I love going into kitchen and home ware stores. But sometimes I get really angry as I realise there are many useless kitchen gadgets. It really annoys me that companies are making such useless objects. I am not a saint and sometimes I fall victim to consumerism and get one or two of these gadgets. But we ought to realise that using them makes us lazy to think, develop any common sense or replaces passion for cooking. My rule of thumb is if you don't recognise its purpose by looking at it or if you don't ever remember your mom using one, it's probably useless.

1. The egg separator

Seriously, what do they think our moms were using before these came along? It's really not that difficult to separate the yoke from the white. Prepare 2 bowls. Over the first bowl, crack the egg into 2 halves, allowing the whites to drip into the first bowl. Do a balancing act between the two halves, transferring the yoke from one half to the other. You will notice that the remaining whites will continue to drip and what you have left is only the yoke which you can easily now transfer to the 2nd bowl. It doesn't take long and leaves you with 1 item less to wash.

2. The special egg timer

What happen to just watching the clock or using a regulator timer?

Just remember to take your eggs out of the fridge in advance, in boiling water:5 minutes for soft boiled egg

20 minutes for hard boiled eggs

Medium is anything in between as you wish

3. Chopsticks that are not exactly chopsticks

Well it's like saying "I will want to go fishing... but in a fish farm". It's really not the same. If you want to learn to use a pair of chopsticks well, don't start with this. The correct way to hold chopsticks doesn't even come close.

4. Strawberry stem remover

I am lost for words on this one.

5. Fruit slicers of various sorts
From apple slicer to banana slicers. All  can be done with a good knife and some patience.





6. Herb cutters of various sorts
Read point 5.







7. Garlic or onion containers
These ceramic jars with holes are no different from any ordinary jar without a lid. They key is to get something that aerates well.








8. Auto stirrer
I wonder why would anyone buy this. If you like to cook, doesn't this defeats the purpose? Why not just get take out?





9. Silicone pot sleeves and holders
Silicone is a good heat insulation material so it is no wonder many of the new bake ware and cookware are made from silicone. I even bought a silicone baking tray. What I don't understand is why buy small silicone pot holders for specific pots and pans and not invest in a good silicone glove that you can use for all types of pots, pans and ovens.

10. App connected kitchen appliances
So the whole world is getting smarter now with Smart Phones and Smart appliances. Is that true or are we just getting more lazy that we have to rely on an app to tell us that the water has boiled. I work for a technology company and I understand the drive behind home integration and I agree that some apps truly brings added value and meaning to our lives, but for most, it just seems over the top. Soon we will no longer know how to recognise if the food started to grow legs and move without turning on our phones and checking the app. I hope that day doesn't come but we need to make an effort to stop technology from replacing common sense.