The World’s Weirdest Kitchen Appliances

The people who make kitchen appliances are always trying to outdo each other but sometimes you have to wonder what they were thinking. He’s a selection of some of my favourites.

The Human Washing Machine (never made it to market)

Introduced in 1970 and rarely seen since, the Human Washing Machine (more properly known as the Ultra Sonic bath) would wash, rinse, dry and massage anyone who sat in it. When Sanyo unveiled it at the Osaka International Expo it proved a big hit – maybe because of the fascination with automated processes at the time or maybe because of the bikini clad model inside.

The Egg Cuber (still available)

It’s not technically an appliance in the Appliances Online sense of the word but it is very odd. The egg cuber is arguably the most pointless kitchen utensil you could wish for unless you really, really want to make square scotch eggs.

Candy Trio (still available)

We actually sell this! If you’ve got a bedsit (or studio apartment if you prefer) then you’ll probably appreciate the practicality of the Candy Trio. This three in one hob, oven and dishwasher takes up the same amount of space as a regular dishwasher but performs three tasks. If you really want to show off you can always tell your friends that you’ve poached salmon in your dishwasher.

Hand Powered Washing Machine (still available)

The hand powered washing machine is probably a good idea. Probably. So long as you don’t mind only being able to wash 2kg of clothes at a time, have the stamina to turn the handle once a second for two minutes and have access to very good rinsing facilities (or don’t mind having detergent in your clothes).

Tree Shaped Fridge (not made it to market -yet)

You can get fridges in all sorts of shapes and sizes as this appliance proves. The tree shaped fridge from Yanko Design goes one further than the standard model with an extra plastic shell (which is the conventional method of making a novelty fridge) and includes individual modules which act like bird’s nests for storage as well as a central trunk section.