Popular Kitchen Gadgets That Got Hilariously Bad Reviews

Even good products get bad reviews.

Popular Kitchen Gadgets That Got Hilariously Bad Reviews

Cooking is fun, except when we don't feel like doing it. Then, pretty much any kitchen gadget that makes it easier to get dinner on the table becomes your new BFF.

We compiled some of Amazon's most well-loved kitchen gadgets, each with thousands of great reviews, to see if they're really worth it. They totally are. But some of the bad reviews are worth reading, too. Not because they're accurate, but because they're hilarious.

These are the funniest bad reviews of awesome products. And whenever someone criticizes you, remember that even the best products get bad reviews sometimes.

Some People Really Hate Cleaning Vegetable Choppers

Kitchen gadget: Mueller Austria Pro-Series 8 Blade Multichopper

Hilarious review: "I could have had a 3 course meal, eaten it and had dessert in the time it took to try and clean this piece of junk." —Stacy Larsson

Why it’s actually great: That feels like an exaggeration Stacy, but we hear you. Cleaning kitchen gadgets is the least enjoyable part of the deal. It's all about tradeoffs. Would you rather spend more time chopping veggies by hand, or more time cleaning up after a meal?

A knife is awfully easy to wash, but cutting tons of veggies can take forever. The added cleaning time is worth it, in our opinion.

Learn more: Mueller Austria Pro-Series 8 Blade Egg Slicer, Onion Mincer Chopper, Slicer, Vegetable Chopper, $29.97

Maybe This Reviewer Has Extra Stubborn Jars?

Kitchen gadget: EZ Off Jar Opener

Hilarious review: "Fails to open jars. Would have returned it, but it’s stuck on my cabinet." —RC

Why it’s actually great: This jar has 12,602 reviewers, and 82 percent of them gave it five stars. Less than 5 percent gave it three stars or below.

Maybe RC had a particularly stubborn jar, or maybe they just received a defective product. Either way, this kitchen gadget works like a dream for most people.

Just try it out before you mount it to the underside of your cabinets, just in case.

Learn more: EZ Off Jar Opener — Under Cabinet Jar Lid & Bottle Opener, $13.75

A Magic Bullet Leaking Black Liquid Doesn't Sound Right

Kitchen gadget: Magic Bullet Blender

Hilarious review: "I bought this specifically to blend a date into my morning lattes. That is it. The only thing I require this to blend is a dang date into some almond milk and it can't even do that. It has 2 broken pieces already. ... It also leaks black liquid all over everywhere. I have to be careful it doesn't drip the nasty gross whatever it is liquid into my latte. I will never buy this again and regret buying it in the first place. I am throwing it in the trash." —LoveChild

Why it’s actually great: Mysterious, black liquid leaking from this small, portable blender is an exception, not the rule. The Magic Bullet has been a favorite smoothie-making product for years.

It doesn't take up much space in comparison to standard-sized blenders, and you can bring your drink to go in the same cup used to blend the smoothie in.

Learn more: Magic Bullet Blender, Small, Silver, 11 Piece Set, $39.85

This Kitchen Gadget Has Made Straining Pasta Easier Than Ever ... for Most People

Kitchen gadget: Kitchen Gizmo Strainer

Hilarious review: "This product was poorly made and didn't fit tightly enough to actually strain anything - everything just poured out no matter how I tried to use it. I returned it immediately. However, what bothers me the most about this product is the constant barrage of emails from the seller, asking me for reviews. I initially wasn't going to leave a bad review, and just quietly return the faulty product. But they just kept messaging me over and over again even after I asked them to stop. So here it is: The strainer doesn't work and the seller is annoying and harasses the customer. Maybe now they'll stop sending me emails." —Emmiejaye

Why it’s actually great: This food strainer is an amazing idea. Instead of having to transfer your pasta to a colander and return it to the pot, just clip this strainer onto the edge of the pot, and voila. Just as much pasta with one less, large kitchen item to clean.

It doesn't fit on every single pot, but you can always return it for free if it doesn't work on yours.

Learn more: Kitchen Gizmo Snap N Strain Strainer, $14.39

No One Likes Stinky Hands

Kitchen gadget: Amco Stainless Steel Odor Absorber

Hilarious review: "Nope. Bought for my son to use after crabbing. He said his hands still stink." —Etak611

Why it’s actually great: Maybe Etak611's son just has exceptionally stinky hands, because over 15,000 people love this stainless steel odor absorber.

