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Most kitchen gadgets don’t do much besides clutter your cupboards and clog your drawers. Buying them is basically throwing money away. I suspect that most people who buy them are trying to make up for being a bad or average cook, or worse, lazy.
Many people will say, and I believe it’s true, that all a top chef needs is a sharp knife, some good pots and pans, and some imagination — the only place to store a spiralizer is in the trash can.
But just because it’s not a necessity, does that mean you shouldn’t buy it? I’m writing this article at a time when I’m just beginning to fall in love with the £450 ice cream maker I bought as a gift for my partner.
Many high-end kitchen gadgets make great gifts for people who have everything. That was certainly the case with the pasta rolling machine I once gave my parents; the device never left the box. But some are worth the money, and some are nice to display in public. Which ones are worth the investment? After 30 years of buying experience since that failed acquisition, I’ve learned a few things along the way.
I often find that products with multiple functions are compromises. I don’t know which of the many machines is technically superior, but I know that if I want a food mixer for the cake I make once a year or the bread I bake with premium flour from the farm shop, I can buy a Kenwood or a KitchenAid. These are design classics; anything else looks ugly and has to be kept out of sight. There’s no need to go for the higher spec model unless you’ve done your homework and think you need the extra features. How about the Kenwood Cooking Chef with induction cooktop at £1,199? There are better looking options out there.
A food processor is a necessity, not because you use it often, but because of the guests who come over for sparkling wine. If you have a dinner party planned, you can pretend to try a Nigella Lawson recipe. Don’t skimp, buy the Magimix 5200XL Premium – it’s worth the £490. It looks good and is dishwasher safe. Food processors are made for lazy people, so washing by hand isn’t an option. Most models are ugly and need to be tucked away in a cupboard, which means they’ll never be used.
Recommendation
There’s currently a trend for luxury brands to collaborate with fashion designers to justify their exorbitant prices. Smeg’s collaboration with Dolce & Gabbana is an example of this trend. Their kettle costs £599. It’s ridiculous. Buy a Quooker instant boiling water tap instead. It’s £1,860 for the gunmetal version, but you don’t need to buy a separate tap. Plus, instant boiling water is much more convenient than a kettle that clutters up your countertop. Be aware, though, that boiling water taps are not a good gift.
Enter the world of coffee makers, and it’s a funny story. When I remodeled my kitchen I held my nose and bought a Gaggenau. I know the insides are Bosch. Why spend £7000 on an oven when the Bosch version is £399? Simply because it looks better. It’s like spending £30,000 on an Audi A5 or around £186,000 on a Bentley Continental. Same parent company, similar job. But you can’t brag about an Audi A5. Unless it’s your first car at 17.
At the time I bought 2 ovens and a microwave – all built in units. Someone thought it would be a good idea to buy a plate warmer. Stupid idea. I’ll never get £2000 again.
A popcorn maker? No. Buy a microwave-safe one. A cotton candy maker? No. Buy one for when you go to the amusement park, because you have no excuse to eat that nonsense at home anyway.
Back to the coffee machine, it looks great – but for £3000 you’d expect that – but it has some major drawbacks. It’s built-in so you have to manually pull it out and fill it with water. To make frothed milk you need a cumbersome container that you have to wash every time – not to mention if you need to change the beans. There’s no removable container so the only way I’ve found to do it is with a step ladder and a Henry vacuum cleaner. What a pain. A £295 grind, stainless steel, Nespresso compatible pod machine would have been better.
No kitchen gadget column would be complete without a discussion of air fryers. You’d probably go for the Ninja Double Stack XL. It’s £269. But it looks awful. I’m not going to spend thousands on a Gaggenau kit to litter it with trendy items. So I bought a Daewoo for £19.99 and it sits in my pantry. I’ll never show it to guests. But it’s a great product.
When it comes to items that need display, like toasters, it’s worth spending the money. There are loads out there, and most are terrible. Unless you live alone, there’s no point in having a toaster that can only toast two slices at a time. After all, no one eats more than one slice of toast. It has to be a device that can do four slices, and it has to be a Dualit. £220 is well worth it.
What about extra equipment? A popcorn maker? No. Buy a microwaveable product. A cotton candy maker? No. Buy one for when you go to the amusement park. You have no excuse to eat that nonsense at home anyway.
But what is the ultimate kitchen appliance? I think of an ice cream maker. Made by Magimix, this product makes smooth, creamy gelato. Or it can make a thick, rich gelato or granita. Forget about relying on ice or having to chill in the freezer. These products are only good for one thing: landfill.
And that’s the point. Kitchen gadgets that simply get the job done and have to be hidden away make the worst gifts. Things that are worth paying for are things you show off. An ice cream maker isn’t a necessity, but was it a great, unexpected birthday gift that you’ll be happy to use every time? And do we love it? Absolutely.
James Max is a TV and radio presenter and real estate expert. Opinions expressed here are personal. X, Instagram, Thread Follow
