Latest news with #declutter
CNET
21 hours ago
- General
- CNET
20 Kitchen Tools that Professional Chefs Say Are Totally Useless
The only thing worse than wasting precious kitchen counter or cupboard space is wasting money on top o fit. Nobody knows this better than professional chefs, which is why I asked several top culinary pros about the kitchen tools to skip and what to use instead,. Instead of giving in to gimmicks, it's smarter to build your kitchen around dependable, multifunctional gear. We asked chefs and kitchen pros which gadgets they consider totally unnecessary-and which tools actually pull their weight around the kitchen. If you're ready to declutter and streamline your space, knowing what not to buy is just as important as knowing what to keep. These career cooks are the ultimate authority on which kitchen gadgets should get the boot -- especially when cupboard, counter and drawer space is limited. Each one listed their least favorite kitchen tools and offered their preferred method or tool for completing the cooking task that they're meant to do. Masaharu Morimoto Celebrity chef, restauranteur Masaharu Morimoto shared his pick for the most overrated kitchen tool. Dave Kotinsky/Stringer/Getty 1. Mandolin Chef Morimoto encourages beefing up your knife skills to make thin and uniform vegetable slices. Milk Street Why: "While it brings good slices, mastering proper knife skills gives you more control, precision and safety in the long run. Mandolins can be bulky, hard to clean and risky if you're not extremely careful. Relying too much on a mandolin, or tools like a two-in-one apple cutter or a tomato corer can hold you back from developing real technique. Taking the time to learn how to handle a sharp chef's knife or Japanese blade will help you in almost every recipe." What to try instead: Mac 8-inch Japanese chef knife. Lead chef-instructor Institute of Culinary Education, Los Angeles Culinary instructor Eric Rowse knows a gimmicky kitchen tool when he sees one. Institute of Culinary Education 2. Onion holders Why: "These look like a weapon for Wolverine wannabes; it's meant to help you hold a whole onion and "chop" it. Instead, cut the onion in half to create a flat surface so it won't roll away. If you're trying to cut rings, save the $14 and stick a fork in the root and hold the fork." What to try instead: Learn to properly slice an onion the old-fashioned way. 3. Onion goggles Save your money -- and some dignity -- and skip the onion goggles. Rubberball/Mike Kemp/Getty Why: "A waste of money, as they don't form a great seal around the eyes to prevent the sulfur compounds from getting to your eyes and making you cry. Keep your knife sharp and open a window or turn on a fan instead." What to try instead: CNET's Peter Butler shares tips for cutting onions without crying. 4. Metal, glass, stone and acrylic cutting boards Glass, stone and metal boards are OK for serving but when slicing and dicing, wood is the way to go. David Watsky/CNET Why: "Cutting on hard surfaces is bad for your knives; instead, go for wood or poly." What to try instead: Our list of the best cutting boards features plenty of knife-safe options. 5. Chicken shredder Why: "I can't think of anyone needing a tool devoted to shredding chicken outside a restaurant and even restaurants don't use it. This item only has one purpose so I'd skip it." What to try instead: Two forks. 6. Herb stripper Why: "I love thyme but hate stripping it. When I was young I got suckered into believing this tool would help me … It's been sitting in my cupboard, laughing at me for almost a decade now." What to try instead: For heartier herbs like rosemary and thyme, just use your fingers to slide down the stem, opposite to how the leaves grow. 7. Bluetooth wireless probe thermometer Instant read meat probes work fast and don't require fussy Bluetooth connection. Chris Wedel/CNET Why: "These are a great tool but can be very expensive. I can see myself losing, breaking, dropping, accidentally throwing away or dropping it in the coals." What to try instead: ThermoPro's Lightning Instant Read Thermometer Cookbook author and lifestyle expert Cookbook author Peter Som didn't hold back when asked about his least favorite kitchen tools. Peter Som 8. Electric can opener A manual can opener is cheaper, works great and is less likely to break. Nelson Aguilar/CNET Why: "Most of us grew up with an electric can opener permanently stationed on the kitchen counter, like it was a vital appliance. But truthfully, they're more nostalgia than necessity. They take up space, can be a hassle to clean and often struggle with irregularly sized cans. A good manual opener is compact, reliable and gets the job done without needing an outlet or a user manual." What to try instead: Oxo's soft-handled can opener. Richard Ingraham Personal chef to Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union and author of Love: My Love Expressed Through Food Richard Ingraham avoids certain kitchen tools when cooking for celebs like Dwayne Wade and Gabrielle Union. John Parra/Gett 9. Avocado slicer Why: "A knife and spoon do the job just as easily and the specialized tool rarely fits all avocado sizes properly. It's a one-trick pony that clutters drawers." What to try instead: A good paring knife like this $35 Wusthof. 