Are These the Worst Kitchen Gadgets Ever? Pro Chef Reacts!

[@ChefJamesMakinson]

Let me know what your thoughts are on these and which one is the best or worst! Also, be sure to see my are Japanese Knives Overrated video? kzbin.info/www/bejne/gpjUoIFoedqia7c

[@deirdredowling-mv6bs]

@@ChefJamesMakinson will do 💚💚💚

[@julianokleby1448]

I would definitely use the knife gripper because of my arthritis. I mainly use a knife and a mandolin every day to make chips, fries, pickles, etc. The poem you were reciting I always heard like this: "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked. IF Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, Where's the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?" I did a lot of my own picking and pickling this year from my garden. My 2 little cucumber seeds yielded me 140 quarts of pickles. So, in my case, Peter Piper picked a peck of prolific pickled peppers! A peck of prolific pickled peppers Peter Piper picked. If Peter Piper picked a prolific peck of pickled peppers (or cucumbers) Where's the prolific peppers Peter Piper picked? Answer: In my pantry!!

[@genericusername5909]

Never seen anyone fail with the egg cracker before. That’s something

[@skibidi.G]

Nice change of scenery , you're on vacations !!! 🏝️⛵

[@randypruden9104]

as a big guy the knife holder seams like a wicked tool to have

[@JoannaHammond]

LOL, the pickle picker is just a repurposed piece of equipment you use for electronics to pick up tiny little dropped parts... I've seen that exact thing in cheap starter kits from china.

[@vikingr1000]

There is also an automotive tool used to fish nuts, bolts, and screws out of places where you can't reach.

[@JoannaHammond]

@@vikingr1000 I've seen those on Rainman Rays channel, they tend to be a bit bigger.

[@LilMonkeyFella87]

Lol yeah we used to have a much longer one that we used for getting stuff from down the backs of radiators etc

[@Worrsaint]

Came to the comments to say this lol. Have had a set for 30 years now.

[@tomholloway7566]

Used for picking up stones by jewellers

[@silmarian]

My mother-in-law and I exchange useless kitchen utensils every Christmas, she may get a pickle picker this year. Banana slicer was one of the first things one of us gave the other, after 20 years it’s getting harder to find unique gadgets that are both cheap and utterly useless.

[@catherinedavidson7145]

My friend and I did the same! 😂 A gadget for making tiny meatballs? Useless!

[@tomhorsley6566]

One of Alton Brown's most useless gadgets he reviewed was a pair of things that look like Wolverine's claws that are supposed to make shredding meat easier (as though a pair of forks isn't perfectly adequate).

[@silmarian]

@@tomhorsley6566 I think she gave that to me like 5 years ago, but good idea!

[@silmarian]

@@catherinedavidson7145 This is a really good idea and one we haven’t done yet…

[@jstaffordii]

@@tomhorsley6566 when you're shredding 100's of kg of hot pork barbecue those bear claws are almost a necessity.

[@Churahm]

The one thing I would say when considering buying a lot of these kitchen gadgets is that, compared to a regular knife, some of these are extremely obnoxious to clean after use. That vegetable chopper for example has so many nook and crannies where food gets stuck, and by the time you're done cleaning, you've actually wasted more time than if you just used and cleaned a knife.

[@rmalonephoto]

That's the one thing you would consider? Not the overall downward spiral your life must have taken for you to buy something like the banana slicer or pickle picker? Because dude, if you get to where you thought these were smart choices in the first place.... Ahhh. Hell. I bought a Steam Buggy off an infomercial once. I can't judge. But I can speak from experience. In my defense, it was a good infomercial.

[@abysomething2012]

Yup I can second that from experience!!😣

[@e.c.5994]

I agree if you're just using these for regular everyday cooking for 2-8 people - but if you're doing a production run of, say, serrano jelly, that veg chopper is HANDY, because you're not braving the fumes or chemical burns from the hot peppers (until the simmering starts) and you get a perfect dice. Most of the time I use my kitchen knives, but when I was preserving massive harvests last fall that chopper was worth its weight in gold. It saved me so much time chopping onions for a 17-gallon batch of tomato soup that I could afford the extra few minutes of cleanup.

