), which I use often and a garlic press, which I hardly use as I use the whole cloves in cooking. gives the same flavour imo but I can fish out the big bits.

@buzzbobbly - I admire your technique - the problem is that my house is just too small to store a food processor - perhaps you could have a 2nd career - if I send you garlic - you send it back vacuum packed will pay - alternatively I could just bash more garlic - does it work well once frozen. ? Long cooked I think garlic is always fine , one whatever form.

@BiglyBadgers how do you clean a wok if you can't use soapy water? (Sorry if a dim question but really!)

toddles off to Dr Google

Popcorn maker; big machine that makes a tiny portion, when you can make any size portion in any pan in a few mins... worst gift ever! straight to charity shop, it didn't warrant the space it was using.

Thankyou Buzzbobbly !

Chakira When I had one I would swish it out with warm water and wipe. Then just give it a wipe with a bit of kitchen towel with a dash of olive oil on once in a while and it'll be fine.

If it ever does get so dirty you absolutely can't avoid using washingup liquid you need to season it again asap.

This is also the case if you ever happen to get a cast iron frying pan or skillet.

I no longer have either of this things I admit, but have done in the past.

You can buy packets of frozen garlic in the supermarket. I also used to get frozen chopped onions because life's too short for chopping onions.

Classic woks need to be properly seasoned and then never washed in soapy water. Like cast iron pans.

I've got a big cast iron frying pan that I bought in Habitat when I left home in 1975. It has never been washed up, just cleaned off with kitchen towel.

It is the best pan I have ever owned (including Le Creuset) and I can't cook steak or bubble & squeak in anything else. Sadly, arthritis means I'm finding it harder and harder to lift and think I may not be able to use it much longer.

I'll just have to make DP do all the cooking then.

I have a cast iron griddle pan and a frypan too. It's hard not to wash it, but my DD tells me off if I do. Just a wipe with a damp kitchen roll and more oiling.