I use my ladle all the time. In fact, I've got two of them, in case one is in the dishwasher when I need it. I almost never use my chef's knife, though. It's just too unwieldy.

I can't believe you use a measuring cup to serve soup. That just seems so....college student.

A friend gave me a huge Henckle meat cleaver that is so huge and bulky that I never use it.

I use my laddle all the time too. However I don't use a whisk very often. I hate having to put them in a drawer and I'm not a fan of stuff on my counters. We have a small one sort of like the 4th one from the right and I use it for everything i should be whisking.

I just use the mini-ladle that came with my rice cooker. I store it inside the rice cooker so it doesn't really take up any extra space.

Does a cheese grater count? I don't know how common it is to find cheese graters in your average kitchen. Mine takes up a lot of space and I get it out about once a year, it's stuck behind the silverware tray so it's a pain in the ass to have to drag everything out and put it back.

sorry, use the ladel all the time

I had one sad, semi-melted ladle that I never used, so I pitched it recently. I too use a measuring cup for serving soups!

I use my ladle a lot too. The thing I don't really use is the whisk that looks like the 4th one from the right, unlike dearly.

I use my two ladles all the time - they don't seem as drippy as measuring cups or even teacups, and I don't have to put my hand near the hot liquid. Last year bought a third. It is a hand carved, deep-bowled wooden spoon from the shop next door to the World's Largest Purple Spoon (I think it was in Montana).

Oh yes, this one: http://www.petergreenberg.com/2008/09/05/one-tank-trips-glacier-national-park-montana/

Each spoon in the workshop was unique and this one fit my fingers and the tilt of my left-handed grip perfectly. The carver gave me some story about how one spoon will 'speak to you,' blah de blah and I felt like a tourist sucker, but got it anyway because I feel very Laura Ingalls Wilder when I serve a pot of beans with it.

Measuring cup.... brilliant! I never would have thought of that. Couldn't you just hang it off the edge of the stock pot, with the cup part hanging inside the pot? Drippy counters avoided...

If I make soup in a tall stock pot with lots of chunks that sink to the bottom, I think a ladle is a great help. I don't think a measuring cup would work as well in that case.

I am also pro-ladle. A measuring cup doesn't have a long enough handle to get down into a hot stock pot, IMO.

I can, therefore I need a ladle. I use it a lot for pasta sauce and such, too. I can't think of anything I have that I never use, except maybe the blender, though that's more because of a lack of outlets in the kitchen than actually not needing it. I did a huge kitchen purge when I moved into this apartment and got rid of anything I hadn't used in a year and I've been pretty good about adding new things to my kitchen lately.

I use the ladle all the time for making risotto (for adding the stock to the rice) and making stock. In the latter case, I use it to skim fat (skimmers will pick up scum but not fat) and also in the final straining. If you pour it into your chinois/strainer, you agitate it making it cloudier. Ladling it in will help to keep the stock clear. Plus you can use the ladle to press down on the solids in the chinois/strainer.

For those of you that use a large whisk frequently were do you store them? Maybe my cabinet drawers arent deep enough or something, I can never figure out where to put one.

Yup, I too always use a ladle. It is perfect for getting all the stuff that's sunk to the bottom of soup, plus an even amount of broth. I can't think of anything off the top of my head that I don't use...

Clampers: you only use your cheese grater once a year? Now I don't know if I'm weird or not. :P I use my cheese grater all the time, and not just for cheese - it works fine for citrus zest, ginger, carrots, and many other things besides! It was one of the first things i bought when I moved out on my own.

I do love my ladle and my whisk, but I've never understood potato mashers. In fact I didn't know there was such a utensil until I met my partner, who thinks that mashing one's potatoes with a pastry cutter is weird.

I use my ladle all the time as well. I do use a measuring cup occsionally but only when I'm making stock. Otherwise I don't mind the few extra dips a ladle requires.

Actually...I will say that sometimes I even go the other way and use a kitchen spoon rather than a ladle. I tend to like very broth-y soups so this allows more control in terms of the amount of liquid that goes into my bowl!

Ladle. Daily.

Sometimes I use a tiny ladle, sometimes a big ladly. But daily.

The potato masher is useless... I think it's a potato masher? It's HUUUUGE. It might be for meat, I dunno. I don't eat meat. I usually use a pastry blender anyways.

Pizza cutter. I rarely eat pizza and when I do, I find scissors work better.

I have two ladles and use them a few times a week. I also use my cheese grater daily.