Cooking from scratch is a great way to eat healthier and save money, but some scents like garlic and onion are hard to get off your hands.

This simple bar of stainless steel sucks up odors to leave your hands smelling like nothing but hands again.

Learn more: Amco 8402 Rub-a-Way Bar Stainless Steel Odor Absorber, $8.99

Vegetable Choppers Are Sharp? Shocking.

Kitchen gadget: Chef'n Food Chopper

Hilarious review: "My attempt at using this chopper failed. All I got was puree. Evidently have to chop veggies small so what is the point of having a chopper if you are doing the chopping before you use? I also cut my finger on blade which is very sharp and I realize I should have known this but still an alert should state when removing blade, be very careful." —Amazon Customer

Why it’s actually great: It's an inexpensive, hand-powered food chopper, not a $350 beast of a food processor.

This chopper is a great value for anyone with common sense and an average amount of veggies to chop.

Learn more: Chef'n VeggiChop Hand-Powered Food Chopper, $21.99

Banana Slicers Are More Simplistic Than One Reviewer Expected

Kitchen gadget: Hutzler Banana Slicer

Hilarious review: "I don't know how they expect anyone to use this device without an instruction guide. It's just too complicated. Where do the batteries go? Where is the USB port? There isn't even a user pdf available for download. Fortunately, we were able to complete assembly on our own based on years of IKEA experience, but good luck to the novice. 'Banana Slicing For Dummies' was also a helpful resource, but we really expected not to have to spend $49.99 on a book. In any case, the device doesn't include bananas, so the advertising is deceptive. One alternative is a $5,000 high quality 3D printer and software to print your own banana slicer. The 'flip horizontal' function will allow you to print versions for bananas that curve left and for those that curve right. This is a more useful option for the serious banana enthusiast." —J.Oppenheim

Why it’s actually great: This review was obviously a joke, as are many of the reviews. One reviewer even claimed to have lost his job because he was so enamored by the banana slicer that he forgot to show up to work. "I'm no longer Jake from State Farm," he said. "I am now just Jake."

A banana slicer this good is a banana slicer that should already be in your cart.

Learn more: Hutzler 571 Banana Slicer, $5.77

A Cutting Board That's Not Intended for the Weak

Kitchen gadget: Seville Cutting Board

Hilarious review: "Muscles required. The Barber of Seville might be able to lift this often or a professional chef. Storage is a problem as is cleaning. Very heavy and inefficient as you have to remove all the board covers to use the board and clean it." —Audreymccrimon

Why it’s actually great: Lots of people like this cutting board because of its weight, not in spite of it. It does have some heft to it, but that keeps it from slipping around while you're trying to saw a watermelon in half.

Just don't cut directly on the wood surface if you'd like it to stay in perfect condition.

Learn more: Seville Classics Easy-to-Clean Bamboo Cutting Board and 7 Color-Coded Flexible Cutting Mats, $29.99

Avocado Slicers: Helpful, or More Trouble Than They’re Worth?

Kitchen gadget: Oxo Avocado Slicer

Hilarious review: "Lies...All lies...Don’t believe it...I’ve been looking at this tool probably for a few years thinking 'oh I should get one of those.' One day I saw it on sale, threw it in my cart and ordered. No...no, no, NO! Just keep using a knife and accept that there’s nothing out there in the world that makes avocado prepping any easier. Perhaps its just one of life’s great beauties. Some things we have to work for to enjoy, right? That’s not a bad thing." —Adrian Torres

Why it’s actually great: One could argue that cutting an avocado isn't difficult enough to warrant buying a kitchen gadget for. That said, if necessity is the mother of invention, convenience is its father. Getting the pit out of an avocado is annoying, especially when the avocado isn't quite ripe.

Slicing the mushy fruit is tough to do without getting it all over your hands. For anyone who isn't looking for a moisturizing hand treatment, this is a great buy.

Learn more: Oxo Good Grips 3-in-1 Avocado Slicer - Green, $9.99

Pancake Batter Dispensers Are Harder To Operate Than They Look

Kitchen gadget: Whiskware Pancake Batter Mixer and Dispenser

Hilarious review: "OMG...How lazy could I get? Wasted money as far as I'm concerned! 2 tries...1st delivery leaked from the bottom-useless; returned and received 2nd one. Useless...four attempts, following directions...failure, total mess to clean and shake. I have large football guy hands but couldn't master getting around this thing... VOILA! lousy pancakes. We all are individuals and maybe others will love it ...NOT ME!" —Sean Meehan

Why it’s actually great: Dripping pancake batter out of a ladle or accidentally making oval-shaped pancakes instead of circular ones are First World problems through and through.

