{"id":293146,"date":"2024-03-05T20:12:43","date_gmt":"2024-03-06T01:12:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.etrafficlane.com\/60dollarmiracle\/24-of-the-worst-kitchen-gadgets-no-one-uses-anymore"},"modified":"2024-03-05T20:13:03","modified_gmt":"2024-03-06T01:13:03","slug":"24-of-the-worst-kitchen-gadgets-no-one-uses-anymore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.etrafficlane.com\/60dollarmiracle\/24-of-the-worst-kitchen-gadgets-no-one-uses-anymore","title":{"rendered":"24 Of The Worst Kitchen Devices No One Makes use of Anymore"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

Kitchen gadgets are constantly evolving to make our lives easier. If the tech doesn\u2019t save us time, it won\u2019t make it to the top of our shopping list. We can all remember items in our parents’ kitchen that are now redundant. These were labor-intensive devices and, while we can look back on them with nostalgia, few of us miss using them.<\/p>\n

1. Jell-O Molds<\/h2>\n
\"Jello
Image Credit: Cooking Light.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jell-O molds may be outdated, but have they ever been replaced? It\u2019s a curious entry because nothing came along to make jello production easier. Instead, fewer of us consume it, meaning that original Jell-O molds are outdated and are decorative items.<\/p>\n

2. Safety Gas Lighter<\/h2>\n
\"Safety
Image Credit: BIC.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While these gadgets<\/a> remain available, I can\u2019t imagine a market for them. When I was growing up, you turned on the gas stove, lit a match, and hoped for two things \u2014 that the oven didn\u2019t explode and fumes didn\u2019t overcome you. The extended safety lighter made life easier, but gas stoves now provide their spark, making these devices redundant.<\/p>\n

3. Overhead Gas Grill<\/h2>\n
\"Overhead
Image Credit: Montpellier Domestic Appliances Ltd.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

They don\u2019t make gas ovens with overhead grills anymore, and they are now contained in the main body of the appliance. They needed the safety lighter, but they produced the best toast. If anything could transport me back to my childhood, it’s one of these.<\/p>\n

4. Hand Cranked Whisk<\/h2>\n
\"Hand
Image Credit: Skyline, CC BY-SA 3.0\/Wiki Commons.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A whisk powered by a crank wheel was all the rage in the 1970s. It was faster than other devices, but there was an issue. You had to steady the whisk with your non-dominant hand, which often resulted in a mess. The mixture slipped from its bowl, leaving a sticky but tasty residue on your worktops.<\/p>\n

5. Bread Box<\/h2>\n
\"Vintage
Image Credit: MrMattAnderson – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0\/Wiki Commons.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I still use a bread box, but it\u2019s nothing like the classic 1970s design, with its plastic, roll-back cover. Loaves are well protected now and last longer, but while the bread bin makes the list<\/a>, some of us still think it has a place in the kitchen.<\/p>\n

6. Metal Ice Trays<\/h2>\n
\"Metal
Image Credit: O GLOBAL QUEST.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the days before plastic dominated, metal trays made ice. The gadget was short-lived, however. I imagine hands and fingers stuck to the metal weren\u2019t a central selling point.<\/p>\n

7. Stovetop Kettle<\/h2>\n
\"Stovetop
Image Credit: Jucoan.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It was the only way to make tea or coffee in the 1970s. Fill the kettle with water, place it on the stovetop, turn the switch to start the gas, grab the safety lighter, and hope you didn\u2019t blow up the kitchen. The only part I miss is that satisfying whistle the kettle made when the water had boiled.<\/p>\n

8. Cookie Press<\/h2>\n
\"Cookie
Image Credit: Dacono.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A press was an essential kitchen gadget<\/a> if you wanted pretty and perfect cookies every time. Its interchangeable heads could bring many different patterns to the party table. The cookie press wasn\u2019t replaced by more extraordinary technology, but cooks discovered that a humble cookie cutter could do a better and cleaner job.<\/p>\n

9. Hostess Trolley<\/h2>\n
\"Hostess
Image Credit: Argo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The hostess trolley was a famous prize on game shows in the 1970s and 1980s and was a luxury item in homes. It was a status symbol, allowing you to bring hot food from the kitchen to the table. You can still buy a hostess trolley, but the best models cost several hundred dollars, and that\u2019s one reason why their use died out.<\/p>\n

10. Butter Dish<\/h2>\n
\"Butter
Image Credit: AuldHome Design.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A casual Sunday night meal always featured the butter dish as a centerpiece. They could still serve a purpose now, but they\u2019ve gone out of fashion. We\u2019re also too lazy to remove the butter from its package when the dish is empty.<\/p>\n

11. Egg Poaching Pan<\/h2>\n
\"Poached
Image Credit: Demeyere.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Many gadgets aim to make perfect poached eggs, but none will work if you can\u2019t get your timing right. The egg poaching pan had egg-shaped slots, but you only needed a deep saucepan and boiling water. In modern days, the closest I get to perfect poached eggs is via the microwave.<\/p>\n