I also rarely use my potato masher, but nothing can replace it on the rare occasions that I do use it. It'll have to stay.

I use the ladle frequently, mostly for serving soup. I never use my whisk. A fork is almost always easier.

I'm a frequent ladle user, too, especially the Nigella Lawson ones because they're oval shaped and can scoop out around where the bottom meets the sides. I've never used the pasta claw that comes with the ladle set, though.

For dearly--I use my large whisk almost every day. I store it handle-down in a pretty jug with some other large utensils I use daily (extra spatulas, wooden spoons, ladles, etc.). I've recently discovered how handy the whisk is for blending dry ingredients in the mixing bowl, vs. a wooden spoon. The ingredients mix more thoroughly, in my opinion.

I use my ladles all the time, to make sure I get the yummy bits at the bottom of the hot pot. I don't use the egg separator. I find that passing the yolk from shell to shell or using my fingers works best.

Interesting eightisenough. Maybe ill move up to the bigger one. I have one, it is just living under the cabinet with my baking pans right now, probably a lot of why i dont use it.

A measuring cup would seem like more work to me. You can't stir up the pot with it to get a serving with the right amount of vegs and broth. You can't really slightly dip it into the pot to filter out the vegs if you just want more broth.

And what if you drop it into the soup? doesn't the handle get mucky when the cup rolls over?

Besides.........If I've made soup, my measuring cup is likely dirty, so I'd have to use a ladle, LOL

Wisk........I use all the time, mainly because I'm always making salad dressings.

How on earth is a ladle any harder to clean than a measuring cup?!?!

I think you just need a bigger ladle! I use mine all the time, but often resort to the measuring cup when my ladle is dirty and waiting fo rme to do dishes. I cook way more than I run my dishwasher!

As far as storing a big whisk, I have magnets on the side of my fridge (its concealed from view from most of my kitchen) with little hook which I hook my big whisk onto. It's out of the way and not wreaking havoc on my storage drawer.

Ladle lover here, for risotto, like porktato, and for stirring and serving soup. Ladle and wisk are both kept in a jug on the counter with other oft-used utensils.

i love my ladle! it's the perfect size for a serving of soup and definitely a necessity for adding stock to risotto.

i rarely use my double-burner cast iron grill pan though, and that takes up A LOT of space. it's difficult to clean (i.e. heavy!) and not as non-stick as i had hoped for. and i have a hard time getting even heating. i had such high hopes for it too... :(

You can't skim your stocks, sauces, and soups very well with a measuring cup, I have tried. As for serving soup, I usually ladle it into the measuring cup and then pour into the bowl, it prevents all that dripping on the counter and bowls and the measuring cup doesn't leave a mess when you set it on the counter.

@ohjodi, if you used your measuring cup to make the soup, it isn't dirty as far as using to serve the soup, it just has soup ingredients in it.

I use ladles and whisks all the time. The problem is that I have two whisks, one metal one for creaming butter and sugar together when mixing dough (I don't have an electric mixer) and another silicon coated one for whisking things in my non-stick pan. When I first got the silicon one it seemed really necessary, but I don't actually use it that much. I also never use my potato masher, but I got it from my grandmother's house and someday I will mash something with it.
Honestly, the elephant in my kitchen is a beautiful bright red five quart le creuset dutch oven that also belonged to my grandmother. Someday I will use it weekly I'm sure, but for now my single early twenties student lifestyle does not really require a 5 quart pot. There's nowhere else for it to go, so for now it's stuck in the bottom of my cabinet taking up all my space.

I have to agree with all of those who've said a ladle is necessary for adding stock to a risotto. So very true.

I use my cheese grater just about daily. My blender comes out often enough.

If I had a potato masher, I'd use it to mash beans, seeing as I don't have a food processor and generally use my fork. It takes a while.

I don't have any utensils I don't use. I do, however, have three sets of measuring cups for some reason.

Fortunately for me, the only utensil I never use in my kitchen is my fire extinguisher.

I'm a huge believer in not owning single-purpose utensils. However, I do admit that I own a flour sifter, and I find that it does help, especially in making my pizza dough with sifted, airated flour.

I also use my ladle all the time. I have 3: 2 big and 1 small and they are a regular part of the rotation. For those items that I keep in my two utensil crocks, I can't think of anything off-hand that doesn't get used frequently.

Now, that utensil drawer is another story....

Although I still have a large box grater, I rarely use it these days. I find that a microplane zester works much better on hard cheeses like parmesan, although I still pull out the box grater occasionally when I want to grate soft cheese.

