7 Kitchen Tools You Don't Need (and What You Should Use Instead)

Normally, we dedicate this space to telling you about our most beloved kitchen tools. We share the unbridled joy that comes when you place a perfectly even, precisely sized piece ofprecut parchment paperon our testedfavorite sheet pan; we sing the praises of beautifullyhideous drinking cupsthat keep your beverages cold all day; we yammer on about the fancy littleFrench pocket knivesthat taught us to be responsible knife owners, all because we appreciate tools that work well and make cooking more fun.

But we’ve shared enough joy. It’s time to spread some negativity. For every gadget we love, there are plenty of others we find unnecessary or downright frustrating to use. While we don’t think it’s valuable to write long screeds about particular pots or pans we don’t like, we do think there are a few popular kitchen tools that need to be taken off their pedestal. Sometimes there’s a less popular tool that just does the job better.

Of course, these aren’t definitive judgements, and you should always use the tool that works best for you. While some of our staff may deride the box grater, others can’t makepimento cheesewithout it; one cook’s dishwasher-unfriendly Dutch oven nightmare is another cook’s braised chicken dream. We’ll simply make our cases against these kitchen tools, provide some alternatives, and let you make the final judgement yourself.

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Wooden spoon

David Tamarkin:“I know there's a lot of romance and sentimentality around wooden spoons, and yeah, sure, they kind of look nice when they get battered and beaten up (I guess?). But I find them pretty impractical—they warp, they chip, you have to keep them really dry or they'll rot. You can't put them in the dishwasher, either.”

Kendra Vaculin:“I find wooden spoons extremely difficult to clean; it’s impossible to get the smell and color out of them. They don't offer very much precision, either. I’ve said it before, but I prefer silicone spatulas and spoonulas of various sizes.”

Use these instead:

Silicone spatulas are durable, dishwasher safe, and won’t scratch up your nonstick cookware. They won’t get smelly either.

Part spoon and part spatula, the spoonula has a hard edge for scraping up food and a curved cavity that’s perfect for tasting sauce.

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Box grater

Joe Sevier:“Box graters take up too much room in a drawer and only one side of them is ever really worthwhile. This is why I use a paddle-style coarse grater instead. Along with my classic Microplane and ginger grater, the flat version does all the grating I will ever need.”

Use these instead:

A flat cheese grater makes quick work of hard cheeses while taking up far less space in your drawer.

This grater is specially designed with triangular teeth that easily cut through ginger’s tough fibers.

Perfect for zesting citrus and grating Parmesan, a microplane is a multipurpose tool that’s a cinch to use and clean.

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Garlic press

Wilder Davies:There are a million types of garlic presses, but all of them come up short. Garlic is so easy to chop with a knife, and that’s coming from someone with mediocre knife skills. Even if a garlic press works relatively well, it won’t end up being a time saver: They’re difficult to clean and bulky to store.

Use this instead:

普通旧剁刀是最理想的工具garlic and other vegetables; we love the lightweight, razor-sharp Mac knife, which wins our test of thebest chef’s knivesyear after year.

Spaghetti server

Kendra Vaculin:“Is there anything dumber than this stupid spoon with claws? How exactly am I supposed to get spaghetti out of a pot with it? I'm not being willfully obtuse, I literally don't understand the mechanics of this thing, and I have tried. Pasta just...slithers right out of its poorly-designed clutches—but for some reason one of these comes with almost every utensil crock and kitchen tool set. For everything I imagine it could do, I turn to a set of tongs or a spider instead.”

Use these instead:

Grab hold of your noodles and twist them into a beautiful spaghetti spiral on your plate with a versatile pair of tongs. The Oxo set below is a team favorite.

Originally intended for deep frying, a spider is also perfect for fishing smaller noodles, poached eggs, gnocchi, or basically anything tiny and/or delicate out of boiling water.

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Salt Shaker

Wilder Davies: “Ever since I bought a salt pig, I’ve failed to see a reason why I shouldn’t just be taking pinches of salt by hand at all occasions. Pinching salt with your fingers gives a better sense of how much you might be adding to a dish—at this point, a shaker just feels superfluous.”

Use this instead:

Place your salt pig by the stove or on the dinner table so pinches of salt are always available.

Silicone oven mitts

Tiffany Hopkins:“Silicone oven mitts—they’re just...not good. I can often feel the heat of a pan through the silicone and end up burning my hands. They’re also bulky and inflexible, so it can be difficult to get a good grip on whatever pot I’m trying to hold. I’d much rather use a dry kitchen towel to pick up hot things instead.”

Use these instead:

We love these inexpensive flour sack towels; they’re durable and useful for myriad kitchen tasks.

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Dutch ovens

Maggie Hoffman:“Okay, I'm a bit scared to say this, but I don't use my enamel-coated Dutch ovens much any more at all, especially the elongated oval one that I once coveted the most. It's a beautiful piece of kitchenware, and it's fantastic at retaining even heat. I don't blame you if you dream of having one (or of having a whole collection). But I find that lugging a full, super-heavy pot in and out of the oven can be hard on my wrists and back. While it's handy for an especially long cut of meat, on the stovetop, the huge oval shape hogs space. And both Staub and Le Creuset recommend that you wash these pricey pots by hand to keep them in top condition. My multiclad 6- and 8-quart stainless steel pots, on the other hand, can go right in the dishwasher.”

Use these instead:

High-end pots fromAll-Cladperform like a dream, but we get a lot of use out of sturdy options from Cuisinart, too.