Wasted $400 on a fancy spiralizer I barely touched

I fell for one of those infomercial spiralizers last year, the big metal one that promises to turn every veggie into noodles. Used it exactly twice, once for zucchini and once for carrots, and both times cleanup took longer than the actual cooking. The thing is huge, takes up half my cabinet, and after the second use I just went back to using my regular vegetable peeler. My mom came over and laughed, said she used to cut vegetables into strips with a knife in the 80s for way less hassle. I thought I was saving time with a gadget but really I just threw money at a problem that didn't exist. Has anyone else bought some kitchen tool that seemed genius but ended up being a complete waste of counter space?

5 comments

5 Comments

karen3611mo ago

The spiralizer thing is real, I fell for that too a couple years back. Got a big orange one with the suction cup base and it was a nightmare to store and clean. Ended up donating it to a thrift store after the novelty wore off, and honestly my vegetable peeler does the same job with way less hassle. Your mom had it right in the 80s, sometimes the old ways are just simpler.

vera_johnson91mo ago

Oh man, that's rough but I totally get it. I did the same thing with a garlic press that turned out to be more trouble than it was worth. Bought this fancy stainless steel one because I wanted clean garlic mince without the sticky fingers, but after like three uses the little holes got all clogged up and it was impossible to clean. Ended up having to poke each hole out with a toothpick every time, which took longer than just chopping the garlic myself. Now I just smash the cloves with the flat side of my knife and it takes about five seconds.

dakotab931mo ago

Yeah @vera_johnson9 I went through the exact same thing with a garlic press. Gave up and got a microplane zester instead, works way better and rinses clean in like 2 seconds under the faucet.

kelly.charlie1mo ago

ok but hear me out, nobody is talking about the real issue which is that these companies are designing garlic presses to look cool on instagram instead of actually working. i bought one that had all these little rubber nubs on the handle for grip and it looked so nice sitting in my drawer but the second i actually squeezed a clove through it the thing split in half like it was made of cheap plastic. and the cleaning thing, yeah forget about it, i spent 20 minutes digging garlic pulp out of the crevices with a toothpick and then just threw it in the trash. the microplane is smart but honestly i just use the back of my knife to smash the clove and then chop it up, takes 10 seconds and no gadget to clean at all.

wesleyb201mo ago

Oh man, that's a bummer. @vera_johnson9 I feel your pain with that clogged up garlic press, I went through the same thing twice before I learned my lesson. It's like they look good in the store but fall apart the second you actually try to use them. The microplane really is a game changer though, I use it for ginger and parmesan too now. Smashing with a knife is fine but I get lazy and want the fine mince without the sticky fingers. You'd think after all these years someone would just make a garlic press that actually works and cleans easy. Guess that's too much to ask for.