Still, if Saturday morning pancakes are a regular occurrence, this pancake batter mixer/dispenser makes it easy to make perfectly even pancakes or get creative with cookie cutters.

Just fill in each shape carefully, remove the cookie cutter and you're done.

Learn more: Whiskware Pancake Batter Mixer and Dispenser with BlenderBall Wire Whisk, $13.18

Is It an Egg Timer, or a Trap?

Kitchen gadget: Norpro Egg Timer

Hilarious review: "How do you turn this thing on? Tried this for the first time this morning. Used it as directed. It sat in boiling water for ten minutes and the color never changed. Is this some sort of scam?" —TWM

Why it’s actually great: Who knew an egg timer could be so sinister? It's not, actually. Seventy-five percent of the more than 4,000 reviews gave this timer five stars out of five.

The quality control may not be perfect, but for less than 10 bucks, we'll allow it. When they work (which is most of the time), they work very well.

Easily worth the few bucks to get nice, perfectly cooked eggs.

Learn more: Norpro Egg Perfect Egg Timer, $6.99

If Your Favorite Color Is Green, This Sippy Bowl Might Disappoint

Kitchen gadget: Green Direct Sippy Bowl

Hilarious review: "No green bowl. They must be out?!! Disappointed. We were supposed to get one bowl of each color: red, blue, green, and yellow. We did not receive a green bowl, instead two red bowls, a yellow, and a blue. Green is my favorite color. Totally bummed." —KP

Why it’s actually great: Sugary cereals aren't the healthiest breakfast food, so when you splurge, why not enjoy the sweet, cereal-flavored milk at the bottom? Throwing it out would be such a waste.

One reviewer was disappointed that his order of sippy bowls was missing a green one, but most people don't seem to have that issue with them.

Learn more: Green Direct Sippy Bowl 22 Ounce Plastic Cereal Bowl with Built in Straw, $8.99

One Reviewer Thinks Measuring Pasta Is Pointless

Kitchen gadget: AxeSickle Spaghetti Measurer Tool

Hilarious review: "Might be the most ridiculous thing I've ever wasted my money on. If you can make a circle with your thumb and index finger you don't need this gadget." —Mark Jarrett

Why it’s actually great: Sure, you can measure pasta out with your hand, but it's a complete guess. Who hasn't attempted to make spaghetti for two and ended up with enough to feed half the block?

Even if the proportions are off on this spaghetti measuring tool, users can quickly work out which hole equates to the "goldilocks" of pasta portion size.

Learn more: AxeSickle Stainless Steel Spaghetti Measurer Tool, $5.99

Before Ordering Spatula Tongs, Check the Dimensions

Kitchen gadget: Staruby Cooking Tongs

Hilarious review: "Nope. This did not do the trick." —E N

Why it’s actually great: As long as you know what you're buying, these spatula tongs are fantastic. They're small, just a little larger than standard tongs.

They're meant for flipping grilled cheese sandwiches and tossing vegetables so they're evenly cooked, not for flipping large, messy burgers.

For their intended purpose, they're awesome.

Learn more: Staruby Cooking Tongs 9 inches and 12 inches Stainless Steel, $11.99

People's Taste in Wiener Dog Corn Holders May Vary

Kitchen gadget: Charcoal Companion Dog Corn Holders

Hilarious review: "Skip these-not even worth it if you got them at the dollar store. These are cheaply made with a weird color that is not like any dachshund I've ever seen, and their eyes can only be described as creepy." —Leah B.

Why it’s actually great: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and some beholders have highly specific taste in their wiener dog merchandise design.

These are pretty cute kitchen gadgets if you're not super picky, and they keep your fingers from getting burned by hot corn, too!

Learn more: Charcoal Companion Dog Corn Holders (8 Pieces), $29.99

These Magic Salt and Pepper Shakers Might Not Be the Most Effective

Kitchen gadget: Genuine Fred Magic Wand Salt and Pepper Shakers

Hilarious review: "The holes are huge & the salt especially just pours right out all over the place. Be prepared for the magically high blood pressure and the fantastically unpalatable food you'll end up with as a result of using these wands to season your eggs." —D. Taggart

Why it’s actually great: It's a novelty product more than a working salt shaker intended for daily use. It's cute, not practical.