[@cassiopeia1931]

Hi Chef James! I just wanted to say I am really happy to see you posting more original content over reviews of reviews, etc. You're great and I enjoy what you do!

[@ChefJamesMakinson]

I appreciate that!

[@uutwo]

The Herb scissors are actually just repurposed shredder scissors. These were used to shred paper when paper shredders weren't really affordable😂

[@Mamacat1357]

This!

[@briancoley1586]

I have a pair. Oh no... You mean I've been using them for the wrong thing 😲 🤣🤣🤣

[@SamTheBattleshipp]

I thought that was what these are for because I used these scissors for shredding paper when I don't want to/can't use an electric paper shredder

[@Taliesin6]

lol i got a mini business card shredder for cutting nori strips for ramen.

[@lmsmith015]

Fascinating!

[@LogaisB]

I hope this becomes a regular series, there's something so entertaining about watching a professional chef review kitchen gadgets.

[@RichP879]

The 4 veg chopper is really good for people with various disabilities, whether that's manual dexterity issues, as you said re. another tool - arthritis and so on. I think when reviewing some of these items, while I can see some are generally useless, others are game-changers for those of us who have difficulty using regular kitchen equipment. Also, we're not all Michelin star chefs, for many of us the cuts done by the veg chopper are absolutely fine :)

[@gnomersy1087]

This was what I was going to say. I have a family member who is partially paralyzed on one side of his body, operating a knife and holding the ingredients to chop food finely would be impossible for him. In theory he could use something like that chopper. While a robot-coupe might be a superior tool for home use it's too much and a home grade food processor doesn't really have a rough chop setting. That doesn't mean it's a perfect tool necessarily(the force you need to apply and stability could be big factors in how usable it is for someone with disabilities) but it's a bit able-ist to look at something be like "Oh I don't need this in my use case." and say it's useless.

[@ckwi2245]

Yep, also noticed that he only mentioned disabilities on essentially the "sponsored" item. Then the only alternative he mentioned other than "knife skills" was probably the most dangerous and injury prone kitchen tool in existence... the mandolin. Also noticed no mention of anything being safer for children to use, since some of these sorts of things are nice for getting children interested in cooking since they are more prone to accidents with general all-purpose tools. For most normally functioning people, the review isn't too terrible, but much of the rest held the tone of "why make wheelchairs, just walk". Could just be a growing pain/blind spot of being new to reviewing gadgets for him. Might help if he spends some time just watching kitchen gadget reviews from different creators to broaden the perspective approaches given to why some items exist. I wanna say it's the guy on Epicurious that intentionally handicaps himself as part of his presentation to help him understand that approach to any given tool's purpose and design intentions. At this point he has two choices, define the scope of his intended audience clearly at the start or broaden the perspectives he takes into account for more non-standard groups. If he prefaced this set of reviews as "From the perspective and use by kitchen professionals" or "From the perspective of a normally abled person, like myself". His intro simply mentioned professional kitchens and home cooks, and well home cooks expands out to anyone who would make food at home, which pretty much includes anyone who could feed themselves, a.k.a. anyone above a quadriplegic and a literally baby. Lastly, the Banana and Tomato slicers really had no reason to be as dull as they were, can't really defend that aspect of those 2 products even from a less capable perspective. Don't have to be razor sharp, but really shouldn't take that much force to get through some relatively delicate objects.

[@Dwarf19864]

The cheap ones are really bad, but if you invest bit more money it can be good. My friend owns a one man pizza place (/bar) and he uses one to cube veggies fast... it's not because he can't use knife, it's just to save time

[@Kakkarot22]

I would not use that sort of vegetable chopper personally even for that, you can get for not too much more than the price of that thing a professional version of it in a wall mounted fry cutter which is made of metal and can have various grids of blades changed out for different sizes, AND has the added bonus of the weight of the metal and gravity itself aiding you in the cut, I used one for a while working at a topped fry shop and it's the one thing that I think should go from professional to home kitchens more often, though only the wall mounted ones are really particularly great

[@jamesbyrd3740]

you have to chop the veg into small chunks and then smash the lid down on it to cut. Is that better than a food processor or mandolin??

