We live in a world where kitchen gadget inventions pop in and out of the market within months. While some—like my versatile Kitchen Aid mixer—can be life-changing buys, others simply aren’t worth the cost.
As someone who grew up watching home shopping networks with my mom in the 1990s and now online shopping myself, I’ve experienced using products that don’t live up to the hype first-hand.
While the worthiness of these high-end kitchen gadgets depends on your lifestyle and cooking habits, you can pretty much avoid most, if not all, of the ones on this list.
1. Pancakebots or Pancake Printer
The gadgets a household uses are usually worth it, and the ones left in the kitchen cabinets aren’t. However, many would agree the pancake printer is typically an impulse buy.
Pancake printers bake cool-looking, 3D-shaped pancakes. If you’re going to use it at home—and not commercially—it’s hard to justify a single kitchen appliance purchase of up to $2,000.
2. Smart Toaster
My go-to breakfast is toast with a dab of butter or jam, so I cannot have a kitchen without my trusty toaster. However, paying over $250 for a smart toaster with a touchscreen display—like this 2-slot toaster from Revolution—is just overkill.
In comparison, a basic 4-slot toaster with several toasting settings from established brands like Breville and Cuisinart costs significantly less, between $50 to $100.
3. Built-in Coffee Maker
Built-in coffee makers offer a space-saving brewing solution, but they come at a premium cost of $1,000 to $5,000+ from brands like Miele, Bosch, and JennAir.
Built-in coffee makers also require complicated installation and upkeep. If you’re just interested in a good quality coffee to drink at home, the countertop models should be more than enough.
4. High-Powered Blender
High-powered blenders like Vitamix, Blendtec, and Ninja are excellent tools for blending smoothies daily or making homemade nut butter regularly.
However, these appliances can be bulkier, noisier, and may overblend compared to regular blenders. Also, high-powered blenders cost from $200 for lower-end brands to over $1,000 for branded models with advanced features.
If you plan to bring out the blender for summer smoothies or hearty winter soups, just stick to a regular blender. Or better yet, use your existing food processor as a blender instead.
5. High-End Coffee Grinder
High-end coffee grinders from Baratza, Breville, and Rancilio grind beans consistently for optimal flavor using burr mechanisms. Priced from $200, these specialty coffee grinders are durable and offer settings for various brews.
However, if you’re a casual coffee drinker, the higher cost, larger size, higher maintenance needs, and complex features can be overwhelming. A basic grinder does the job for most households.
6. Deep Fryers
Deep fryers from brands like T-fal, Presto, and Cuisinart have one common perk—they provide consistent frying because of their automated temperature controls. However, these machines require their own counter space, which isn’t ideal if you have a small kitchen.
A Dutch Oven or deep pan with a thermometer can do the same thing, especially if you don’t deep-fry often. You just have to ensure you heat your oil between 325°F (160°C) and 375°F (190°C) to get the perfect crispness.
7. Bread Dough Proofer
Having freshly baked bread every morning without kneading makes any bread-loving fan want to invest in one of these machines. The problem is that it’s easy to get swayed into buying unnecessary tools like a bread dough proofer or an electric bread fermentation box.
Unless you’re running a small bakery, a bread dough proofer that costs over $1,000 seems unnecessary. They’re also bulky and difficult to clean. Instead, buy a branded breadmaker or learn to bake bread in your oven.
8. Smart Dishwasher
Brands like Bosch, Samsung, and LG sell WiFi-enabled smart dishwashers designed for remote monitoring and control. Unfortunately, this high-tech connectivity can add unnecessary costs compared to a regular dishwasher.
Aside from the cost, smart dishwashers also require a more complex setup, depend on stable WiFi, and may raise privacy concerns versus traditional models lacking smart features.
9. Soda Maker or Carbonator
Soda-loving people will get a kick out of a carbonator or soda maker, which creates customized carbonated drinks right at home.
Sure, the machine itself isn’t as expensive—SodaStream, Aarke, and DrinkMate sell theirs for about $50 to $200. However, using soda makers means you’d have to commit to continuously buying cartridges and flavorings, and those costs can add up.
10. High-End Electric Juicer
Juicing oranges and lemons shouldn’t need a high-end machine that costs $300 to $500 unless you plan to open a lemonade stand. And we’re not talking about the ones kids set up in your driveway to make some extra cash.
A manual, handheld juicer works fine for a freshly squeezed glass of your favorite fruit. Plus, this only costs $5 to $10.
11. Commercial-Grade Baby Food Maker
If you already have a food processor or blender, buying a baby food maker is just another single-function machine that would take up space in your kitchen and eventually find its way behind a cabinet, never to be seen again.