As long as you're looking for a decorative salt and pepper shaker set to give your countertop some style points, it's a great kitchen gadget.

Learn more: Genuine Fred Salt + Magic Wand Salt and Pepper Shakers, $16.41

How Could Fresh Fro-Yo Go Wrong?

Kitchen gadget: Yonanas Soft Serve Makers

Hilarious review: "TikTok made me buy it. Yup, I saw this on TikTok, I could choke slam the influencer that raved about this machine. Think about effortlessly feeding frozen fruit into this machine and smooth sorbet coming out....this machine does the exact opposite. I'm convinced you have to bench press at least 250 just to get the frozen fruit down to the grinder, then when it comes out it's so chalky and crumbly in consistency.

You'll lose weight for sure with this machine, I think I lost 5lbs off my arms just getting half a cup full then starved bc it took a good 30 minutes to get that half cup. Plus the flavor was cr*p. Not a fan. Just buy a legit blender and save yourself from making a return bc I can promise you will, unless you enjoy struggling. Oh! Also, if your not already hearing impaired, this machine will see to it that you will be, wear ear plugs.” —Ashley Martin

Why it’s actually great: Maybe Ashley got a dud, because all of the fabulous Amazon reviews definitely did not come exclusively from heavily muscled bodybuilders.

It probably does require a little effort to transform frozen fruit into delicious sorbet, but not so much effort that you need to be an Olympian to use the soft serve machine.

She probably just didn't read the instructions, which clearly recommend allowing the fruit to thaw for a few minutes so it's not hard as a rock.

Learn more: Yonanas Classic Original Healthy Dessert Fruit Soft Serve Maker, 200-Watt, Silver, $49.95

One Reviewer Found This Spice Organizer Spicier Than Anticipated

Kitchen gadget: KitchenArt Spice Organizer

Hilarious review: "Your kitchen will smell great from your spices spilling out everywhere...4 stars for the idea, 0 stars for design, fabrication, material and negative stars for quality control. But hey, at least my kitchen will smell like garlic powder and ginger for a few days." —Scooter

Why it’s actually great: Admittedly, runaway rosemary isn't ideal. This spice organizer, however, has so many great reviews that the issue must have been a defect.

Who wouldn't love a product that makes it easy to stock up on spices, keep them fresh and dispense them in perfect quantities without taking up extra counter space?

Learn more: KitchenArt 57010 Select-A-Spice Auto-Measure Carousel Professional Series, Satin, $34.50

A Magnetic Shelf! How Handy! For Most People, Anyway

Kitchen gadget: StoveShelf Magnetic Shelf for Stove

Hilarious review: "All I know is it scratched up my stove. My stove is black." —Amazon Ann

Why it’s actually great: We're sorry it scratched your stove. Your black stove. No idea how the color of your stove is relevant. Maybe if it had been stainless steel, it wouldn't have been scratched? Regardless, there's absolutely nothing wrong with this convenient stove shelf.

Results vary depending on the materials and design of each stove unit. Some might not be magnetic enough for the shelf to attach securely. We recommend testing out your stove with a small fridge magnet to see how well it works before ordering an entire shelf.

Learn more: StoveShelf Magnetic Shelf for Kitchen Stove, $39.99

So Cooking With an Air Fryer Should Be Odorless?

Kitchen gadget: Copper Chef Air Fryer

Hilarious review: "Bad. Smells bad in the kitchen after cooking." —k2mountain

Why it’s actually great: Look, if the kitchen smells bad after you cook, that's your cooking's fault. If you heated up a junky frozen dinner in the microwave, and it turned out the consistency of damp rubber, would you blame the microwave? Exactly.

This air fryer is one of the most affordable kitchen gadgets on the market, and it has amazing reviews. It's probably not the best air fryer you can buy, but for the price, it's totally worth it.

Learn more: Copper Chef 2 QT Air Fryer - Turbo Cyclonic Airfryer With Rapid Air Technology For Oil-Less Cooking, $39.99

This Is a Mug Warmer, Not a Miracle Worker

Kitchen gadget: Mr. Coffee Mug Warmer

Hilarious review: "It will not keep coffee hot, despite heroic efforts. End of the story...Don't waste your money with foolish hopes...Coffee stayed barely warm, as in not cold, not as in drinking temperature." —Bill You

Why it’s actually great: Mug warmers can’t magically change the conductivity of a ceramic mug, so it’s not necessarily possible to keep your coffee scalding hot.