I also use my potato masher, even though I never eat mashed potatoes. It's great for breaking up food, like whole tomatoes when I'm making tomato sauce, or strawberries, cherry tomatoes, etc.

I never use a whisk. A fork or chopsticks can do most whisking. And if I need more power, I use hand mixer.
I do use the ladle for pancakes. Mine is just the perfect volume of batter for one pancake.

I use my ladle all the time. I'm a bit clumsy and putting my hand close to hot liquid is asking for trouble.

I can't think of anything I don't use that often except my canning pot, there's nothing else I need a pot that large for except canning which I only do a couple times a year. However I love homemade pickles and jellies so it's a must.

I'm sorry, but you don't use your laddle(s) but you do use your pizza cutter? And you use a measuring cup instead?! I make large pizza's often and would never think of using anything but my large chef's knife. I have a single laddle that I use several times a week and find it invaluable for pasta, stews in large pots with chunks at the bottom, poaching eggs, and for serving normal sized portions.

I <3 my ladles. Always have one handy for scooping up soups and stews and stuff. Too easy to burn myself with a measuring cup, and it's messier.

I definitely have too many knives though. I have a basic starter set with 8 knives and I only use about half of them, and never all at once. Who needs to use 8 knives preparing a single meal anyways. ><

I don't know if these count but I've never used the rotary hand mixer and the square pancake griddle. They sit in the cupboard taking up precious space.

Thermometer. I thought I needed one because it's always listed on those 'must have kitchen gadgets' lists, but I never use it. I guess I'm more of the 'cooking by ear/feel/taste/smell/habit' school than into measuring everything precisely.

I also hardly ever use my corkscrew because I don't drink wine that often. It's one of the few things I think is OK to have "just in case", though.

I can't believe there are people don't use ladle. I seriously can't imagine my life without it. I don't know the name but the last one in the picture (first one from right) I never use that. I usually use pasta fork for steamed veges and stuff. That thing is huge and takes up space for no reason at all.

I use my ladle constantly. I don't use my slotted spoon or my hand potato masher very often and could probably live without both. But then I don't like mashed potatoes so I don't make them very often.

On the topic of de-cluttering. I put all the utensil I had multiples of or didn't use in a plastic shoe box and stored it in the cabinet above my refrigerator. Now if I ruin something or find the need for something I just grab my back-up from the box. It made my utensil drawer manageable without throwing out anything.

I don't even own a ladle. Actually, most of the kitchen stuff I don't use got ditched the last time we moved, but come to think of it, I've never owned a ladle. I think mostly because I've never bought or been given one of the standard utensil packs.

I think one thing I have in my kitchen that I can probably do without is the microplane grater that I just had to have. Yeah, it makes zesting an orange easier, but it's really not that big a deal to do it with a veg peeler and the chef's knife.

Also, I had been given one of those huge oval LeCreuset enameled pots, the biggest size. It was way too big for the kind of cooking I do and it didn't even fit into the cabinets at the new place, yes, I have really small cabinets. I had to get rid of it. I'm on the lookout for a reasonably priced round enameled pot that's not too big.

I use my ladles constantly. My pizza cutter I use only for thick crust pizza, otherwise scissors do the trick. I have a few cheese graters and I use them all very frequently.
The fourth utensil in the picture - I don't even know what it is!

Marina - it's a whisk that I personally use for for when I make anything that starts with a roux.

While not exactly a *large* utensil, our coffee scoop never gets used. I just shake the coffee beans out of their countertop container, helping them out with my hand if needed... and the scoop simply rests in the drawer.

Onepot
http://onepot.wordpress.com

What is that thingy in the middle, with the circle at the end and the spiraling wire? I have one and never use it. Obviously.

You know what I never use? My meat tenderizer. It's made of wood so it's not even that great of a tenderizer, not heavy enough to bash something flat. I'm more likely to use a rolling pin or a bottle of wine to flatten chicken breasts.

I never use the pizza cutter, either; prefer kitchen shears. My husband won't give it up though; it makes him feel pro.

I think every utensil mentioned here gets used in my kitchen all the time, or at least regularly; ladle, cheese grater, microplane, potato masher, blender, pizza cutter... I'm sure I must have mostly-unused utensils, but they certainly aren't any of the "common" ones.

We use every utensil, including the ladle (frequently, in fact, since we have miso soup most mornings). Even the garlic press gets some use every now and then (my wife sometimes forgets we have it, though). Pizza cutters are good for cutting okonomiyaki up and a whisk sure beats a fork when you are making any sort of omelette dish.