10. Egg separator Separating an egg by hand isn't so that difficult that it requires hardware. Yipengge/Getty Why: "A tool just for separating yolks is unnecessary for most home cooks." The only exception may be this one, and even that is just for yolks. Err, I mean yucks. What to try instead: Cracking an egg and using the shell halves or your fingers works just as well. 11. Garlic peeler tube Why: "Rolling garlic cloves in a silicone tube may work but requires storing a single-purpose gadget." What to try instead: Smashing garlic cloves with a chef knife is quicker and more reliable. 12. Pizza scissors Chef Ingraham says skip the scissors on pizza night. Zoranm/Getty Why: "A pizza cutter or knife works better and faster. These scissors are gimmicky, awkward to clean and take up more space than they're worth." What to try instead: KitchenAid's stainless-steel pizza wheel. 13. Herb scissors Why: "They're hard to clean and don't offer a huge advantage over a sharp chef's knife. Plus, they tend to crush delicate herbs more than slice them." What to try instead: Made In's 8-inch Chef Knife. 14. Electric egg cooker Why: "Boiling eggs in a pot is straightforward and flexible. The electric version just adds clutter unless you boil eggs constantly and hate using a stove." What to try instead: This 1-minute hack for making poached eggs in the microwave. 15. Butter cutter and dispenser A good butter knife works just as well and requires less space and maintenance. Williams Sonoma Why: "It slices sticks of butter into pats… but why? A knife works instantly, and you don't have to load and clean a plastic gadget for it." What to try instead: Williams Sonoma breakfast butter blade. 16. Pasta measurer Why: "It's a plastic disc with holes to tell you how much spaghetti to cook. Just eyeball it or learn the rough weight by experience. It's not worth the drawer space." What to try instead: A kitchen scale for precise measurements. 17. Oil mister Why: "Often clogs, sprays unevenly and requires constant cleaning. A small spoon or brush does the job with less frustration." What to try instead: World Market's olive oil cruet. 18. Electric potato peeler A sharp vegetable peeler is all you need to skin a batch of potatoes. Capelle.r/Getty Why: "Takes up a surprising amount of space and peels slower than a regular peeler. Plus, it's overkill unless you're peeling dozens of potatoes at once." What to try instead: Oxo's Swivel peeler. 19. Bagel guillotine Why: "Sold as a safer way to slice bagels but takes up a ton of space and is awkward to clean. A serrated knife does the job just fine." What to try instead: Opinel's 8-inch bread knife. Jackie Carnesi Executive chef, Kellogg's Diner Jackie Carnesi StarChefs 20. Oven mitts There's a reason pro chefs don't use oven mitts. Webstaurant Why: "Oven mitts are the most useless item in a home kitchen! A sturdy kitchen towel does the same job, and odds are, it's more likely to be washed regularly. I don't know many people who wash their oven mitts frequently enough ... it seems many have deemed it an item that doesn't warrant regular cleaning. It does." What to try instead: Stock a plethora of kitchen towels.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
I spent six years locked in a haze of antidepressants after my first marriage broke down. This is the red flag I ignored - and why, at 57, I'm taking the plunge into love again: MIRANDA LEVY
The mental health nurse started rooting through my wardrobe in a 'declutter your life' kind of a way. Eventually, she found the £2,000 Christiana Couture dress I had worn for my country house wedding, 14 years earlier. She somehow thought that throwing away a few unused garments would soothe the tangle in my brain. 'We won't be needing that any longer,' she snapped, ripping my gown from the rail, marching it down the stairs and depositing it next to the bins in the front garden.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
8 Things To Toss Before You Turn 50
Most of us have houses overflowing with sentimental items: tchotchkes from a trip to the Grand Canyon, Mom's favorite mixing bowls, a box of the kids' school papers, greeting cards from childhood. And then there's what we're afraid to let go of, like the bills we kept for tax reasons and the clothes we dreamed of wearing again. If you have a 50th birthday coming up, this is a great time to take stock of all that you've accumulated and clean house. The symbolism seems appropriate when you have a fresh, new chapter coming in life. Plus, you'll be really glad to see the clutter gone once you decide to retire to Florida or move somewhere closer to the kids. Toss these eight things before you turn 50 and embrace a new decade. We're not against keeping a few sentimental items, but you don't need to keep every toy you treasured in childhood. Even collectible toys don't have much value unless you display them or intend to sell them. Save a small box of toys for future grandkids, arrange those you're really fond of on a shelf, and donate or sell the rest. Do you still have all of the textbooks from your college days? We promise they're very out of date. There's no reason to hold onto school books and college papers, even if you wrote some really good ones. The same goes for all the paperbacks you bought at the airport during vacations. Go ahead and clear out any books you don't plan on reading again and donate the rest to