5 Space-Hogging Kitchen Tools You Definitely Don't Need—and What to Use Instead

Grill Pan

When you sear steaks or burgers in a grill pan instead of a standard skillet, you're effectively choosing to only brown 50 percent of the surface area of your meat. This is due to the ridges (or "grates") of the pan—makes sense, no? Because a grill pan also won't get nearly as hot as your full-size gas grill, it's just not worth using one to cook indoors for any reason other than giving your food cool-looking grill marks. Save grilling for the delicious charred flavors you'll develop on the high heat of your outdoor grill, and opt for a flat-bottomed stainless steel or cast iron skillet when you're inside.

Juicer

Juicing is messy, expensive, and strips your fruits and veggies from most of their nutritional value and fiber (you're looking at nearly as much sugar as soda). Not to mention the waste factor: the majority of the mountain of produce required to make juice ends up in the trash. Skip the juicer and invest in a high-performance blender instead—you can blend delicious, better-for-you beverages that won't leave you knee-deep in pulp, debt, etc.

RELATED: 5 Simple Recipes You Can Make in Your Blender—and Without Heating Up the House

Single-Use Gadgets

Egg slicers, avocado cutters, kale strippers? If your skin is crawling, you're not alone: all I hear is clutter, junk, and losing a finger when I'm rifling through their drawer. Again, a good chef's knife can tackle all of these tasks with equal precision and ease. If mincing garlic is a consistent pain point for you, I can get behind a garlic press, but skip the peeler.

Deep Fryer

If the image of hot oil scalding your skin and then getting all over your countertop (and inside the nooks and crannies of your coffee maker) excites you, then absolutely be our guest. But these appliances are undeniably messy and dangerous. I love fresh-made doughnuts just as much as the next gal, but if buying them from a bakery means my clothes, hair, and entire home won't smell like hot oil for all of eternity, I'm fine with it.

Ingredient Canisters and Beeswax Food Wraps

There's no question that ingredient canisters and wax food wraps look beautiful on Instagram, but most are far from airtight. This means you're dramatically shortening the shelf life of the food (cereal, leftovers, an avocado half) inside. Stock up on a solid set of attractive and airtight food storage containers instead, like the Rubbermaid Brilliance line.