Kitchen gadgets. I love ’em. Show me a weird device that gets stones out of cherries, slices cheese or opens tricky jars and I’m interested.
And I’m certainly not alone. Research conducted by Breville has revealed that Brits are a nation of kitchen gadget hoarders, with each British household owning an average of 18 kitchen gadgets.
But few of us can afford to invest in endless gadgets, and few of us have the capacity to give up valuable drawer space or worktop real estate to every doohickey that takes our fancy. So as much as I love gadgets of all persuasions, I have to decree that a gadget is only worthwhile if it does a job you need it to do, and one you’ll need to it to do relatively often.
And that’s where the stats get really interesting, as Breville discovered that 75% of us own gadgets we never use, amounting to £2.4billion wasted. Eek.
The problem is sizeable, with 44% of Brits struggling for space in their kitchen, and a fifth reporting that the lack of space is actively making them feel overwhelmed.
So what on earth is cluttering our kitchens? Well, the research delved into our drawers and cupboards to reveal the list of 10 most unused items in the kitchen. Do you own any of these…?
- Banana holder
- Banana Slicer
- Egg cracker
- Square eggs maker
- Pizza scissors
- Microwave omelette maker
- A cereal bowl that keeps milk and cereal separate so the cereal doesn’t go soggy
- Fizzy pop maker
- Twirling spaghetti fork
- Strawberry slicer
On the flip side, Breville also uncovered our most helpful kitchen utensils. It turns out 75% of Brits in this tea-loving nation can’t do without their kettle, closely followed by the toaster and slow cooker in second and third place.
Interestingly, a fifth of Brits voted their multi-purpose blender as a must-have kitchen item, and that makes a lot of sense. If a gadget can perform several common kitchen tasks without taking up the space of lots of separate gadgets, you’re on to a winner.
And that’s the thinking behind Breville’s new Blend Active Accessory Pack, a clever multi-purpose tool that combined with the Breville Blend Active Pro Personal Blender provides a one-stop solution for a host of kitchen gadget requirements, and help banish utensil surplus.
The Breville Blend Active Accessory Pack includes
- 1x 450ml compact food processor
- 1x Citrus Juicer
- 1x Whipping Disc
- 1x Stainless steel grinding mill
- 1x 300ml BPA free sports bottle with superseal leakproof lid
- 1x Storage lid
- 1x Instruction Manual with recipe details
All this means a single gadget that can blend, chop, grind, froth, whip and juice. Nifty!
And far from being a novelty purchase, it seems Brits are investing in a multi-purpose blender for all the right reasons. According to Breville’s research, 20% of us purchase kitchen gadgets and appliances in a bid to encourage themselves to make more home-made meals. Health and time both play into this with one in four hoping it will help them to eat more healthily and nearly half hoping that it will save them time.
I can vouch for the Blend Active Blender and Accessory pack in helping to provide just such a solution. It’s brilliant when you just want to get several small prep jobs done without getting out a big blender, chopping boards et cetera. It’s less to wash up too, so it takes even less time to create healthy recipes.
If you’d like to try them out for yourself, you’ll be pleased to hear they are very affordable. The Breville Blend Active Pro Personal Blender is currently available at Breville.co.uk for £29.99 (£54.98 RRP at other retailers) and the Breville Blend Active Accessory Pack is currently available at Breville.co.uk for £24.98 (£32.99 RRP at other retailers). Happy cooking!
This is a commissioned post for Breville.
Christina says
Really awesome & thanks that your provided item is not included my kitchen Utensils & Gadgets list. Because always I have followed which is the most priority for me & also it has usability.
Emily Leary says
It sounds as if you have your purchase of kitchen gadgets under control!
Kate - gluten free alchemist says
Ha ha! I’m definitely a gadget addict, but I am pleased to say I do not own a single one of the pointless 10 in your list. Always good to have a multi-tool though!
Emily Leary says
Yes multi-tools are great!
Lynne Harper says
Im definitely the one who gets sucked in with the silly gadgets when there is no need ha. I have a Breville and I love it, so versatile x
Emily Leary says
Yay, I’m glad you find it useful.
Leah XL says
I don’t own any of the gadgets mentioned. I’m always sceptical about buying new kitchen gadgets. Mainly as my kitchen isn’t big enough for them x
Emily Leary says
Yes, it’s really important when you’re shot of space that any gadgets you invest in are actually useful!
Charli Bruce says
Funnily enough I don’t own any of the top 10 that aren’t used but we do have a lot of gadgets in the kitchen, taking up too much space. I love the sound of the Breville Blend Active Blender and Accessory pack it sounds like the perfect space saving and time saving multi gadget x
Emily Leary says
Yes it’s a great little gadget – really handy when you just want to get something blended, chopped, whipped or ground without any faff!
Mamas Travel Tribe says
It always shocks me when I go abroad how few people use kettles.. like how? HOW? lol. They’re a total kitchen staple!
Emily Leary says
I know right?! I checked into a hotel in Belgium for a work trip and was in a state of panic at the lack of kettle. Haha!
Kara Guppy says
Can’t say I have any of those random gadgets
Emily Leary says
Me neither, but I have plenty that are equally pointless X-D
Rhian Westbury says
Thankfully I don’t own any of the least used things, but I do agree that there’s too much stuff which we don’t use. I like using combination things which can do a multitude of things x
Emily Leary says
Yes, it’s really handy! We’re actually having a charity shop clear out of some of out other gadgets, inspired by this research!
Melanie williams says
Those Breville kitchen items look great and seem pretty reasonable price wise too x
Emily Leary says
Yes definitely! I’m really enjoying them.
Sarah Bailey says
Hands up I don’t have many kitchen gadgets, though I’ve never really had the room to store them, so it’s probably helped in not getting addicted to them. I would now we have more storage room like to get some that could be useful.
Emily Leary says
You’ve done well! Yep, useful kitchen gadgets are soooo my jam.
Danasia Fantastic says
Great post and I loved how you broke it down on the kitchen essentials and those that we shouldn’t have bought at all.
Emily Leary says
I guess there are people out there who use their banana holder everyday, but yep, it’s important to only buy gadgets you’ll actually use!
Lauren @ Inspire Create Educate says
I was glad to see I have none of the most unused items, although I can think of several items in my cupboards right now that I could get rid of.
I can’t believe the Blend Active Pro is so cheap! I bet it’s a LOT smaller than my Vitamix too.
Emily Leary says
It is a really great compact and affordable option!