[@vineethshenoy5216]

The reaction to the egg cracker at 11:29 😂😂😂😂😂 sticker worthy 12:49 "Crack the eggs with your hands, something that you already have for free" - Chef James Makinson, 2024 🤣🤣

[@ChefJamesMakinson]

😂😂

[@darianroscoe1017]

Please do more of these. The item I had for many, many years, and which recently died because I dropped it, was the push-down vegetable slicer with different blades. After 45 years of high speed data entry, my hands are shot...arthritis and carpal tunnel make it difficult to do any precise cutting and boy did I love my little machine. Mine was smaller than the one you used and only did the two sizes of diced items, all I really needed it for. I think I will replace it with the one you used, as it had a nice big catcher and on sale now for $19. I will tell you, when I went through my mom's kitchen drawer where she kept meat thermometers and such, I found only two of what I would consider "gadgets" and those were a radish rosette maker and a strawberry stem remover. Both she used often though a small paring knife would do just as well, in my opinion, though she liked them and used them when she had full bowls of the items picked from the garden to can. Maybe they saved her time...I don't know. Really enjoyed this. (What do you think of the garlic press rocker and the 2 in 1 Pepper Seed Corer Remover on Amazon?)

[@s.4155]

Loving this! Please make a series of this!🔥

[@ChefJamesMakinson]

I may!

[@Serenity_Dee]

I use a vegetable chopper like that one sometimes because I have a permanently injured wrist that, when it flares up, makes that kind of cutting excruciating. Plus I have scoliosis and standing up for too long can sometimes be excruciating.

[@JohnToddTheOriginal]

I had one of those multi-function chopper things. Used it for years. Very useful for certain tasks.

[@justcallmeness]

The vegetable chopper is a game changer for people who have all kinds of issues with motor skills! A nice chopped salad is just a few slams of the lid, and you can shake it up with the dressing inside, then eat it out of the container. Mandoline slicing is okay, but they're inherently more dangerous than the chopper, though I understand where you're coming from as a professional. But for folks who have fine motor skill limitations, that thing opens up the possibilities for healthier eating and home cooking!

[@Serenity_Dee]

The tomato slicing trick I've seen is to put them between two dessert plates, ones that are shallow enough to leave a gap between them.

[@Jeni10]

“Which little egg wants to go first?” I heard a tiny voice say, “Me!” 😂

[@Cat-worldwide]

Love the vid! I also used to mock the banana slicer until I was in a kitchen with a 4 year old who wanted to "help" with food prep. Colourful, blunt, task-oriented tools are a boon in the right situation. It does see-saw then, for me, as to whether it is a kitchen item or a toy. Kept the mini-chef happy.

[@Jerepasaurus]

This was my kind of thought. lol Some of these are wonderful for kids. I wasn't really allowed to help with much cooking or prep until I could be trusted with a peeler (about 6 or 7 years), while standing on a stool at the sink, and for a long time, my usual helping task was peeling carrots and potatoes, husking corn, washing veggies, or greasing potatoes for baking. If I'd had that chopper box, I would have been allowed a lot more variety of activities at the counter, not just the sink.

[@mantailuaa]

9:18 My pickel picker broke and I haven't been able to find one from stores near me, I really need it. I had it over twenty years. I use it for olives, pineapple chunks and beetroot, not so much for pickels. I also don't want to pay delivery costs for something so cheap so I'm not going to order it online. Maybe some day I find it again from shop.

[@kittykkitcat]

I really like this new format! It’s so nice to see more original content with your personality and some advices, I’m excited for more ☺️

[@zsuzsannamezey8361]

We have something like the 4in1 chopper. I like to use it when I have to chop a lot of red/white onions into nearly samesized dices quickly. It's usually when I'm prepping for cooking for multiple people/dishes the next day. I like it because it's convinient, faster for me, means less crying and it's sealed enough to not make the whole fridge smell like onions for days.

[@uc_guy]

Pickle picker seems actually useful. Sure, when the jar is full the fork is just fine, but once you get close to empty it is gets harder and harder to impale those last pickles with a fork.

[@sabrinakroesen6791]

I think they’re also a good idea if your doing a small cheese and pickle tray for a few friends. It doesn’t leave the little holes (presentation) and you’re not putting your fingers all over the pickles your friends are going to eat (yes, I know if you’ve cut veg sticks… but just because of the amount of fishing around and all the liquid, it just seems “grosser”).