Have a ladle but don't make soup (I hate it) Am struggling to think why I bought it as I never use it.

I never use the pie slicer/server. I didn't even own one until fairly recently actually. I've always just used something else to serve with like a butter knife, or fork, or if its big a flat spatula for cookies.

I use my ladles, but got rid of those wooden spoons that can't go through the dishwasher. I have a container on my counter of just multiple and different size silicone spatulas (rubber scrapers) that I use for everything.

Ha! Before I saw what the answer was I knew it would be ladle! I have a few and use them a lot (I make lots of soups and chili) But can totally see how they can be a nuisance. I just cram them in the back of my utensil crock.

This post made me take a look through my kitchen to see if I have anything I never use. All the items in the comments were things I found useful, and besides the doubles of some things as a result of merging two kitchens together when my bf and I started living together, I couldn't find much. Maybe the turkey baster? Or that big shallow metal spoon? I'm one of those people who is convinced that the second I get rid of something that seems useless, I'll come across a situation where it would be the perfect solution. There are definitely more tools I'm lacking than ones I don't use. A flour sifter, a pastry cutter, a decent strainer (that doesn't have holes that spaghetti slides through) and a dutch oven are the top on my "to buy" list right now.

I have two ladles. And I use them all the time. And I live by myself. Go figure.

I like my ladle too - getting an even mix of everything in the pot is achievable, and quick and easy. I do concede that it does clog up the drawer with the utensils in it though.

On the whisk note - I love my whisk, and have also started to use it to mix dry ingredients. It also does a pretty good job instead of sieving ingreadients - a quick whisk breaks up lumps and incorporates air. It's actually my sieves that I'd be happy to get shot of - but they have their uses for straining, so don't feel I can get rid of them either.

use our ladles all winter long! We also have 2, in case 1 is in the dishwasher :-) good for soups AND stews....

I seldom use our meat cleaver and our chef's knife. Both are more heavy-duty than we need for daily cooking. The most popular knife in our set is the santoku... a little smaller than the chef's knife, but able to do all the same tasks.

also never use my whisks (make roux with a regular spoon... never get lumps) or my meat tenderizers (one wood, the other metal). The latter mainly becuase I'm too lazy mid-week to go through that 3 min task of flattening meat.

phoebeart: you don't need a flour sifter... just use a hand held strainer.... does the job faster than a sifter, and it can also be used to strain canned veggies ;-)

I endorse the purchase of a couple good dutch ovens... my lecreusets (5 and 7qt) are VERY useful for winter stews and braised meat...

Two ladle owner, and both ladle out 1/2 cup of liquid. So I know my portion control issues are out there and with soup, I still have to be careful. Now, with rice, it's a 1/2 cup measuring cup. To each his own, said the old lady, as she kissed the cow.

I use my ladle all the time. I make big batches of soups, stews, sauces, etc. and the ladle does its job perfectly, mixing everything up and getting to all the stuff down at the bottom of the pot.

However, I rarely use my potato masher anymore ever since I switched to using a ricer. Plus the flour sifter has been sitting up on a high shelf because now I use a fine mesh strainer instead. I guess its time to think about donating the masher and the sifter.

I'm in the ladle-loving crowd. Although I hate my current crappy plastic ladle - I need a nice big metal one like my mom has.

The thing I never use is my pastry bag. It's always floating in my utensil drawer, getting in the way, and I still haven't ever used it! I just put everything in a ziploc bag and cut the tip off.

Bad of me, I know. One of these days I'll get a mechanical pastry bag that can be thrown in the dishwasher instead of carefully handwashed, and then I'll be able to give up my plastic baggy habit...

Ladle lover here. The biggest, least used item I have in my kitchen is the mandoline which slices and dices and does all those fancy shapes. The sharp dangerous interchangeable plates have just bumped around in a bin for years. Not only have I never ever used any of those silly attachments, but I have found that a good sharp knife beats that expensive mandoline for thin slicing. For the price I paid for it, I could have gotten a really nice knife.

whenever my mother and grandmother are over, they both always insist that i need one of those little spatulas that are either square or triangle shaped in order to serve cake or pie. i just can't give in to this one. a fork works fine for extracting pieces of pie, cake, or brownies out of their respective pans.

