5 Kitchen Items Homeowners Almost Always Regret

Some kitchen items are always worth the purchase. These include kitchen islands and high-end appliances which not only make spending time with loved ones enjoyable in a kitchen setting. Investing in these buys can enhance the overall value of your home.

However, there are some kitchen-related purchases homeowners wind up regretting over time. Maybe it was a must-have gadget acquired during the COVID-19 pandemic or a less than practical redecorating choice. Here are the kitchen purchases homebuyers often regret making the most.

In the early days of pandemic lockdown, many turned to the kitchen for comfort. They cooked and they baked, making plenty of cookies, cake and bread, including the wildly popular sourdough bread starter.

Nearly three years into COVID, how many of us are baking this much bread anymore? Amy Weiher, founder and creative director at Weiher Creative, bought a breadmaker with the intention of becoming a domestic goddess who would do nothing but bake bread all week. Since its purchase, the breadmaker has been used four times, at most.

As a piece of kitchen equipment, the breadmaker is not the issue. Baking bread is a particularly time-consuming project, especially if you’re unaccustomed to baking regularly.

“Does anyone realize the amount of commitment it takes to bake bread from scratch?” Weiher said. “The ones who don’t are the same ones who bought breadmakers thinking it would solve all their carb-related problems. It’s me. I’m the one.”

Air fryers may be all the rage this year; but, five years from now, it’s possible this cooking gadget may retire in the cupboard or garage.

Lisa Lotts, owner and publisher of Garlic & Zest, said those with fully functioning kitchens don’t need this additional appliance. 

“Air fryers are nothing more than a small countertop convection oven, which simply means that hot air circulates around the food, cooking it faster by about 25%,” Lotts said. “You can accomplish the same thing in a regular convection oven.”

Another redundant appliance is an Instant Pot. Lotts said Instant Pots, most of which have a slow cooker function now, are essentially glorified pressure cookers. 

Said Lotts: “A standard stovetop pressure cooker costs about 1/4 of the price of an Instant Pot and works with equal efficiency.”

This is a controversial kitchen appliance to include on this list. Many homeowners may enjoy using their Crock-Pots, but sometimes these can be more trouble than they are worth.

Lotts said the typical functions of a Crock-Pot are slow cooking and braising. However, Crock-Pots lack the ability to sear meats and sauté in advance. This means most of the meal prep needs to be done in another pan. 

“Anything you can do in a Crock-Pot,” Lotts said, “you can also do in a Dutch oven.”

Another running issue with redundant kitchen appliances such as Crock-Pots, air fryers and Instant Pots is storage space. These appliances are large and, if your home doesn’t have enough storage space, Lotts said, you’ll be frustrated at how much room they will occupy in the kitchen, on the countertop or in your closet.

While this is not a kitchen item, marble is a popular stone many homeowners may think they want to install in their kitchens. 

Natalie Way, senior editor at Realtor.com, said it’s not a practical choice if you constantly use your kitchen countertops. Marble is a luxurious, high-maintenance surface for a kitchen remodel. The stone is porous, so it tends to stain easily even if you have your countertops sealed. 

It’s also impossible to disinfect a marble countertop for cleaning purposes.

“You can’t disinfect a marble countertop like you would on any other surface using a common disinfecting wipe,” Way said, “because they are acidic and can seriously damage the marble.”

Homeowners who are active in the kitchen are better off not installing marble countertops. Instead, Way recommends choosing granite, concrete or limestone — which can stand up to the mess of cooking and entertaining.