Baby food makers can also be expensive, with higher-end models priced around $300. Besides, infants only eat pureed and thicker non-solids for several months of their lives, making it redundant after a short while.
12. Pod-Based or Single-Serve Coffee Maker
Popularized by Keurig and Nespresso, pod-based coffee makers let you mix coffee-shop-level drinks in your home using pre-packaged pods.
While the machines range from $50-$300 upfront, over time, they prove far more expensive than buying ground beans. That is because ongoing pod purchases can significantly exceed the cost of regular coffee.
13. Deli Slicer or Electric Meat-Cutting Machine
Deli slicers or electric meat cutters are designed to slice meats and cheese with precision. The exposed blades on these machines can also be downright dangerous, so users must be extremely cautious when operating them.
You’d need substantial counter or storage space as they are large kitchen gadgets. Unless you’re starting a sandwich joint, a deli slicer would just be one of your most under-used kitchen appliances.
14. Convection Steam Oven
Convection steam ovens are high-end kitchen appliances that combine steam cooking and conventional dry heat convection cooking in one device.
There are two reasons why this oven isn’t a worthy investment. First, most households won’t use such an oven regularly. Second, it’s expensive, starting at $500 and going as high as $5,000.
15. Food Dehydrator
Dehydrators are excellent helpers if you’re new to homesteading and food preservation. A dehydrator machine preserves fruits, herbs, and vegetables by slowly removing moisture.
While they’re not dramatically expensive (you can buy one for around $75), bulky food dehydrators will require ample storage space when not in use.
16. Pasta Maker
The ability to create fresh, homemade pasta shapes may justify the $100 to $300 price tag, especially if you’re in a household full of pasta lovers. There’s a learning curve for using a pasta maker, so even if it’s marketed as a convenient way of making homemade pasta, the machine initially makes the process harder.
As a single-function kitchen gadget, a pasta maker might not be worth the cost and storage space compared to the store-bought ready-to-cook variety.
17. Wine Fridge
Did you know there are refrigerators made exclusively for storing and preserving wine at optimal temperatures and humidity levels? A two-bottle wine cooler from Vinotemp costs around $300, while larger-sized 160-bottle free-standing models from NewAir or Kalamera can go as high as $3,000.
As you can imagine, a wine fridge will occupy ample space and require regular maintenance like a standard refrigerator. It’s an unnecessary luxury, particularly since wines can be stored even without a temperature-controlled fridge.
18. Commercial-Grade Food Processor
Many chefs recommend a quality food processor in every home kitchen, but a commercial-grade, continuous-feeding model in the $1,000 to $1,500 range is going just a bit overboard.
A multipurpose food processor should work as a blender, immersion stick, baby food maker, and mixer. A high-quality brand will set you back about $500.
19. Pod-Shaped Air Fryer
The experts of The New York Times Wirecutter, who have been reviewing air fryers since 2017, do not recommend pod-shaped air fryers. Instead, they advise buying a convection toaster oven from a trusted brand.
Or better yet, check your existing oven—it may already have convection settings—and let you cook unlimited oil-free crispy food.
20. Smart Refrigerator
While almost all smart fridges have built-in touchscreen displays and automatic icemakers, only a few have advanced temperature optimization.
If you want a smart fridge, look for those with WiFi capabilities and interior cameras that let you check your inventory remotely. Otherwise, you’ll just be wasting money on a smart fridge that does the same thing as your non-smart refrigerator.
21. Popcorn Machines and Cotton-Candy Makers
Like other kitchen appliances designed for only one task, popcorn machines, and cotton candy makers are unnecessary kitchen investments.
These machines are often used several times, then put away where they remain collecting dust in your kitchen for the rest of eternity. Depending on the model of your cotton candy maker or popcorn machine, these gadgets can even take up a lot of valuable kitchen space.
22. Ice Cream and Yogurt Maker
While ice cream and yogurt makers allow you to conveniently churn up homemade ice cream, sorbet, gelato, or yogurt in your kitchen, the $200 to $500 appliances realistically get limited use in most homes.
Making these desserts requires an investment of time, ingredients, and hands-on effort that casual cooks may only want to commit to occasionally. The single-function machine takes up precious real estate in kitchen cabinets or countertops for occasional use. Additionally, buying ready-to-eat ice cream or yogurt at the grocery store is cheaper than doing it all yourself, not to mention the instant gratification.
23. Sous Vide Machine
Sous vide appliances precisely control the temperature for tender, moist dishes. Still, the $400-$800 water-bath, stand-alone machines require lengthy cooking times and specialized equipment like vacuum sealers.
If you wish to experiment with Sous vide cooking, the wand-type cooker will do just fine—these cost under $75, even for known brands like Anova Culinary and Joule.