[@hmistry]

I would love to see more videos like this. It was entertaining to watch. Great product review! Thanks, James.

[@ChefJamesMakinson]

More to come!

[@RangeGleasry]

The banana cutter is obviously exclusively for enterprising toddlers who wish to make their own snacks safely

[@patrickbreen1054]

The herb cutter could be perfect for children who want to help you cook

[@ChefJamesMakinson]

yes but I learned how to use a knife at 5 years old

[@insouciantFox]

​@@ChefJamesMakinsonahh! My parents wouldn't let me breathe on a knife at 5

[@Ahalaya]

​@@ChefJamesMakinson Yeah... most parents, especially these days, would barely trust their 5 year old in the same room as a knife, even supervised.

[@KarinBornVienna]

Normal scissors basically do the same and are easier to handle as these herb cutters are pretty heavy.

[@Puzzlesocks]

@@Ahalaya I would say most parents are the reason most young adults these days can't operate effectively in society. Not exactly a glowing endorsement.

[@MaffiaRK]

The Evergrip is intriguing 🤔 It makes sense that there can be more ergonomic ways to grip a knife for chopping - disability/impairment or not All the other gadgets seem fairly useless though haha I grew up watching Good Eats with Alton Brown, and his message of only having one "unitasker" in the kitchen (the fire extinguisher) has always resonated with me Thanks for the video, great stuff as always :)

[@ChefJamesMakinson]

Thank you!

[@tanikokishimoto1604]

I'd add in a fire blanket, too.

[@Mickmickster]

I hope you do more kitchen gadget reviews. Great stuff, and a nice change of pace.

[@ChefJamesMakinson]

Thanks, will do!

[@jeddybear5909]

The Evergrip sounds like a great purchase for me. I love to cook and bake but sometimes my hand just can't keep up with the pace I want to achieve because my fingers will lock/tire easily. Thanks for the reviews!

[@Jaydunnnn]

I’ve really enjoyed the videos where you’re doing something and giving tips in the kitchen! Hope you make more of these kinds of videos

[@ChefJamesMakinson]

Thank you! Will do!

[@chrisgoprovids]

The pickle thing was awesome 😂 how did you not have fun using that weird little thing

[@aaronlopez492]

Great video Chef James, this is an excellent idea. I think these handy dandy "crappy' kitchen gadgets were though up by a merchandising company trying to make a fast Buck. Counting on the old axiom "there's a sucker born every minute". LoL

[@ChefJamesMakinson]

Thank you! yeah it's amazing how many of these things people buy

[@StefanWelker]

@@ChefJamesMakinson the amount of cleaning that all these require especially around hinges like sheers and such is just instant disqualified for me, knives are so much easier and better to clean after using.

[@julianokleby1448]

@@ChefJamesMakinson It really is amazing! We have a longer version of the "pickle picker" with a long handle we use to pick up dropped screws, nuts and bolts when working on the van, or stick down the sink drain to retrieve hair clogs and free up the drain. Ours is magnetic and is great for small things you can't bend over to pick up or got dropped down the sink.

[@904daniela]

I really laughed at the egg cracker. There is something I've been wondering about - why is it that when want to I fry eggs, the yolk breaks and when I make omelettes, I have to stab the yolks over and over again? 🤔 😁

[@ChefJamesMakinson]

😂

[@ecja1765]

Like the knife holder! Yes more of demos of new stuff.

[@ChefJamesMakinson]

😂

[@srav007]

All we need is a kitchen knife and a potato peeler, every other tool is useless 😂😂

[@ChefJamesMakinson]

😂

[@bcaye]

Spatula, spoon, tongs, colander, good pans?

[@ricklee5845]

You got the right idea though if all you ever eat is healthy American cuisine that comes out of cans, you might need a can opener as well. Of course... you can use the kitchen knife for that too. Just be sure you're not drunk or stoned when you do that! 😜😜

[@GaijinBangya]

I will defend the pickle-picker! 😂 I'm the type who likes to eat pickles and olives from the jar and oh sure, a fork kinda works for pickles, but they often get stuck that way, and holes that juice all over, getting hands sticky, then once you are down to the last few, forks no longer reach! And forget using forks or fingers for olives in their tiny jars. That thing, I need. Send it to me if you have no use 😂

[@diarmuidkuhle8181]

A long yoghurt spoon is your answer for fishing out the last remaining olives.