If you like it nearly boiling, this kitchen gadget isn’t for you. If you just want to keep it hot longer than usual, it does the job splendidly.

It’s also inexpensive enough to keep a couple of them around the house, so your coffee can stay warm wherever you go.

Learn more: Mr. Coffee Mug Warmer, Home, Office, Black, $10.99

Exploding Egg Yolks Aren't Ideal

Kitchen gadget: Dash Egg Cooker

Hilarious review: "Bought this product thinking it would be perfect for my morning schedule. I never really got hard-boiled eggs, but soft-boiled was OK. The more I used it, the softer my yolks were. The last time I used it, I bit into my egg and yolk squirted everywhere...Not a good experience for me." —WJI

Why it’s actually great: Unless you’re Gordon Ramsay, cooking eggs can be a pain. How many times have your hard-boiled eggs ended up with overcooked, grey yolks? And soft-boiled eggs can end up a little too soft, which isn’t ideal either.

This egg cooker has thousands of great reviews, and the majority of them report that the device can easily cook eggs at any desired level of firmness. Plus, the shells are super easy to peel after, and the cleanup is minimal.

Learn more: Dash DEC005BK, Poached, Scrambled Eggs, or Omelets with Auto Shut Off Feature, $19.99

Some Reviewers Aren’t Satisfied With Just One Waffle

Kitchen gadget: Dash Waffle Maker

Hilarious review: "Important advice...Open your hand wide and look directly at your palm. Just the palm of your hand, not the fingers...That’s what size waffles this waffle maker makes." — Renee

Why it’s actually great: It's small, but that's the entire point. Not everyone needs a giant waffle maker that cooks for a family of four.

If you're trying to make a family breakfast, keep shopping. If you just want to make a few authentic, golden brown waffles for yourself and your significant other, this is an amazing kitchen gadget to add to your arsenal.

It won't take up much space in your cabinet, and it comes in several cute colors.

Learn more: Dash DMW001AQ Mini Maker for Individual Waffles, $20

If You Think a S'more Maker Is Silly, Maybe Don't Buy One

Kitchen gadget: Nostalgia S'more Maker

Hilarious review: "It's a d*mn kitchen burner! This is the biggest rip off - you pay over $30 for a glorified lazy Susan and a kitchen burner. Not to mention it takes 30 mins to heat up. Forever upset I bought this." —Lexie Renner

Why it’s actually great: This one is definitely a want, not a need, but that's OK.

Sure, it's a glorified kitchen burner, but it's easy to use and it's fun. It's also handy for setting out just the right amount of marshmallows, chocolate and honey grahams so kids don't go too crazy with the melted marshmallows.

We still recommend trying this one outside, because stickiness is still a thing.

Learn more: Nostalgia LSM400 Indoor Electric Stainless Steel S'mores Maker with 4 Lazy Susan Compartment Trays, $38.99

This Soap Dispenser Became a Meme? It Looks Fine to Us

Kitchen gadget: Secura Automatic Soap Dispenser

Hilarious review: "So frustrating that it became a family meme. We bought this as our kids were using too much soap when washing dishes and we wanted a hands-free solution. We were reassured by the high ratings.

We tried turning off the unit, turning it back on, and then doing all of the above. Turning it off and on and then varying the amount of soap that should be dispensed. Nope. Begging, swearing, proving Einstein’s adage about insanity: It remained inscrutable in its dispensing requirements. Our kids repeatedly tried it. We had friends who couldn’t resist the challenge after hearing of our defeat and spent ridiculous amounts of time with it. All failed.

Maddeningly, it *would* occasionally dispense soap, usually as we sighed with frustration and placed it away from the sink, so a blob of Dawn would land on our hands and counter.

At last, we give up.

The only positive was that it united our family in our great irritation for this device." —Kylix

Why it’s actually great: As the number one best seller in bathroom countertop soap dispensers on Amazon, this particular soap dispenser has so many reviews that it's bound to have a few bad ones. There are literally over 24,000 reviews, and most of them are great.

This soap dispenser makes it easy to get just the right amount of soap without touching a germy, wet pump. We all need one for cold and flu season.

Learn more: Secura 17oz / 500ml Premium Touchless Battery Operated Electric Automatic Soap Dispenser, $29.99