the library. That dress was so cute 20 years ago, but it's not going to work for you today. Your fashion sense has probably changed since then. Unless you have a really amazing vintage piece, this is the time to clean out your closet and make space for the new you. If you've lost parents, you know it's hard to let go of their stuff. But squeezing two households into one isn't serving anyone. Keep what's truly useful and meaningful and toss the rest. This might mean saving important family history, one piece of furniture, and a couple of really special cards and letters. The same goes for grandma's crystal and quilts. You may feel a twinge of guilt if Mom expected you to keep Grandma's silver forever, but there's no guarantee the next generation will agree to inherit it. Decide which family heirlooms really matter to you and give yourself permission to give away the rest. But first, contact cousins, aunts, or uncles to see if they'd like to take possession of anything. It can be hard to let go of your kids' stuff when you have an empty nest, but memories and photos are much more valuable than books, toys, and stuffed animals. Have an honest conversation about how important these things are, and have your kids pick up anything they want to keep. If you still have kids at home and think they might want that Lego collection someday, you can give it a few years if you want. Set a deadline for when they need to take ownership of their toys. Someone may have advised you to keep years' worth of old bills and tax records, but the digital age has set in. You can scan your old tax returns and then shred them—just make sure to have backups. Scan relevant bills, records, and receipts as well. You shouldn't get rid of all paper, though. Keep the original copies of important documents like birth certificates, deeds, car titles, and your will. We're all for embracing new hobbies throughout life. But if you've been holding onto a broken toaster you planned to fix five years ago, it's time to toss that. Be honest in your appraisal of projects you have on your to-do list, even if it's a fun craft project. Then set a goal for when you'll tackle the projects that remain. Read the original article on Southern Living
Android Authority
25-06-2025
- Android Authority
Proton Mail is rolling out a tool to help you get rid of those unwanted subscriptions
TL;DR Proton Mail is rolling out a feature called 'Newsletters view.' Newsletters view is a focused space that organizes all of your subscriptions in one place to help you declutter your inbox. It features two separate tabs for quick access to active subscriptions and mail lists from which you've unsubscribed. It's easy to get overwhelmed by the amount of email sitting in your inbox. Things like promos, job alerts, store updates, and more can often make up the bulk of the messages waiting for you to open. While some of these newsletters may be important, others may not be. To help you declutter your inbox, Proton Mail is getting a new feature to round up these subscriptions. Today, Proton announced it will be rolling out a new feature called 'Newsletters view.' The feature is being released gradually, and it will be located in the sidebar once it arrives. As the company explains, you'll be able to use Newsletters view to see and manage all of your email subscriptions in one place. Separate from your normal inbox, this is a focused space that allows you to browse through these subscriptions. This feature aims to help you figure out which newsletters you want to keep and which ones you wish to cancel. You can then cancel everything you don't want with one click. In addition to unsubscribing, you can filter by sender and delete everything they ever sent you or manage emails individually. Proton mentions that Newsletters view will have two tabs, one for active subscriptions and the other for emails you've unsubscribed from. You'll also be able to see how often a sender emails you and spot what subscriptions you've stopped reading. Overall, it sounds like it could be a handy tool to help clean up your overcrowded inbox. Proton adds that this feature will be built directly into your Proton Mail inbox, so you won't have to install anything. Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
CTV News
19-06-2025
- General
- CTV News
17 Kitchen Organization Products That'll Help You Reclaim Some Space
From containers for your pantry goods to storage solutions for your utensils, these game-changers will transform your kitchen. Keeping your kitchen organized can be hard, but that's why storage solutions exist. From in-drawer clutter control to cupboard and countertop must-haves, we've rounded up a few of our favourites to make finding what you need less stressful. If you've got chaos in your kitchen and are in desperate need of a declutter, these space-saving products will help you get the job done. Here are a few of the best kitchen organization products you can find online right now: Here Are The Best Grilling Accessories On Amazon Canada For Spring 2025 Our Guide To The Best Freezers In Canada In 2025 (And Where To Get Them) Testing the Viral Ninja Swirl by CREAMi Ice Cream Machine: Here's What You Should Know Disclaimer: The prices displayed are accurate at the time of publication. We'll do our best to keep them as up-to-date as possible, but you may see slight changes.