[@Grim_666-]

I think the 4 in 1 Veggie Chopper is the tool with the most potential in this video. The tool with the least potential is the Pickle Picker lol

[@ChefJamesMakinson]

😂

[@crimsondragon20]

I'd say the banana slicer has the least potential. At least the pickle picker works!

[@ozmartian2]

Its not, I have one and they suck. Try cleaning those blades after some use. Most of these things are just like that, cool ideas but not practical when it comes to using them long term and cleaning. You end up spening more time rather than saving.

[@gabrieldias3479]

The pickle picker can be used for olives and other small things inside jars. That's actually a very old thing. I have used in the past and it worked fine.

[@3henry214]

So, maybe it should be rebranded as the "Nose Picker" or "Finger Saver"... Tried of having to cleaning your finger nail after...? 🤣🤣

[@cupofcoffee4251]

The pickle picker looks like something that could be a surgical instrument.

[@ionicafardefrica]

the pickle picker might be more useful than you give it credit for. Back at home, my parents pickle relatively small quantities of cucumbers in plastic bottles left from the water cooler. It's perfect for it because it makes moving them and transporting easy, plus the transparent plastic lets you see inside. The problem is getting the vegetables out once you are about half way through the bottle. Usually we cut the bottle, but that forces you to move the remaining pickles to a jar or consume them fast. That little gadget might come in handy, if it was longer.

[@Kurgosh1]

For some of these we should consider the intended user. The banana slicer is almost certainly for children who can't be trusted with a knife to have some fun preparing their own snack. A lot of other gadgets are for people with disabilities and limited dexterity or hand strength to accomplish tasks that an able bodied person might be able to do with a less specialized tool.

[@kirbyculp3449]

A sensible post. And yet the hilarity of the reviews of the banana slicer on Amazon cannot be denied.

[@Saito57G]

Great video as always James. I couldn't help but bop my head constantly with all of the reggaeton in the background haha

[@dieZera]

The asparagus peeler is for white asparagus and yes you need to peel that and yes it is really helpful. Greetings from Germany.

[@AnOldFashionedWoman]

I love these gadget testing videos. And I love your honesty! Poor tortured eggs! You have a perfect laugh for a film villain! (That's meant to be a compliment:)

[@ChefJamesMakinson]

hahaha 🤣 Thank you!

[@schelfie1986]

I find this not really a product review video, but more a way for chef James to show off his fabulous knifeskills :D

[@ChefJamesMakinson]

I'm a bity rusty ;)

[@nickpetkoglou1990]

I would love to see the drawer required to store all that Cr@p & watch the person that owns that drawer select the banana slicer buried in the bottom of that drawer 🤣 Thanks for the laughs 🍻

[@marketads1]

I still like my egg slicer for egg salad. First turn one way, slice. Then turn the opposite way, slice. We don’t all cut like James!

[@Headhunter-5000]

Knife: Needs a little bit of training, is very flexible, fast to clean, can be used for decades Gadgets: No training needed, can only do one thing, might work or not work, hard to clean, might break very quickly I personally use a chef's knife 90% of the time when preparing food. That's basically all I really need when I would have to choose only one kitchen tool. Everything else is only nice to have. A very well sharpend chef's knife can even cut slices of bread with a thick crust.

[@tanikokishimoto1604]

A cheese shredder is also essential. Unless you like spending extra money for pre shredded cheese with anti-caking gak that affects how cheese melts.

[@Puzzlesocks]

@@tanikokishimoto1604 I completely agree, but of all the culinary accidents in my life, I'd put money that the cheese grater has the highest 'hit' count on my poor fingers, and that's despite being a professional butcher for 15 years. I have to work up the courage to shred my own hash browns again after the last incident. It's almost enough to make me break down and buy a robot coupe.