I have several ladles in different sizes and use them constantly.
Things I don't use
- strawberry huller (fingers work just fine)
- potato ricer - a real waste of space, but then I like lumps in my mashed potatoes
- Long handled Chinese device for lifting things out of hot oil. I gave up frying anything in oil after I nearly burned down my mother's kitchen.
- Chinese cleaver. This used to be in constant use til I married someone with a really nice set of kitchen knives. In fact I had a set of cleavers, the big one being Bert, and the littlest one Beaver, (boy that dates me!). Still, there are some things that I only trust the cleaver with (whacking great big butternut squashes down to size!)

Geckomayhem
wow, what a brilliant idea, using a pizza cutter for okonomiyaki!
Now I can get even more use out of mine.
Thanks!

I have two ladles that I used quite often for canning and soups. I don't make risotto too often, but I do agree that a ladle is very useful when I do make it.

I also use my potato masher and pizza cutter often. They aren't unitaskers at all! I don't make mashed potatoes much, but I use the masher a lot when canning to mash fruit and I use it to mash beans or soups that I want chunky without being too chunky. I don't own a pastry cutter, so I use my pizza cutter for that as well as pizza. I also use it to portion out dough when I'm making yeast breads. It's easier to cut something in a bowl with a pizza cutter versus a knife.

I don't use an egg separator, since the shells work just fine for that. Other then that I can't think of any basic utensils that I don't use.

For clarification, I mean a pastry wheel not a pastry blender.

I use my ladle almost every day, but I'm a sauce or gravy person, so I would. I have several.

I have one ladle, and my life has been made so much better since I got it. I make thai-style, coconut-milk-based curries about 2-3 times a week, and ladles are very useful for this curry to get all the yummy vegetables and the sauce! If you made thicker, indian curries I could see not using it. Couldn't live without my ladle.

I could also not live without my cheese grater. I grate cheese all the time, and I also use it for grating carrots and other veggies to go into cole slaw, carrot cake, etc.

I'm a live-with-my-not-a-cook-boyfriend college student, so I don't have too many things and I use most of them. If I had to pick one thing I don't use very often, it's probably my ramekins. i have 12 of them, from a party I threw in which I made little personal creme brulees for everyone. I never use them for anything but creme brulee.

ElaineB:

I have a potato ricer too, and I have never used it on potatoes! I use it becuase I have never, in my life, been able to find a real spätzel--a delicious, comforting german noodle dish.

edit on my last post:

I have never, in my life, been able to find a real spätzel-maker, and I use my potato ricer to make spätzel, probably twice a month or more.

I also have two ladles but since I discovered this Rosle ladle with an offset handle (http://www.chefsresource.com/rosle-ladle-pouring-hook.html), it's the ONLY one I use. Even if it's dirty, I'll wash it instead of using the other more traditional one. I never realized that the angle of the handle could make such a profound difference, and I think the lip around the edge helps a lot too. It gets used for anything that's remotely saucy or soupy or liquidy in any way. Mulled wine a few days ago, spaghetti sauce last week, soup last night. It's wonderful!

The utensil I probably use the least is my wooden rolling pin. I'm glad I have it for the very rare occasions that I do need it but it mostly just hangs on the wall.

Ladle, Heck Yeah!! Great for pouring spag sauce into canning jars, or Foodsaver bags!

Potato Masher--I use it quite a bit for, well, mashing taters! Also it's awesome for mixing ground meats together, and for whipping up a quick batch of egg salad--I use a potato masher before I use an egg slicer. Just easier that way.

Least used kitchen tool...probably my Electric knife. I don't know why I still hold onto it, but it's in the drawer. I think the last time it was used was to cut the evaporative cooler pads for our swamp cooler...in spring, 2007!

i have three--no. four? i think i have four ladels. and i use them all the time! since it's just my fiance and i at home, we can often go a day or so without doing dishes and depending on what i make to eat on those days--for lunch and dinner--sometimes all four are in the dishwasher! i don't really have a lot of kitchen utensils that i don't use all the time. this is either because i cook a LOT...or because this is the first year i've had my very own kitchen and i'm still busy stocking it =)

Vexierspiegel - We have a genuine spätzle-maker (my husband's maternal grandparents were German / German stock) but we never use it as my husband doesn't eat egg. I wouldn't get rid of it though - too hard to replace if he finds an egg-free recipe for spätzle. It just lies at the back of a cupboard where it doesn't get in the way. I can see how a potato ricer would substitute.

I don't use my potato masher (came with the other utensils in a standard kit) - I use a fork as it's easier to clean.

I use a ladle all the time. Couldn't get along without it. (A measuring cup to serve soup...???) My albatross kitchen implement is the old old fashioned egg beater.