Kitchen home equipment most cooks would by no means purchase for their very own houses – from ‘stocking filler’ peelers and slicers to dust-collecting bread makers

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From air fryers to ‘stocking filler’ single use kitchen gadgets, a professionally trained chef has revealed the expensive tools and appliances that he would never be caught using. 

In recent years, ‘restaurant-level’ utensils and appliances have become all the rage on social media, with amateur cooks buying pasta and bread makers, ice cream machines, and spiralisers to upgrade their kitchens. 

But it turns out most professional chefs would turn their noses up at these products because they are either too expensive or too fussy. 

The executive chef at London-based gourmet Indian restaurant Babur, Chef Jiwan Lal told the Daily Mail that they are also unlikely to make you a better cook. 

‘People often think more equipment will make them a better cook, but it’s usually the opposite. Trendy gadgets may seem like the answer to your cooking prayers, but many of them just end up cluttering the kitchen and gathering dust after the novelty wears off. 

‘A few well-chosen tools and a bit of confidence will take you much further than any machine,’ he said. 

 Read on to find out which kitchen appliances are worth your money…and which ones are probably making you look bad. 

Single-use gadgets 

Gadgets that serve a single purpose can include everything from jar and bottle openers, to pizza cutting scissors, shrimp deveiners, honey dippers, and cherry pitters.

However, chef Jiwan says things like avocado slicers or garlic crushers would have no place in a pro’s kitchen. 

‘Single-use gadgets might make good stocking fillers but they just end up being clutter in the kitchen,’ said chef Jiwan, who has trained with the prestigious Oberoi Hotels group in India. 

Instead of splurging on things like garlic crushers and avocado slicers, he suggests investing in a set of high quality knives that are ‘faster, cleaner, and don’t crowd the cupboards’. 

Some of the Daily Mail’s top picks include the £34.18 chef’s knife from Victorinox and the tomato knife from the same brand. 

Other popular picks include the chef’s knife from Zwilling and the six-piece Japanese knife set from HexClad. 

Electric choppers

Chef Jiwan also steers clear of electric vegetable choppers, which can range from anywhere between £20 and £125. 

He admits that while these can be handy, they don’t save cooks as much time overall because these food processors are hard to clean. 

For those whose knife skills are lacking, the chef recommends using a mandoline vegetable slicer that ‘allows better control which is crucial for fingers of chefs and homecooks alike’. 

Mandolines are also a more economical option, as most of these slicers cost less than £20. 

Soup makers 

Soup makers are also on chef Jiwan’s list of avoidable kitchen gadgets, he admitted.

While these countertop appliances – priced between £50 and £190 – can turn meat and veggies into hearty and comforting soups with minimal effort, chef Jiwan thinks they are a bit like a one-trick pony. 

‘Having an appliance like a soup-maker or juicer that just has one single-use is just not as practical as a multi-use machine like a mixer-grinder,’ he added. 

Instead of just doing one thing, it does the lot: dry grinding spices, blending liquids, and creating pastes or purées, he explained. 

‘It is ideal for making homemade masalas, nut butters, chutney, and wet batters for dosas or pancakes. It even functions to chop vegetables. If there was one appliance to own, this would be it.’ 

Bread makers 

Bread making is a rewarding pastime for many, and these high-tech tools take the fun out of it, according to chef Jiwan. 

‘Making bread by hand is far more rewarding and gives you a better feel for the dough,’ he said. 

They are especially useless for making fresh flatbreads like roti or naan – these are best made simply by hand on a hot griddle pan. 

‘In the end, it’s another appliance that often ends up as a dust collector rather than something you will reach for regularly.’

Air fryers

Air fryers are quickly becoming the most ubiquitous of kitchen appliances but are they losing their sheen? 

Larger models can quickly crowd up your kitchen, but chef Jiwan’s gripe has more to do with the cooking method.  

While this might be a controversial opinion, chef Jiwan said he doesn’t use an air fryer because it cannot ‘replicate the depth of flavour or texture you get from proper frying’.

For his own kitchen, he prefers using a wok or an oven, which delivers ‘far better results’.  

Rice cookers

Finally, chef Jiwan thinks a fuss-free pot is far superior to rice cookers. 

He said: ‘I don’t understand the hype. For me, cooking rice in a heavy-bottomed pot allows better control over texture, especially for varieties like basmati, sona masoori, or jeera rice.’