[@dillionedmonds5736]

I had a metal blade version of that banana slicer when I was young, it worked really well

[@eldoradocanyonro]

I absolutely love the rubber bands on asparagus and celery---I use them for keeping bags closed, and they wear out and I replace them with the same.....

[@hexane398]

More new video ideas! Great video chef james! And... Afghani Chicken... Day 12 😅😂😂

[@justinpedalpusher]

I love your new kitchen! I agree with everything except the vegetable chopper. It’s the only way I can dice onions. I just don’t have the skill. If you make me throw mine away, I’m gonna buy the pre-diced ones from the store lol. Thanks for the consistently great content!

[@BassoNero]

Can I just point out the attention to detail in editing at 00:10 (... many different types of tools and gadgets that we chefs "knead" to use ...). Very nice!

[@jackierebbel4604]

I have the vegetable chopper but honestly it is too much trouble to have to clean it afterwards. The other gadgets are really silly. Thanks for this fun video. 😀

[@Catmom-gl5nt]

My vegetable lover’s soul is crying at the idea of peeling asparagus. I chew on the fibrous ends I break off rather than throw them out. Why would you waste any part of asparagus? Oh, the humanity! 😫

[@jgg02]

Great episode, consumer information yet amusing to watch

[@hiikkis]

Most of these thingies are back from dust past... From those shopping channels. Nowdays tiktok reuse these some even in new purpose, those scissor were in old days salad cutters 🤣

[@KattMurr]

Never heard of peeling aspergus. The only prep was to cut off a small section of the bottom of the stem. My friend who was a chef for many years never prepared asparagus any other way than what I mentioned....

[@lalao.1691]

The egg cracker, to me, was the best tool to use! Needs some learning, but I think the mechanism of it looks unique, especially with a yolk catcher. 😊 The Evergrip seems convenient too, just how much knife control you have.

[@renelescault1282]

This is the kind of video to save a lot of money, for people who have less. Good job Chef. 👍👏

[@helenj4902]

I appreciate you reviewing these products! 😀

[@ChefJamesMakinson]

Thank you! :)

[@malkiawagiza1327]

Wow, more than 300 000 subscribers already and you still take your time to give ❤ to all the comments. Amazing. I'm a very lazy cook, even Thermomix didn't change it and turn me into passionate cook 😂 but I like your videos, they're very cosy.

[@ChefJamesMakinson]

Thank you! haha I would love to get a Thermomix!

[@TreantmonksTemple]

I didn't know anyone peeled asparagus until a couple years ago when my sister-in-law peeled some for dinner. Seemed like a waste of time to me, unpeeled asparagus is delicious as-is and the peeling just seemed like food and time waste.

[@Sharky762]

The new place looks great, James. I was once given one of those herb scissors... tried it once, and it was quickly "retired"

[@tommyxboy101]

Hahaha, the amount of times you said "get a good knife and practice" yeah, I gained most of my knife skills by refusing to spend money on gadgets and just practicing with a knife

[@matthewjohnston3195]

I find it so difficult slicing a banana with a knife 🤣

[@deirdredowling-mv6bs]

Thanks chef James enjoyed this keep laughing. You cheered me up 🤣💚💚💚

[@ChefJamesMakinson]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@deirdredowling-mv6bs]

@@ChefJamesMakinson always enjoy your channel in the best way possible. Sending love from Dublin, Ireland 🇮🇪💚💚💚

[@LorienDrechsler]

I'm a home cook. I find, that hands, a sharp chef knife, and a little practice, are the only things I need for prepping veggies. I do have some specialty stuff like mt Kitchen Aide stand mixer, my yogurt maker, and my Cuisinart food processor, but for most things (like 99%) of what I make at home, is done with a chef knife and my hands. Not a paring knife, or a bread knife. or a peeler...just a chef knife. Thank you Chef James for this video. BTW, my Chef Knife is from Mercer and cost me $35.

[@Jeni10]

I use two matching plates, put the tomatoes on one plate, put the second plate on top, and gently slice between the plates. Fast and effective.