12. Tomato-Shaped Ketchup Dispensers<\/h2>\n
\"Tomato-Shaped
Image Credit: Win-Ware.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Nothing says 1970s kitsch like this little kitchen gadget. They were an essential part of cafes in the UK, while fast-food chain Wimpy also employed tomato sauce dispensers shaped like a tomato. They were plastic and unhygienic, but I want one in my kitchen.<\/p>\n

13. Meat Tenderizer<\/h2>\n
\"Meat
Image Credit: Jim Beam.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With their metal spikes on a roller, early meat tenderizers resembled medieval instruments of torture. That sinister appearance may have affected sales, and it\u2019s much easier to use a wooden mallet or a rolling pin instead.<\/p>\n

14. Soda Siphon<\/h2>\n
\"Soda
Image Credit: Just Tin, CC BY 2.0\/Wiki Commons.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A soda siphon once sat at the side of every bar. If you were a trusted patron, the staff would even let you fill your drinks. Unfortunately, they were also valuable in a water fight and have now been replaced by soda guns, which are under the counter and strictly for staff only.<\/p>\n

15. The DrinkMaster<\/h2>\n
\"The
Image Credit: Hamilton Beach.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The soda siphon thrived at a time when the DrinkMaster did it all. When I say \u201call,\u201d it simply mixed drinks. The design resembled a science fiction view of the future kitchen, and this item was too big for most homes. The DrinkMaster, however, looks cool.<\/p>\n

16. Juicy Salif Lemon Squeezer<\/h2>\n
\"Juicy
Image Credit: Alessi.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If you have this item in your home, you are likely considered pretentious. The Juicy Salif lemon squeezer features the classic design<\/a> by Philippe Starck, and its price makes it redundant as a kitchen tool. A friend keeps one of these in a display cabinet, and it\u2019s never been used.<\/p>\n

17. Wall-Mounted Can Openers<\/h2>\n
\"Wall
Image Credit: Swing-A-Way.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

They may have seemed convenient, but wall-mounted can openers had one major design flaw. The gadgets frequently became detached, spraying tins and contents across the kitchen. Cans with ring pulls are commonplace, while hand-held openers are significantly better than early designs.<\/p>\n

18. Punch Bowl<\/h2>\n
\"Punch
Image Credit: Upper Midland Products.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Those classic frat boy movies<\/a> would have lost an essential prop without the iconic punch bowl that was regularly spiked. Nobody uses a punch bowl these days. Instead, cocktails go directly from the shaker into the glass.<\/p>\n

19. Egg Separator<\/h2>\n
\"Egg
Image Credit: Fenifath\/Shutterstock.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

An egg separator is an odd-looking device. It resembles a spoon with gaps. As the name suggests, it is used to separate the egg whites from the yolks. It\u2019s easy to do this with eggshells, but it\u2019s messy, so the egg separator may still play a role in the modern kitchen.<\/p>\n

20. Nut Grinders<\/h2>\n
\"Nut
Image Credit: Z\u00e1tonyi S\u00e1ndor, (ifj.) Fizped – Own work, CC BY 4.0\/Wiki Commons.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Devices to grind nuts came in all manner of different designs. The most common versions were similar to meat mincers but much smaller. In the present day, when we have less time to spare in the kitchen, the most straightforward approach to a nut is to smash it with a hammer.<\/p>\n

21. Store Scales<\/h2>\n
\"Scale
Image Credit: YvoBentele – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0\/Wiki Commons.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Home cooks in the 1970s and 1980s didn\u2019t enjoy the luxury of digital scales. Instead, they made do with large products similar to scales in grocery stores. In the electronic age, modern scales mean we can weigh ingredients with greater precision, and there\u2019s more room in our cupboards, too.<\/p>\n

22. Foley Fork<\/h2>\n
\"Foley
Image Credit: RSVP International.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Foley Fork is the stuff of kitchen folklore, and it\u2019s said<\/a> that renowned TV chef Julia Child<\/a> used one to mash potatoes. It\u2019s a fork with six tines that is now a design classic, even if it\u2019s a useless item compared to today\u2019s gadgets.<\/p>\n

23. Tea, Coffee, and Sugar Containers<\/h2>\n
\"Tea,
Image Credit: Barnyard Designs.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I was sad to learn that these are considered outdated kitchen items. I was also surprised because I have tea, coffee, and sugar holders in my home, but then I realized they were unused and in a cupboard under the sink. The rise of tea bags and coffee machines has hastened their demise.<\/p>\n

24. Fondue Sets<\/h2>\n
\"Fondue
Image Credit: Boska.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Another gadget doubling as a time machine, the fondue set can transport you back to the 1970s. They were another regular prize on game shows, but has anyone outside Switzerland ever enjoyed a fondue in the last 20 years?<\/p>\n


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