KITCHEN GADGETS - FOR WHEN A KNIFE JUST WON'T DO

I have a real passion food, and for cooking. One of the perks of living at home is free use of my mother’s large fully stocked kitchen, overflowing with spices and fresh exotic vegetables all at my disposal.

My mother enjoys cooking too, almost as much as she enjoys buying random kitchen utensils to make kitchen chores that little bit easier. We even go to the Ideal Home Show every year to buy these supposedly life changing items, only to get bored of them six months later.

Thankfully I can say that I have not and probably never will buy any of the following gadgets. They are my pick of the weirdest and most useless kitchen items.

BANANA SLICER
Don’t you hate it when you want to slice a banana, but for some reason, a knife just won’t work? Well then buy a Kitchencraft banana slicer. Slice a whole banana in seconds, because traditional methods are so time consuming. Order yours now! £6.29 from wayfair.co.uk 

BANANA GUARD

If you really are in a rush and have to take the whole banana with you, pack it in it’s own case. Because there is nothing wrong about pulling something shaped like this out of your bag at the office or at lunch break. Protect your banana, get a guard at Lakeland.

TWIRLING SPAGHETTI FORK

I initially thought this could only be a novelty item. But then I was informed that this is great for the elderly, who have trouble twirling their forks. Surely spaghetti can be cut. Whilst brilliant in theory, the automated Twirling Spaghetti Fork makes a complete mess if it isn't dipped all the way into the noodles. That's bolognese sauce everywhere... And what happens if the batteries run out midway through the meal? Lakeland was selling them at £5.99 each, but have since discontinued the range. Back to the traditional fork then. 

ELECTRIC LIGHT UP PEPPER MILL 
I actually think the majority of Salter products are very good. Their kitchenware range by Heston Blumenthal is paticularly striking and helpful. 

But this is the company behind the electric salt and pepper mills that light up when you're seasoning. Why pray tell might this be a good idea? Do many people use these items in the dark or areas with poor lighting? Or are we just that interested in how much and where exactly our seasoning is falling? According to Tesco, it is ideal for candlelit dinners. Yes, because nothing says romance like a buzzing sound and spotlights on our food. 

THE SCIZZA
An average of 1643 pizzas are consumed in Britain every day. Surely then we should be able to cut pizza using a knife, or a rolling pizza cutter. But for those of you that still don’t get how these two items work, there is the pizza scissors, or 'scizza'. Much like the over-sized helpful items from kindergarten, these scissors mean that hungry carb-loaders can snip slices, or even create origami creations with their dinner. Throw away the knives and  order yours  for £19.95 

ONION GOGGLES
I hate cutting onions as much as the next person. Yes it upsets my eyes. But if you don’t want to wear a £23 pair of goggles from John Lewis, pop your onion in the freezer half an hour before cutting. It works a treat and saves you looking like an absolute idiot / snowboard instructor in the kitchen.

TAPI 
My favourite of these items is the little device that turns a simple tap into a water fountain. That’s right, sometimes a glass won’t do, and heaven forbid cupping a mouthful of water into your palm! Just attach The Tapi and you have an instant water fountain, like the ones that everyone uses in the gym, or were commonly found at school playgrounds.  This is much more hygienic.

What weird and useless products have you seen? Do you have any of these or others lurking in your kitchen cupboards? Or do you think any of the above are actually useful?

Right, I’m off to practice cutting pizza and slicing bananas.