[@_Bosley]

Banana slicer in the shape of an eggplant.... nice. 😁😁

[@ODR96]

I have a veggie chopper, and I would say I am quite proficient with a knife, but it certainly has its use cases. The veggie chopper is good for mass-chopping veggies very quickly where you don't particularly care what they look like, e.g. for large vegetable soups. They're also great for pico de Gallo and other salads with loads of cucumber, tomatoes, raw carrots, etc. The uniformity you get from them is quite aesthetically pleasing. It has its downsides as well; namely, they're hard to clean because bits of veggies get stuck in the teeth.

[@simonspacek3670]

I have another one for making pickles. When you need to cut a bucket of bell peppers, cucumbers, carrots,... it is great tool.

[@koivunen2489]

That rubber band shooting took me back to when my brother did (or at least tried to) that with one of my hair ties. It was one of the ones that had a metal clip to seal in the ends of the elastic band. He was being an idiot and grabbed a hold of the piece of metal (to aim), which then hit him directly in the thumbnail. He yelled, I laughed! That pickle picker looks a lot like something completely different from the ...hardcore adult section, IYKIYKI

[@ChefJamesMakinson]

🤣

[@klausschneider1045]

I've found one more insane item: it's sort of a scissors dedicated for cutting herbs with five parallel blades on both sides, for about fifteen up to twentyfive bugs. Yes, it works for a certain time, but once the blades will be dull, you will squeeze the herbs instead of cutting them properly, and without a chance to sharpen the blades again.

[@Miranda-c6q]

Fun video, Chef!

[@ChefJamesMakinson]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@thapaj68]

Thank you for saving people from buying useless crap😊

[@germankitty]

The asparagus peeler works perfectly for WHITE asparagus (the most popular type in Germany, and only sold until the end of June, not year-round); the stalks may well be half or 3/4 of an inch thick, and the gadget will give you a fairly even peel. For green asparagus, you're right, a knife works just fine.

[@ricklee5845]

I learned on Duolingo.... yes, Duolingo that you have an asparagus festival every year when the 'spargel' is in season. 👍👍

[@diarmuidkuhle8181]

Knife is too fiddly for green asparagus. Just use a potato peeler.

[@kjworrell2952]

My favorite 'pickle picker' is a fondue fork that I bought at a thrift store for less than a dollar. Works better than that thing you had. When it comes to kitchen scissors, I have the Fiskars my mom gave me when I moved into my first apartment. I don't know if they were made specifically for kitchen use but they work great for a variety of tasks...including snipping herbs. Quality Fiskars (not knock offs) for kitchen use is something my mom discovered before lots of chef's tools were available to the general public. She always had a pair in her kitchen and made sure I had a pair for mine Not sure what to say about that banana slicer 😅 if you really wanted to slice bananas evenly without a knife I think a wire cheese slicer would work better than an odd shaped piece of plastic Thanks for all the quality videos. I love watching and learning here. So glad I found you via Uncle Roger

[@Olfines]

I have two pairs of Fiskars scissors, they are the best

[@denis_catroun6167]

Great video James. It's interesting how much kitchen gadgets have gained popularity. I used to be a gadget junkie until I realized how much kitchen space is precious. I have toned down considerably my purchases of useless gadgets. I prefer to invest in a good knife.

[@ChefJamesMakinson]

Thank you!

[@lmsmith015]

I was gifted the herb scissors and I like to use it when I'm adding herbs to leftovers, and I don't want to dirty my knife and cutting board just for that.

[@Helen_D9147]

Great video! Love to see whether or not these gadgets actually work. FYI, I saw someone else try the egg cracker. He said the problem is the metal piece that first pierces the egg is too large. It's going to puncture the yolk every time. But I would definitely love to see you test more products!!

[@shaggysunshine7441]

8:55 You know a different version then I do. "Peter Piper picked a pec of pickled peppers. If Peter Piper picked a pec of pickled peppers. How many pickled peppers did Peter Piper pick?" And I'm ironically eating a pickle by chance

[@ChefJamesMakinson]

🤣

[@LordTimothyOfGlencoe]

45years ago I worked in catering, once a week I was tasked with breaking 400 eggs in the morning, no shell fragments, you get really good at using both hands simultaneously it’s just a skill! No gadget needed! Kind regards Tim

[@greenpulp.]

