Once again, the votes are in and the Web site ReturnAwfulGiftsNow.com has compiled a list of the worst, most often returned kitchen gadgets of the holiday season.
Little Hostess Counter Top Cat Washer
This clever, though boxy, device sits on the kitchen counter top. You raise the lid on top, stick your cat into the well, and quickly close and latch the door before the cat can leap out. Set the control to Quick Wash, Deep Scrub, or The Works and hit the start button. A drying cycle option is available on deluxe models.
Of those returning the Counter Top Cat Washer:
63 percent said they could never get the door closed before the cat leaped out.
27 percent said that when the machine finished and the door opened, the cat bolted from the house, climbed to the top of the nearest tree and had to be rescued by the fire department.
7 percent said the dry cycle left the cat’s coat excessively wrinkled, particularly if the cat had long hair.
Old Shoe Slicer and Crockpot Combo
This machine also sits on the counter top. The user places an old shoe in the slicer, which slices the shoe into razor-thin wafers. A conveyor belt transfers the shoe wafers to the slow-cooking crockpot chamber which converts them into tasty morsels best served with a bernaise sauce. The crockpot cooking phase can be as little as 30 minutes or as long as six hours, depending on the shoe.
Of those returning the Old Shoe Slicer and Crockpot Combo
80 percent said that the magnetic screening device attached to the slicer failed to remove all of the metal from the shoe — such things as eyelets and nails in the heel — before transferring the wafers to the crockpot. Of these, 84 percent said they broke a tooth while eating their crockpot shoe dinner.
12 percent said that the shoe wafers were still tough, even after cooking them as long as 12 hours.
3 percent said the bernaise sauce recipe was inadequate.