At the asparagus farm you typically can buy peeled asparagus vacuum packed

[@Eurydice-cj6tv]

A fun video - I love "...if you use your hands, something that you already have for free.." A friend gave me a mushroom slicer, like an egg slicer only mushroom-shaped. It slices only one width, the slices get stuck in the blades, and if you have a large mushroom you have to cut it in half with a knife so it will fit. Much simpler to just continue using the knife, but I keep it because it was a gift and it's cute.

[@iral1357]

I love this! I remember trying to use the dumpling machine several times. I always ended up with too much dough left on the edges despite the small pieces of dough. My mother's advice - make the dumplings by hand and use a fork around them to close them :D

[@petergrudge189]

Hey Chef! 😊 All of them are useless except for the knife grip. Besides, learning how to use your knives takes away the art and skill of creating beautiful cuts. I have fun using my knives, and we pick the ones we need for different specialties.😄 Great video! 🙂

[@ChefJamesMakinson]

Hey Peter! thank you! the knife grip does help if you have hand issues but it is strange holding the knife with it

[@Wabajck]

Something to remember with a lot of these is it isnt trying to replace your knife but instead help people with physical limitations be able to handle these tasks

[@angelachouinard4581]

Oh chef you made my day! The Ever Grip I can see a use for. A lot of older people still like to cook and not everybody has good ergonomic knives. But I laughed out loud at the egg breaker. One of my jobs while going to uni was dessert baker in a commercial bakery and my day started with "Separate 22 eggs". Since it was decades ago, a year or so back I tested myself to see if I could do a one handed crack and separate and I still could. Like riding a bicycle!

[@AnneliOberman]

I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis several years ago. I am a home cook and I love cooking. Cutting for long periods of time has become more of a problem. I am supper happy to get the knife holder. I think that it will be really helpful for me

[@tord9707]

I have a veggie chopper pretty similar to the 4 in 1, works lie a charm. Getting the potato fries even thickness, finechopping an onion in 1 second..I have plenty of knives but that little gadget has become more useful than I first thought.

[@daphnepearce9411]

This video had me laughing out loud! : ) I groan when I think of the stupid gadgets I used when I first was learning to cook. One of the dumbest gadgets I had was a garlic roller that was supposed to peel and chop garlic perfectly...it was horrible. I eventually threw it out and use mostly my chefs knife for food prep. Keep them sharp!

[@ChefJamesMakinson]

🤣🤣

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

Thanks For this! Love your content ❤❤❤❤

[@ChefJamesMakinson]

You are so welcome!

[@RiddleTime]

Nice to see a different kind of video! That tomato slicer 😂

[@ChefJamesMakinson]

haha 🤣

[@rodneygonzalez6977]

The pickle picker seems appealing to me mostly for the last couple of pickles the run away from the fork lol

[@DushniyChannel]

Yes! I love this! I always had a fascination with those terrible as seen on tv products (they are usually so bad and useless, but sometimes there are gems). Especially when they are getting destroyed by people who know what they are doing. Absolutely I would love to see more of this. Great content! Maybe a reaction video to some horrible TV ads? :D

[@ChefJamesMakinson]

hahaha just wait for Sunday! :)

[@the-chillian]

Is something going on with asparagus this year? All the asparagus I can find around here in California is skinny too.

[@ChefJamesMakinson]

its not cheap either

[@ozmartian2]

Thx Chef! Even if most of those gadgets worked as intended the extra cleaning and fuss required completely negates their usefulness. Cleaning those vege cutters for example is hell on Earth compared to just using a damn knife and cleaning that when done.

[@moonstarry6214]

The pickle picker…..didn’t I see that go up Arnold Schwarzenegger’s nose in Total Recall? 😂

[@skibidi.G]

Oh yes , plastic kitchen gadgets ... best video ever 😂 CRH vibes!

[@Kant3n]

12:03 That is the face of a fellow tempted to go full roast mode.

[@PretendingToBeCanadian69]

Here in Edmonton all the professional chefs use ever single one of these items on a daily basis.

[@patriciahoumdi1178]

Great video! Thanks!

[@cathimurphy-bee6759]

Thank you ChefJames! My husband and I were just wondering, how on earth do you crack one egg with another without ending up with two cracked eggs? Give us some insight! We love you.